FORGOTTEN

Chapter 6

"I hope you stop saying such things." Faye says, her face undeniably warm against the cold wintry air.

"Is it working?" Errol replies jokingly, his face again with his trademark genuine smile.

"It's embarrassing," she mutters under her breath.

He watches her for a couple of seconds until he finally speakis, "You should be wooed more. You don't seem used to it."

She smiles sheepishly at him while rubbing the back of her neck. What would that do to her fragile heart?

She cannot keep up with him. She may appear to be cold and unaffected most of the time, but her heart is a different story altogether. She does not like having this kind of conversation with someone of the opposite sex because she does not handle it well.

At time she thinks that people talk to her in such a way for the reason that they want to tease her. Worse, she believes that people do it for the reason that they just need something from her. Or they are just being nice.  She reckons it could be that they think she is not getting enough that they do it out of pity.

"Are you free on Friday?" Errol asks.

"I finish work at nine. It's not a good time."

"I can wait. Let's have dinner?"

Faye is silenced for a moment, considering one of the many ways she can turn him down. Fridays and weekends are her me-time. In other words, those are the days that she stays at home away from people. She may be a teacher and she is surroundd by people every day, but there are times she prefers to be on her own without having to talk to people.

"Let me guess, you're checking your overflowng list of excuses right now." Errol crosses his arms over his chest, studying her closely which makes her feel a tad self-conscious.

'Is this guy for real?' she says to herself.

"Are you some kind of mind reader?" she speaks wiht an annoyed tone.

"I'm a very talented man." He playfully wags his eyebrows at her.

Considering it for another second, she thinks there is nothing to lose if she happens to accept his invitation. The only problem that she can think of is that she does not know how she will explain it to her mother.

'I'm 29!' She berates herself.

"What do you think?"

"Okay."

"Wonderful!"

She tends to have this sense of trepidation whenever she has to tell her mother about going out with people. Her mom seems to have  unbelievadisrust of people, especially foreign ones. She has this belief that people have ill intentions and there is the possibility of getting into trouble if she happens to go out with them. In a way, Faye believes that there are such people yet she believes that there are good people in the world, a lot of them.

Friday afternoon comes and Faye feels edgy about the dinner. She may be telling herself that there is nothing to feel apprehensive about and that it will just be like any other dinner. However, she has to admit that she chose her best dress when she dressed up that morning. Not only is she wearing a dress she rarely wears, but she also put on light make-up to come wih it.

"What's the occasion, Faye?" Elena inquires with a meaningful look on her face.

"Nothing at all," she responds as she tinkers with the copy machine.

"You look really pretty today."

"Don't I look pretty every day?" Faye jokes which earns her a bout of jovial laughter.

"I can feel your exceeding self-confidence from here."

Faye sticks her tongue at Elena and continues with making copies of an English exam.

"Seriously, though. Are you going out tonight?"

She considers her response for a second, thinking whether it is a good idea to tell her about tonight or not. Then again, she has always wanted this kind of interaction with another girl. She may not be completely honest to herself, but there are times she yearns for the chance to have a light-hearted girl talk with somebody.

Life has been about work for more than six years now. As much as she wants to avoid drama, there are moments wherein she ponders about how life would be different had she a social life. Even so, she rejects this thought most of the time. The truth is she finds human relationships too troublesome and the thought of being in constant contact with another human being is too exhausting for her.

"He asked me out for dinner tonight."

"He? You mean the guy from the other day?"

"Yes, the guy from the other day." Faye confirms.

Elena grins brightly at this and this is followed by a jump out of her seat. She quickly gives her a warm hug, "I'm happy for you."

"Aren't you overreacting or something? It's just dinner!"

Faye cannot help but giggle at Elena's infections excitement. This is just another thing her heart pines for, the feeling of exhilaration when girls come together and talk about boys.

"Honestly, Faye," Elena grabs her by the shoulder, her face holding a serious look. "This is wonderful. I'm genuinely glad that you're finally coming out of your shell. You don't have to think deeply of this dinner with him. Just enjoy the moment. You're still young, so be young."

For the first time, Faye has the urge to wrap her arms around another person who is not her family. She has no problem receiving affection from others but giving it is just out of character for her.

"I'm so nervous, Elena." Faye breathes out.

"You'll be fine, Faye. You're the kind of person people gravitate to. Your students seem to love you very much because you are easy to like. Do you know that?"

Faye makes a sharp intake of air at that. She has never really thought about how her students feel about her. What she knows is that she tries her best to impart memorable lessons to them. Never has she really considered what her students think about her. Hearing it spoken aloud touches her very deeply, making her teary-eyed.

"Whatever happens with this guy, you know I'll be here to listen to you badmouth him for as long as you want." Elena cups her cheeks before giving them a pinch.

"Thank you..."