Ellie-chan (COMPLETED)

Nineteen - Rika-chan's Tirade

When I went to Hayato's office that Monday noon, I knew something was not right. The receptionist looked at me strangely. She seemed a bit worried. I didn't get it because I always go there to drop their eccentric boss' lunch. What was she worrying about?

She made a call and then after a few seconds, she asked me to get inside her boss' office. There, I was met by his secretary who told me to just leave the obento box with her. I told her that Hayato was expecting me. He told me this morning to drop it at his desk personally, I said.  The girl looked at me for a second and said, "She's inside."  Who?  When I gave her a puzzled look, she made some incomprehensible gesture.  Then, she sighed.  "Rika-chan's inside."  Again, another puzzled look from me. Who's Rika-chan? And why am I not allowed to see Hayato because she's there inside?  Before the secretary could reply, somebody stormed out of Hayato's office. She seemed to be sooooo mad. When I saw her face, I realized that she was the pimpled-girlfriend!

Rika-chan looked at me with anger in her eyes. I didn't know why. I seldom see her. When I do, she was always with Hayato. Is she mad at me? She looked at me from head to toe and back. It made me feel a bit uneasy. I was not prepared for that kind of look from her.  She seemed to be always cordial. In fact, when I saw her for the first time, she was even sweet. Why the sudden change?

Before we could say anything to each other, Hayato came.  He nodded at me.  He asked Rika-chan to go back to his office but the girl refused. He then offered to give her a ride to whereever she wanted to go. Again, she refused. Hayato sighed. Before he went back to his office, he picked up the obento box and said thank you to me. Rika-chan glared at him and said, "I could do that for you!" That's when I realized that she was indeed mad at me.

Hayato sighed again and said something fast  in Japanese which i could not understand. Then, he went back to his office. He asked me to follow him. Rika-chan exploded. It scared the hell out of me so I remained standing outside Hayato's office as I listened to his girlfriend's tirade. Hayato rolled his eyes and grabbed Rika-chan's hand and pulled her inside his office. I did not follow them. I told the secretary to tell Hayato I went ahead. The girl looked at me apologetically and nodded.  So that explains the look I got from the receptionist and secretary. My gosh! I never thought Japanese girls could be that angry.  They were always mellow and meek.  Never a confrontational type.  And she was jealous of me!  I don't understand...

A few minutes after, I got a call from Hayato. He asked me to wait for him at the parking lot. He said he will give me a ride to my school. I refused. I went straight to the bus stop.  The bus schedule says, I still have to wait for ten mintues before the next bus comes. I checked my email through my cell phone. While I was doing that, I heared a familiar masculine voice yelling at me. It was Hayato!  I ignored him but people around us were already staring at us. I approached him with the intention of telling him to go back to his office where his girlfriend is when the policeman came and told Hayato he cannot park beside the road. He apologized to the guy and grabbed my hand. I had no choice.  The policeman was already glaring at us.

"I'm sorry about Rika-chan's behavior," he said while starting the car. 

"Yeah. Why is she mad at me? Did you tell her that those lunches I prepared for you came with our loan agreement?"

"I did. It just made her angrier."

"She shouldn't be. I'm just complying with our agreement. There's nothing more to it," I said but I cannot look him in the eye.  Instead, I looked at my sweaty hands on my lap.  From the corner of my eye, I saw him glanced at my direction.

"I know," he muttered in a low voice. I looked at him and saw him still looking at me. My heart flipped.