Simple Happiness

Chapter Nine

Tamara rushed to Liz the moment she walked in.

"Tell me everything," she said, grabbing her hand. "How was it?"

"Hey, you can't even offer me a glass of water before squeezing whatever you want to hear out of me?"

"I'm curious. I can't wait."

"Okay," Liz said, sitting on the couch.

"Tell me now. How was it?"

"The date was okay," she said. "We got to know each other a little. You know, like any other first date."

"Then I suppose you now know his last name," Tamara said. "Let's check him online right now."

Liz shook her head. "We talked about many things and forgot about names, probably because we were already familiar with each other."

Tamara clenched her fist and pounded it in the other hand.

"Why are you angry?" Liz asked. "It is not like it is the end of the world."

Tamara pouted her lips. "It's your fault."

"I know, but relax. It's not as bad as you think. I will find out what I need to know about him eventually if we keep seeing each other."

"Just make sure you know his full name. I don't want you to be fooled. We have to know more about him. We can't only depend on what he tells you."

"Trust me, dear. That's the first puzzle I will solve before anything else," she said. "What if things progress so fast then I end up with a baby fathered by someone whose name I don't know?"

"I don't even want to imagine such a situation," Tamara said. "Men are very cunning. That's why you always have to be alert. Don't let him fool you."

Liz nodded. "Hmm...Don't worry, dear. I'm now wiser when it comes to love," she said. "I was naïve back then. I gave all my love to Oscar, thinking that he loved me too. I didn't know that he was just with me because it was fun having me around."

"Campus love is like that," Tamara said. "People are never serious."

"Hmm...That's why he ruthlessly broke up with me when he graduated. "How stupid was I? Everything was fine the day before graduation. I don't understand what happened."

Tamara took Liz's hand in hers. "Liz, tell me the truth. Do you miss him?"

She shook her head. "No," she said. "I was just wondering what went wrong. How can I miss such a jerk? I have never talked to him since our graduation day. He called me a few times after graduation but I ignored him. When he didn't stop calling me, I blocked him on my phone and all social platforms."

"He deserves that," Tamara said.

"Hey, why are you smiling?"

"Ethan said that he likes me and that he wants to pursue me," Liz said.

"Oh...really?" She arched a brow and pursed her lips. "This guy looks straightforward. No beating around the bush."

Liz continued. "I like him too. What gave him even more points is that he didn't ask me to spend the night with him. Many men do that on first dates."

"That's good," Tamara said. "Try him out. You never know what the future holds." Tamara paused for a second. Then with her eyes almost popping out of their sockets, she continued, "Maybe happiness has found you, dear. Maybe he is your Mr. Right."

"Well, maybe..." Liz said. "But I have to be sure that he is deserving of my heart first."

"You have a point. Don't be so quick to surrender your heart to him. He has to earn it or else he won't cherish it."

Liz leaned her head on her shoulder. "What would I do without you?"

"Do you feel like you won the jackpot with me?" Tamara said.

"Of course, yes. You are my best friend and confidant. I love you very much."

"I love you too, "she said and hugged her. "But come to think of it, I was the one who won the jackpot with you. It's not easy for girls to make and cultivate real friendships."
Liz nodded. "True," Liz said. "So we should value this friendship. Let us make a promise."

"What kind of promise?"

"A promise to protect our friendship forever."

"Okay," Tamara said and held Liz's hand then looked at her. "How do we promise? You go first."

"I promise to be friends with you, Tamara forever," Liz said. "I promise that I won't let anything come between us, even a man. I will protect this friendship and cherish it in this lifetime." She paused and looked at Tamara. "It's your turn."

Tamara repeated the same words with conviction.

They held hands up high and said on top of their voices, "Friends forever!"

After giggles and laughter stopped, Tamara got to her feet. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything will do," Liz said, "I was trying to be a lady in front of Ethan. So I was slow on coffee and cake."

"You did well. You shouldn't eat a lot of cake. Unless you want to get fat or spend a lot of time working it out."

"Don't worry. I have a sweet tooth, but I know how to control my cravings," she said. "I don't want to get fat, especially in my belly. I am starting my new workout routine tomorrow."

"Good for you," Tamara said. "Go get changed first."

Liz walked toward the bedroom door. "I'll finish sewing that little skirt first."

"Fine. I will call you when dinner is ready."

"Okay."

"But Liz, why didn't you study Fashion Design?" Tamara asked. "You are a very good seamstress."

Liz sighed. "I didn't know that I like fashion design at the time we were choosing university courses in high school. If life gave me another chance, I would definitely choose Fashion Design instead of Finance. But then, we wouldn't have been friends until now."

Tamara smiled. "Um... then I guess it is good that you chose to major in Finance," she said. "But you can still pursue Fashion Design in the future."

"Definitely," Liz said and disappeared into the bedroom.

***