Be Careful What You Wish For (PUBLISHED)

(9) - There's Something There (That Wasn't There Before)

“Whoa, babe! You are hot!” Jon exclaimed when Ana joined him and Kaye for coffee at Starbucks later that afternoon. He and Kaye had both gaped at Ana for almost a full minute after she had arrived at their table.

“The guy has taste, I’ll give him that.” Kaye commented, still shaking her head in disbelief at the expensive cut and the stylish makeup.

“He has balls if he managed to convince Ana to shed her manang image” Jon commented.

“Well, he couldn’t very well show her off as his girlfriend in the state she was in” Kaye argued.

“Hahaha.” Ana retorted good-naturedly. “Does it matter to anyone that I am actually privy to this conversation?”

“Don’t get us wrong girl,” Kaye explained, “but your old look didn’t exactly beckon to men.”

“She means you looked like a yuki onna masquerading in a lab coat,” Jon joked and ducked when Ana hit him for comparing her to a white ghost lady, ”So what’s the next stage in the plan?” he asked.

“He wanted to go shopping for a cocktail dress for the launch, but I couldn’t afford it. So I’m just going to have to find something,” Ana said as she took a sip of Jon’s frappucino.

“Wait a damn minute,” Kaye butted in, “don’t tell me he made you pay for all of this?” she said as she gestured towards Ana.

“We-ell,” Ana started to say, but Jon, who knew her all too well, beat her to it.

“I get it, he was supposed to pay, but Ms. Dalagang Pilipina turned him down. Am I on target honey?”

“I couldn’t make him pay for something that I would be using exclusively now could I?” Ana retorted, “He’s not even my boyfriend!”

“Honey, he’s your pretend boyfriend. Couldn’t you have pretended that that was part of the deal?” Jon asked.

When Ana stonily refused to answer, Kaye sighed in exasperation, “Ann, it was his idea, you should’ve let the man pay.”

“I don’t get you, sweetie,” Jon said, shaking his head, “You’re one of the most giving people I know, but when someone tries to give you something its like pounding your head against a brick wall.”

“It was more along the lines of a nuclear explosion,” Ana commented, recalling Ken’s reaction when he had found out that the bill had been paid for. He had started to ask Taki for a refund for her, but Ana put her foot down and firmly said that she was paying for the makeover herself. This announcement didn’t go down well with Ken, and Taki tactfully exited as the two of them had a pow-wow in the waiting room. Finally, it was resolved when Ana said she would refuse to go on with the plan if Ken insisted on paying the salon fees. So, with gritted teeth, Ken had ushered her back into the car and driven her to Roppongi where she was to meet Kaye and Jon before the 6 pm anticipated mass at the Franciscan Chapel Center.

“That bad, huh?” Kaye asked.

“Yup. But at least I won,” Ana shrugged.

“But you still don’t have anything to wear to the event next week,” Jon reminded her.

“I’ll figure something out later,” Ana prevaricated.

“Oh good, here’s Tessa” Jon announced as he spied Tessa walk in the doors. Unfortunately she was not alone.

“What could have possessed Tessa to bring her along?” Kaye muttered as she saw whom Tessa was with.

“Sssshhhh!” Ana warned.