| Fan Fiction |
by DTLCT
“This is strange,” Ray remarked.
“What?” Jacky asked.
“Where did Kevin take my sister to?”
“Nothing important,” Jacky said casually. “Probably they eloped.”
Ray wrinkles his face. “That’s nothing important?”
Jacky shrugs his shoulders. “What do you want me to say?”
“Knock it off already,” Nnadia interfered. “I think Ray’s mad.”
Jacky turns to Nnadia. “You don’t have to think. He is mad.”
Nnadia smiles.
Ray tosses his keys on the coffee table. “Great. My best friend is teaming up with some stranger she just met.”
With that, Ray heads to the kitchen – the fridge to be exact.
Jacky gestures towards the sofa. “Make yourselves at home, ladies.”
Nnadia and Yoyo finally sit down at the sofa, waiting for Ray to come back.
“Seriously though, aren’t you the least concerned with the storm?” Nnadia asked Jacky.
Jacky sits down at a chair. “I trust Jan’s judgment.”
“Or you want to rely on it because you’re losing yours?” Ray shot back.
“What?”
They could see Ray walking back to them with a tray at that time. He sits down next to Yoyo before passing out the drinks. Yoyo puts the snack plate in front of them as Nnadia removes the tray from their view, placing it on the side table next to the sofa.
Ray leans back on the sofa. “Come on now, we all know your judgment is gone as far as anything that concerns Jan.”
Nnadia looks from one guy to the other. “Who is Jan really?”
“His future girlfriend – if he has the gut to go after her.”
“Hey!” Jacky yelled out.
“You can’t shut a guy up.”
“Especially one that has a motor mouth,” Yoyo jumped in.
Ray turns to Yoyo. “So now you’re specializing in back-stabbing?”
“She knows me first,” Jacky reminded Ray.
Ray turns back to Jacky. “So?”
“So it’s fair.”
“Says you.”
At that time, the front door opens. They all look up at the same time.
“We were wondering if you two eloped already,” Jacky teased.
“Shut up, man,” Ray said.
Jacky smiles. “You can’t shut a guy up.”
Nnadia laughs.
“What is going on here?” Mandy asked.
“You just missed a show,” Nnadia told her.
“Or were we the lucky ones who didn’t get tangled up in their mess?” Kevin asked.
Kevin and Mandy settle down at the love seat at that time.
“Whichever you prefer,” Jacky said.
Kevin points towards Jacky. “Oh yeah, Kenneth was looking for you.”
Jacky wrinkles his face.
“Lieutenant Ma.”
“Oh. What does he want?”
“Visiting.”
“Or so he says,” Mandy added.
Jacky gets up from his seat. “I guess I’ll go find out.”
“Weapons are expensive these days,” Ray rattled out. “Last chance to get discounts on my stock.”
Jacky turns back to face Ray. “I don’t need it when I’m already armed.”
“You can never be armed enough.”
“Says you.”
With that, Jacky heads for the door.
“Fine, suit yourself,” Ray mumbled.
“You guys are just too silly,” Nnadia said.
Kevin smiles. “Welcome to our place.”
*****
Wallace locks the door as Jacky walks to the living room. Jacky could see that Kenneth had made himself comfortable on the sofa, watching TV.
“I heard that you’re looking for me,” Jacky said, sitting down next to Kenneth.
“Was just looking for something to do and…” Kenneth said.
Jacky turns his attention away from the TV to look at Kenneth. “And?”
“And escape from the office.”
Jacky chuckles, shaking his head.
“You wouldn’t believe what’s going on,” Wallace said.
Jacky leans back on the sofa. “I heard Jo said someone slammed the new girl on you.”
Kenneth sighs out but doesn’t say anything.
Jacky rests his left leg on his right knee. “That bad?” He slides his hands behind his head and relaxes.
“Why do you look so relaxed?” Wallace asked. “Aren’t you supposed to get ready?”
“Delayed. Storm.”
“A storm hit and you’re still sitting there chilling?”
“Didn’t hit yet. Still waiting for it to pass. Might miss.”
Kenneth turns to Jacky. “Why are you talking in fragments now? Too lazy?”
“I had a long day, okay? Can’t a guy rest?”
Wallace and Kenneth exchange a look before Wallace turns to Jacky again.
“Need to tell us something?” Wallace asked. “I can send Alice across the hall if you want.”
“Ge!” Alice protested from the kitchen.
Wallace looks at Alice, smiling. “I was just giving an example.”
Alice wrinkles her face back at her brother before resuming her task at the stove.
Wallace turns back to the other two guys. “I guess this trip isn’t what we expected at all, huh? Considering how things starting to go wrong when it’s finally here.”
“Even if I have to fight the storm, I’ll be there,” Jacky declared.
“Persistent,” Wallace teased.
Jacky doesn’t reply but puts one hand over his eyes to rest.
Just about the same time, Kenneth’s cell phone rings. He rustles around in his pocket and pulls it out. He looks a bit hesitant before answering it. “Hello?”
“Is it Joey?” Wallace whispered.
Kenneth nods briefly while waiting for the other person to speak up.
“Two guesses it’s the princess wanting his attention again,” Jacky said, not whispering at all.
Wallace tunes in with what’s on TV and waits for Kenneth to finish the call while Jacky continues to relax like before.
About two minutes later, Kenneth hangs up and sighs out.
“Well?” Jacky asked, still having a hand over his eyes.
“I have to head back,” Kenneth said.
“Was he right?” Wallace asked.
“Unfortunately yes.”
“Refer Brad and George to her,” Jacky suggested.
Kenneth gets up from his seat. “Too bad the big man doesn’t buy it.” He stops at the door. “I guess I’ll see you guys around.”
Wallace nods while Jacky just waves his right hand at Kenneth.
Alice turns to her brother after the door is closed again. “Ge, who’s the princess?”
“The big man’s niece,” Wallace answered.
“Who’s the big man?”
“Their boss, who else?” Jacky jumped in.
“Could you two please tell me what’s going on? Stop talking in codes. Is he in trouble?”
“Worried?” Jacky teased.
“He’s so yesterday. I’m just curious, okay?”
“Alice…” Wallace warned.
Jacky sits upright again since he couldn’t believe what Alice just said. He had removed his hand from his eyes already as he was straightening up. He turns to face Alice. “Did I just hear what you just said?”
“What?” Alice asked, puzzled.
“You no longer like Kenny?”
“Puh-lease, he’s just a silly crush. Besides…”
“Besides?”
“I can’t believe he lost to Jan jie’s cousin.”
Jacky shakes his head and goes back to his relaxing pose again.
“Are you planning to camp over here tonight?” Wallace asked.
“Maybe.”
“I’m serious.”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m serious.”
“I’m serious too.”
“Ge, leave Jacky ge alone,” Alice interfered.
Wallace snaps his attention to Alice. “Jacky ge? Is that a new trend?”
Alice looks at Wallace. “What?”
“Mandy was just calling him Jacky ge not long ago and now you?”
“It’s convenient.”
Wallace shrugs his shoulders before getting up. He clicks the TV shut before heading to his room.
“Aren’t you afraid of leaving Alice around in the same room with me?” Jacky asked groggily.
Wallace stops in his tracks. “If you need any reminder, refer back to the scene in the hospital.”
Jacky smiles. “Gladly.”
Alice wrinkles her face. “What are you two talking about?”
“It’s a guy thing,” Jacky and Wallace said at the same time.
“You’re both being mean,” Alice whined.
Wallace flashes on his charming smile at his sister before continuing to his room.
“Need a lab rat?” Jacky asked suddenly.
“Huh?” Alice asked back, confused.
“If you leave it there any longer, it might burn. Focus.”
“It still looks raw though.”
“Don’t follow the instructions so much. Watch the food, not the clock. Use your nose. It’s going to burn soon. Simmer down.”
“Huh?”
Jacky straightens up again and heads towards the kitchen. He grabs the pair of chopsticks that Alice has been holding and begins to mix the foods back and forth again. Alice has to step aside so he could work freely.
“Wow…” Alice said.
Jacky doesn’t say anything yet, but he looks more serious than ever. He focuses his attention 100% on the food. After a few more minutes, he shuts the stove off before turning to Alice again.
Jacky smiles at last. “It’s done. You can set the table.”
Alice still looks somewhat numb and couldn’t say anything yet, except nod.
About 15 minutes later, Wallace comes back – all showered – and joins them for dinner.
*****
Charmaine joins the others in Kevin and Ray’s apartment when she finally arrives home about an hour later. She informs Mandy of the good news that their boss has accepted her proposal for the upcoming promotion ad that their team submitted. She also discovers of the mark on Mandy’s face but Ray stops her from asking since they’re eating dinner and no one needs to be reminded of that incident. The others introduce Nnadia to her and they spend most of the night chatting away and watching TV together. Jacky doesn’t come back, but they’re used to it by now since they know he likes to wander around. It is until around 9 PM that Nnadia and Yoyo finally leave. Charmaine and Mandy break away from the guys as well. They all had a long day so they need to go rest and wait for words from Jan.
*****
Ray turns around to face the wall again, trying to go to sleep for the umpteenth time of the night. He couldn’t seem to rip the images of what happened during the afternoon out of his mind. Although he knows he can’t undo it, but he couldn’t help pondering what would happen if he had told his mom beforehand instead of delaying it until now. He sighs out, turning once more before giving up – finally. He tosses his cover aside and gets out of bed, heading for the door. He turns right, walking down the hall – past the bathroom and Kevin’s room – before stopping at the end of the hallway. He turns right once more and stops at the window. He pulls the curtain aside and stares out at the moon above. Thoughts begin to fill up in his mind again, but suddenly he could see more clearly what he should do. He smiles to himself as he continues to focus on the moon above. He scolds himself silently for making things so complicated in the first place.
*****
Jacky is startled awake by the sound of his cell phone. He reaches into his pants pocket to retrieve it and answers it without opening his eyes.
“Hello?” Jacky said groggily.
“You’re still sleeping?” A girl’s voice asked.
Jacky sits upright again and rubs his eyes a few times before answering. “Does this mean you’re all right?”
“Definitely. Good news. It missed us.”
“It still means bad news for other people.”
“Look on the bright side, no one is hurt yet.”
“Yet is the keyword.”
“Come on now.”
Jacky smiles. “Just kidding. Does this mean we can come now?”
“Of course, why would I call you then?”
“‘Cause you miss me?”
She hangs up on him.
“Nice,” Jacky mumbled to himself.
He gets up from the sofa and takes a quick shower before heading upstairs again to join the others for breakfast.
*****
Wallace is still half-asleep as he drags himself across the hall to Kevin and Ray’s apartment when he hears Kevin’s outburst.
“You’ve got to be kidding, right?!” Kevin exclaimed.
“No,” Ray said, his voice unusually calm.
Kevin is trying to pack last minute items into his duffel bag as he’s listening to Ray’s morning rambles. Suddenly out of nowhere, Ray just drops the news on him. He couldn’t help but stops in the middle of his searching rampage and heads for the kitchen to confront Ray about it. Charmaine and Mandy have been sitting at the kitchen counter with Ray, drinking hot tea. They’ve been half-listening to Ray and half-reading the morning’s newspaper also. Now that they hear this, they’re as shocked as Kevin, so they drop their papers and look at Ray as well. That is also when Wallace opens the door on them.
“What is going on here?” Wallace asked, walking into the kitchen.
Kevin turns to Wallace. “I would like to know the same thing.”
Just as Kevin and Wallace are ready to confront Ray, Jacky’s voice travels through the doorway.
“What did I tell you guys about open doors?” Jacky asked. “Even if it’s the safest place on earth, you shouldn’t leave it open.”He closes and locks the door before joining them in the kitchen also. That is when he notices their strange expressions. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re about to find out,” Kevin said.
Jacky wrinkles his face.
“Ray just said he’s not going to Jan’s.”
“What?!” Jacky and Wallace exclaimed out at the same time.
Jacky turns to Wallace. “I thought you know. Why are you as surprised as I am?”
“I just came in and then you came in so I didn’t get to hear the details yet,” Wallace explained.
Jacky nods. “Oh.” Then he turns to Ray. “Well?”
“I’m going to Mom’s,” Ray said.
“Oh. Better now than let it turn worse?”
Ray nods.
“I’ll go with you,” Mandy said.
Ray turns to Mandy. “It might not be a good idea.”
“We have to face this sooner or later, right? I don’t want it to be later. I know I might aggravate her even more. But if I don’t go and show some determination, it just shows that I could care less what she thinks. I want to let her know I mean it with wanting to mend things and ask for forgiveness”
Ray wrinkles his face. “What forgiveness? It’s not your fault.”
“I know. But I want to do this for Mom.”
Ray could see Mandy’s sincere look so he nods. Mandy gives him an appreciative smile.
“I guess we’re all out,” Jacky said.
Charmaine turns to Jacky, smiling. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”
“My apologies, Miss Sheh.”
“No problem, Detective Chu.”
“I guess this is ‘Operation Failure’?” Wallace joked.
“What are you talking about?” Kevin asked, wrinkling his face.
“We all fail to meet up to Ray’s goal.”
Jacky smiles. “Ray has a new goal now.”
Wallace nods, smiling also. “True.”
“Since we’re all here…most of us, how about a toast?”
“To what?”
Jacky smiles again. “Success.”
The others take turns to look at one another once before smiling also.
*****
Exactly one hour later, the group gathers in front of the lobby. Some of them are packed, the others are just there to say goodbye. Each one with a different destination in mind, but all know that they shall meet again after the weekend or so. They all wish each other luck on their separate journeys and promise to exchange news when they arrive at their pre-planned location – whether it is good or bad news.
A hopeful holiday turns into an unpredictable one combined with a lot of uncertainty. But what will it all bring in the end? Only they themselves can change what will happen or could happen.
© Sunday, October 12th, 2008
Re-posted: Friday, October 16th, 2009