He walked into the store to find it busy and headed down from each aisle to the next. Finally he found her stocking up some towels and paused. Taking a few deep breaths he found the courage and walked up behind her. Hebe seemed too concentrated or maybe she had spaced out and didn’t notice him.

“Miss are these the new brand towels that just came in?” Jiro asked from behind.

“They’re new,” Hebe replied. “2 for 3 dollars.”

Jiro smiled and said, “Are there any other new arrivals? Do you have any ladies for sale?”

“No, sir. If you’re interested in these towels just get some,” Hebe said.

“But I’m not really interested in these towels. Can I ask what your name is?”  

He could hear Hebe take a loud sigih, “Look sir I’m not really in the mood to listen to your jokes so please go somewhere else.”

“Did something happen?” Jiro asked.

Hebe turned around with the expression ready to shout, but it dropped her face when she saw him. Jiro also felt his expression drop from his face when he saw her look at him.

“What are you doing here?” asked Hebe turning around to continue taking towels out of the large box on the ground and placing them neatly on the shelf.

“I came here for lunch,” Jiro replied. “I just saw your mother and she asked about you. You haven’t contacted them?”

“Not yet,” Hebe replied. “I…haven’t had time. Don’t you have work?”

“I’m on duty right now,” Jiro told.

Hebe didn’t reply.

“Are you really in a bad mood?” asked Jiro. “Do you want to talk?”

Hebe inhaled loudly then turned around, “No I don’t want to talk right now. I just want to be alone.”

Jiro looked at her for a long time then smiled, “Alright. When you feel better lets go out for lunch or something.”

With that he turned around to walk away. In the end he hadn’t even purchased anything for lunch and returned to his car empty handed. Jiro got into his car and turned back to look at the store. There was something amiss about her, usually Hebe would have been glad to see him and would have talked about something, but she refrained from conversation. Had something happened to upset her? Why was he so curious anyway?

||||||||

Hebe felt disappointed to see him go, but there was no helping it. She really wanted to be alone and there was no point in pretending to be joyful when she was with him. Jiro read her easily like a book and she had already guessed he knew something was wrong. It was hard to forget Aaron’s face after she’d just seen it. His tired face, too, remained sculpted into her memory. Those 3 short years of marriage with him…had Aaron loved her once? All these useless thoughts she should have worried about earlier was finally coming to her now.

After Hebe had emptied the box of towels and grabbed it and walked through some doors restricted for only employees she tossed it into a corner where some other boxes were. How long until she would feel better again?  

||||||||

Selina was about to fall asleep when her phone rang. It was Calvin.

“Do you want to come out for pizza tonight?” Calvin asked. “I want to introduce you to my friend. Remember I told you about her last time?”

“Yea,” Selina answered. “Lets meet up.”

It was beginning to dark when she got outside. The beautiful lights were beginning to glow among the streets and less people were walking about on the block. Selina hailed a taxi and headed to the pizza parlor where Calvin seemed to go everyday. She had wanted a reason to go out and now that she finally did have a reason to step outside she didn’t feel so well. It wasn’t her stomach that wasn’t feel well, but her heart. Something made her heart feel like it was going to sink…the kind of feeling when you know something you don’t want to happen will happen.

||||||||

Aaron had been sitting silently at his desk concentrating on his papers as best as he could. The only one left in the office where the silence gathered around him allowing him to dive deep into his thoughts. He finally looked up and stopped spinning the pen he’d had between his fingers. He needed to do something…and a second later he shot up from his desk and down the hallway.

||||||||

“So how was your trip to see your grandma?” Calvin asked.

“Fine,” Ella replied staring at her cola on the table. “We come here too much. It’s about time we find somewhere else to go.”

Calvin raised his eyebrow, “Why? I like it here.”

Ella looked around the parlor. Every little detail of it she could remember after she’d left and she felt sure she’d remember it for life. It’s like after a break up where you keep going back to the memories you and the other special person had shared together then when you feel ready you forget those memories burying them deep down. She’d been to the pizza parlor too much and was ready to go to some place new…something like that. Hebe had planted too many words inside her mind and Ella was beginning to feel trapped in the web of Hebe’s problems. Was there an answer? Some way to help ease the pain and make it all better?

The door suddenly opened and Ella looked up to see Selina looking around. For a second she thought she was seeing things.

“Over here!” Calvin waved.

Ella turned to look at him surprised. He knew her too? How? Why didn’t she know?

“My new friend,” Calvin said.

Ella turned to see Selina hesitate as she headed over. She could hear her heart loudly in her ears as thoughts ran through her mind. She felt awkward and didn’t know what to do. What if it was as she had feared? What if Selina did resent her and…and what?

“Hi Ella,” Selina greeted leaving Ella surprised and Calvin shocked.

Selina gritted her teeth lightly. So the friend that she reminded Calvin of was Ella. It didn’t surprise her. She wasn’t scared of Ella, it only made her wonder about Hebe.

“You know each other?” Calvin asked.

Selina nodded, “We went to school together.”

Why would she still want to greet her? Why did it remind her of Aaron who wanted to keep in contact with his friends no matter what? Questions bombarded Ella and confused her at the same time.  

Ella turned to Calvin, “Can you leave us for a minute?”

Calvin took a glance at them both and got off his chair heading outside. Both Ella and Selina sat in silence hesitating about what to say and how to start off a conversation.

“How was it staying with your parents?” Ella questioned.

“Peaceful.”

They were silent again.

“Aaron looked for you a lot…we all were wondering where you went.” Ella told.

“I know.”

Ella pondered over whether she should ask what was really in her mind. Taking a breath and deciding to give it a chance she said, “Do you…hate us?”

Ella could feel Selina’s eyes suddenly on her…for a long time as if she was evaluating her for something that was amiss. Ella felt nervous and was afraid to hear the answer.

“Is that what you think?” asked Selina in a soft tone.

Ella felt as if she’d offended Selina and was sorry for opening .

“There’s no reason for me to hate you guys. Things happen and they are just the way they are,” Selina told.

Ella finally found herself looking up and into Selina’s eyes. And now that she was finally looking at the friend she’d been afraid of ever since Hebe married her boyfriend, Ella saw exactly the same person from back then. A friendly person who’d been hurt and left hurting and returned hurting. Ella finally realized that Selina wasn’t any better than herself or Hebe and Aaron. Why were they like this? All afraid of one another?

“I think hearing that would make Hebe feel a lot better,” Ella told.

Selina’s face expression changed to a mix of sadness and confusion.

“Aaron told me you were back,” Ella said. “Are you staying here alone?”

Selina nodded then became silent. The awkward atmosphere made Ella feel hurt as her mind dug through the memories of their college days together and then when Selina suddenly left without a word. All the fear and everything they’ve gone through during the past 3 years…was something Ella would have liked very much to forget.

“Did Aaron and Hebe divorce?” Selina asked then when she noticed Ella’s face expression change she continued, “Can you tell me about it?”