Carlo was reading that day’s tabloid and he stumbled upon the article about Kim and Jake. Carlo was seated on the kitchen island table, so engrossed on reading, while Gerald was busy getting ready to close. It was almost 10 pm and they were to close in an hour. There were no longer any customers left except for a young couple by the far corner. Usually, being that it is Saturday night, their business was a bit slower than most days. Most of their clientele would prefer going to clubs for the weekend gimmick instead of a patisserie.

“What about him?” asked Gerald, trying to tidy up some of the kitchen utensils .

“Well, according to this reporter, Jake said that Kim was actually the one who caused their break-up. She became too controlling and too demanding of his time. Can you believe that?”

“I wouldn’t say I know her that well. But you in the other hand, do...being her number one fan and all!” Gerald replied.

“Look at her face, pare, that angelic face has no mean bone in her body,” reasoned Carlo.

“And you just deduced this by looking at her picture?”

“Wait up! You said that you don’t know her that well...” exclaimed Carlo.

“I said that?” Gerald denied.

Carlo gave him the look.

"Okay, what if I did say that?"

“You said ‘you didn’t know her that well’ NOT ‘you didn’t know her at all” answered Carlo. “That means you must have met her somewhere, or you have known her somehow. Are you keeping secrets from me, my friend?”

“Nothing gets past you, geez!” said Gerald, wiping his wet hands on his apron.

“So, you knew her?”

“Just a little bit...”

“When?! How did you meet her?!”

“Let’s just say, this has got something to do with it...” explained Gerald, pulling out the silver necklace he always wears.

On it was an intricate tiny silver key he often wears as a pendant.

Carlo would often wonder what that key meant to Gerald. He would see him wear it every day. He just assumed it was his house key or something. Now, Carlo was very much intrigued about the history of the mysterious key.
Gerald was about to tell him.

“It all happened thirteen years ago...” Gerald recalled.
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Countless summers have passed by, thirteen to be exact, but the memory of their parting remains fresh in Gerald’s mind like it was yesterday.

They were 10, perhaps too young for most people to feel in love, but what they felt during those times were as real as it could possibly get. He never ever felt love for another person that intense than the one he felt for her.

Gerald gently recounted about his first true love. Her name was Ember. To most people she was Kimberly Go. But to him, she will always be Ember.

Ember was his nickname for Kim. He was reading a book about Edgar Allan Poe and he came upon the word which so perfectly suited her. It was on the opening lines of his poem The Raven and he came running next door to her, the book still in his hand.

“Kim, I have a nickname for you!” the young Gerald exclaimed.

“What is it?” the ten-year-old Kim answered.

“It’s Ember...Kim-ember-ly, get it? Nice huh?”

“Ember? Sounds like amber...what does it mean?” Kim, radiant in her pigtails and sundress, asked.

“No! Amber is the dried, fossil sap of trees, ember on the other hand is a glowing piece of wood...in our dialect its called “baga.” Gerald explained.

"Why call me 'baga'?" she asked.

"You're like an ember, fiery, hot-tempered at times, glows with the wind..."

“It’s unique! I like it.”

She then hugged him. That very instant, something in his stomach made Gerald see Kim in a different light. She was no longer the Kim he knew as a friend. She was the Ember he pined for.

Kimberly Go was his neighbour and childhood friend. For several summers, she had always been that --- a friend. But that summer thirteen years ago, Gerald started to feel something different for her. As swift as the tides that reach the shores of their adjacent seaside homes in Estancia, Iloilo, came his ever growing feelings and admiration for Ember. IT had been difficult for him to control.

One day, he gathered his pent up emotions and released them with the carelessness of the waves.

They were seated by the foot of the stairs of Kim’s seaside home, they were serenely watching the sun.

“What do you think Manila would look like?” Kim asked him.

“When I went there, I was really, really small. All I could remember was there were lots of people walking about, it was nothing special!” he boasted.

“I’ve always wondered what the world would be like beyond the sea...” her young mind marvelled.

“Probably not much different from the ones we see on TV and the ones we see in the magazines and books!”

“But, have you ever wondered Gerald what people in big cities think? What do they think about early in the morning? What do they think of family, of kids? Do they ever think of people like us thinking of them?”

“What kind of questions are those? Are you not happy here? We have the beach all to ourselves. We go to school, our parents are friends. Though we live in a resort, the nearest city is only about 4 hours away.“ he rallied.

“It’s not the same, Ge. Iloilo City is miniscule compared to Metro Manila!”

“It was ugly and polluted as far as I could remember it! All the conveniences out there, I can have here. I like it here!”

“If I ever have the chance someday, I’m going to live there!” Kim said, standing up, closing her eyes to imagine.

“And leave me here?” Gerald asked.

“I thought you don’t want to come along!” Kim teased.

“Maybe I will!” he beamed at her.

She smiled at him. Gerald, suddenly nervous and sweaty, mustered his fledgling courage and held her hand.

“I...love you...Ember!”

She immediately turned to him. The wistful way she looked at him had instantly been embedded in his young memory forever! She didn’t remove her hand from his. He expected her to punch him but she held on to his chubby, sweaty hand.

Instead, she smiled back at him.

“Does this mean...you’re my girlfriend?” Gerald nervously asked.

“Maybe...” Kim said, smiling at him, then faced the sunset.

Gerald’s young heart flipped in its rowdy glory. Her answer may have been non committal but the feeling of her hand clasping his was enough confirmation.

As they sat there, watching the sun meet the darkening sea, young love flowed from one soul that was desperate to leave to another that was desperate to hold on.
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Little did the two of them know that their young love was to be fatefully cut short.

One day...

“Will you promise never to forget me?” Kim asked Gerald.

Gerald’s young heart could not fathom the breadth of the emotions he was feeling. Kim relayed the bomb to him just a few minutes ago and he was still in shock.

“Like I told you, Mom and Dad had this new venture in Manila. They said it will be the best for me and my sister to go...”

“I don’t understand! You guys are rich! You have this successful fish farm, why would you all give it up for some puny business venture?!” Gerald retorted.

“I wish I had all the answers, Ge...” Kim said, slightly teary-eyed.

“I thought you loved me?” Gerald asked, pleadingly.

“I’m only ten, you’re eleven....” Kim said. “I don’t even know what love means. Do you?”

“I don’t know...but ...if it means being really hurt when you see someone go away... then I must really love you!”

“Maybe you love me just a friend!” Kim reasoned.

At that point Gerald young ego was hurt and slighted.

“Why don’t you just admit it that you were just itching to go too?” Gerald said, walking away, his eyes filled with tears, his heart was filled with anger.

Kim caught him by the hand. He looked back. She was crying too. She took his hand, and placed a small key on it.

“This is the key to my diary...keep it,” Kim uttered. “Someday when we meet again, I’ll promise to show you what’s in it.”

“Will it be of me?”

Kim didn’t answer. Gerald, deep inside, knew it was all her memories of him. He had known her for a long time and he knew that in that diary of hers is where she records the little memories she wanted to keepsake. And for sure he would play a big part in it.

“I locked it today and you will be the only one who can open it,” Kim explained. “And I’ll keep it locked until you find me again, I promise.”

He looked at her. Seeing her cry like that wrung his heart out of any bad feelings he had earlier. All was left was longing and pining --- and of course, hope. It’s the most powerful feeling in the world. It rids the heart of all the hurt and the anger.

“There’ll be other boys out there...” Gerald said, holding her hand.

“Yeah, and there’ll be other girls too, for you!” Kim answered, smiling, pressing his hand.

“No there won’t be, I’m fat!” Gerald self-pitied.

“You’re not fat, you’re just chubby! And besides, you’re cute!” Kim replied.

“Really now?” Gerald answered sarcastically, clutching the key tightly in his hand.

“Promise you won’t forget about me?” Kim said.

“Ember...I promise...I will never forget about you,” declared Gerald.

He moved in closer. She too moved her head close to his. Then, they slightly angled their heads to meet each other’s lips. And with that, they kissed. It was tender, sloppy, short and sweet.

It was both their first kisses. Gerald could not forget that moment ever. He had kissed several women after that. But the sublime power of that innocent kiss, was enough to linger on him for the next thirteen years.
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“Yes, my friend, that was the last time I physically saw her!” Gerald explained to Carlo. “Of course, until she came in yesterday...that was the last I saw of her.”

“Didn’t you seek her out?” asked Carlo, still seated on the chrome kitchen island table.

“No, not anymore...” Gerald relayed. “Next thing I know, she was a movie star. But, even when she was starting I knew she was the Ember I knew from thirteen years ago. The sad, soulful look in her eye never changed.”

“That’s deep...such a profound observation!” exclaimed Carlo. “Especially for somebody you haven’t thought about supposedly in the last thirteen years!”

Gerald threw a dirty towel at him.

“I thought about her every day, always wondering what if...” Gerald said inwardly to himself, wistfully.

“Besides, how long have you been living here in Manila?”
Carlo asked.

“Ten years,” Gerald replied.

“Why not seek her out? Then, sweep her off her feet... profess your undying love to each other!” Carlo said, his arms flailing in ardour.

“Are you retarded? We were kids when we made that promise!” Gerald said, laughing at the way Carlo over-dramatizes most things. “There was just too much distance in between us...”

“What did you feel when you saw her today, man?”

“Happy...” he said, straining slightly to remove spots in the sink.

“You realize that you could have told her you were you?” Carlo suggested.

“I guess I could have,” Gerald answered. “But what good would that do?”

“I don’t know, maybe she’ll fall back in love with you?”

“I don’t even think she would remember me!” Gerald said. “Much more so, fall in love with me. Besides, she had a long-time boyfriend!”

“Had!...had a long-time boyfriend!” reasoned Carlo. “Who is no longer in the picture! So, what are you waiting for!”

Carlo had a point.

“Don’t worry, man,” Gerald quipped. “The next time she comes in, I’ll profess my undying love for her!”

Gerald laughed as he happily imitated Carlo.

“Come to think of it...” Carlo introspected. “Was that why you hesitated to cook the pie for her?”

“No, not at all,” protested Gerald.

“Aha!” Carlo went on. “That is why you refused to give her the pie! Because if she ate it, she would have felt instantly happy, she would have not broken up with that Jake guy! You manipulating son of a ! You’re a genius!”

“That is not true!” Gerald objected.

“Then, how come you are blushing?” Carlo disputed. “Yup, it’s true! I can’t believe I haven’t thought of that!”

Carlo threw back the dirty towel to Gerald.

Gerald playfully chased him with a rolling pin.

Carlo squealed like a girl in pigtails. Several minutes later, Gerald stopped and took off his apron, worried. His cover was blown.

Carlo, meanwhile, put on his bag, ready to leave. It was eleven in the evening and they are ready to go.

Carlo was suddenly introspective.

“If I were in your place, I would have given her the happy pie,” Carlo said. “The romantic person in me tells me that I would allow her to be happy, regardless whether or not if it is with me or another person. I will not deny her of the happiness she can actually get from it.”

Carlo had a point. That notion entered his mind too. But, the prevailing thought was...

“Carlo, my friend...” Gerald uttered. “If you have the power in your hands to change someone else’s feeling for another person, regardless whether or not she truly loves the other person, will you use it to your advantage, cutting off her ability to make her own decisions?"

Carlo shook his head and hesitated answering back.

"Wouldn’t that be cheating nonetheless? You generally play with her jaded emotions...and at the end of it all, the happiness she was feeling was just fleeting and temporary. She finds herself in a relationship based on a lie. What kind of relationship ever comes out of a lie? ”

“What if she truly needed it?” Carlo opposed. “What if you see that she was truly hurt by him?”

Gerald shook his head, “But, you see, you’re still making that decision for her! You can’t play God on other people’s feelings. You’re just setting yourself up for more resentment later on...”

“Man, you must truly love her!” Carlo

“How did you ever come to that conclusion?!” Gerald demanded, switching off the lights in the kitchen.

“We’ll talk more about that tomorrow, boss! This time, I gotta go!” said Carlo, shrugging his shoulders.

Carlo finally left the restaurant. Gerald was all alone. HE was tired, and he had an early day tomorrow. Though he was normally close on Sundays, a close family friend booked them for his son’s Christening. He couldn’t find the heart to refuse. As he was about to turn off the lights in the main hall, somebody came in the restaurant. Gerald had this set-up that a chime would sound if someone enters the bakeshop.

Without even looking, Gerald announced that he was closing.

“Sorry, we’re already close,” Gerald declared. “We’re open for lunch and dinner tomorrow...”

“I’m sorry...”said the girly voice.

The soft voice sounded familiar. HE immediately turned around.

IT was her! Kimberly Go!

Though she had a dark denim jacket on and a hat, Gerald recognized her instantly. How could he not know her?
She was about to turn away.

“Kim, wait!” Gerald appealed.

She looked back, smiling briefly.

“Sorry, I came in so late. I didn’t mean to bother you but I was just on my way home. I saw the lights still open, so I took my chance...”

Gerald moved closer to her.

“Was there anything you wanted?”

“I was here yesterday and I had tasted this wonderful pie. I was wondering if you could sell me some so I can take it home to my family.”

“I’m glad you liked our pie, Ms. Go.”

“Please....Kim will do,” she insisted, holding out her hand for a shake.

Gerald took her hand thinking of just calling out "Ember." For sure, she would instantly recognize him. He decided against it.

“Gerald Alejandro,” Gerald said instead, shaking her hand, observing her reaction. She didn’t even flinch. Somehow, Gerald hoped that by the mere mention of his name would make her recall of their history. However, she didn’t seem to recognize him or his name at all. He was really puzzled. Did she forget about him? However, his train of thought was disturbed by how beautiful she looked. Even if she was just in shirt and jeans, she still looked like a diva.

“Mr. Alejandro, are you the pastry chef here?” asked Kim, tugging her hand lightly from his over-zealous handshake.

“Head chef and manager, maam.” He said curtly.

“I wondered if you have a couple of those lemon pies I had yesterday?”

“Oh those! We don’t have any more of that. In fact, we do not have any pies left at all. We throw them away each night. We bake new ones in the morning.”

“Oh, darn! It was so refreshing, I knew I had to come back for more. I was craving all day for it!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sorry...”he answered.

All of a sudden, she bursts into tears.

Gerald instinctively pulled out a handkerchief from his black trousers. He handed it to Kim, who graciously took it.

“I’m sorry...I’m just a bit emotional” Kim admitted.

“Why don’t we sit down?” Gerald suggested.

Gerald led Kim to the corner. He excused himself and went into the kitchen. He emerged with a mineral water and a glass with ice in hand.

“Sorry, there’s just a lot of things in my mind right now,” Kim began. “When I came in, I remembered yesterday’s incident and how awful it was...”

Kim sobbed once more.

“Did you see what happened yesterday?” Kim asked, blowing her nose liberally on his handkerchief.

“Parts of it, yes.” Gerald lied. He actually saw the whole thing.

“It was very embarrassing...I’m sorry if I caused any troubles!” Kim apologized.

“No, not at all,” admitted Gerald. “What you did there was actually a highlight for our store! We had several press people come here and ask around.”

“Sorry about that!” Kim once more apologized.

“Could you stop saying ....I’m sorry,” Gerald chuckled. “Besides, that little stunt of yours...I’d pay to see it again!”

Kim eyes brightened slightly, but Gerald observed how sore they still were. It must have been from all the crying that she had been doing.

She motioned to stand up. She put on her coat and grabbed her shoulder bag. She held out her hand once more.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Alejandro!” Kim said cheerily. “I’ll be back for more pies, promise!”

Gerald shook her hand and nodded, “you’re always welcome here...”

“By the way, thanks for the...water,” Kim said, pulling out some bills from her purse.

Gerald refused her payment.

IN his mind, though, he was busy of thinking something else. In fact, his ever calculating mind was racing. She was about to go away once more. Now, he must find a way to make her stay.

“Kim, wait” Gerald called out as she was about to step out the door.

Kim looked back at him.

“If you can wait...” Gerald suggested. “I can whip up something from the back. In that way, you’re trip won’t be wasted...”

“How long would it take you to make one?”

“An hour...at least,” Gerald said. In his heart, he wished he could spend more time with her.

“Okay, I got time!” Kim said brightly. “I’d give anything to have more of that lemon pie. “

“Oh shucks, I run out of lemons!” Gerald exclaimed.

“Oh....”

“I can do something else...if it’s okay with you?” Gerald suggested.

“Will you promise that it will be just as good as the one from yesterday?” Kim winked at him.

“I’m not good with promises!” Gerald said with a hint of irony.

“Okay, sir, surprise me! What’s it called?” Kim said, sliding into one of the corner banquet seating.

“We call it the Happy Pie!”

Kim thought he was just joking about the name of the pie. Little did she know, that a simple pie can change her life.

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Hello everybody,

I hope you really are enjoying this as much as I do writing it.

Sorry if sometimes updates are late. I'm really busy with work, especially X-mas is just around the corner. (I'm busy catching up on MOH and watching MG reruns too!)

Judging by the way the story is turning out, it might me be more than 4 chaps, but I'll try to update sooner.

-- R --