--- is something that is inevitably predetermined; destiny.

"What if you met the man of your dreams on your way to meeting your future husband?"

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“What did you just say?” Kim crossed her arms irately.

“No...no...I didn’t mean it like that!” Gerald was quick to diffuse. “Sometimes I think one thing and then I say another. I think it’s a disease. I’m trying to get something done with it, as you can see it’s not working...”

“And you tend to ramble too...” Kim noticed.

“Yes...yes..” Gerald held his hand up in surrender. “That is me, good ol’ rambly, incoherent me. Mind you, I’m only like that if I am uptight...”

“Do I make you uptight?” Kim asked with a smile.

“Well, you almost killed me there just a few minutes ago...” Gerald said in reference to the incident earlier. “You can’t blame me if I’m nervous around you...”

“I did not!” Kim denied vehemently. “Okay...maybe I did. But didn’t I save your life too? Doesn’t that make us even now?”

“Yes, it does... I did really mean to say thank you.” Gerald said. “Because, despite your semi-dangerous nature, I’m really glad you were sitting beside me. Not all people in the world know how to use the pen. Where did you learn to do it?”

He had quick wit about him, though at times cheeky. Kim fondly observed.

“I used to have a friend who has all these kinds of stupid allergies,” she explained. “Because I was with him most of the time, his mom taught me how to use the pen just in case. His name is Gerald...”

“Whoa, what’s did you say his name was ?”

“Gerald,” she eyed him to see if he was up to something.

“That’s my name too,” he said. “ See, my name is Gerald.
Isn’t that odd? What’s your name?”

“Kim!”

“What a coincidence!” Gerald said. “That’s my most favourite name in the world!”

Kim raised her eyebrow at him.

“Okay, okay...”Gerald chortled. “You can’t blame me for trying...”

”Yeah, come to think of it...it is strange, how many more times in my life do you reckon will I be meeting Geralds with allergies...”Kim rambled.

Gerald, fresh from brief spacing out, all of a sudden, moved over to face her.

“ I can’t believe this is happening to me,” Gerald was visibly animated. “It’s one of those paradoxical things the world throws at you! Whoa, amazing! This is so cool!”

“Hey, Mr. New Age master, slow down...” Kim was now intrigued too. “What is it you’re saying?”

“Sorry, I got carried away...”he timidly said. It was such a departure from the confident nature he exuded earlier. “ Do you ever believe that sometimes you are in a specific place at a specific time for a reason?”

“Are you drunk?” Kim eyes narrowed. “You’re not on crack, are you?”

“Hell, no! I’m not on drugs!” Gerald exclaimed.

Kim merely frowned.

Then, he continued on.

“Look, don’t you think some powerful being connived to put you here beside me tonight so that you can save me from an imminent disaster?” Gerald eyes were so wide in excitement. “ Doesn’t it sound uncanny to you that a friend of yours from the past, conveniently named Gerald too, teaches you how to inject epinephrine...and you grasped such knowledge with the forethought that such skill will become handy for you in the future. And it had to happen tonight... of all nights! When you are seated to another guy named Gerald! Another Gerald who needs saving!”

“It does seem fantastic if you put it that way,” Kim said. “But I really don’t believe it.”

“Ahhh... the classic cynic,” Gerald said. “Don’t worry, I’ll prove you wrong. I’ll make a believer out of you...”

“Isn’t that notion too self-centered, don’t you think?” Kim asked sarcastically. “A bit chauvinistic of you, if you ask me...”

“Why is that?”

“Well, you said it yourself...”she explained. “You said the universe... or fate...or even God, conspired to put ME beside YOU... so I can save YOU?!!!”

“Uhhh...yeah?!”

“Huh, it all has to be about you, right?” she raised an eyebrow. “What about me? What do I get out of it?”

“Well, the chance of meeting me!” chuckled Gerald.

“Oh, you’re gross!” Kim cried out.

“I was just kidding,” Gerald guffawed. “But aren’t you more curious though as to what else we might have in common?”

“I very much doubt there would be anything else...”

“Come on, let’s try this...”Gerald closed his eyes as if to summon some unknown psychic powers.

At that moment, Kim was engrossed by him. His child-like enthusiasm was both infectious and exhilarating. Nobody has aroused this much interest in her, not since she had this childish crush on her math teacher , Carl Wong, but that is a totally different story all together. She noticed that when he talks, his hands all the while are doing marvellous gestures too. He definitely was very, very.... intriguing.

“What if I say I could name three items from your purse?”
Gerald suggested.

“Okay, go ahead...” Kim challenged him.

He still had eyes closed. “First, a lip gloss. Then, a cell phone, of course. Then lastly, a family picture.”

“You’re cheating! It’s not psychic ability, it’s purely deductive reasoning!” Kim protested.

“Did I get them all right?”

Kim shrugged her shoulders. She knew deep inside he was right. She was just refusing to open her purse, because it will somehow confirm his beliefs.

“Hey, I’m not saying I’m psychic or that I have E.S.P....” He reasoned. “All I’m trying to prove is that I know more of you that you think. Somehow, we may be connected in more ways than one...”

Kim was taken aback.

“Are you hitting on me?” she her raised her eyebrows again.

“Are you hit?” he grinned bashfully.

Gerald was so mystified by her, not just by their connection. There is something about her that he really found appealing. She may not be the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, but he feels drawn to her more than any other person in the world.

“Oh man, you’re good!” she exclaimed. “I thought I’ve heard them all, I must give you props. Whew! You got me there! I bet you do this to all the girls you meet on the plane.”

Kim was actually relieved. It will be easier for her tired mind to process that this guy is only doing an act, rather than giving credence to his supernatural theories. She is on her way to meeting her future husband and she certainly cannot be drawn to this strange man...much more so entertain the thought that she has more connection with him except for some odd, random event.

“I don’t do this a lot, that I can tell you.” Gerald said to break her thoughts. “Seldom can you meet a person that you have a connection with, more than what I have with you.”

Kim blushed. Gerald was taken aback by his own candour.
Kim found herself opening her wallet. She took out the lip gloss, the cellphone and a snapshot of her family...

“See, I was right!” Gerald beamed at her. “Three for three! Can I see the picture?”

She handed him the old snapshot. It was a picture of the three of them, her parents and her, on a beach. She was about 12 at the time. The picture was already grainy and faded. They must have had tons of other pictures after that, but she somehow kept that old picture even if she changed purses. It was always in her wallet ever since.

“Where was this taken?” he innocently asked.

“Boracay...” she said.

He turned the picture over.

“JESUS!” he dropped the picture, blood draining off from his face.

“WHAT? What is it?” Kim asked in extreme fascination.

“You wrote the date... at the back....” he gasped. “Was this the day the picture was taken?”

“Yup, we had vacation there.” Kim confirmed, picking up the picture. “on March 7, 2000...”

“I was there too...” Gerald said.

Kim was now in utter disbelief! It was only then she realized the gravity of the recent turn of events. He definitely made a believer out of her.

“You’re kidding me, right?! Stop it...”Kim was trying to make things trivial, but to no avail.

“No, I’m not...” Gerald said. “The reason why I know is that, this date... March 7, 2000...it was my 14th birthday. Me, mom, dad and my sisters were there at Boracay to celebrate it. It was our first ever family trip...that's why I remember it.”

“You mean to say...” Kim dared not confirm.

“Yes, we were there at the same place and at the same time. We may have met or bumped into each other from before, but we just didn't know it...”

“You’re starting to scare me!” Kim admitted.

“You shouldn’t be afraid, Kim. You see, maybe the universe was conspiring even then to get us to this place now..for us to meet this way...in this circumstance!” Gerald proclaimed “Why in the world would you keep that picture above all others, for crying out loud?”

Kim wished she had all the answers.

“See?” Gerald “ This is amazing! Doesn’t it blow your mind that we were in the same island at one point and then meet up eight odd years or so later, and here you are saving my life! What are the odds of that?!”

“What do you think this means?” Kim asked.

“I don’t know,” Gerald explained. “All I know is that the universe is trying to say something to us. It gives us signs to read. I wish it would more explicit, but it truly doesn’t work that way.”

“I want to know one thing...” Kim thought deeply.

“What is that?” Gerald wondered.

“If you are the man I thought you are...” she muttered. “There is only one way to find out...”

“What? ...How?” Gerald was confused. She puts a finger over his lip to hush him.

Slowly, Kim met his eyes. With one brazen step, she leans over and pressed her lips against his. At first Gerald was taken aback, but the longer the kissed went, the sweeter it got. He closed his eyes to savour every moment. His lips against hers felt familiar, like they too were meant for each other. Both of them felt the electricity flow from within them, it was like... magic. He pressed on and he felt her sigh inwardly. He, too, was out of breath.
At that particular moment, they felt whoever it was that conspired for them to meet, be it God or be it fate, will surely be happy to see them complete the circle.

“What is it you were to find out,” Gerald was curious when they broke away. “...from the kiss?”

“ I wanted to know if you are,” Kim said shyly.

“Me, what?”

“If you are...” Kim sighed. “My soul mate...”

Gerald didn’t need the reassurance. Kim didn’t need to confirm either. Right then and there, they both knew they were indeed... fated.