PRETENSES
By: Regina Castro
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Imagine this...

You walk into the park, as you many times have, hoping to find your perfect girlfriend...who you find there instead, is the girl of your dreams...

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I happily kicked the fallen leaves from the ground. It was that kind of a day. I was happy for I was to meet the girl of my dreams – the girl that had so much taken my life in a string, helplessly dangling me over, crazily loving me during my quirkiest of moments... she was the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with.

I turned around the corner into that secluded part of the park. As I cast my sight on the lonely solitary bench that overlooks the creek, I found that another girl was seated there. I was expecting to see my lovely girl in her classy clothes, long pretty hair, nice bright smile...but instead, I found her.

She was a mystery to me. She was very pretty, casually dressed in jeans and sweater, her wire-rimmed glasses denoted wisdom...But from afar, she looked unhappy...stoic... I moved closer. She doesn’t notice me. She was obviously reading a book earlier, but her eyes were now transfixed on an unknown point on the creek. Her pensive appearance almost made me retrack my steps. However, she has this uncanny sense of longing in her eyes that you just want to come sit next to her and comfort her in your embrace.

I wanted to capture that image of her. I took out my cell phone and took a picture of her.

The sound coming from my phone broke her concentration. She looked startled and I felt compelled to explain myself. I hurriedly ran up towards her as I saw her motioning to leave.

“Miss, wait, I’m sorry...” I said, puffing.

“Why did you take a picture of me?” she asked in the softest of voices.

“Sorry, I’m not a ert or something, I just thought you looking out into the lake like that...have this picturesque quality about it...” I answered.

“Are you a photographer by trade?” she asked, somewhat annoyed.

“No, I’m not...” I said softly, I handed out my phone then stuffing my other hand on my jeans pocket. “Here, you can erase it if you want...”

She takes my phone and looks at the picture. IT made her smile.

That was when I finally got a good look at her. Her hair was tied in a loose pony tail, revealing her soft kind face. Her nose was perfectly small. Even her teeth were perfect. She had these dimples on both sides of her face that were so adorable. She was the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life.

“I look somewhat pretty in this picture...” she said timidly.

I was flabbergasted. A girl as beautiful as her...have no concept of how lovely she was?

“But you are pretty!” I blurted out.

“Thanks...” she said wryly as she handed back my phone. “You can keep it...just promise me you won’t upload it on Facebook or something...or else my boyfriend will see it...”

“Boyfriend?” I asked. “Is that who you are waiting for?”

She looked at me crossly. I realized I may have sounded a bit fresh. I decided to introduce myself.

“Sorry, miss... I was just curious,” I said. “By the way, my name is Gerald...”

Surprisingly, she held out her hand. “Kim...”

“Nice name...” I mumbled.

She immediately gave me a defiant look.

“Sorry, if I’m a bit fresh...” I admitted. “I can’t help myself...”

She chose to ignore my last remark.

“You said you were curious...” she said. “Curious about what?”

“About you...and why are you sad in this loveliest of days...” I answered.

“I’m not sad...why did you say that?” she said.

“Well, you are in the middle of the park, in one of the most secluded areas...obviously you wanted to be alone...” I regaled. “Although, I think you are hopefully waiting for somebody who isn’t going to come. That book you are reading, “A Bridge Across Forever...” that meant you are searching for a true love. I deduce that the person you are waiting for is a boyfriend or a husband...I don’t know...somebody romantically involved with you. And you looking out pensively into the horizon like that...meant you are contemplating about a possible change in the relationship...Aha! You just had a lover’s quarrel with your boyfriend, am I right?”

“You guessed all that from a single look?”

“You can tell a million things from a single look...”I boasted.

“Well, what else do you see?” she said cheerily.

“Hmmm...now I’ve got to charge you for it,“ I replied jokingly.

“So, you are a face-reader?” she asked with a laugh. “I mean professionally?”

Even her laugh was perfect. There is such joyous character to it. One can tell a lot from other people’s laughter. Hers were not the kind that is acerbic or sarcastic. It meant she was pure at heart, not yet trammelled by cynicism.

“I wish I could charge people for that!” I said.

“So, you’re not a photographer, not a face-reader...what are you, Gerald?” she asked.

“I’m an actor...” I declared.

“Seriously?” she said amusingly.

“Yes I am, don’t I look like an actor to you?” I said.

She readily shook her head. "Nope..."

“What do I look like then?” I asked.

“I don’t know...” she answered truthfully. “Hmmm...physical trainer?”

“Physical trainer?” I said annoyingly. “Do I look like all brawn and no brains to you?”

She laughed once more.

“All brawn...no brains...” she echoed. “Actors are like that too, right?”

I managed to laugh. She was so smart. How could you reason with that?

“So, miss, high and mighty...what are you then?” I asked.

“What do you think, face-reader?!” she challenged me.

“I don’t know...librarian?”

She didn’t laugh. She immediately took off her glasses and looked straight at me. I felt she got offended.

“Sorry...I just thought, with the book and the glasses...” I mumbled.

“Librarian? Do I look that spinsterish?” she said disdainfully.

“Hey, not all librarians are spinsterish!” I guffawed. “Most of my dreams and fantasies involved y librarians!”

She giggled at my quick wit. How glad was I of my come back quip. I love the thought that I made her laugh.

“Okay, so I’m not a librarian...” she said.

“So, what are you then?”

“I’m an actress too!” she answered.

“Really? Funny, I’ve never seen you around the showbiz circle!” I said.

“I’m just starting out...” she answered. “I’m not that popular yet. How about you? How long have you been in the business?”

“Three years...”

“Funny, I’ve never seen any of your work...” she said.

“Ouch, I guess I deserve that...” I answered truthfully.

She smiled back at me. “Nice to meet you, Gerald...”

“Anderson...” I said, extending my hand. “Nice to finally meet you, actress Kim...”

“Chiu...Kimberly Chiu...” she answered, slipping her graceful hand into mine once more.

Her hands were the most delicate thing I have ever laid my hands on. There was something about her touch...it was tender...loving.

“So, was I right?” I asked her several silent moments later.

“Right about what?” she eyed me oddly.

“What I said earlier about you waiting for the boyfriend that you just had an LQ with...”

“Oh, that!” she smiled. She then, shyly nodded.

“What has that stupid bastard done to you?” I asked.

She was laughing really hard after that. But, soon enough, her face became serious.

“Nothing much...somebody told me he brought food to one of the actresses from another show!”

“And...” I added.

“What do you mean ‘and...” she exclaimed. “My supposedly boyfriend gave some other girl food!”

“So what’s the big deal with that?” I asked.

“Well, you see my boyfriend, his name is Randolph...” said Kim. “He is an actor too...”

“So?” I asked.

“Even if it was some random thing that he often does, he knew better not to do that...especially with the press snooping around...” said Kim. “He promised me he never was going to look at other girls...”

“Were you jealous?” I asked.

“Damn right, I was!” she confirmed with a some degree of consternation.

“Did you confront him about it?”

She shook her lovely head. “I was too shy to ask him...”

“Shy?!” I asked once more. “He is your boyfriend, right?”

“It’s complicated,” she said. “You see we are a love team. Through the years we developed these special feelings for one another. One day, we just woke up and we loved each other. No more confirmation needed. In as much as we want to explore our feelings for one another, we had to rein ourselves a little bit...for the sake of our careers! But now, he goes galavanting and professing his feelings to others...”

“He didn’t do that!” I exclaimed.

“How do you know?”

“Well, all I know was he wouldn’t even dare do that to you, for sure!”

“We’ll he might as well have!” she said mockingly. “Food offerings are as worse as giving jewellery.”

“why is that?” I asked.

“Because, with food, you take time to prepare it...” she reasoned. “There is that intention to hurt...”

“What if he bought the food...” he said. “And he asked his manager to bring it...”

“Even then...” she stubbornly said.

“Aha, the classic love-team-for-real-kind-of-drama!” I said. “But, why didn’t you just tell him you were hurt? He is after all, you real life boyfriend, is he not?”

“I don’t know...” she said. “If I knew the answer, then perhaps I won’t have this problem, right?”

“I guess so...” I said. “Are you still upset with him?”

“Maybe...a little bit...”

“What do you think he feels?” I asked her, lifting her head a little bit.

“I don’t know...”

“I can tell you now that he won’t happy be happy seeing you sad like that!”

“How do you know?” she asked.

“Let’s just say, I’m an actor with a jealous girlfriend too...” I answered. “And I know perfectly what he is feeling right now...”

“If you were in his situation, would you have done what he had done?” she asked.

“I’m not that stupid...” I blurted.

She chuckled heartily.

“IF I were in his place, I probably make sure I won’t hurt you like he did...” I said. “But, you see, no matter how many times you promise that, sometimes things play out differently. Innocent gestures are given different color by a lot of people...you can’t help that...”

“I guess you’re right...” she answered. “But, I kind of agree...he was kinda for stupid doing it...”

I almost choked with what she said.

We remained silent after that. She would occasionally look at me. I did the same. In my mind, I tried to commit her face to memory. Her pretty eyes, sad as they were before, still remain the most perfect pair that I’ve ever seen. We just sat there, content in letting time pass by.

“So, why are you here?” she said, breaking our reverie.

“I was to meet my...girlfriend,” I confessed.

“Here? You are to meet her here? “ she said, looking around her. “Where is she?”

“I don’t think she is coming...” I said somberly.

“Aha! You are here like me...trying to sort things out!” she said, giving me a smile.

“You should be the face-reader!” I chuckled.

“Come on...spill the beans...” she egged me. “What’s the big quarrel about?”

“Well, it is about my girlfriend Sue...” I said. “She is an actress too, you know. I love her to death...but I sometimes feel that she doesn’t quite love me back the way I love her!”

“Tragically classic!” she said. “Guy loves girl, but girl is intimidated by him...”

“I don’t think she is physically intimidated by me...” I said, innocently. “It’s probably my penchant for girls that is intimidating her...”

“Why, are you not that trustworthy?”

“I think I am...” I said confidently. “Let's just say, my girlfriend has a little bit of a trust issue...”

“Why do you say that?” she asked pensively.

“I don’t know...” I said. “It feels like she always have this guard up. A body armor...to protect herself from getting hurt by me...”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to get hurt...” she said. “maybe she had this experience in the past that she didn’t want to happen again...”

“She does...but what else can I do to prove to her that she is the only one for me? She always remain this guarded whenever we become a bit more intimate. It made me even question if she was really in love with me!”

“Different people have different ways of expressing their love!” she answered.

“One can never truly fall in love unless you fully submit yourself to it, right?” I beseeched her. “Love means trust...”

“Yes, it is...” she said. “But, remember, trust is earned...”

I fell silent. IT was true. I, myself, didn’t make it easy enough for her to trust me.

“But, I can feel she truly loves you...” she said. “Just give her time...to heal.”

I nodded obediently. Perhaps Kim was right. She needed that time to heal. As we were sitting there in silence, somehow our loneliness ebbed. The questions in our minds were somehow answered. I looked at her fondly. She looked back at me in equal fondness.

“Why am I revealing my life story to a total stranger?” she said with a laugh.

“Perhaps, because it’s more comforting that way...” I reasoned. “At least with people you don’t know, there is little pre-judgement...”

“I guess you’re right...”

“Thank you, Kim...” I said. “For listening to my woes...”

“Me too...” she said. “Thank you...”

I held her hand tenderly. She smiled back at me. Her eyes were full of love and understanding.

“So...are we good?” I asked her, looking straight into her eyes.

She nodded with a bittersweet smile.

“Kim, I love you with all my heart and with all of my soul...” I said, squeezing her hands.

“I love you too, Ge...” she said. “Just promise me you won’t do it again...”

I raised my hand and said. “I promise...”

“Cross your heart?”

“I’ll be a good boy from now on...” I said.

“Yes, you will...” she said lovingly. “Or else, I’ll reveal to the Buzz what other naughty stuff you’ve been doing...”

“No, please Kim...” I begged.

I, then, began tickling her on her armpits as I have so lovingly done a lot of times before. She responded by trying to squeeze the flabby part of his stomach.

IT was in this joyous state that our friends, Matt and Melissa, discovered us.

“Hey, guys, are you pretending not to know each other again?” yelled Melissa, who happened to pass by that part of the park.

“I really don’t understand the dynamics of that stuff you guys are doing, seriously!” said Matt, mockingly. “Role-playing?”

“Leave us alone and let us do our own thing!” I yelled back.

"So, you pretend you met for the first time...then you guys flirt the hell out of each other? What the heck?" cried out Matt.

"Will you shut up and leave us alone!" I said, throwing a rock at him.

Kim giggled as Melissa did.

“BY the way, direk Jerome is looking for you two...your scenes are coming up. He is mad as hell!” cried Matt as he and Mellissa walked hand in hand, disappearing into the horizon.

“Tell him, we’ll be there in a minute...” I shouted after him.

Matt responded with a wave as he placed his arms around Melissa’s shoulders.

Kim looked at me oddly. “In a minute?”

“After I kiss you...” I said.

“I sure hope it’s going to be more than just a minute...” she said.

I smiled and moved my head closer to hers. I breathed deeply as neared mine. IF the anticipation was good, the reality of her kiss was even better. It was perfect. She lovingly pressed her lips against mine...in confirmation of her love for me. I kissed her back with all tenderness...I love her just the same.
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And that is how we dealt with things, Kim and I. It was during those times when we didn’t know each other better... it was when we discovered ourselves best...
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DISCLAIMER: The above-mentioned scenario never happened in real life. It's just a figment of imagination of the writer. None of this story should be taken literally as the truth.

(What, we, Kimerald fans believe is what information our own insiders tell us. Gerald never brought food for P. It was his former manager who brought food...without his consent and without his knowledge. That is what we stand by as the TRUTH until Gerald himself affirms otherwise. - writer -)