Chapter two
The tray didn’t just hit the floor. I exactly saw how the Caesar’s salad smashed into pieces and slid onto the marble flooring. The fine sunny day in Singapore seems to be perfect for a cruise. I still wondered how people would react to my portrait back in Paris, too bad I haven’t been there for Oliver’s exhibit but then it’s a good thing Oliver is a company nurse in Louvre Museum and still doing health advocacy seminar all over the French Community in Europe.
I’ve been reluctantly waiting for Maru to come back. All I knew she was going to the lavatory but no shadow of her appears at past 15 minutes now. I have no idea how to contact her cause she left her things beside me. I stood up to look for her.
The cruise is impeccable. There was an elevator on the center leading to a 4-storey shopping mall to the left. There, going just beside the right is a Casino and some amusement parks. I don’t know where she is and I just sit at the cafeteria outside to think and look crazy finding her.
“Jane, j-j-jane Fuentes? I yelped.
“Donna? Is that you?” she replied.
“Yes, oh my god’ small world. You look super sexy. Well, what are you doing here?
“I am a chef of Copacabana here, good thing you notice my figure. I had lost 40 lbs. over the past 3 months and it really feels good, what about you?” she asked.
“Well, I am with Maru and she was lost. We are taking an Asian cruise from Indonesia to Thailand. From Bangkok we are going to take a flight off to Hawaii for the reunion and you have to come too” I insisted.
“Sure, I am going to take the flight when I arrived Hong Kong and don’t worry Don’ well see each other at Maui and well strut our stuff with skimpy bikinis, but what about your career? are u married?… your nursing life, what happened? tell me cause I am dying to know about it” curiously she asked.
“Well, I am married to a Half-Filipino engineer based in Arizona but currently he is on a project in Russia. I was a pediatric nurse in Arizona State but I transferred a hospital in New York because I have to tie up with the business of Kim and Omega and hopefully I can be based on the wellness center for mothers, conducting seminars and helping children with disabilities, what about you? I heard you’re done with nursing” I probingly asked.
“Hmm’..not really cause I still am doing some health teaching here at the cruise at the same time a company nurse here, so I’m off to giving seminars for newly hired nurses, orientations, and stuff like that. I will be launching my 1st branch of “Jane’s Vegan Resto” at Manila by December and all of you are invited to come, wait Don’ I have to go, my croissants I guess are overly baked.” Jane said. “Just come here later tonight and I’ll give a special treat for you, and don’t forget to bring Maru, I am so sure both of you will enjoy my treat”.
“Uh-uh! Sure. Don’t worry; I am not going to take my dinner for that treat, haha! Well see you tonight.”
“I have to go. See you tonight too.” and Jane went inside.
I was left amazed. It’s such a really good thing to see and talk to a classmate of yours. I am so irritated with Maru right now. Where the hell is she?
“Donna! Where have you been?” said by a familiar voice just meters away from me.
“Maru, hey’ I’ve been looking all over the place for you. I’m supposed to ask you that question, where the hell have you been? You said you’ll just use the restroom and damn! I have waited for you the whole twenty minutes of my life and you just don’t”
“Shut up! Guess who I met the time I was lost?” she asked me.
“Who?” I curiously asked back.
“I just met Silas Jinon, he was with his wife and his two children. We just do a little chitchat back at the disembarking area but unfortunately he’s going to have a flight back in Canada later this afternoon” Maru exclaimed.
“So, why don’t you just invite him tonight, Jane will treat us for dinner.”
“Who? Jane? the plus-size girl back in college. Really?” Maru asked.
“Yep! So what about Silas?” I did not hesitate to insist the subject.
“Well, he’s a head nurse in the orthopedic department in Vancouver and still doing the agency business catering for Filipino nurses and caregivers to work in abroad. Last seconds he had mentioned about transferring to Chicago for good because he will be putting up a car parts business but don’t worry you’ll have more of him when we see each other at the reunion.” Maru said.
“Good’ we’ll come on’ lets just enjoy the Singapore paradise and we’ll meet Jane later tonight. She is just an extremely superb chef. She’s going to have a resto somewhere in Manila by December and it’s going to be another party’ haha! Come on’ lets get outta here and breath some fresh Singaporean air.” then I clutch Maru’s hand and together we stormed away out of the ship.
Singapore is really never boring. This beautiful city always is a center of industrialism. One thing I look forward to in this city is riding on a 1-hour long cable car overlooking the Singaporean mountains. However, too bad that I have to do this alone cause you know what’ Maru prefers going to the spa than simply enjoying the city around.
I step inside the cable car. I was not into minding what’s inside cause I am more focused on the view down under although I don’t have any fear of heights. As I comfortably positioned myself and peeking through the breathtaking mountains of Singapore, I have noticed the lady with a long hair reading earnestly on a daily newspaper. I just can’t remember the name but the face, the face is really so familiar that when she pulls her hair back I was screaming loudly her name that everyone was seethed with shocked curiosity.
“Rochelle?” I gasped.
“Donna! Oh my God, I haven’t noticed you at all. What led you here in Singapore?
“Uh’ such a long story; Maru and I went off from work and just do some cruise around some Asian cities, this is our second to the last stop cause if we reach Bangkok by Saturday, we’re going to take a flight off to Hawaii for the –“
“Reunion. Yes I knew about that and I will be going to Hanoi, Vietnam this weekend and hopefully by Monday I could take the flight off to Hawaii as well” she added.
“Great’ well I’ll be seeing you there, but what have you been up to?” I interestedly ask.
“I’ve been on medical missions all over the world for Christian community, this year we are focusing on Asia and by next year we will be doing African med missions by eradicating HIV and treating African children, but my main line of work is an epidemic nurse in Canberra, Aussie and giving module lessons in Epidemiology in Hastings University, New Zealand. I am so pleased to see you’ Don, oh’ it’s finally over, let’s go
to the famous Ki’Puyi Café’ and I’ll treat you with some nice cappuccino.”
“The cappuccino is so damn tasty” I told Maru as we both went inside the ship back into our cabin. “You should have tasted it, Che-ann give me an awesome treat”.
“Never mind, when we arrived Bangkok I still have the ample time to drop by in their best capuccino’s resto but too bad you never had tried the best spa in town”.
“We’ll have much of it when we arrived Bangkok tomorrow, now I’ll just go ahead and I’ll see you at Copacabana, Jane told me to be there before seven.
“Ok, I’ll just get some shower and a toothbrush.
I decided to roam the ship first then make a shortcut to Copacabana. I wonder what the life is up at 6th floor east wing. We’ve been cruising almost 4 days now but I never had the chance to discover the life above our floor.
The 6th floor is nothing so new. It’s like the ordinary luxury spaces shown in TV series Love Boat or in movies scenes which I find ordinary. I looked at it a few moments and there were almost a number of people roaming around and then I prepared to leave. After three steps downward along the stairs, I had accidentally bumped a woman of my age and she was totally in a hurry.
“Sorry”
“No’ no, it’s okay” I said
“Donna?”
“Yes, Hi. Have we met? I’m sorry but do I know u?”
She just said nothing and just simply puts on her glasses.
“Oh my God! Lizsette?”
“Yeah, Hi’, What the hell are you doing here in Lion City?
“Well I’m with Maru and were off to Bangkok to take the flight for the reunion”
“Reunion, oh’ yes the one in Hawaii? I’ll be seeing you as well there, come on I’ll show you my place.”
“Well I have to go cause Jane is waiting for me for a dinner”
“I am invited as well, don’t worry this wont take long”
“So, Liszette, what keeps u busy right now?”
“I am the trainer for intravenous seminar all over Asia cause we are advocating to train Asian nurses to be the center of nursing professionalism, and I am the Head of ICU in Guam and I will be pursuing my Masters in Maternal and Child early next year in Arkansas, come’ on I’ll show you my cabin.”
“Sure, why not!” and off we went inside cabin 064.
The misty moor of culture and tradition had left me to feel an empress as we embarked and finally reach Thailand. Both I and Maru had dispersed our ways because Jane had to cater for customers in HongKong and Liszette will be attending a symposium over Ho Chi Mihn in Vietnam.
As we finally arrived at the airport, I was pretty much fascinated how their airport was customized; the floors were all carpeted with maroon-tinged and gilded with golden Thai icons and the ceiling is something like Buddha-inspired Gothic revival architecture that I don’t have any actions to do but just to hyper-extend my neck looking at the topmost angle.
“Damn! This is not happening” declared Maru as I am still mesmerized by their captivating design.
“Why?” I reluctantly asked.
“No available direct flight to Hawaii”
“So?” I added
“So, it’s going to be New York or Nevada”
“Hmmm…Nevada would be nice” said an unfamiliar masculine voice.
“Who the hell are you to decide, oh my God! Aaron?” I disclosed.
“Yes, Hi. What are you doing here? Going to take a flight for the reunion?” Aaron asked both of us.
“Yeah’ we’re just a bit unlucky, said Maru. Well, what brought you here in the famous Bangkok? I thought you and other Dota Boys will be in Maui ahead of time”
“No, not really...I knew only Von was there but I don’t know about the others. I am just here in Bangkok for my armed forces training for military nurse because I will be joining the Asian troopers and I was chosen among the few to be a military nurse.”
“That’s cool,” I said. “So, you’re not going to attend the reunion?”
“I will, but maybe I’ll just be a little late, since I still have to drop Russia for my simulation firing exercises and from there I will be off to Hawaii”
“We’ll just see each other then, I guess you’re right Nevada would be fine and the plane will be leaving in ten minutes, we have togo”
“Ok, happy trip just don’t forget to inform them that I will be a lil’ late.
“Sure, no problem. Take care and good luck with your military exercises.
The United Airline flight C-54B was quite full. There were numerous bags jammed on the plane upper compartment and children who were first time to fly are busy crying and running along corridors.
“Come on, Maru’ faster there’s a seat at the rear back part”
As we arrived at the back part, the occupant on the aisle was a girl, she was like drunk and keeps on listening to here ipod Touch.
“Miss, excuse me…is this seat taken? …Miss, excuse me”
“Oh my, Maru and Donna where are you going?”
“Chariss” we both below.
“Yes, I’ll be flying to Nevada for a convention in Rehabilitating Ortho Patients, Oh my God’ I really can’t believe this, oh’ come give me your bags and take a seat”
“So, you’ve been catering to Ortho patients? Maru asked.
“Yeah, 6 years now. I’ll be the Guest Speaker in Vegas but I’ll be back in Seattle after
the Convention cause I will be the head of Ortho of the new West Seattle State Hospital so there will be some sort of an inauguration.”
“Wow, cha’ you’re still glamorous” I comment.
“Of course, because my husband doesn’t like itif I look like monster in bed, well did u
see Jessa Pacheo at the airport?”
“No, but we saw Aaron”
“Oh, really’ Jessa is going back to Philippines. She will be the Speaker in Commencement Exercises in San Agustin”
“Wow’ that’s quite an achievement” said Maru. “Wait I think I’ll get you guys some coffee cause It will be a long 15 hours chitchat”
“Yeah,” said Chariss. “Well, why don’t you guys attend in my convention andwell do some casino afterwards”
“Sounds nice’ We’ll let’s talk about that when I get back.” Maru have said as she went out deep in the aisle to have some cappuccino for Chariss and her and Black Frothe’ Haven for Donna.
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