the party
“Good Lord! So it’s true. You look like her.”
That shudder, cold as sandstone and shrill as a dagger, was heard by Sophia when she went to the fridge for a bottle of water. She’d never been downstairs since their return from Forest Green, and Nadine became her own personal aide, providing her all the things she needed, including food and refreshments. This was the only time she went down.
Looking delicate as a wren’s egg, Sophia turned to look at the owner of the voice and didn’t recognize the woman in her late sixties, with her mom. She must be a relative because of the resemblance this woman shared with Elizabeth.
The old woman slowly approached her. “Sophia…” she said, examining her closer and harder. It was Emily. The last time she saw her long-lost granddaughter was the day she was born (for there were too many unsettled issues back then, between the two sides—Sophia’s maternal-paternal grandparents).
Emily cried oceans. Rage, despair, self-pity—all were tidal waves breaking inside of her. There was this ache to clench Sophia in her arms and would never ever let her go but then, she remembered her daughter Francheska. She wished Francheska was there, too, to witness the marvelous reunion, but it suddenly occurred to her that she was asking for the impossible. Francheska had been out of sight for many, many years now, and those seventeen years of absence had always felt like a lifetime, not just to her but to everyone who knew the family scandal.
Sophia froze, trying to recognize the old woman again. Who is she? She kept asking herself.
“Mom, she doesn’t remember you. She has amnesia, remember?” Elizabeth slipped in to rescue her daughter from her own self-examination.
“Yes, of course,” answered Emily while studying Sophia even harder, then she touched Sophia’s face, clasped her hands and gave her the warmest hugs.
Child-like, Sophia returned the same kind of scrutiny and accepted the old woman’s approaching embrace.
There was a long moment of body-hugging and trying-to-figure-it-out.
“I shouldn’t have let them take you… That was my greatest mistake. I’m so, so sorry,” Emily whispered into her granddaughter’s ears and tightened her hug.
Sophia felt the rush of her grandma’s apologies and fell into a deeper stream of confusion. Who is she exactly?! What is she talking about?!
“I’m Grandma Emily,” Emily, at last, revealed, her whisper even softer now, tinged with boundless regrets and sorrows. “The very person who’s been missing you for many, many years…” Another torrent of tears ran down her face, then a tall man surprisingly over-shadowed them.
“So, that’s Sophia now?” His voice came behind Elizabeth. It was Randy, who just went out for a drink with Philippe. “I can’t believe you’re all grown up!” He was ecstatic but definitely not as expressive as Emily. “Come here, and I’ll give you a warm hug, too!”
A flat face was all that Sophia could provide him. She had absolutely no idea of who he was. But by the looks of him, she already had a hint he might be her grandpa.
“Dad, she doesn’t remember you,” Elizabeth said, overwhelmed by the series of unexpected turn of events.
“Oh, yes! Of course, dear.” Randy affirmed and joined Emily in encircling their long-lost granddaughter.
And then, there was a more detailed introduction, followed by an early dinner for Sophia—in fact, it was her meal for the entire day.
*****
For the first time ever, Sophia couldn’t wait for the first day of her senior year. It would be much easier to go on with the motions of life in Orlando than to think of what she left behind in Forest Green.
She had overheard her mom’s phone conversation with Grandma Lucy last night, and heard Jericho’s name again and again. How it crushed her! She refused to believe they were planning again to isolate her from Jericho once he was freed from jail.
She shut her eyes and looked at the clock, which was now clicking close to nine in the morning. It wasn’t her habit to get up late but things weren’t the same anymore. Life, for her, had lost its drive. She simply chose to keep going, for she had to.
Then, she shifted her stare to the windows. The morning light was glorious, passing through the white curtains which she forgot to close before she fell asleep. She had been standing there last night. Waiting. Hoping that Jericho would miraculously appear from the shadows of the night.
Time and again, she’d felt sorry for leaving him. She felt guilty, felt worse than a criminal. But if there were people imprisoned here, it wasn’t her. It was really the people who kept hindering justice… the justice of young love.
That morning surge of Sophia’s emotions made her take control of herself. She began to feel defiant against everything and everyone. She wanted rebellion. She wanted freedom. For reasons she couldn’t figure out, herself.
*****
Thursday night made Sophia’s revolt become a reality.
She and Zarah dove into Anne’s party despite a chain of arguments she had had with her parents. They didn’t want her to go out, but Sophia was hard as a rock so that her parents ultimately admitted defeat.
“I have to go out or else I’ll die thinking of Jericho! I don’t know if Grandma Lucy really withdrew her allegation against him, or if Jericho is now rotting in prison!” Sophia unintentionally yelled at her parents, something she hadn’t done before. “Why don’t you just leave me alone! I’m sick of you always trying to protect me!” She yelled louder. It was a major concern that the couple couldn’t abide, but they stiffened their spines and tried to be more considerate.
Philippe and Elizabeth tried to understand their daughter. Letting Sophia out was a huge risk but they, one way or another, realized that their daughter was, indeed, in need of it. Sophia had been mute lately, locking herself in her room, hardly eating, and they already worried over the possibility that it might lead her to depression... or worse, losing. Knowing that Zarah would be there to accompany their daughter was something that helped to remove a portion of doubt from their chests.
The party was attended by fellow upcoming seniors, with a few sophomores and outsiders gate-crashing.
Zarah was in a sexy metallic blazer and displayed searing hot smoky eyes while Sophia was as modest as ever with her lavender sleeveless chemise and zero makeup. Without question, she could still turn every head around, even in her most quiet, effortless get-up.
The place was absolutely crowded and chaotic, muddled up with varieties of alcohol, packs of weed, and other drugs that were secretly passed from one person to another. And if not controlled, a bunch of these party animals would be diving into the pool or running naked across the streets, until the cops interfered.
The music was excessively deafening and no one could absolutely resist dancing, not even Sophia who was down and feeling very low at that moment. She was hopping while exchanging a few words with Zarah when Alex unexpectedly slipped in—in cold blood—and dragged Zarah out to nowhere.
The two’s departure made Sophia explore the house and try things new when a guy suddenly trailed her.
“Hello, Sophia.” His voice was manly and appealing.
Head down, Sophia lifted her chin to face him. He was quite familiar. She was one hundred percent sure she had seen him before, but she couldn’t remember where.
The guy spoke again, tagging along with a confident smile. “I’m glad you came. I’m Enzo, by the way,” he said as he offered his hand for a hand-shake. “You probably don’t remember me, but we were friends… before your amnesia.” His gentle accent and dark eyes did not make a dent on her memory. Sophia could hardly figure out the last place she saw him. Too late she realized she hadn’t granted his hand-shake yet, but it seemed he was reading her mind.
“If you’re thinking of the last place we’ve met, it was in a Filipino restaurant, by the Eight Avenue. You had lunch there with your family,” Enzo explained.
Sophia’s surprise and curiosity caged her, kept her speechless. She wished she hadn’t drunk too much so she could think better, but there was something about this guy, not a special brand of dangerous charm, but probably someone with some answers that her own family would not give her.
Then, Enzo cleared his throat to prevent the dialogue from hanging. “Mind if I get you a new drink?” He shot a smile, still looking very engaging.
Sophia’s thoughts drifted from that question as she felt the eagerness to begin asking, but it felt like it was too soon. And she didn’t want, of course, to create a bad impression—she just met him!
“Thanks, but I haven’t emptied my bottle yet,” she said after some time, and they fell into another stream of awkward silence.
Enzo knew it was up to him to speak but he noticed the restlessness in her. She was still that same Sophia he knew almost four years ago. The one who had always been secluded. Mysterious and intriguing.
He remembered the first time he saw her, back in their freshman year. She was the country girl lost in the city of haste and hubbub. She had only one companion then—Daniella—who shared the same pursuit of wanting to belonging, in the family.
Very clearly, Enzo was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Even up to now. And for those first two months that they used to be casual friends, back then, he couldn’t help but wind up that it was all worthwhile, though she was caught up with too many hustle and bustle. And now that her ex, Giovanni, was dead, Enzo was even more driven. (Little did he know about the other guys in Sophia’s life.)
“I guess I have to go now. I’m sorry.” Sophia tried to face him. She could no longer think of any alternative so as to prolong the conversation with this new guy, although she knew he could be a link to the gaps in her memory. Playing the cool role was not just her forte.
Enzo’s smile vanished. “Why leave too early?” Enzo asked, wondering if he lacked all the charm or she had just utterly changed.
It was the worst moment of the night for Sophia. Her current situation would be much easier if she had to leave in the soonest way possible. She’d never been good in dismissing difficult conversations, especially with strangers. Leaving was always the best escape plan for her.
“Thank you for tonight.” She then seized the courage to say it, accompanied by a coy smile to make amends for her silence. “I’ll see you around.”
The exchange of words with Enzo was refreshing for Sophia but she wasn’t geared up, yet, to rekindle any lost friendship in the past. At some point, she was scared. Scared of the things that might come surprisingly, that she would never expect.