A night at forest grill
Downtown, Philippe tried to remember where Forest Grill was. The streets and street names had changed throughout the decade, and it took him a while to find it. Forest Grill was the town’s centerpiece for the best dining experience, and it was also Jericho’s spot when he wanted to forget.
When Philippe and Sophia reached the place, everyone remembered Sophia, and they went from one whisper to another as they saw Philippe, on her side. People of Forest Green knew the Vabuerettis very well. No single drop of information about the family had ever skipped their ears.
The diner appeared to be the gathering area where townspeople exchanged gossips, and it was a stop-over after a bad day. The rock music was too loud, and this was not how Philippe remembered the place.
A gasp escaped Sophia as he followed her father into the secluded dining room in the back. She hated how every eye was following them as though they were celebrities. She could no longer wait to ease herself with grilled hamburgers, potato fries, and a sip of Pepsi soda.
As for Philippe, since he left the town for many years now, only a few faces were familiar to him. He was asking Sophia to sit down when…
“Phil, is that you?” Someone from the corner yelled. “My man, what brings you back here?” he repeated as Philippe now crumpled his forehead in silent wonder. The guy was sitting in a rectangular table with two other middle-aged guys, with a bottle of beer in their hands. It seemed they were there after office work, with their white shirts and loose ties, and just like Philippe, they had aged very nicely.
A broad smile broke across Philippe’s face as he finally settled his eyes on the three. “Jake! Sam! Mark! Hey, you guys!” He motioned fast to meet them and slapped a hefty hand on each one’s shoulder. He couldn’t believe he was seeing his childhood peers again, after decades.
Standing still, Sophia simply stared at them, amazed at the magnificent mini-reunion right before her eyes. She loved watching them, yet she couldn’t help but wish she had the same circle of pals, but she had been deprived of this, in Forest Green. Then shortly, she tried to get acquainted with the new place and the new faces in the diner.
“Is that Sophia now?” One of the three took a look at Sophia and asked Philippe, who had just realized he needed to go back to her, for her meal.
“Yup.” Philippe felt some pride and excused himself temporarily, for Sophia.
“Don’t mind me, Dad,” Sophia already said before her father could make an excuse. She knew her father needed some time, like this; he’d always been eaten by work. “I can find a new friend here,” she added, and it just came to reality when a teenage guy, who happened to be working in the place, approached Sophia.
“Hey, Sophie! I’m glad you’re back in town.”
Sophia held up for silence. She was absolutely clueless at who he was. And Philippe was, too.
“Excuse me?” Philippe raised an eyebrow, feeling he needed to protect his daughter from this creep.
“I’m sorry. I believe I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Michael,” he said and offered a hand-shake to Philippe. “Sophia and I went to the same grammar-school,” he added but to his dismay, Sophia wasn’t giving him any response, as though she wasn’t thrilled to see him at all.
“I’m Phil. Sophia’s father.” Philippe granted the hand-shake and felt he needed to tell him of Sophia’s condition. “Well, my daughter here has lost her memory. You need to introduce yourself, I suppose.”
Michael wondered at the news, and made amends as soon as his mind finally understood the fact. “Nice to finally meet you, sir,” he said and looked back at Sophia, displaying a mixture of sympathy and wonder—wonder at how an overly-protected girl who had a mind of her own can lose something so precious: her memory. “I’m sorry,” he said in empathy.
“Well,” Philippe scratched on his arm. “I’ll leave you two, then, so you could talk,” he said, and was glad when Sophia’s eyes lighted up at the suggestion. “And as for me, I’ll get back to my buddies. But hey,” he looked at Michael, “I’m watching you, okay?” He concluded with a friendly smash on the latter’s shoulder, and left them.
“I’m sorry for that,” Sophia apologized, when Philippe had turned his back at them.
“I understand,” Michael grinned. “I suppose you’re here for dinner. So why don’t you sit down, first? I’m working here, by the way. I was about to go home when I thought you looked familiar.”
She let him stare some more. And in spite of the alienation she felt, she indulged in a little staring, too.
“Are you still a big fan of cow?” He then asked, as they both took their seats.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I mean, meat!”
Now Sophia almost laughed. “Why do you say that?”
“Oh, you don’t remember it, too?” He was trying to sound hilarious this time. “You were a big fan of beef.”
“Really?” Sophia finally let out a giggle. To her amazement, this Michael had known her better than herself.
“Wait here for a jiffy,” he asked. “I’ll get you something.” Then he hastened to the pantry so that Sophia had no time to say no.
In his absence, Sophia had only rolled her eyes around, wishing she had grabbed her cell phone with her. Already, she missed her mom, Francheska, and wished she was talking to her right now. She was badly in need of somebody to listen to her sentiments, about Jericho. Sophia’s heart pulled in and caved at the thought of his coming marriage.
At last, thank Heavens, Michael came back to her, with Korean beef stew and steamed fish laden in a tray. They were the diner’s top specialties. Beside these there was a garden salad, topped with numerous slices of tomatoes and black olives.
Although Sophia’s stomach was already programmed for the usual burgers and fries, just the whiff of these specialties made her snatch the silverware on the tray.
“Mind if I join you and help you finish all of these?” He asked. His smile was the warmest, and Sophia couldn’t help but return a gracious response.
“Of course,” she beamed, to boot. Not only was the food was invigorating, his presence was, as well. And she could admit she liked him already.
“So, what’s up with you now living in the city?” Michael asked as they began a mouthful.
“The city’s fine,” she smiled, but there was this sudden urge to know more about this Michael.
“So, what exactly happened to you? Why do you have this amnesia thing?” Michael was careful in asking it as he forked a cut of beef on his plate. His voice seemed so neutral, so Sophia didn’t hesitate to share the details.
“I had a car accident.” She stared past him, when she said it. She couldn’t look at him. But when she did turn to look at him, his face was so worried she had to shut her eyes.
His eyes dimmed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” Then he drank from his bottle of beer, while Sophia sipped her glass of soda.
The rest of their conversation was more careful and selective. Michael now talked of their grammar-school days and he shared how he had helped Jericho to save her from the water, one day at summer camp. Unknown to him, the very mention of Jericho made Sophia ache, again. Michael was unaware that the two were back together and had split up again.
Sophia staggered at the info, her eyes unsteady. Knowing that she had almost lost her life and that Jericho had saved her, her emotions went to war again. Her face reddened and Michael was alarmed.
“Hey, are you all right?” Michael rushed to ask and leaned forward to examine her. He thought it was the food that made her sick, and he was about to call her dad when Sophia held his arm, to stop him.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I think I’m allergic to one of the ingredients.” She hoped the lie would spare her but she was wrong.
Somehow, Michael had a hint it was because of Jericho. He knew they were once an item, and he regretted being reckless and insensitive. He was clueless about what was happening between the two, lately.
To Sophia, it was clear now that the town and its people would never put her to rest. They would always be linked to Jericho. And if she wanted to go by, unhurt… she would be better off never making any visits nor contacting anybody. But it was here where everyone she loved, belonged. And in a way, she belonged here, as well.
A thousand things raced through Sophia’s thoughts as she got seated in Michael’s hoary truck. She was there after she accepted his offer to take her home, under Philippe’s approval at the bistro, earlier.
They passed through backstreets and main roads, and the brief silence they shared pushed Sophia to ask Michael about random things.
“What’s love to you?” she said, taking him completely by surprise, and when he finally took in the question, he laughed.
“Love is a game. It’s either you win or you lose.” He exclaimed, sounding as though no one had ever asked him the same kind of question before. “And love,” he was grumbling, “oh, there is no such thing as love at first sight.”
Sophia giggled at the idea. “What makes you say that?” She looked at him, full of questions, wondering why he was defying such an old notion that got everyone believing.
“I’ve been in love once, Sophia.” Michael’s face turned serious for an instant. “And believe me, it was lust at first sight.” He broke into a loud laugh that got her laughing, too.
“So you are saying,” she paused when he couldn’t stop laughing, and then continued when he finally did, “so you are saying that people mistake lust for love?” She laughed, too.
“Yeah, I believe true love arises only when two people are completely in sync with each other’s music. And dance with them.” He was explaining seriously, and that left her amazed. She couldn’t believe she was hearing this from a free-spirited guy, who didn’t even look at life seriously. He was refreshing. And thank goodness, she unlocked such a random topic when all she wanted was to kill the awkward silence.
“How about you?” He returned his gaze to her. “What is love to you?”
“Love?” she sighed and fell into a sudden silence, thinking. Now she had to answer the same question that she, herself, wasn’t sure of. “Love is… elusive. It has the power that only few can handle,” she said, and was saddened by the fact that she didn’t handle it well, herself.
“Deep,” he bellowed. “But you think love is eternal?” He chuckled as though it were some form of mockery or irony.
Sophia was mute for a moment. It was now a harder question, and she said, “To many, eternal love lasts forever. But for me, eternal love is not about duration. It is about a divine something which puts this life into something way beyond what is physical, what is timed, and what is measured.”
Michael was silent, afterward. He was stunned and wondered where Sophia got all these? It was a comprehensive exchange of ideas for them, and they were hushed into pondering over such insights. They loved each other’s acumen. It felt inspiring.
As they continued to pass through narrow and dark streets, Sophia wished to ask a few more things. Things that she knew she could never get from anyone else but this guy could give them, because he seemed to be so seasoned, and yet so understanding.
“I wonder if you know where Jericho’s mom is…” Though uncertain, she stiffened her spine while asking it.
“Oh, Aunt Diana! She’s in a mental hospital, or didn’t you know?”
Mental hospital? Sophia was shocked. Information had been coming in, unexpectedly, but this one knocked her out more than anything else did.
“Mental?”
“Shocking, huh?” He looked at her for a bit, and then concentrated on the driving, again.
Sophia squeezed her eyes shut and asked again. “How did she turn out that way?” She looked at him, and pretended she was cool with it.
“They said, she had this psychotic break while being pregnant with Jericho. It became even worse when she already gave birth to him.”
Sophia, strong-willed, turned, and wanted to test some things. “Who’s Jericho’s father?” She looked straight at Michael’s eyes.
“Uncle Chris.” Michael was now wondering why she was asking unlikely questions.
“So, they got married?”
“Of course, Sophia! Uncle Chris is, in fact, still alive.” Michael wondered again. “Your questions are too personal, you know?”
“Yeah, I know but…”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Sophia then slid her gaze downwards, thinking she was pushing him too much. But, to her, the gate to the unfamiliar stories was now open; it would be better if she got the most out of it, so she asked again. “Where’s that Chris, by the way?”
“You’ll never stop, do you?” Michael put in a silly laugh and willingly responded to all her queries. “He’s in town. Drinking Jack Daniel’s all day and night.” He tried not to say it with enough condemnation, though, and disclosed that Jericho’s father was, indeed, loathed by the entire town for burning his own house down, upon Diana’s diagnosis, and for replacing her with a prostitute, and Jericho was only a toddler then.
Learning all these, it was clear to Sophia now why the people treated Jericho and his family differently. Even her Grandma Lucy did so.
“It was good Jericho’s grandpa had sold their mountain to a mining company,” Michael added. “At least, they got to feed their mouths and Jericho was able to go to med. school.”
Sophia was quiet for a matter of seconds, taking in everything she learned. When she noticed he’d been waiting for her feedback, she longed for another question. “Does Jericho still live with him?”
“Not anymore. Since Jericho became a doctor, he moved to his own house.”
She nodded and went to another pause.
As for Michael, he’d only watched her through the tips of his eyes and debated with himself, and then said: “I know you two were love birds but... I suppose you know Jericho is already tying the knot.”
Sophia then bowed her head with shame. “Yeah.” She was gripping her own hands when she admitted it, couldn’t wait for the truck to reach her grandma’s and to sleep everything away but then…
“Jericho’s not the son of your dad.” Michael, out of nowhere, revealed. “The rumors aren’t true, I’m sure.”
“What?!” Sophia was absolutely blown away. Did he just say Jericho’s not the son of her dad? And how come he knew all of these? It was supposed to be a family secret!
“My mom’s a midwife. She was the one who helped Diana deliver her first child, the one the townspeople had been alleging was your father’s love-child.” He was still speaking when Sophia began freaking out, and he temporarily stopped to search for a brown bag so she could breathe into it. When he finally found one and Sophia was already stabilizing, he asked if he could continue.
Sophia was only silent for a moment, catching up her lost breaths. And when she was calmed, she begged him to continue.
“It was stillborn. And after a year later, Uncle Chris married her. They had a child and it was Jericho.”
“What?!” Sophia was panicking again, but this time she was filled with anger, hatred, among other emotions she couldn’t identify at that moment. She couldn’t believe that she was actually fooled by all of it.
“I don’t know if you would believe me but…” Michael ensued, tangled in hesitation if he still had to carry on.
“What…?”
“Your Grandma Lucy knew it was stillborn. In fact, I don’t know why your grandma is still exclaiming Jericho is your father’s son. Maybe she made it all up.”
It was another blow to Sophia, and she could almost curse her grandma. She wanted to know if other family members were involved. But, somehow, she also had doubts if what Michael exposed was actually true. Yet…even so… Jericho was already getting married—by his own volition and everyone’s support. What else she could do? It was the dead end. For both of them. And she got tired pondering over it until they reached the manor, right after the lights were turned off.