On a hot summer afternoon, the sparrows were twittering up the trees in the park while on the path beneath an acacia tree, a child impatiently pulls his parents to the ice cream shop across the street, and a young couple were busily taking their pictures at the gazebo surrounded by wooden benches. A zephyr blew and it soothed the young lady who was sitting at a bench shadowed by a mango tree. The lady, named Kristie and who was in her late 20s, was rummaging in her bag for a book. Accidentally, an old pen fell to the ground so she bent to pick it up. While she looked at the pen she remembered about something and
it wasn’t about the pen’s history but the story that lies with it five years before.
It started on Kristie’s senior year when the class were busy doing their projects.
“Psst! Kris.” called somebody from behind Kristie.
“What is it Rick?” she replied.
“I-I just want to… I mean, can you help me with my project?” asked Rick shyly.
“Yeah, sure,” gladly replied Kristie.
Rick quickly sat beside her and they began working on his project. Kristie is a smart girl, that is why she is the best student in the class --and she has a pretty face-- while Rick is a transferee who doesn’t have a mind superior in academics but in athletics and who never fails to charm girls at their school. It has been long since Rick became attracted to Kristie at first sight. There are times during class when Rick would daydream about Kristie, or gaze intently at her using his notebook as cover and its holes as peephole then make a long sigh.
“Rick,” called the teacher. “Rick!” repeated the teacher loudly. “Why aren’t you paying attention? And what are you doing?”
At this point, Rick would just reason out “Watching -- I-I mean reading, Ma’am” then the class would laugh. Kristie would chuckle and Rick would wink at her.
For Kristie, Rick is a funny guy. He would make her laugh and take away her sadness. This made her like Rick and she developed a longing to make him her bestfriend. Kristie do not have bestfriends because of her drunkard father who is ill-tempered and strict. She would not be allowed to attend parties nor hang out with friends and if she will do so, whips and spanks are her punishment. Added to this, being the only child of the family and her mother’s death on childbirth is the root of her sorrow.
One Christmas Eve, when her father got drunk, Kristie had her chance to go out. She strolled around town hoping to find something fun to do or see. She went to the park and sat on a bench. The cold air blew and she started her usual soliloquy. Her eyes became misty but before a drop
of tear had shed a voice called her.
“Kris! How are you?” It was Rick and he is with his parents.
Kristie stood quickly, blinked back her tears and smiled to them “Oh, Hi Rick.”
“Ma, Pa, this is Kristie my friend,” said Rick to his parents. Rick nestled his hand on her shoulder and pinched her on the cheek.
“Hello, Kristie. Nice to meet you,” greeted Rick’s mother and shook her hands.
“Hi, call me Uncle Rene and call her Aunt ‘Phia,” said Rick’s father.
“Hi Ma’am and to you Sir. Merry Christmas!” she replied.
“Merry Christmas too!” greeted back the parents.
“Anyway, Kristie are you alone?” asked Rick.
“Um-- y-yeah,” said Kristie.
“Well come hija, join us for dinner,” said Uncle Rene.
“B-bbut.”
“Come on Kris. I have a gift for you at home,” said Rick.
Then after a sniff and a smile Kristie said “Okay.”
That night was the happiest moment in Kristie’s life when she had felt the love of a family and when for the first time she will be celebrating Christmas Eve. Time had passed and the final exams came. The affection that Rick had for Kristie were now the same as Kristie’s feeling for him.
On that day Rick was late and rushed to school. The examination has started and when Rick searched for his pen, he realized he had left it. He was afraid to ask others for an extra pen or the proctor, Mrs. Caitum, known to be notorious in giving punishments and is very strict, would send
him out. He pretended to be searching hurriedly in his bag and scratched his head to be noticed. Kristie, who was worried for him did notice and she swiftly handed him a pen.
“Thanks,” whispered Rick and Kristie smiled back.
While taking the test, Rick was also thinking about Kristie. He wanted to tell her something and he must do it now or they might not see each other again since it is the last day of school. A moment later “Finally!” uttered Rick when he got finished.
He realized that Kristie had left already so he hastily passed the paper and ran outside hoping to catch Kristie. He looked inside the school and then outside but he couldn’t find her. Rick doesn’t have a clue where Kristie lives since nobody else in the class knows. His face turned sad and he went home gloomily.
Rick and his family is leaving town and they will migrate somewhere far. He just wanted to bid her goodbye and confess his love to her before they go but this is now hard to do since the only place where she could be found is at school or maybe at the park. So he spent the rest of his days, before their departure, either at school or at the park but still, luck has not come.
On the last day while Rick was sitting with his friends in the school, his hopes had faded. The dusk came and he accepted the truth that he won’t see her again. Before he went home he left a box for Kristie to Ana, one of his classmates.
The next day, Kristie showed up at school. She looked happy because she thought that she will be seeing Rick again. Ana came to her and said “It’s good to see you. Here take it.” she handed the box to Kristie “Rick left this for you. He and his family will be migrating to the U.S. and
they are leaving now.”
Kristie was shocked to hear the news, after a while, she took the box and ran towards Rick’s house.
“Rick why haven’t you told me?” she thought to herself. When she got there the house was empty. Not a soul was there and the house was silent. Just a minute before, Rick stood where she was standing now. Tears began to fall from her eyes and she sat on the sidewalk, sobbing. A moment later, she opened the box and saw a fountain pen that looked like the one Rick had given her on Christmas. She read the note “Kris, I’m sorry that I haven’t told you about us leaving. I have just learned about it on that last day we saw each other. Take this pen instead because I have lost the one I borrowed and I can’t find it. It is mine. Use it when you want to remember me. See you soon. -Rick”
Kristie still has it, on that afternoon five years later. She likes to keep it in her bag and she would only use it to write in a journal she titled DEAR RICK. She placed the book on her lap and began writing down on the 50th page.
“I’m on the bench where you saw me at Christmas Eve. I remember that was the first time you called me your friend.” she stopped when she had noticed the ink cartridge was emptied. Kristie
twisted off the cover for the first time and took out the ink cartridge. While doing this, she saw a paper rolled around it. She slid it off and unrolled the paper. It contained a note saying “I love you Kristie.” She was dazed after reading it. Her hands trembled that the pen on her hand fell and rolled away, and the trembling moved to her body. She cried and then laughed, and then cried again while she said to herself “What? After all that time before, he had loved me?” Then for a minute she stood silent.
That time, a man was standing under the mango tree and he was there already the moment before she sat on the bench. The man had listened and saw her then he went closer to her and picked up the pen on the ground. He held her hand, placed the pen on it, and said, “And he’s still in love with you, Kris.”
Kristie looked up, while wiping her eyes, and saw the man’s silhouette against the sunlight. “I’ve finally found you,” he said smiling.