Strawberry Kisses

Merry Meet

One more block! Don’t fail me, feet! Sandy chanted in her head repeatedly. Her calf muscles were groaning in protest but she kept on running. This is the chance she couldn't afford to miss. Not again!

She felt as if her lungs crept up her throat when she finally rounded the corner of 6th Street. Her particular destination was the small coffee shop across. Three spotlights illuminating the sign above the entrance read Cafe Bonita in bold of maroon over. She hopes the man she was after hasn’t left yet. Or else she may have to curse that inconsiderate first class a-hole in an expensive suit in her head again.

A lady doesn’t swear. Nana would frown by now. Especially because Sandy didn’t feel sorry one bit for the expletives which spewed from her lips earlier. In fact, those words rolling off her tongue felt satisfying.

Heads turned in her direction as she made a stumbling entrance. She didn’t care, they’re insignificant as far as she’s concerned. Her eyes scanned the cozy cafe while trying to ignore the scent of coffee teasing her nose. He’s not here.

“Psssst! Sandy!”

Bommi was behind the counter, looking like a doll in her black and maroon barista outfit. Her barely there makeup emphasized her porcelain features, making her look younger than her actual age.

“Bommi, where is he?” she demanded, breaths coming in bursts.

“You haven’t read my texts?”

Sandy pursed her lips when the image of an ash-blonde, suit-wearing Homo Sapien came to her mind. “I had a little situation on my way here.”

“You missed him by two minutes.”

“Damn!”

“By now, he’s in Charington Hotel down at 7th Street. You wouldn’t be wasting your time here if you had read my messages,” Bommi said, punching Sandy’s arm playfully.

“Thanks Bommi.”

“I’ll be out in an hour. What do you want for dinner? Italian?”

“I’m not picky, you know we eat anything edible.”

Giggling like schoolgirls who spotted their crush, they bade each other goodbye.

It took Sandy ten minutes to get to Charington Hotel and found Martin Kroer at the lounge. At seventy-five, the man was still attracting attention from young and old ladies alike. His eye smiles still did wonders to his face.

Sandy took her time and waited for his guest to depart. Learning his whereabouts was just pure coincidence. Bommi overheard his conversation on the phone while serving him earlier at the cafe. He’s not even a regular at Cafe Bonita.

She got lost in her thoughts she lost her focus on the man. Mr. Kroer was already heading for the exit when she snapped back to her senses.

Oh shoot! “Mr. Kroer! Sir!” she called loudly as she can while running towards him.

His silver head whipped in her direction, eyebrows knitting as she approached. Two burly men in black suits with identical ear pieces stepped in, blocking Sandy’s view of the man. Where did they come from? She didn’t see them with Mr. Kroer earlier. They look menacing. Sandy’s steps faltered.

“S-Sorry Mr. Kroer. I j-just wanted your autograph.”

A soft chuckle came from behind the two mountains of men. Mr. Kroer’s hand tapped one of their shoulders, a command to step out of the way.

“You’re too young to be my fan.”

“Yes sir. I am not into Jazz either. This is for my grandmother.”

“Pray tell what kind of music are you into?” Mr. Kroer drawled in his rich baritone, flashing her his infamous smile which drove hordes of men and women to his concerts and fan meetings.

He’s quite a looker for a man his age, she must admit. She felt the blooming of pink on her cheeks to her horror. “K-pop and RnB, Sir.”

“K-pop, huh?” A ghost of a smile lingered on his lips. “Where should I sign?”

Sandy quickly handed him his own picture she found among Nana’s belongings and a black marker.

“Your grandma’s name?” he inquired, slim hand holding the marker, its tip hovering over the photo’s surface. Such beautiful hands, she mused.

“Margarette.”

His signature seemed to flow, the elegant script surprising her. Another thing crossed out from Nana’s list. She looked up, beaming.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“You’re welcome.”

She then left when Mr. Kroer disappeared from view. But her bladder chose that moment to make itself known. She took a few wrong turns before she located the rest rooms. Her phone had been buzzing nonstop; Bommi was being the ‘Mother Hen’ that she was again.

“Damn it, woman! My bladder is about to explode. What do you want now?”

“I called to ask if you want ice cream, you grumpy old woman,” Bommi chided.

“It’s like you’re asking me if the color of the sky is blue.”

Bommi’s laugh came resonating through the line. “Yeah. I’m just checking on you. You looked pale earlier.”

“I know.” She glimpsed the sign pointing to the ladies’ room. “I’m okay, mission accomplished. See you when I get home.”

“All right.”

She first picked up two sets of voices arguing as she rounded the corner; a man and a woman. Emptiness enveloped the hall, save for the three. The woman’s fire red pumps caught Sandy’s attention. They would catch her dead first before donning those killer shoes.

I bet it kills her feet wearing that; she thought.

Both of them were in the way, the woman clinging to the man who was trying to untangle himself from the woman’s hold. The only way she thought she could pass them was to flatten her back against the wall while inching her way towards the ladies’ room. She doesn’t want to intrude.

They were oblivious to her presence to her relief. Just then, Sandy’s steps slowed to a halt when bouts of dizziness assaulted her. Swaying dangerously, she put a hand on the wall to steady herself.

“Cut it off, Jess. I am not interested.” The voice was achingly familiar but Sandy was too dizzy to care.

With her eyes closed, she waited for the dizzy spell to subside. It always does when she gets a little rest. Nowadays she’s getting lethargic. Bommi kept worrying about it but she brushed it off. Her body is just adjusting to her new schedule at work, is all.

It has been only a week since they transferred her to the night shift as a cashier at a restaurant she work at. She doesn’t have to work, Nana left her a fortune. But she can’t just sit around all day.

“Then why did you agree about the blind date?” The woman’s voice came whining.

“I have nothing to do and I am bored,” he answered. “And here comes my girl, so let me go. She might get the wrong impression.”

The sound of footsteps slapping on the tiled floor barely registered in her brain when her dizziness finally stopped. When she opened a pair of steel greeted her eyes gray eyes staring intently at her. The owner of those eyes gave her a smirk before he tilted her chin.

“Hey, baby girl. You’re late.”

What the heck is he doing? She screamed in her head. Her tongue seemed to have a problem. She stared at him, mouth agape like a fish. His ash-blonde hair fell on his eyes, screening those steel gray orbs from her view as he leaned down at her.

“Don’t say a word, I beg you. You can curse, scream and beat me to a pulp later,” he whispered.

“Who---”

“Shh. Leave me the talking.” He then wrapped his arm on her waist, pulling her closer to his side.

“Gio? Who is she?” Miss Red Pumps asked, eyes shooting dirty looks at Sandy.

“My girlfriend.”

The woman scoffed. She flipped her hair and crossed her arms on her ample bosom. “Do you think I’d believe that? Try again, Gio.”

“I don’t give a rat’s about what you think, Jess,” he countered. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

“I bet she’s just a random girl you picked up outside for pretense. Your mother warned me it is likely you’ll pull tricks like this,” Jess stated with a smug smile.

“Oh yeah? How can you be so sure?”

“Your mom said so.”

His grip on Sandy’s waist went a little tighter. “Really? So my mom warned you something like this would happen then.”

“What do you mean?”

“This,” he said before cupping Sandy’s face in his palms and lowered his head.

All the warning bells in her head came alive when his lips came down crashing on hers. His lips were surprisingly gentle, coaxing her own to accept his intrusion. He barely knew of the woman’s gasp as he kissed her. Her head had gone hazy, thoughts stopped processing in her brain.

Yet, it was over too soon. Patches of red bloomed in her cheeks with the thought. She literally melted like goo with his kiss!

“Do you need more proof Jess? I can make out with my girlfriend all day right here if you need more convincing.”

“Y-you!” Jess attempted to grab Sandy, but he was quick to shield the smaller woman from harm.

“Lay a finger on her and you’ll lose that same finger,” he warned. “Now run along and be a good girl before I lose my temper.”

It was the tone of his voice more than the threat, Sandy was sure. It has a chilling quality on it that sent little shivers down her spine. The woman would be better off with a healthy dose of fear for the guy. Still, Jess had been smart. She retreated with murder on her eyes for Sandy, steps echoing as she walked away.

“What the hell was that for?” Sandy screamed at his face when the woman was nowhere in sight. Her head throbbed.

“I’ll give you a proper compensation for the act,” he said.

“Compensation?” She repeated in a shrill voice. She wasn’t expecting to get paid, all she wanted was an explanation!

“Yeah, I’ll pay you. How much do you want?” he asked, pulling a checkbook from his suit pocket.

“I don’t need your money. I want your apology.”

His forehead creased.

“Apology? What for?”

Sandy saw red. The dizziness was back, but she ignored it. Her vision swayed but she’ll be damned if she’ll let this opportunity to slip through her fingers. “Do you have amnesia? You kicked me out of the cab, ruined my bag by dumping it on a puddle and stole my first kiss!”

Without warning, he grabbed her again and kissed her for the second time.

“There, I gave you back your first kiss. Happy now?”

Sandy crumpled on the floor.