Chapter 6: Love from a far
Chapter 6
"Please I won't bother, it'll be child abuse to do so." She rolled her eyes smiling. Her hair is longer than what I remembered from the last time we saw each other. It was almost seven years ago when I last saw her. She hugged me so tight as she said 'take good care of him.' We usually talk on the phone, but she and Xed had been close friends as well. They were communicating with each other.
"I thought you'd be safely tucked inside one of England's shelters by now." I commented genuinely smiling at her. Her composure shuttered and I saw my real friend. The one who would never abandon us. I missed her.
"Really Fran, I won't waste my time acting like a princess when you guys here do all the fun! War is more fun in the Philippines!" She said and the three of us started laughing and hugging each other. Girly, I know, but we are best friends! The five of us, Mushka, Chealsea, Queencie, Noelle and me were a team in our training. We survived the three-year long military training and service together. I know we don't really fit in like puzzle pieces but we are family. We'll protect each other no matter what.
"You still look great Noelle." I said after all the drama. Noelle Anne Marquez, one of my best friends, is one of the world's leading Actresses, be it in theater or the big screen. Elegant and pink she is the opposite of me. She left the country to pursue her dreams as an actress a year after our training seven years ago. While we concentrated on studying college, she masterfully played the role of Juliet in the remake of shakespere's tragedy--Romeo and Juliet which was the break for her career. Oh, she also has a degree in Theater Arts as a Suma-Cumlaude none the less. After almost dying as a teen in our training she taught me one thing, pursue your dreams, so you won't have problems with what ifs.
"Me?" Sarcastically she asked me, "look at you, a bombshell in a cargo pants!" She studied me. "You could easily be a model Fran." I shook my head no whilst laughing, she'd easily compare me to those stick figures they call models, yeah right. Although I lightly wear make up in my day job as an Operating Room nurse, I rarely do so walking around town. Just a shirt and a pair of jeans would do with my long hair up in a neat ponytail. Like I said, I've always been the tomboy and I'm proud of it. Besides, you can't practice martial arts wearing makeup.
"Please spare me the model thing Noelle." I said still with a chuckle. "You know I still kick ass!" I made a jabbing motion in the air. She rolled her eyes, she was a firm believer of all things girly.
Our little conversation was interrupted by a man who kissed Noelle and made Queencie droll like a mad dog with rabies. I don't really recognize him but I think he is famous, judging by the glances of teens and housewives around. And he kinda looked like Xed at the first glance.
"I want you to meet Laurence, my fiancé." She announced holding the man's right arm as he introduced him to me. "You've probably known him already since he is one of the lead casts in a T.V. show in the UK. Laurence these are Fran and Queencie, best friends of mine." She gestured to us. I shook his hand. While I had to elbow Queencie to let go of him.
"Hi! I heard so much about you guys!" He said cheerily in an obvious English accent. "Especially you Fran! I've seen you competing for the Olympics three years ago! You were great." Well, I was part of the Philippine's team for Martial arts. I won a silver medal three years ago. But as much as I love martial arts, my calling was to help people. Well, one way or the other. I served as a Nurse in a government own hospital. wage is enough, but work load is over the top. But I loved it. It was because of my rank as a reserved Military official that they had to pull me out from my civilian work. The needed all the help they could get.
Well, that scenario was embarrassing since I honestly don't know him or have a clue about who he is. I know that Noelle has a fiancé, but I am not really the nosey kind of friend who'd butt into your business. And that carelessness showed on my face perhaps because he somehow looked at me expectantly and I to him awkwadly, "Um, I'm so sorry but...I don't really watch T.V. or have time on social media." I said embarrassment creeping in my face. I could feel my cheeks warming up. I felt like a freaking red traffic light on. "I only watch movies and shows done by Noelle." Even more embarrassed, I couldn't look him in the eye.
"Fran, you're such an embarrassment. I can't believe you don't know him." Queencie hissed at me and elbowed at my side. Well, clearly Queencie has time to frolic around and know people's business. "He received a two time best actor award."
"Oh, don't worry! That's okay." He combed his hair with his left hand like one of those scenes in the movie, where an actor will be videotaped in slowmo? I looked as Queencie drooled even more on his male actor vibe. "I know you are busy with all the things happening here." He said. He then faced Noelle, "I'll help your mom now honey, see you in a bit." He left after kissing Noelle sweetly on her lips which left all the three of us blushing like hell. We were brought up in a fairly conservative manner. I was reserving myself only for my husband. Yes, only the person who'd bring me the altar and a signed marriage contract. I never would have kissed Xed that day if he wasn't crossing a continent. He had my first kiss. Well, technically Queencie was my first kiss thinking that I did a dozen CPR on her.
"Don't mind him...he is just so sweet and all" Noelle said breathlessly. She looked like she's a giddy girl in your soap opera TV series. "He'd always been supportive of me, especially now that I needed him." She looked so happy and in love with him. Not long ago, I saw how she loved Xed from afar. She never came clean with me but I knew at the back of her mind that she loves him. A love so deep that she had to leave to move on. Noelle and I are friends, bestfriends. Bestfriends that would give each other their happiness even at the cost of our own feelings. That's why I love so much.
We looked at how he helped Theodore, Noelle's brother with their baggage. "Yummy...Me likey.." Queencie commented with a zombie like stare almost drooling with delight.
"Oh boy, you better hide that eye candy from view! He might get stolen!" I teased eying Queencie. I started laughing when she realized what I meant and she blushed and embarrassed herself. She started slapping at my upper arm with her cheeky voice in an almost gibberish manner which only I could comprehend. Something about not being a supportive friend and an enemy to her happiness.
Noelle just shook her head smiling when Queencie jumped on my back and started pinching my cheeks. She is so small she looked like a little monkey on my back.
"You wanna piece of me, huh Franny?!" She asked me while still pinching my left cheek. I started to turn around laughing as I do, so she'll get dizzy. "Stoooooooooooop!" She hugged me so tight I could mistake her for a Tarsier, with her big round glasses and all.
"Now get off, or I'll tickle you to death!!" I started tickling her belly and she shrieked like a kid. Jumping off from my back.
We often do this--fighting like kids at our age. Well, twenty-six years old is still considered young nowadays, right? And perhaps that's our culture being Filipinos, still able to see the brighter side of life in the face of war.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone