You’re Everything I Wanted… And More He waited in the dark and had been waiting for an hour— just in case she ignored his instructions and came early. Which, considering Julie, wasn’t out of the question. He cleared his throat even though it didn’t need clearing. His arms were becoming sore. Across his chest, he held the stack of white cardboard he’d worked so hard on the night before. There were twenty two— twenty two 50 by 20 cards that represented his last effort— one last sprint to the finish. If she rejected him after this, then he would back down, tuck his tail between his legs, and give up like he should have done months ago. If she wasn’t going to give them a chance, if she refused to meet him halfway, then he wasn’t going to force her. Balancing the stack in one hand, he used his other to readjust his jersey. He checked the time. 10:55 pm. Close. So close. Standing on the center circle, right in the middle of the basketball court, he cleared his throat again. Damn. He looked over to the scoreboard for the time. 10:55 pm. Still? Was this a joke? He recalled his earlier conversation with her for the umpteenth time. Hello? she spoke into the phone. He had planned to say hi first but the words just came out. “Meet me on the court at eleven tonight, sharp.” There was a pause. Magalona? Damn if it didn’t make him happy that she recognized his voice. Don’t be early, he added, and then promptly hung up. He looked over at the time. 10:56 pm. The hell. The night was getting darker. The only light came from the control room that sat above the bleachers where his coach had just given him a cheesy two-thumbs up. He began to shiver in his uniform, and it occurred to him then that she might not come. She had refused all of his previous offers. What made him think that she would sneak out of her house in the middle of the night to see him? Dream on, Elmo. What have you been thinking? There’s no way in this godforsaken world that she would— A shifting movement caught his eye at the end of the court. He didn’t have to guess. It was Julie. 11:00 pm. Right on time. He could spot her from the way her elbows locked when she stuck her hands in her pockets. He suppressed the urge to clear his throat again. She took a few steps forward, past the baseline. He gave Coach the signal. Game on. Just as she passed the free throw line, the first set of lighting fixtures passed on like a loud clap of thunder. He saw the effect of the boom as she jumped, startled. From the other side of the court, just a few steps from the basket, her gaze landed on him. Yeah, she was some feet away but he knew. He knew. If she turned away now, it would be the end. He wasn’t going to do the chasing anymore. If she wanted this, she would have to come to him. As if she had felt the force of his will, her feet began to make their way toward him. He felt something stirring inside him when she crossed the three-point arc. The second set of lights flashed on but she didn’t jump. She didn’t even slow down. Her yellow sneakers were making their way full speed ahead. His hands tightened beneath the cardboard. It felt seconds but he didn’t move, not once. Her small feet shuffled forward, one step at a time. Left and right, the third and final lights came on, illuminating the entire court and the girl who was approaching him. She stopped at the other side of the circle. He greeted her with a true Elmo Magalona grin. They stood facing each other for what seemed like eternity. She didn’t smile nor did she say a single word. Without another word, he took away the blank piece of cardboard to reveal the words on the second card. Twenty one messages that he’d long memorized over the past two days. In bold block letters, the card said: I LOST A BET. He watched her read the card then look at him, puzzled. He flipped to the next one. I BET ON NOT NOTICING HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE… Her brows lowered in question, but she took a few tentative steps forward. …BUT I FOUND IT HARDER AND HARDER TO IGNORE YOU EVERYDAY. YOU CONSUMED MY EVERY THOUGHT… With each card he revealed, he recited the lines in his head. …AND MADE ME LOSE CONTROL. NOBODY’S MADE ME FEEL THIS WAY BEFORE. YOU’RE EVERYTHING I WANTED… AND MORE. YES, I MIGHT HAVE BORROWED THOSE LINES FROM A SONG. :) He watched her stifle a laugh, or perhaps a hiccup. He cleared his throat again. BECAUSE YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SO MUCH BETTER AT LINES THAN I AM. BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW, AND THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH— THAT ON ANY OTHER DAY, I’M JUST ELMO MAGALONA. BUT TONIGHT, AND ON MOST DAYS, I AM YOUR ELMO MAGALONA. He smiled. Something had changed in her eyes. The wariness before had been replaced with something warmer, something softer, something that made that godforsaken hope rise in his chest. He took away the top card. I MAY NOT BE THE BEST LOOKING GUY IN A JERSEY, AND YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO HUG ME AFTER EVERY GAME BECAUSE YOU’RE ALLERGIC TO MY SWEAT. This time, her eyes crinkled up in genuine but silent laughter. He revealed the next card. BUT I’M TRYING MY BEST HERE. SO WHY NOT GIVE ME A TRY? BEFORE YOU SAY ‘NO’ AGAIN, Flip. PLEASE LOOK AT THE TIME. He glanced down to make sure that the big, chunky black arrow he drew pointed in the direction of the scoreboard. 11:11 For a moment, she just looked at the time with an odd expression on her face, like happiness and defeat all in one. Without thinking, he tossed the last card onto the ground without waiting for her to read it. He took a step forward. Breathing unevenly, he looked into her startled eyes and repeated the words he’d learned by heart. Julie Anne San Jose. Will you reject me again and refuse to date me? Neither of them moved. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. No answer came. In that second, he faltered and a sick sort of uncertainty and doom spread through him. But then she locked her hands behind her and slowly but steadily crossed the midcourt line. She smiled up at him and spoke only one word, but that one word was all it took. No.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 19:18:05 +0000
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