Chapter 2

I had no class at 12. I stayed inside the class while the other students were out to the cafeteria or somewhere else. I remembered what Jimmy said. Cody wanted to meet me. I couldn't really decide if I wanted to meet him or not. He had been my boyfriend. I just broke up with him. Could you feel what I felt? Would you ever want to see the one whom you loved and just said goodbye to him and then he wanted to see you again?

Oh God, I got a dilemma. What should I do? Oh no, oh no.

"Hey, you're here," somebody touched my shoulder.

I looked up and saw Cody standing in front of me.

"H-hi," I gave him wry smile.

"I was about to go to the back park but I found you here," he uttered. He then sat on a seat next to me.

I nodded.

"Hey, Cass, why do you act like we have never met before?" he realized that I was feeling uneasy being near him.

"Of course, Cody. We just broke up," I confessed. I turned my face to another direction.

How could he ask me such a question?

"Cassandra, I'm sorry," he said. The tone I heard was not a usual conversation tone, or joke tone, or teasing or whatever. It sounded like sadness.

I turned my face to him. "Hey," I said. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "It's just.. I didn't mean to hurt you," he said.

I smiled. "Cody, it's fine. I'm okay with my life. I know that my life's wonderful. No matter with whom I will spend my lifetime," I said wisely. "So is yours."

He stroked my hair and smiled from ear to ear. "You'll always be my girl," he said.

I chuckled. "Come on. You already have a girlfriend, right? I don't want to make her jealous when she sees us," I teased him.

"How could I? I'm not those boys, you know. It's not easy to forget a girl like you," he said.

"So why did you break up with me without any reason?" I glanced at him. "Forget it." I couldn't stay longer seeing him look guilty.

He stroked my hair again. "Cass, I heard about your mom," he uttered.

"Jimmy told you?"

He nodded. "You look surprised. I thought it is the reason why you wanted to meet me at the back park," he frowned.

"Oh, Jimmy," I put my right palm on my forehead. "He told me that you're the one who wanted to meet me. But he said otherwise to you, didn't he? I should have known about it." I struck my fist to my palm.

He chuckled. "Cass, I know he doesn't want to see us separate," he told me.

"How could you know?"

"He is my best friend as well, remember?"

I nodded.

"By the way, he told me that I should help you. I mean, to find a job for your mom," Cody changed the topic.

"Jimmy is the one who should help me," I said. I shook my head. "I did him a favor, and he promised to do the same in return too."

He chuckled again. "What can I do to help you?" he sounded as if he heard nothing about Jimmy's annoying behavior. "I'd be glad."

I shook my head. "Honestly, I have no idea," I told him.

He remained silent for a while but then he flicked his fingers. "I'll pick you up at your house this evening, at 5. I will take you to a place where we can find your mom a dream job according her skill," he told me.

I nodded repeatedly. I knew that he could find a solution for many things. I was so glad that I could have been his girlfriend, though at that moment we became friends again.

I finished another class after meeting my ex. Well, honestly I felt a little bit uplifted. He always had the ability to do that. Then I walked back home and greeted some of my neighbors when they were bathing their children in front of their garden. I didn't know since when this culture started in this complex.

I laid my body on my bed. I felt a little bit tired that day. Wednesday was always the most tiring day at campus.

Anyways, mom usually had not been home yet when she was still working at the previous company, but now she slept inside her room alone. She still looked depressed. I didn't want to see her like that. I promised myself that I would make her smile broadly again. I closed my eyes and slept.

Knock, knock.

I opened my eyes as soon I heard the door was knocked. I always locked the door. I got up from bed and walked to it, still with glued-eyes.

I opened the door. "Mom?" I frowned.

"Um, your boyfriend, Cody--"

I startled. My eyes was opened wide instantly. I remembered I had an appointment with him.

"Gosh. Mom, tell him I will meet him in five minutes," I closed the door, but then opened the door again as I remembered I haven't said, "Thank you, Mom. " This time I closed the door.

I went into the bathroom and took a shower as quick as I could. Not more than five minutes I came out and got dressed up. Another two minutes was used for putting on soft makeup.

I came out from my room and went down the stairs to the living room. I saw Cody was sitting on a couch and reading an old magazine.

"It's an outdated magazine," I told him.

He looked up to me. "It's still good to read," he said. He then smiled as he saw me intently.

"Do I look messed up?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "You look good, but I bet that you just woke up," he guessed. And it was right.

"Let's go now," I said, "before my mom interrupts our conversation and then holds you to stay here and talks with you for hours. She still thinks that you're my boyfriend."

"You didn't tell her?" he asked.

"She has enough to think about. You know, about my dad. She misses him so much," I told him. "Let's go, Cody."

He nodded with a charming smile.

"Mom, I'm leaving!" I yelled.

"Okay, honey. Have fun with Cody!" she yelled back.

Her words created an awkward situation between us.

"I told you," I smiled wryly to him. "Let's go."

I walked out of my house with Cody and we jumped into his red old Ford car. He drove it fast to a place somewhere near the mountain.

He took me to an apartment. The 17th floor, room 707 was our destination. It belonged to a half-aged man who was a broker. He had many connection and from him I could find some suitable jobs for my mom. He gave me the data of the jobs, the companies' addresses, the requirements needed to apply and other things.

We didn't spend our time too long there in that apartment. One of the reasons was that he smoked. I always hated smokers. Cody knew about it. He asked him not to smoke while I was around the man. But still I could smell the ambience of deathly smokes.

Out of the apartment, we didn't go to the parking lot but walked along the streets side by side. We chatted about many things and the plans I would do for Mom.

"It always feels great to be around you, Cass," Cody told me.

I smiled to him. "You feel so?" I asked.

He nodded. "What about you?" he asked back.

"I feel the same way, but I think we can't make it as a couple again," I said. I put a direct barrier in our conversation, preventing him to ask me to get back together in a relationship as we used to have.

He stopped walking. I did too.

"Being alone is precious," I uttered. "I can go anywhere I want without burdening anybody, I can choose foods and clothes I want without asking anybody's opinion, I can find the real me."

He put his arm on my shoulder. "I stand by you," he convinced me. "Just call me anytime if you need me."

I smiled while I was looking down but then up again to show him I was smiling. Actually I did really want to be with him. He was so kind and cared about me so much but it was just... I couldn't. I said to him last year when we broke up that I wanted to stay focused on my dream, my study and my family. I was so bad in managing my time when I was with him that I got really bad score in German. I wasted my time too much for having fun. Then it was time to make it right.

"I feel hungry," he said. "Would you spend a little more time again with me?"

"Sure," I said. "It's not funny to lift you if you faint suddenly because of starving." He and I chuckled.

Not far from the place where we were standing, there was a little cafe and we went in. We ordered some food and spent a little more time together there. It felt like the past. You know, the time when we were together.

When it was already 8, he dropped me by my house and went home.

//IABOG//