Chapter 3 Familiarity Isn’t Always Familiar

"Rana!"

A woman's voice was bright as the sun called to her.

The woman called Rana jerked her head towards the woman who just called her by her name. Shane turned around to see a woman with short wavy blond hair wearing navy blue shorts, a white t-shirt, and a pair of denim tennis shoes. A violet jacket was tied around her waist and a thin golden necklace hang on her shirt. She had a backpack on her shoulders and was carrying a picnic basket.

"Why are you so late? I've been waiting for you for the past thirty minutes now."

She said looking at her watch then back at Rana darkly.

"Please don't tell me you've lost your direction again."

"I was trying, Julienne. I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me."

"You're such a child, Ran."

"It can be so much trouble finding the direction to be here. And besides, I found cute deers as I was walking on my way here. And I needed to use the toilet."

"You were feeding swans," said Julienne rolling her eyes on her.

"I couldn't find you, Jules."

"You were busy with them."

"Aren't they gorgeous to look at?" Rana said throwing another look at the swan couple that was gliding towards the group at the center of the lake.

"Yeah they are," said Julienne briefly looking at them. "Now, come on."

Julienne took Rana's arms and they started walking.

"Hey, Jules, why do you think I'm so bad about directions? I'm not so bad when it comes to antiques."

"Maybe because you were born in the Pleistocene era. So, the dinosaurs know you more than when architects and engineers that mapped out roads and railways to modernize the world."

"You are so mean," she said slapping Julienne's arms.

"Ouch."

"I don't think dinosaurs live on earth."

"Oh, yes, they do. Haven't you seen the tooth fang of a T rex in the museum?"

Shane was lost in the conversation of the two female strangers already walking a few paces away from him. He was ignored by them anyway.

"Yeah, saw it but it could have been from an already extinct animal that lived while Neanderthals still roamed the earth."

He started to walk back.

"Enara."

He heard the woman named Julienne calling Rana, Enara. He stopped and looked back at the two figures taking a slow walk in the park. She might just be called Enara while hiding in the name of Rana, he thought. He decided to follow the women secretly.

"Why are you calling me that Jules?"

"Isn't your name Enara?"

"Why would I be called that? Anyway, Jeff is an archeologist who's also into antiques but he's not so bad with directions."

"It's not your fault if you're bad with directions. It's just your human weakness."

"But it makes it so problematic when I need to go somewhere. Maybe I should have brought a map."

"That's why I'm here. To always be there with you wherever you wanna go, Ran."

"You're always here, Jules."

"By the way, do you know that guy you were talking to a while ago?"

Rana looked around for the weird guy who called her Enara but she no longer saw him.

"I don't know him."

"Where is he anyway?"

"He must have gone. He's a passing stranger. I talked with him for a bit while I was watching the deers though I think he's such a creep to call me Enara. It's such an ugly name."

Julienne laughed at her outburst.

"You found that name ugly?"

"That name doesn't belong here. That name belongs to Jeff and his archives in Egypt."

Julienne kept on laughing.

"You know what, it could be your name if we are to scramble your name and add E on it. Maybe it's your name in the past life."

"I like my name and my life in this modern city. I don't believe in past lives. Don't you, Jules?"

"Yeah, you're right. Come on, Ran. Let's have our picnic over there." She said pointing to a sweet corner of green lawn facing the lake. "That's the spot."

"Yeah. Let's go over there."

Shane was standing behind a tree when the two women decided to go a little further inside the park and found their picnic spot. He was shaking his head. He decided to stay for a little longer hiding behind a tree to get at least a clue if she could be Enara. Julienne called her that name in a jest. But the way the woman called Rana or Ran talked and reacted with her conversation with Julienne, she's nothing but a physical resemblance of the woman he used to love back in childhood.

"Enara."

He said muttering the name to himself.

I guess I'm missing her again, especially seeing someone who closely resembles her. He thought remembering her.

He retraced his way back while still thinking of Enara. Of the sweet little girl, he used to know.

Enara has always been a bright and cheerful kid he had always been around with. They were betrothed by their parents because that's how the old rule was and how their culture went.

He didn't have anything to say against it when he was a kid because he had always liked Enara. She made him happy when she was a kid. She always had that bright glow within her and a mouth ready for laughter.

He bit the inside of his cheek controlling himself from laughing when he remembered how that Rana woman easily rejected the name Enara like it's the ugliest name in the world.

Some people could look like each other and have such clashing personalities. Shane chuckled realizing that should Enara meet Rana in New York it would be like a twin meeting her long-lost sibling. But just the exact opposite of each other.

He turned to the left and went on ahead.

Best forget about Enara. I wouldn't be seeing her anymore. He thought to himself.

And he knew it full well. There's no more way he's going back to where he came from. He's already settled here. Twenty years have long passed. He can never go back.

Plus, being honest with himself, he thought, I will never know how to go back anyway.

He reached back to the spot where he left Katarina a while ago.

She was patiently sitting on the bench.

He brightened up seeing her.

"Kat. Thanks for waiting up for me."

He joined her at the bench.

"You've always been waiting for me, Shane. So this time I'm the one who waited here for you."

"Did you find her?"

"I caught her."

"What happened?"

"She's not her."

"Oh. What's her name?"

"Rana."

"Not so Enara."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Katarina rose from the bench.

"Shall we go home?"

"Let's go home, Kat," said Shane rising.

He stood beside her and put his arms around her shoulders. They walked out of the park.

"By the way, when do you think we should hold the engagement party?"

"We can have our friends come over on Sunday."

"You're frowning, Shane."

"Won't you like it grand?"

"Nope. I'm happy enough to have you beside me."

Shane and Katarina went out on Saturday to buy the things they needed for Sunday. They went to visit a flower shop to pick some stem flowers they were to use on Sunday. Katarina picked red roses. It's her favorite flower. Then they went inside the grocery to shop for the foods they were to prepare.

Katarina decided she wanted to buy a red dress to wear on Sunday. So, they stopped by her favorite boutique to pick a red dress. Since the engagement party will be a surprise announcement on a Sunday lunch, she chose a light red dress which she decided would go well with her pumps.

They left the shop after.

Then, they passed by a vintage shop in the avenue as they were heading back. Katarina decided on a whim that she'd like a vintage necklace to go with it so she can show it off at Sunday's special celebration.

They entered the shop and bought it.

After buying the brooch, Katarina was caught by a bracelet.

"Do you like it?"

Shane asked while she was looking at the bracelet behind the glass case.

"It's beautiful."

"Would you like me to buy it for you?"

Katarina shook her head but was peeking at it with half-closed eyes.

"Come on, Shane. Let's go home."

She tugged his arms.

"I think it'd look beautiful on your wrist, Miss." The young assistant timidly said.

Katarina looked at her.

"You think so?"

"You have a beautiful slender wrist, Miss."

"You heard her, Kat," Shane said looking at the bracelet.

It was a slim spiral golden bracelet in carved snake scales with irregular-shaped red stones secured to its end.

"It matches your necklace."

Katarina's eyes grew big.

"You think so? Aren't you just trying to pinch me to buy it?"

She asked suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the store assistant.

The younger woman shook her head and said with determination.

"No. I'm telling the truth, Miss Kat."

"Well, then," she said looking at the bracelet with unmasked desire convinced that it will look great with her red dress. "Let me buy it."

Katarina opened her purse but Shane stopped him.

"I'm paying."

"You don't have to. It's my whim bracelet."

Shane looked at her.

"Kat."

"If you say so."

After Shane paid for her bracelet, she linked her arms on him and they went out of the shop.