Caraphernelia

“Marcela, please help me out on this gig. I just need your help in doing the prepping with the food. I promise you.” I cursed under my breath for answering her calls, if I know that this is happening, I should just ignored the blaring of the phone and continue my initial intention to take a swim on the beach. Instead, standing by the phone, with just wearing my leopard skin bikini, I listened grudgingly to my friend with her pleading me to help her out with her catering order for the concert show of our proud local hardcore band – Pierce the Veil. They will be having 2 shows here at Belly up Tavern in Solana Beach. And I will be attending one of the show dates with my niece Nora, which is today.

Khristianne does not know this and I see no reason for her to know. Doing the prep work for her was not that bad of an idea. Since there was nothing much for me to be doing these days, besides lazing around the house and managing my restaurant business across the Atlantic Ocean, from the city of Madrid to here Torrey Highlands, San Diego. I have decided, a long time ago, to stop being a chef and not cooking for anyone, even my family. However, only on dire situation of fellow chefs, I will forego my temporary retirement job status. Besides, I have nothing to lose. I am still a Restaurateur to my “Fausto Delish” who the Head Chef is my long-time friend Bonnie. So for me to take up small job like prepping food, it should be just fine for me.

“Okay, tell me what you will be cooking so that I can get going with the prepping work?” I asked non chalant. A while ago I’ve just finished my 2 km running and now, I am ranging for a swim. Today weather is just so sunny and good for sun tanning. I just realised of how much I had missed San Diego after leaving the country for 14 years and now, it had been a year of my return.

“Well, a simple Mexican cuisine after all, Pierce the Veil is a Mexicano band. So this is should be easy for you. The cuisine should be so easy for me to cook as a beginner.” She replies boastfully.

“Of course, I’m sure you will so. Anyway, I will send over the prep food over to you. Text me the address, Khris,” I said and ready to hang up, the beach is calling me, “I need to-“

“Woah...hold your horses, Chica. The management wants us to prepare the food on the premise as per the contract agreement.”

“Why? They think I will poison the band members?” I asked sarcastically,”even though, I could do that but I won’t.”

“Don’t tell me you’re a fan of them?” I could hear her laughter that being followed by others from the background. I don’t understand what was so funny of being a fan of the band. Why? Am I that old to be the fan? The last time I checked I was at the same age range with the bassist Jaime Preciado whose name sounds so familiar.

“What’s your beef, Lesbiana?” That got her silenced. It was unlike me to be offensive but if something needs to be called for it, well why not? I’m just sick and tired of taking the shit all the time.

Silenced

“Well, text me the address for the delivery and if not, I guess the deal is off.” I slammed the phone down the receiver, not even wait for her to reply me, before heading down to the beach.

♠♠♠

I thought Khristianne will just forget about asking me to do the prepping work, well she knows that she will not be able to finds any helpful chef who are willing to help her at this so last minute job request. And to make up for being a bitch to me earlier on, I was allowed to do the prepping at the luxury place of my humble abode. The list of dishes that I need to prepare for her is not that difficult and as a professional chef like me, it just took me a few hours for me to finish the work.

Once I’m done with the whole process of prepping, I called Pablo, my meat delivery friend to help me to deliver the food to Khristianne. And while watching him carrying the last crate of food up into his delivery lorry, I sent text message to Khristianne for her to receive the delivery.

“Más Tarde, Chica!” As I watched Pablo lorry driving off my driveway, I quickly get inside my villa to be ready for the autograph signing session with the band. Nora will be expecting me to pick her up from her home before heading to the concert premise.

As I entered my master suite, I grabbed the TV remote control and switch on to the MTV channel which was playing the music video for ‘Caraphernelia’ by Pierce the Veil. My eyes caught the face of someone who really looks familiar from my high school days. Sitting down on my bed, my eyes search his face and zoom on him. Without a doubt, he is the same Jaime Preciado, the boy with spike horn hairstyle who once my best friend from high school. Well, for me, he was more than just being my best friend.

Those big brown eyes, his dimples with those bright sunny smiles and of course his spiky hair. The same looks that never change a bit, he just looks the same as before I left him, 14 years ago...

Back in the days, the Jaime that I once remembered had always being bullied by the other kids. They called him ‘Parrot nose’ because of Jaime big crooked nose and basically, him being a Mexican boy. He will always alone and scurried away so as to avoid any eye contacts from the rest of the mean kids.

Well, I was a Mexican just like him but I guess my luck was better than him. The students treated me better just because I’m a girl and according to them, and later Jaime, I was one of the prettiest girls in school. Of course, I just waved off such stupid praises.

One day, as I walked past the music room on my way to the gym hall, I heard someone was playing the guitar while singing some inaudible rock song. Instead of continuing my direction to the gym hall, I’ve tip toeing behind the doorway to see who it might be. It was Jaime who was better known as ‘parrot nose’ by the rest of the students. I watched him playing the guitar with his face all scrunched up. And accidentally I gave my hiding place away as I blurt out a laugh. Immediately Jaime saw me and had stopped his singing altogether.

A defiantly looks shine through his eyes, and for a second, I was scare that he might strike me.
Instead of running away from the doorway spot, I bravely took a step towards him. “You play so nicely. I was mesmerised by your guitar skill.”

“You laughing at me,” he did not look at me as he replied me defiantly.

“I laughed because, I don’t know, it just makes me happy to watch you playing. You should enter the music competition you know. The closing date is by end of next week.” By then, I was standing directly in front of him and he seems to relax his posture.

“They called it for a group band. Not solo,” he said shyly, still refusing to look at me in the eye.

“Come on now, I’ll help you finds the rest of your band members. And if we can’t find one, I’ll be your band member then.” This makes, at last, Jaime look at me with a smile. From then on, Jaime and I became fast friends. I painfully make them stop calling him ‘parrot nose’ as I show them how talented and funny the real Jaime is. I even got the girls to want to date him once a while but he always seems not interested with the dates that I set-up for him until the arrival of a new girl in school. Her name was Leticia Sanchez. She was in the same class as me but not Jaime, during our senior year before graduation.

Jaime shows interest in her and so suddenly I felt a pang of jealous slapping me on my face. I tried to ignore it, telling myself this is Jaime for God’s sake. I can’t be in love with my best friend. “How come you never set up a date with me and Letty?” asked Jaime as we walking home from school. I knew right away that he wants to ask her out for the prom. And there I thought he might wants to ask me instead. I had early on rejected a few prom dates from the other boys and waiting for Jaime to ask me. But I was wrong. He wanted to go with Leticia Sanchez instead. My cousin Karel had called me stupid to want to go to the prom with Jaime. Not that Karel hates Jaime or just being mean to him, it was just them who enjoys bickering at each other when underneath it all, they were too best of friends with each other.

“She’s Letty now?” I asked as I trying so hard to keep my voice steady without bursting into hysterical tears.

“Well, like you I called you Marcy and as for Karel, I called her ‘Silly’!” his mocked replied just makes us both burst out laughing. “Don’t let her hear me called her that!” I just nodded my head as he pulled me tight in his arm and I carefully laid my head on the crooked of his neck.

A week later after that conversation, no need for me to set up the date for him because he already scored a date with Leticia as he happily announced it to both Karel and me. I feigned a happy face for him and avoided Karel sad eyes. She had told me to just ask Jaime out instead of waiting for him to ask. But then, I had being late to heed her advice.

“Who will you going out with to the prom? I know!!” Jaime shouts of joy caused a few students to look over at our table and made Karel cringed. “You will be going with Austin Caslile right? Of course I am right!!” he tried to high five Karel who instead showed him the bird. I kicked her leg under table and she gave me a death glare in return.

I just smiled at him without saying a single word. To Karel, with Jaime out of earshot, “Karel, please keep it to yourself, please?”

Karel nodded as she stood up and leave both me and a very happy Jaime who pretend to ignore Karel and keeps on talking of his plan for the prom to the heartbroken me. I could just nod and keeps on smiling my faking smile. I could feel my inside dying slowly. I prayed hard that I would not give away my sadness over his happiness.

The prom will be two weeks from now so according to Jaime grand planning that we should be doing our shopping for gowns and suits immediately. I do not plan to attend the prom and I was about to say so to Jaime but he beat me to it. He dropped by my house, through climbing up to my room, “You said you will be going with Austin but how come he said he will be going with Bonnie instead?”

“I passed the offer to Bonnie.” I replied simply as I buried my face against my Marie the cat stuff toy. “Don’t worry about me. I will get date for the prom soon.”

“Marcy, I just want you to be there,” he said softly. I lifted my head to look at him, sitting on my window ledge, without utter a word and he did not elaborate more of why he wants me to be there so much. “Promise you will be there?” he asked me earnestly this time round. Casting my eyes away from his big brown eyes, I nodded.

Of course, I did not keep my promise to him, for the first time in our friendship. I don’t know what happens during that night because I took the offer of visiting my uncle house in Paris, France. To make matter worse, I decided to not return to home, even for the graduation.

I refused to hear it from Karel even. She did turn up for the prom, knowing so well that I won’t but she, like Jaime, did not know about my decision for not wanting to turn up for my graduation day. But of course, she eventually knows of my whereabouts, after all we are cousins. Only Jaime does not know of my whereabouts and rash decisions. I had instructed Karel specifically to not to.

I always know that I had broke his heart, as a friend and I could only understand if he will not remember me, or refused to remember me at all. But at that time, it was just the right thing to do. I do not know what’s become of him and I never did want to finds out, even from Karel or Austin. Until I heard his name being said by Nora, who had asked me to accompany her to the Pierce the Veil concert and now, I watched him in his band music video.

For the first time, I cried. I cried for the pain that I had to endure of losing him for all those years ago.