Peculiar

By: Joseph Peter “Seph Kalaw” Capaque

 

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

As I peeped in the ceiling of my room, I began to observe something different. Lying on my back, I think I saw a white smoke passing by across the room slowly taking form in the shape of a lady.

The figure is somewhat familiar.

Right there and then, an unusual sensation surged my whole body. A shock of mixed feelings – love, anxiety, and loneliness – raged inside causing high mounts of goose bumps all over my naked body. This is the first time this happening took place in my life.

Oh well…

Pretending that nothing had happened, I quickly sat on my bed, opened the drawer beside and took Jockeys and a sando. I took them on. As I opened the second compartment of the Acacia container to get my favorite short, I realized that it is not there already. I could not understand this. Where are my shorts? That has sentimental value to me! I would kill anyone who takes it.

I don on a bathrobe, called for the maid and asked if she had washed my favorite shorts or have she seen one. She said she didn’t.

Where are my shorts?

I cursed in front of the girl and shouted at her to get out. Poor girl. I felt guilty but those shorts are really important to me.

I did not take breakfast that morning to fumble over my things and find the shorts. I searched in every corner of the house. I just couldn’t find it. The last time I remembered, I left it in the drawer but (f**k!) those shorts were not there this morning.

My maid must have been traumatized. She repelled every time she saw me. My quest for the graffiti cargo shorts continued. At that time, retrieving it before the day was my aim.

I skipped lunch too.

I finally found it by 2pm…. at the garden patio in one of our rose plants.

I laughed. Who in this world would place my shorts here? My grin reached my two ears as I let out a loud chuckle. Maybe the maid was guilty after all.

I took some tequila and sat at one of the garden’s benches. I shifted my mood to remind my self that this day was supposed to be a celebrated day and very important to me. It was still not late to change the mood of the day.

The wind softly gushed to my cheeks. It was 2:30 but the sky looks like 5:30 pm. I imagined the day the shorts were give to me. I chuckled. My eyes slowly closed and recalled the memories with the shorts.

I opened my eyes and saw the hazy smoke again. This time, it was playing in the garden. It was taking form in a familiar figure again. It was as if it was running towards me.

The sky howled a strong wind. I was bedazzled by the figure. Familiarity grows evident as the figure pushed nearer to me. With all glory, it moved its tiny feet. Its hands waved with caress. It looked like it has eyes. It looked straight at me. I can’t understand what I was feeling that time. Part of me felt love. Another part hovered fear. The rest predicted loneliness. It touched my lips with its hands.

But wait… This figure is not only familiar. It seems like it is a part of my life also. It can’t be…

“Sir,” My maid called hesitantly with a hint of sadness in her voice. “The police called. They said they found your wife in her car, dead at 2pm today.

My spirit flew from me. The day’s events flashed before me and confirmed my forecast.

The figure was my wife. The shorts were her 1st wedding anniversary gift and today is our 2nd anniversary. I was supposed to surprise her today from her business trip.

She remembered. She came.