Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
July 1st was the 150th Canada Day celebration. It was a very special day for all of us to be a part of this event. I remember 21 years ago how I didn’t have any idea of how my children and I will survive in a new country which will be home to [...]
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YOU’RE ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS – ( Love Story )

by Roger Encarnacion

“What an exciting Christmas evening it will be tonight”, Ray told himself while admiring his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Suddenly, Jamie – that lovely lady whom he met a few months back while shopping for crabs at Pinoy Sea Food Mart – came to his mind.

“Finally,” he whispered, while gleefully rubbing his hands together as if victory was imminent, “finally, she will be mine tonight.”

It was not that romantic a setting when Ray came to know Jamie. As a matter of fact, he would rather not think about it if he could help it. But the more he tried not to, the more the memories haunted him.

He was there in the store one lazy summer afternoon, crouched at a basket of blue crabs, when suddenly he found himself staring at a pair of beautiful legs across the basket. Instinctively, his eyes went up and he was stunned to find out that the owner of those perfectly shaped legs was a Cinderella, very captivating in her sweet little smile. For a moment, he felt that the world had stopped moving, but after calming himself down, he heard himself speaking.

“Hi there,” he greeted her, his clumsy grin camouflaging his emotion. Pointing to the crabs, he asked, “Would you like to have some?”

“Yes, I would,” was the answer.

That was all it took to put Ray into high gear.

“Please give me the honor to pick the very best for you,” he volunteered.

“If you don’t mind, it would save me the trouble,” was her sweet reply.

That was a very costly proposition for Ray. Trying very hard to think of something to say to carry on the conversation, Ray accidently touched the open pincher of a crab. A suppressed, painful cry escaped from his lips. He grabbed the crab with his other hand and frantically tried to break its grip loose. But the more he wiggled his hand, the tighter the pincher’s grip became, until he spotted blood dripping from his finger. Jamie, worried and blushing, could not find the right words to say. Unknowingly, she found herself crouching in front of the basket across Ray. At that instant, as if by a cue, the crab let loose its grip and calmly dropped itself into the basket. Ray looked straight at that face, now a foot away from his, and he could swear he could bear all the pains in the world by just looking at Jamie.

A loud phone ring awakened Ray from his recollection. “That’s Jamie,” his mind told him. He dashed out of the bathroom and hurriedly picked up the phone.

“Hello,” he whispered into the phone, making his best effort to create a charming voice.

“Hi, Ray,” a familiar voice answered. That was enough to conquer him. His pulse quickened. It was Jamie.

“I called to ask a favor from you,” Jamie said.

“Sure, what is it?” Ray was holding his breath.

“You remember my aunt, the one you met during the Mapua Alumni Association’s family picnic at Sundance Lake Park?”

“Yes?” Ray’s breast was bursting with anticipation.

“Well,” Jamie said, “she was practicing the lambada and the salsa last night with my brother.”

“Aaand…” Ray interrupted Jamie trying to engage her into a friendlier talk.

“Aaand…” Jamie imitated, “this morning I told her she dances the lambada and the salsa better than I do.”

“Jamie, that’s not news to me,” Ray chuckled.

“But that is not the point,” Jamie cut him short. “She would like to come to the party with us tonight. Would you mind?”

Ray’s pulse dropped. All of a sudden, his big plan for the evening came crumbling to his feet. “Sure… I mean,” he stuttered, “I mean, I wouldn’t mind your aunt joining us. Would you?”

“Of course, not,” was the quick reply.

That evening, Ray – a dashing Don Juan in his rented tuxedo – was slow in opening his garage door. He cranked the engine of his 1998 Lexus, sprayed a titillating scent inside the car and, after adjusting the heater control, started to back the car out of the garage.

Ray was not in his best mood while driving along the busy Macleod Trail. An old lady who unceremoniously cut into his lane received a nasty honk from him, not to mention his litany of curses.

But, suddenly, as Jamie’s angelic face came into his mind and her sweet voice started to ring in his ears, his rage turned into jubilation.

“So what if her aunt is coming, that’s not a big deal,” Ray comforted himself. “I could still say and do whatever pleases me. And besides, she is nearsighted and has a slight hearing problem.”

Ray smiled impishly. Remembering his game plan for the evening, his smile very quickly blossomed into laughter. After a few moments, as if remembering something, he paused and started to calm himself down. Jamie, for all he knew, was not his sweetheart yet. As a matter of fact, he was not sure if Jamie really cared for him. To presume that she secretly admired him was preposterous. Sure, Jamie was nice and very friendly to him, but that didn’t mean she was in love with him.

Ray’s radio was blurting a very romantic carol when he arrived at Jamie’s place. “You’re all I want for Christmas…” He fumbled for the volume control and turned the volume down. The song reminded him of the letter he sent to Jamie a couple of weeks back.

“…Each day is just like Christmas any time that I’m with you,” he wrote. “And I wish that I awake on Christmas morning and find you by my Christmas tree because you’re all I want for Christmas.”

A little smile radiated from Ray’s lips. He remembered reading those lines from an old Christmas card. And wanting to impress Jamie, he copied them. He knew that a sure way to a lady’s heart was to shower her with beautiful, romantic phrases.

“Who is it?” A loud voice bellowed from the address system after Ray pushed the apartment room buzzer.

“It’s me, Ray.” The sliding door lock disengaged and Ray dashed into the waiting elevator.

A pair of smiling faces greeted Ray when the apartment door opened. Like an artist captivated by the painting of a great master, Ray found himself staring at two beautiful masterpieces in the persons of Jamie and her aunt.

Stunningly beautiful in her dark blue evening gown, Jamie was a sure bet to turn all heads in any gathering. Her aunt, thanks to the magic of cosmetics, was very charming and eye-catching, too. Her dress with a low neckline cut was snug at the bosom which made her look younger than her age. If Ray had not known she was Jamie’s aunt, he would have mistaken her for Jamie’s older sister.

But still Ray felt morose and uncomfortable with the fact that he was going to the party with a chaperoned partner; and not only an ordinary partner, but the girl of his dreams. He knew that the presence of Jamie’s aunt, for all intents and purposes, had completely ruined what would have been a perfectly wonderful evening for him.

At the party, Ray was the object of envy by his friends. It is always meant to be that way. It seems to be a fact of life that the person who tilled a lovely garden, discovered a gold mine, caught a big fish, or married a famous woman always elicits the same attention and admiration – though of different kind – as his possession.

As the evening wore on, Ray could not ignore the fact that Jamie’s aunt was an intruder in the castle that he and his princess were sharing. He wanted to blame himself for giving in to Jamie’s request. But it was too late now. Helpless, he could only vent his frustrations by drinking heavily.

“That’s your third glass of scotch,” Jamie reminded Ray as she sipped wine from her glass. “Do you think you can handle it?”

Ray stared at Jamie, his lips wanting to say: “Handle it? If I can handle both you and your aunt, there is no reason why I can’t handle even a dozen bottles of scotch.”

But instead, he whispered impassively, “Of course, I can,” while his eyes were glued onto Jamie’s face. At that moment, Ray’s best friend came and asked permission to have a dance with Jamie.

Seeing Jamie cling eagerly to his friend’s arm crushed Ray heavily. Like a child stranded in a strange place with no one to turn to for help, and with fear starting to engulf his soul and body, Ray now found in Jamie’s aunt the personification of a savior and a comforter. Instead of a nuisance he would have liked to get rid of, he saw her as somebody he could talk to and laugh with, even half-heartedly, while Jamie was in the arms of another man. After emptying his glass of scotch, Ray approached Jamie’s aunt for a dance.

A bright morning sun woke Ray up from his sleep. With him in the same bed was Jamie’s aunt, a sweet smile frozen on her lips.

“By the curse of the seven dwarfs, what have I done? Where am I?” Ray gasped incredulously.

Hurriedly grabbing his shoes and pants, he saw Jamie’s aunt stretch as she got out of bed. Their eyes suddenly met and before Ray could utter another word, Jamie’s aunt said, “You passed out last night. We didn’t know what to do with you. Nobody knew where you lived, so I decided to take you with me here to my place. But, boy, didn’t you surprise me?” Jamie’s aunt’s voice was pregnant with unmistakable bliss. “You were such a tiger last night. I didn’t know you cared so much about me.”

Ray’s jaw dropped as his shoes and pants fell from his clutch

(This short story was first published in the Kabitenyo Magazine under the author’s pseudonym.)

YOU’RE ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS – ( Love Story )

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