Chapter 57: Surprise Encounter

(Two Days Later)

Marco Fernando Jr. woke up on Thursday morning and went into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge. Leaning against the icebox, he rummaged through what was available. Seeing that there was none, he grinned and opened the freezer, it was also bare, empty.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he closed the fridge and thought about what to eat. He didn't have much money, considering the fact that after paying his rent for the month, and the month he was going to spend here, he was able to buy a round-trip plane ticket, leaving enough to rent a car. He was an idiot for paying two thousand pesos for the car for the whole week and insurance that cost extra to cover.

Now as he thought about it, he could have taken a jeep to SM supermarket, He made a mental note to file it away for the next time he visited. Sighing, he looked at the clock. It was half past seven in the morning, he still had plenty of time to get to the store and back. Running up to his room, he opened the closet, took down a small leather pouch, and opened it. He took out the money he had left, wondering what he could possibly get that would last while he was here. Peanut butter, Jelly, Bread, rice, and sandwich meat.

Although he didn't enjoy the Pinoy food very much, he had to pay. Sighing, he zipped the pouch back up and placed it back on the shelf above his dresser.

When Marc Junior got to the supermarket, he parked his car next to a gray Toyota. Stepping inside, he looked around to see all kinds of special stalls. It's just his luck, there's a sale for that canned food.

Cruising through the supermarket islands, he picked up a package of generic cheese for forty pesos in the mini dairy section. After that he brought out a package of hotdogs that were also 200 pesos, and he brought out two packages of meat. Going to the milk aisle, he saw that a gallon was 250 pesos per container.

Meanwhile, Hershey pulls out the SM Bag, cursing her mother for waking up this early on her day off and going to the deli, just so she can get some salami and goat cheese. Sighing, she got out of her car and walked to SM's entrance door. Stepping into the cold air, she headed straight for the deli, furious with her mother.

Marco Junior stopped by the deli, looking at all the meats in this section. He could really go for some peppered turkey right now. He hasn't been around since he left. No coleslaw, or anything native to his appetite. Taking a moment to think about trading some sundries, but not wanting to end up starving, he walked away from the section. He doesn't like rice, he's used to American and Japanese Food.

Hershey arrives at the deli, as Marc prepares to turn to the nearest aisle. "Can I have three kilos of marinated pork, a kilo of goat cheese, and..." Now that she was here, she couldn't help but drool over the Peppered Turkey Mortadella and including American Swiss cheese. He got three kilos of peppered Turkey and an equivalent kilo of American Swiss. Sighing, she waited for the man to calculate her order, wrap her package and hand it to her.

Satisfied, she walked down the aisle closest to him. A price tag caught her eyes, she noticed that a full gallon of milk was two for three fifty. She took them, she brought them. After five minutes, she glanced at the things in her hands, she knew she needed a basket, but she couldn't walk. Looking to one end of the aisle and then back up the aisle, she saw no one who could offer help.

Marc Junior counted the items in his basket, took the empty necessities, and wanted to return the rest. When faced with the option of sliced cheese or milk to drink, he chose milk. Annoyed, he left the queue and returned the cheese. Sliced cheese will have to wait another day.

Hershey seemed to try harder not to move, the more difficult it was to steady the things in her hand; milk, a jar of pickles, cheese, and so on. As she counted the items, the jar of pickles slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor with a loud thud. This caused other things to loosen and slip as well. As she tries to catch a loaf of bread, the cheese slips from the bottom and falls to the floor.

Marc Junior heard the bottle shatter as it hit the floor, walking around the corner at breakneck speed, he saw a woman kneel down, her long hair falling over her shoulders and chocolate-toned arms reaching out to catch them. A smile spread across his face, as he walked faster and faster to get to her before everything disappeared.

Hershey felt a hand reach under her, take the things from her hand, mainly the heavy things, and hold them. Although it dropped the rest of the item to the floor, he caught it with his free hands before it hit.

He inhaled sharply, pushing himself up with his knees. He looked down at his pair of brown Capri pants, staring at the splash of pickle juice that landed on the very bottom of them. "Great, I smell like a pickle now."

"Are you alright?"

Hershey looked at Marc's face, it turned into a smile. "Hey."

Marc smiled back. "I want to see you here."

Hershey sighed, "I had to get a few things for my mom and got greedy."

Marc Junior laughed, referring to the mess, "I suppose that's what will happen when greed took over."

Hershey sighed, "Yes, you also came here to go shopping?"

Marc nodded, "Just a few things." He nodded towards the items in his small basket. He didn't want to attract too much attention so he pulled them. Hershey picking up on this, said, "I'll just get a basket for my things."

"Didn't you get anything before you started?" Marc Junior asked as they walked towards the baskets.

Hershey shrugged, "No, I don't plan on getting anything else, however I couldn't resist the discounted items; so now, I think I might as well get some more stuff while I can."

"A lot or a little?" Marc wondered.

"I think it's a lot."

"Well, then, you'll need a cart." He said, walking past the baskets and out to those lined up at the front of the store.

Hershey pulled the cart beside him. Marc stepped aside, and joined her. "how are your things?" Hershey asked.

"Everyone's in the car. I just went back to change the cheese."

"You can't damage anything there, right?"

Marc Junior shook his head, no, he didn't want to leave.

Hershey nodded, understanding. "Okay, tell me about yourself."

Marc raised an eyebrow. "But you already know a lot about me."

"When we were in high school, I'm positively sure you've changed."

"Not so much."

Hershey pulled a package of cookies from a shelf. "Well, let's see when you left, you had long hair, you came back, short and with spikes, you grew a bit of a goatee and not to mention smoking."

Marc Junior sighed, "I started smoking because it helps me relax. I'm really tense a lot of the time."

Hershey sighed, "Oh, are you still working out?"

Marc glanced at her, "You're really curious. I thought you'd be mad at me for sure."

Hershey sighed, "Well, I was at first, but I realized that you are going through a lot and having been there through it all, I realized I should have more understanding due to the circumstances. So, you are still working out right?"

Marc Junior sighed, "Yes, sometimes. So you've decided to be nice to me because you suddenly realized I was dealing with a lot?"

Hershey shrugged her shoulders, "Marc, I know sometimes I was confused about whether you loved me or not, but after a time I realized it, I decided yeah, you were worth it. I could forgive you. After all, it was'. . It's not your fault that things happened this way, so why pray for it?"

Marc closed his eyes, who is this reasonable girl? "Okay."

"So, what have you been up to these past two years?"

She asked, her voice full of curiosity. She took out a pack of shells from the shelf. Marc glanced at the cart, wondering how much they really needed at her house.

"Do you always have to ask?" He thought, confused.

Hershey smiled sweetly, "Am I interfering?"

Marc laughed, remembering the first time he had said that to her. They are sitting in a coffee shop.

"Yes you are."

She laughed, "I'm sorry, I just want to know that you're ok, that's all."

Marc Junior nodded, "Well, that's fine. I'm doing good. I think the pain's starting to dim a bit." A nod allowed him to see that he got his drift. "So, what about you? How have you been doing?"

Hershey cleared her throat, "Pretty damn good if I may say so."

"You're so beautiful, you're more than high school."

Hershey cleared her throat, "Really?"

"Yes." His tone was barely audible. Somehow, unnoticed, they both made their way to the checkout line.

They said goodbye to each other, leaving together. Marc got in his car and Hershey got in her car.

XXX