FIRST LOVE NEVER DIES : FACT OR MYTH

The wind blew past my face while my hands held tightly on his shoulder for support as he maneuvered his motorcycle. “Omar, where are you taking me?” I shouted so he could hear me.

“I’ll take you home,” he shouted back at me because we needed to hear each other. “Do you want to be in an accident?”

“Of course not, don’t joke about it!”

“It’s hard to balance the motorcycle when you’re hands are in my shoulder,” he called out.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but where should I put my hands?” I inquired because, to be honest, it scared me to death to be on a motorcycle.

“Here,” he replied, and grabbed one of my hands and placed it on his waist. His action startled me! For the nth time, I reminded him to be careful in his driving. How could he maneuver the two-wheeled vehicle with just a hand? It was risky, and my heart almost jumped to my feet!

What he did was dangerous and I didn’t want to endanger us both, so automatically, I placed my other hand unto his waist, and in the process, my breast was pressed into his back and it caused an unfathomable sensation.

It wasn’t my first time being that close to him but our intimate position embarrassed me! I could feel the blood rushed into my cheeks and it seemed that there were butterflies in my stomach. I wanted to ask him if that was a normal reaction but I was ashamed to even open my mouth!

“Ehhhhh,” a screeching sound escaped from my lips when he suddenly stopped his motorcycle and my breasts flattened on his back and my hold to him became tighter.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized and powered off the engine. “Did I scare you?” He asked and I wanted to tell him what I felt at that moment was more than that. “I’m sorry, a dog suddenly crossed the street, didn't you see it?”

“What if you weren’t able to control your motorcycle?” I couldn’t help but be curious as to what would happen if he failed to control his motorcycle.

“Hmmm, maybe, a lot of people are already around us, or someone is kind enough to send us to the nearest hospital, or dead on the spot.” Then he laughed like it was not a big deal.

I slapped his chest so that he would realize that it wasn’t funny to make fun of what could have happened to us. “If you wanted to die, please spare me. I still have a lot of plans for my future,” I snapped and walked away from him. I was flustered when he joked about us having an accident or dying on the spot! It was purely insensitive!

“Anna, wait!” He called my name several times but I didn’t dare to look back. I was mad as hell that I was scared to lose my control. “I’m sorry, okay?” He continued to follow me with his motorcycle but I ignored him, but he was persistent, so in the end, he won.

I’ve known Omar from school, he wasn’t a student, but I met him during our intramurals. He was an esteemed visitor at that time, while I was a representative from the Arts and Sciences Department, to join the Miss Intramurals. I hesitated to participate in the said event because it wasn’t my forte, but I wasn’t given a choice by the Dean.

As a graduating student for Bachelor of Arts in Communication, the Dean pressured me to list my name as the representative. During the competition, Omar came to watch, and his eyes were glued on me, maybe it was an extreme attraction, infatuation or love at first sight, but we immediately clicked as a couple.

“Pull over,” I ordered him to pull over when the road we traveled became familiar to me. No, I couldn’t be wrong, because I visited the Taoist Temple a few months ago, and we passed by Beverly Hills. “You live in Beverly?” I asked him as soon as he pulled over a few meters away from the guardhouse.

“What’s wrong with Beverly?” He asked and I realized I didn’t know him well even if we dated for more than three months already.

“Oh nothing, but I have no idea you are rich.” I faked a smile towards Omar, but deep inside, I got nervous. His family background posed a threat to our relationship, and it scared me.

“I’m not rich, but my parents are. Come on, they’re waiting for you.” He said.

“But why?” The knowledge that his family waited for me scared me even more. My family’s not poor, but we’re not rich either! I was able to study at the exclusive school for women, not because of our wealth, but because of sponsorship!

“Why? Of course, they want to meet my girlfriend!” he considered it as a piece of good news, but to me, it wasn’t! Usually in movies, the parents would meet the woman their son dated, offered an envelope with money, and the relationship must be ended!

“Did you tell them that I’m pregnant?” I recently learned about my pregnancy and I texted him as soon as I got the result from the test kit I bought from the pharmacy.

“What did you say?” He stared at me and his expression told me that he’s confused. Omar narrowed his eyes towards my flat tummy and lingered there for a moment before he looked at me with a blank expression. “Didn’t you take the pills which I gave you?” He inquired.

“Pills? Sorry, but I forgot about it. It’s probably in my bag,” I replied.

“Anna! How can you be so careless?” His loud voice startled me, but I was glad that the guards on duty couldn’t hear us, or it would be embarrassing!

His reaction befuddled me because I texted him about it. Why did he act as if he had no idea about my pregnancy? All of a sudden, the truth hit me real hard, in the chest, and it’s killing me! My hands trembled in fear and I held unto the hem of my uniform to calm down. “What do you mean?” I asked, even if it was obvious that he didn’t want the baby.

He didn’t answer. He stood frozen, stared into the darkness, and sighed deeply as if it was the end of the world. After a moment of silence, he placed both of his hands on my shoulder and looked at me in the eyes. “Let’s abort the baby,” he suggested. “I can’t marry you, Anna.”

I tightened my lips to stop it from trembling, in fear, in disappointment, and betrayal. “You want me to kill my child? Our child?” I needed to confirm, in case, he made a mistake earlier, but when he nodded, my hand flew to his face and the deafening sound of the slap I gave him alerted the guards on duty.

I tried not to cry when I walked out from him and I didn’t mind the darkness of the night. Suddenly, I stopped on my tracks and looked back. I expected him to follow me, but the road was empty, and no one walked behind me. My heart dropped in disappointment and I laughed bitterly at my dreadful situation.

Tears blurred my vision as I continued to walk in the dark, and that night, I vowed never to forgive the man who abandoned me, and my child! His name would forever be tattooed on my mind, as someone who’s cowardly and no backbone!