“Right woman, wrong time,” Dave thought to himself. It was evident to him that Juliet was disappointed at the abrupt end to their night out. But Josh called him to instruct him on what to do as he was leaving for camp again. He was frustrated that he was in this situation but he knew that he had a job to do, and it involved someone else’s life. If he would be given a chance, he would explain things to Juliet once the problems clears. For now, he can only hope she would understand.
Kate’s father had just died and she needed to attend to this. Since Josh could only stay for two days, he needed to come along with them. There were a lot of people paying their last respects to Kate’s dad, a veteran. He could mingle among the crowd without being detected. Josh’s intelligence shows that Kate was not in the order of battle for the police but he didnt want to let his guard down. It wasnt clear still why her close friend disappeared, and until he finds out why, Josh wouldnt be able to breathe safe. And that means Dave has to stay on top of the situation.
Another reason why he was there was to keep tabs on Kate’s activities, which could potentially get her in trouble. Once again, Dave had to smile at the irony of Josh’s situation.
The next morning, Dave was roused from his sleep by another call from his brother. This time he was telling him that they had to leave early for the hinterlands, as they wanted to reach Kate’s hometown before lunch. Not wanting to let Juliet down, he wrote a short note to Juliet explaining why he wouldnt be able to join her on her morning run. Christ, he didnt even have her number so he can call her.
<3
Ganadong nagbihis si Juliet for her run that morning. At exactly six o’clock, she opened her door expecting Dave to be out at his porch waiting for her. Albeit disappointed, she reasoned that maybe he was late this time. Pumasok uli si Juliet ng bahay, and waited for thirty minutes. Lumabas uli sya after a few minutes and waited, until the door to his boarding house opened. Expecting Dave, her smile froze when it was his landlord who came out. “Ay Juliet, ada surat mo gapo Dave. Umalis sya madaling araw, dala gamit nya. Babalik daw, pero hindi sigurado kung kelan.”
Binuksan ni Juliet ang sulat. “Jules, I am really sorry I cant be with you now. I promise to explain to you why. See you later, D.” Yun lang.
Not wanting to look atat to her neighbor, Juliet folded the letter and stuck it in her pocket. Although disappointed talaga, Juliet went on her regular run.Pagbalik nya from her run, her friends excitedly asked her what happened on their date. Without giving out the more naughty details, kinuwento ni Juliet ang highlights ng date nila. Recalling their candid discussion helped buoy Juliet’s spirits, enforcing her trust that Dave would show up later in the day.
Dumating ang natapos na ang maghapon, wala pa ring Dave na sumulpot. Juliet still confidently thought that he would be back in the evening. Ayaw naman nyang mag-mukhang crazy, stalking girlfriend, Juliet decided to quietly wait for Dave. Isang, araw, dalawang araw, tatlong araw, wala pa si Dave. With each passing day na walang balita from Dave, she felt her confidence in him eroding.
Isang linggo na, wala pa ring balita from Dave.
Hurt, Juliet accepted the obvious.