De Bastard: Part 2

A week after De Bastard sent me the dinner SMS, J's boss sent him overseas for training at the company's headquarters. "I'll be gone for two weeks, and I'm going to miss you terribly," he said. "I'll miss you too," I replied. The little devil in my mind started thinking about the lovely presents I was going to get when he came home. J wasn't rich, but whenever he travelled, he would shop around for a present for me. None of those tacky tourist gifts, but something far more thoughtful and precious. Like little brass statues that he knew would go well with my decor, or small unique rugs that you can't find in Malaysia. Nothing extravagant, but it showed how much he cared about me.

I sent him to the airport and we hugged each other tightly. For some reason, I didn't feel comfortable with his going away. "Don't worry Kucing, I'll call you everyday, sayang," he reassured me. I watched his back as he went through immigration and beyond, willing him to have a safe journey. On the drive home, I started planning a welcome home celebration for him, just the both of us sharing our love for each other.

The beep of an SMS interrupted my thoughts. It was M, asking if I wanted to meet up that night since she knew J was going to be away. I wasn't in the mood to socialise, and besides, I wanted to wait for J's call (he would call my house number since it was cheaper than calling the mobile phone). I dialled her number to speak to her (community service message - don't SMS while driving, and always use a handsfree kit when making or receiving calls).

One ring, two rings, three rings... and then a male voice answered. "Hi Kucing, De Bastard here, how are you?" What the hell was De Bastard doing with M and why was he answering her phone?

"I'm fine, is M there?"

"Ya, I'll pass you to her in a sec. So you missing J already?" he asked in a teasing voice.

"Ya, you know how much I love him, of course I miss him already," I told him bluntly.

"So sweet! Anyway, you free or not to watch a movie tonight? M and I have nothing better to do so we're going to Midvalley, then we'll have dinner after that. Join us lah," he urged.

The words "No thanks" formulated in my mind. "I'll think about it," came out of my mouth instead. What?!? How dare my mouth disobey my mind!

"Don't tarik harga lah," De Bastard said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Can you pass me to M please?" I asked loudly. The next moment, M came on the phone.

"Hi Kucing, so sorry, he just grabbed the phone from me. How are you? Back from the airport yet?" she babbled.

"No, still driving. Anyway M, I don't think I can make it tonight, I want to stay at home and wait for J to call."

"OK, no problem, if you change your mind let me know. Otherwise we can come over to your place and hang out there," she suggested.

I wondered when M and De Bastard had become joined at the hip. She never seemed to meet me without him in tow these days.

"Eh M," I couldn't resist asking. "You and De Bastard an item now, ke?"

"Eeee! Please lah Kucing! Of course not. He says it's safer to hang out with me, because if he's alone, he'll start with his buaya ways again. And apparently there's some woman who's out looking for him and he's hiding from her," she said. I could hear De Bastard laughing in the background, saying something inaudible.

Strangely, I felt slightly relieved that they weren't a couple, and put it down to the fact that De Bastard was a buaya and I didn't want him to hurt M.

"OK lah, M, I'll call you later," I said, and hung up.

M's suggestion to hang out at my place sounded like a good idea. At least I wouldn't be alone, and I would still be at home and able to take J's call.

I had errands to run and a few hours later, exhausted, I was lying on my bed when the phone rang. It was J. "Hi sayang, I just arrived at my hotel." It was good to hear his voice. "I didn't expect you to call so soon. How was the flight?" I asked.

The conversation lasted for about 5 minutes, then J said he wanted to rest as he was tired. "I'll call you again tomorrow," he said.

"OK, take care," I said.

I looked at the time. It was 6pm. I picked the phone up and called M. "J just called, so I'm free for the rest of the night," I told her.

"Great!" she shrieked. "I'll pick you up in about an hour."

I'll? I thought. What happened to "We"? "Where's De Bastard?" I asked casually. "Oh, he went home already. Said he'll meet me at Midvalley later. Probably wants to shave and look good so women can check him out. You know him," she said. I could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

"OK, see you in an hour," I told her.

A couple of hours later, the three of us were walking into the cinema. "I want to sit in the middle," De Bastard announced. "No, I want to sit next to Kucing," M insisted. In the end, I sat in the middle and held the popcorn. De Bastard leaned close to me and whispered, "Don't eat it all, Kucing! Otherwise my hands will have nothing else to do and may start roaming." I peered at the seat next to him. An old uncle was sitting there. "Good luck," I laughed.

"I didn't mean on that side," De Bastard whispered.

Zing! Something pierced my heart.

The strong scent of Cool Water muddled my senses. My face started feeling hot.

*****
I wanted to continue, but I've got an appointment to get to, so have to leave you with this cliffhanger. Part 3 to come soon!

Till next time, this is Kucing Gatal signing out with a heated up Meow.