HEAVEN SENT
I wrote this short story when I was on my graduating year on high school. Our adviser asked me if I could make a short story for the school paper. Technically, it didn't turn out short. xD Hahaha. Nonetheless, I fell in love with this story. Hoping someday, I could elongate it and make it a novel. Enjoy! =)
“…Yes, I dreamed to be a priest. But while I was attaining that dream, I discovered a greater dream, and that’s to be with you…”
VENICE hurried down the stairs when she heard her mother shouting furiously. She just woke up and a sudden strike of adrenalin rush hit her. It was something she hated, waking up early.
“What’s the ruckus mom?” she said scratching her tired eyes.
Her mom shook her shoulder. “He’s coming back! He’s coming back!”
She frowned and removed her hands from her eyes. “Who’s coming back?”
“He is! He’s coming back!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who’s coming? The Messiah?”
Her mother tapped her shoulder. “No, silly! Kurtis is coming back!”
Her eyes widened. “K-kurtis?”
“Yes Kurtis! This is so great!” Her mother left her stunned on the last step of the stairs.
“K-kurtis is coming back?” she repeated. The same Kurtis whom she fantasized for so long? The Kurtis she loved since she first laid her eyes on him? The very same Kurtis who had her heart broken back when they were freshmen? That’s impossible!
She wasn’t very fond of men. She hated them. But Kurtis was so different. He was smart, athletic, kind and approachable. He was a guy who would pass for any girl’s prince. He was almost perfect. Except that he had already promised himself that he would only lay his love to one person—God.
When she confessed her feeling towards him when they were in first year high school, Kurtis never neglected every word that she said. He broke it to her gently. With his caressing voice dominating her senses, she couldn’t help but like the guy more. That was just puppy love, of course. She already reached college without him. She was so sure that she had forgotten her feelings for that man. Not until that morning.
Weeks later, it was the first day of her junior year in college. She was walking full of confidence. She was even humming the song ‘I Will Survive’ while she was walking down the hall. It was a beautiful day. She had no reason to frown or be upset.
“Heyo classmates!” she greeted loudly when she entered their classroom.
Jeilyn, their former class mayor walked towards her. “Hey girl! We have three new classmates! Come let me introduce you to them.” She pulled her by hand towards two new faces sitting together. She was sure that one of those two was half-American. She had blue eyes. And the other guy was a guy who lived in the province, she guessed. Since he looked so shy.
“Hi! My name’s Venice! Welcome to the school,” she greeted both of them. And then looked at Jeilyn. “Hey, didn’t you say there were three transferees?”
Jeily exclaimed, “Oh my! Yes, of course! The new high light of the school.”
She was then again pulled carelessly. When they stopped walking, she couldn’t see anyone since all her girl classmates were buzzing in just one seat. That made one of her eyebrows raise.
When Jeilyn told the girls to let them pass, they carefully separated to make way for them. And as the ladies unblocked her way, her eyes were slowly widening with what she was seeing. She wished that she saw the wrong thing. She wished that what she was seeing was just a product of her witty imagination. But she was not dreaming. It was really…him.
Making her call God’s name a couple of times, he smiled. That smile that could melt the hardest heart.
“Hey Vennie. Long time no see,” he said suavely.
She stood immobile. Did he just greet her? Smiled at her and looked into her eyes?
He chuckled.
She was driven in reality again. That was just the time when she realized that she was like a hungry chick waiting to be fed. She just bowed down, blushing.
“Hey! What do we have here? A past?” Jason said, one of her noisiest classmate.
“No! We had no past! It’s my first time seeing that guy! I’m sure I don’t know him! Swear!” She even raised her right hand to convince them.
Again, Kurtis chuckled and pinched her cheek. “You’re still as cute as ever, Vennie.”
Her eyes widened. He called her Vennie! It was him who had always called her that endearment. And every time she hears it, her crazy heart thumps like an earthquake was happening inside it.
Before she could react, their professor arrived. They all sat in their designated places and prayed. Will she survive?
“VENNIE! Watch out!”
When Venice turned to looked at the person who called her name, she shut her eyes. She wasn’t sure what she saw. Was it a nasty insect attacking her? A disgusting object? What she saw was an orange thing. A ball?
When her eyes flattered open, she was being hugged by somebody. Who, she didn’t know. But she knew it was a boy, and she liked his scent. She felt like being carried to heaven. Suddenly, his arms released her. And then she heard consecutive groans. She turned to look at the guy.
It was Kurtis! Of course! How did she forget his scent? He’s been wearing the same cologne since they were freshmen. Was he also thinking of the same dream?
That thought left her mind when she saw a small wound on Kurtis’ head and it was bleeding. She rushed towards him and said, “Are you okay? What happened?”
“No, no, nothing. A ball just hit me, that’s all.”
She gasped. “And it bleeds? It must’ve been a nasty hit! You should be careful. Be cautious Kurtis. Look what you got yourself into.”
Silence covered the whole place. She noticed that some guys exchanged meaningful glances towards each other. She felt so small. She felt so stupid and naive. She looked at the men and then to Kurtis. She swallowed.
“W-was it b-because of me?”
No one answered.
“W-w-were y-you injured because of m-me?”
Kurtis sighed and smiled at her. She could track the feel of hurt in his eyes. “That was nothing, Venice.” He stood up and extended his hand to help her stand. “You should pay attention always, okay? I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Did she just track the sound of care in his voice?
“I’ll accompany you to the clinic.” Without hesitation she grabbed his arm and placed it around her shoulders. She helped him up and walked him to the clinic.
While they were on their way, she can’t help but feel awkward in their situation. Having Kurtis that close to her was too much of a dream. She had dreamed of that situation myriad of times. But now that it’s actually happening, she couldn’t get a hold of herself. She knew that very minute that she’s falling for him…all over again.
Because Kurtis was tall, he was slouching because she was smaller. She tried standing on tiptoe so he’ll not get tired of their position. But he laughed.
“Why are you laughing?” she said, pouting.
He removed his hand from her shoulders. “This is silly Vennie. I can walk you see. My head was the injured one, not my legs.”
“W-well I just thought that maybe you feel dizzy or something.” She bowed down because of humiliation.
Kurtis held her chin and made her look into his eyes. “And I did feel dizzy right now. You were a great help, Vennie. Seeing such a beautiful face made me forget that I’m hurt.”
And there she was, drowned in his deep brown eyes. She didn’t know what to say. It’s as if millions of butterflies were fluttering inside her stomach and a bunch of hayloft dried her throat.
“L-let’s g-go to the clinic. Your injury might worsen,” at last, she managed to say. Then she passed through him and walked towards the clinic. She looked like a fool. She shouldn’t act in love with him again. He had dreams. He loves Him more that her. She can’t compete with God.
When they managed to enter the clinic, she cursed. There was no one inside the clinic. There weren't any nurse inside or a doctor. Then she realized that it was lunch time. Belonging to a family of Doctors, she searched for the first aid kit and decided to treat his wound by herself.
When she heard the shutting of the clinic door, fear enveloped her. She didn’t know what to do. They were inside a room. Everybody was eating lunch. They were alone.
When she got what she needed, she rushed to Kurtis’ side and started cleaning the wound.
While she was treating his wound, he asked, “How have you been, Vennie? It’s been what? Five years?”
“Yes, well, I’m quite fine. How about you? How’s the seminary?”
His face lost the enigmatic smile he wore. And then he looked away.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No, nothing. The seminary’s fine. Still sacred as ever.”
“That’s good to hear.” She didn’t know what was behind the irritation she tracked in his voice.
Silence dominated the place. Neither of them spoke for a couple of minutes. Then she decided to open a topic. “So, still having the same dreams?”
He looked at her. But that wasn’t the look she expected to have. His eyes seemed to produce flames in them. “Yes,” he answered without any emotions.
“I see. So why did you transfer here on your junior year then? You could’ve continued it in the seminary.”
“Well a friend of mine told me to enjoy my young days first before I offer the rest of my life to God. Aren’t you glad to see me, Vennie?”
“Of course I’m happy to see you! You’re a dear friend.” She did the last step in treating his wound. “There you go. It’s fixed.”
“Do you still like me the way you do before, Vennie?”
She looked at him and her smile faded. Why was he suddenly saying those words?
“Do you, Vennie?” he repeated.
She looked away. “Well it was just infatuation, Kurtis. There’s no need to go serious with those words. And to answer your question, no, I don’t feel the same anymore.” She was a big stubborn liar!
“What if I’ll do something?”
She looked at him. But it was a bad move. She didn’t notice her closeness to him, their lips met. Again, she was helpless. It was her first kiss for crying out loud! But he was smooth with her lips. He dropped consecutive butterfly kisses on her rosy mouth. She knows she was losing herself bit by bit. So before he could deepen the kiss, she withdrew.
“This is not right, Kurtis.”
“Didn’t you feel a thing, Vennie?”
“No.”
He sighed sharply. “What if I would still want to be a priest? What would you say?” He was almost shouting.
She smiled bitterly, just to hide her pain. “Of course I’ll encourage you to be a priest. Loving God above all is such a wonderful thing to do.” It cuts like a knife when she said those words.
She saw his face stiffen. He wasn’t the Kurtis she knew before. He changed.
He stood and walked away from her. When he was right at the door, he said, “You made me decide. I’ll be a priest.” Then he continued walking out.
As he slammed the door, she felt her heart being slammed too. Then her long-kept tears came rushing down. There goes the man he loves, walking out of her life…for good.
IT’S been a total of three days since Venice last saw Kurtis. He’s been absent for three consecutive days. And it was driving her nuts. She hasn’t seen him since she treated his wound. And it was too obvious, she missed him.
As she continues to walk on the school campus, she can’t help but look everywhere. She was hoping—and praying—that she’d see Kurtis around. But he wasn’t. Now she felt guilty with what she said to him. She should’ve told him what she felt.
“Ouch! Watch where you’re going, freak!” she shouted when someone bumped her. “Can’t you be careful?!” she hissed as she picks her things.
There was no response. And then she saw the person’s shadow pass her. She stood up. What a barbarous person! Then she immediately withdrew what she said. It was Kurtis. She was sure it was him. But why did he ignore her? Was she too small to be noticed?
She didn’t mind him. She continued walking to her classroom. But she couldn’t help but think about Kurtis’ act just now. It was so not him. If it were the Kurtis she knew, he would help her pick her things. But he didn’t.
When she arrived at the doorstep of their classroom, something stopped her from entering.
“Hey, do you know that Kurtis wants to be a priest?” said Lisa, the gossip girl of their class.
All the girls gathered around Lisa, amused.
“Really? But why did he study here?” asked another.
“Here’s the tricky part. Did you know that Kurtis actually quitted the seminary because he realized that he loves Venice? You see, Kurtis was Venice’s first love!”
All of the girls gasped in disbelief.
“I knew it! Venice and Kurtis did have a past!”
“But here’s the sad part. Kurtis just dropped out this morning.”
She felt numb. Kurtis dropped out? And he loved her? Was she still in her dreams? She pinched herself. She felt it. It wasn’t a dream! She dropped all her things and rushed to Kurtis’ boarding house.
When she arrived there, it only made her feel worse. It was an all-men apartment but the landlady made her enter since she convinced her that she needed to see Kurtis badly. But when she arrived inside, she saw all the men gathered together in the living room. They were all looking so upset.
She broke the silence. “W-where’s Kurtis?”
Everyone looked at her. She stiffened. What would she say if they would ask her who she was? Would she answer she loves Kurtis and decided to take him back?
“Who are you?”
She swallowed. “I-I-I’m V-venice.”
The men looked at each other.
“You're Venice?” asked the man who looked the youngest.
She nodded.
“So you’re the reason why Kurtis left.”
“What do you mean?”
“He told us that he will pursue his dream of being a priest because the girl he loves wants him to.”
“I didn’t say—” She stopped. Was she really the girl he loves?
“If you’re Venice, it’s too late to go after Kurtis. His flight was five minutes ago.”
She wanted to cry all the water inside her body. How stupid she could be. Why did she let her pride cover her love for Kurtis? Now there she was, left broken and hopeless.
“Oh yeah, he told us to give you a letter. But I left it in his room. Do you mind getting it yourself?” said another one of the men. Obviously, they didn’t like her. And the first impression always last.
“I don’t mind.”
“His room is on the last room on the right.”
She walked fast towards the stairs and thought of nothing but saving her love. She doesn’t want to wait longer. She had already waited so long. She needs to retrieve her love. There’s no second chance.
When she finally got a hold of the door knob, her heart sank. She didn’t know what’s inside the room. What if it was still full of Kurtis’ things? It will only make her cry. But she has to take the risk.
It’s now or never, Venice, she told herself.
When she opened the door, she was shocked by the beautiful arrangement of the room. It was full of red and white roses. She had myriad of favorite colors but only Kurtis knows the right shade.
She walked near the bed with teary-eyes. “Damn you, Kurtis. Do you have to leave this way?” She felt her tears flow down her cheek. And then she noticed a small brown envelope in the bed. It was thick alright. She wondered what was in it. She took it and carefully opened it.
Her brows met when she found nothing but thick layers of paper. Was it a joke? She continued separating the layers of paper and she was getting pissed of.
“This is so childish. How could he—” She wasn’t able to continue her sentence when she saw the last piece of paper. It was small. About an inch high and it was as long as the middle finger. It might be small but it was enough to cover the words “I love you”.
She gasped. That was it. Those were the words she waited from Kurtis’ mouth. But it never appeared. But in the paper, it was splendid. She was touched and she cursed herself more for what she did.
She smiled bitterly. “I hate you,” she said, half laugh, half cry. “I hate you so much.”
“And I guess that curse is for me?”
She turned to look at the speaker. And to her horror, it was Kurtis. He was sitting suavely at the window, holding a bouquet of white roses.
“W-what are you doing here?” she asked.
He smiled and then stood up and walked near her. “Fulfilling my dreams.”
“So you’re here to say g-goodbye?” She looked away.
He smiled and placed the roses at the table and sat beside her. “You’ve been telling me to fulfill my dreams. I just obeyed. When we were young, you were always my dream. Venice would make a good wife, I thought. My wife. But you knew that I dreamt to be a priest like my uncle. And you knew how much I idolize him. So I decided to just let you go.
“When time passed by inside the seminary, it was like living in heaven and in hell. There flashbacks of you in my dreams. How you make corny jokes and manage to make my day, how you tell you ‘Go for it’ even if it’s already impossible to win.”
“What are you implying?”
“You’ve read the paper. I do love you, Venice,” he said looking straight into her eyes.
It was the only thing she wanted to hear. Those three words. For many years she yearned to hear those from Kurtis’ mouth. And there it was now. What would she do?
Kurtis took her hand and planted a kiss on her palm. “Yes, I had dreamed to be a priest. But while I was attaining that dream, I discovered a greater dream, and that’s to be with you. And then now that I’ve returned to achieve that dream, it tells me to go follow another dream. You know how it hurts? It’s like wishing for water and receiving bread. Especially when you told me you felt nothing for me.”
“B-but I thought you dreamt to be a priest so I told you to be a priest!”
“But do you still love me?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry I denied that. I just don’t want to be a hindrance in your dreams.”
He chuckled and cupped her face. “That’s all I needed to know.” He kissed the tip of her nose and hugged her tight.
She can’t wish for more. Kurtis is the only person who could make her life complete.
“Wait, your friends told me your flight was five minutes ago,” she said when she withdrew from his embrace.
He smiled sheepishly. “Yes well, that’s a part of the plan.”
“What plan?”
His hands tightened around her waist. “Well I kind of talked the boys out to tell you I left so you’ll search for me and miss me.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because I missed you already?”
She laughed. “Stupid. And I can’t believe that those men actually agreed with your plan?”
“Precisely. Those bunches of jerks are all members of the theatre so they’re good at it.”
She opened her mouth to speak but snapped it close again. She wanted to ask more questions but she ended up with, “You’re crazy!”
He drew her close and brushed his nose with hers. “See how much I love you?”
She chuckled with so much happiness. “Yeah, yeah. And I love you too. But what you did was pretty naughty and you should’ve—”
Her mouth was shut by his lips. She was shocked by the sudden feel of his lips with hers but dealt with it. She didn’t know how to kiss but Kurtis made her feel like an expert.
She knows it wasn’t the end of a beautiful love story. It was a beginning of a new chapter of her life. And Kurtis made her feel complete. Indeed, he was heaven sent.
***THE END***
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