"Rana!"
A woman's voice was bright as the sun called to her.
The woman called Rana jerked her head towards the woman who just called her by her name. Shane turned around to see a woman with short wavy blond hair wearing navy blue shorts, a white t-shirt, and a pair of denim tennis shoes. A violet jacket was tied around her waist and a thin golden necklace hang on her shirt. She had a backpack on her shoulders and was carrying a picnic basket.
"Why are you so late? I've been waiting for you for the past thirty minutes now."
She said looking at her watch then back at Rana darkly.
"Please don't tell me you've lost your direction again."
"I was trying, Julienne. I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me."
"You're such a child, Ran."
"It can be so much trouble finding the direction to be here. And besides, I found cute deers as I was walking on my way here. And I needed to use the toilet."
"You were feeding swans," said Julienne rolling her eyes on her.
"I couldn't find you, Jules."
"You were busy with them."
"Aren't they gorgeous to look at?" Rana said throwing another look at the swan couple that was gliding towards the group at the center of the lake.
"Yeah they are," said Julienne briefly looking at them. "Now, come on."
Julienne took Rana's arms and they started walking.
"Hey, Jules, why do you think I'm so bad about directions? I'm not so bad when it comes to antiques."
"Maybe because you were born in the Pleistocene era. So, the dinosaurs know you more than when architects and engineers that mapped out roads and railways to modernize the world."
"You are so mean," she said slapping Julienne's arms.
"Ouch."
"I don't think dinosaurs live on earth."
"Oh, yes, they do. Haven't you seen the tooth fang of a T rex in the museum?"
Shane was lost in the conversation of the two female strangers already walking a few paces away from him. He was ignored by them anyway.
"Yeah, saw it but it could have been from an already extinct animal that lived while Neanderthals still roamed the earth."
He started to walk back.
"Enara."
He heard the woman named Julienne calling Rana, Enara. He stopped and looked back at the two figures taking a slow walk in the park. She might just be called Enara while hiding in the name of Rana, he thought. He decided to follow the women secretly.
"Why are you calling me that Jules?"
"Isn't your name Enara?"
"Why would I be called that? Anyway, Jeff is an archeologist who's also into antiques but he's not so bad with directions."
"It's not your fault if you're bad with directions. It's just your human weakness."
"But it makes it so problematic when I need to go somewhere. Maybe I should have brought a map."
"That's why I'm here. To always be there with you wherever you wanna go, Ran."
"You're always here, Jules."
"By the way, do you know that guy you were talking to a while ago?"
Rana looked around for the weird guy who called her Enara but she no longer saw him.
"I don't know him."
"Where is he anyway?"
"He must have gone. He's a passing stranger. I talked with him for a bit while I was watching the deers though I think he's such a creep to call me Enara. It's such an ugly name."
Julienne laughed at her outburst.
"You found that name ugly?"
"That name doesn't belong here. That name belongs to Jeff and his archives in Egypt."
Julienne kept on laughing.
"You know what, it could be your name if we are to scramble your name and add E on it. Maybe it's your name in the past life."
"I like my name and my life in this modern city. I don't believe in past lives. Don't you, Jules?"
"Yeah, you're right. Come on, Ran. Let's have our picnic over there." She said pointing to a sweet corner of green lawn facing the lake. "That's the spot."
"Yeah. Let's go over there."
Shane was standing behind a tree when the two women decided to go a little further inside the park and found their picnic spot. He was shaking his head. He decided to stay for a little longer hiding behind a tree to get at least a clue if she could be Enara. Julienne called her that name in a jest. But the way the woman called Rana or Ran talked and reacted with her conversation with Julienne, she's nothing but a physical resemblance of the woman he used to love back in childhood.
"Enara."
He said muttering the name to himself.
I guess I'm missing her again, especially seeing someone who closely resembles her. He thought remembering her.
He retraced his way back while still thinking of Enara. Of the sweet little girl, he used to know.
Enara has always been a bright and cheerful kid he had always been around with. They were betrothed by their parents because that's how the old rule was and how their culture went.
He didn't have anything to say against it when he was a kid because he had always liked Enara. She made him happy when she was a kid. She always had that bright glow within her and a mouth ready for laughter.
He bit the inside of his cheek controlling himself from laughing when he remembered how that Rana woman easily rejected the name Enara like it's the ugliest name in the world.
Some people could look like each other and have such clashing personalities. Shane chuckled realizing that should Enara meet Rana in New York it would be like a twin meeting her long-lost sibling. But just the exact opposite of each other.
He turned to the left and went on ahead.
Best forget about Enara. I wouldn't be seeing her anymore. He thought to himself.
And he knew it full well. There's no more way he's going back to where he came from. He's already settled here. Twenty years have long passed. He can never go back.
Plus, being honest with himself, he thought, I will never know how to go back anyway.
He reached back to the spot where he left Katarina a while ago.
She was patiently sitting on the bench.
He brightened up seeing her.
"Kat. Thanks for waiting up for me."
He joined her at the bench.
"You've always been waiting for me, Shane. So this time I'm the one who waited here for you."
"Did you find her?"
"I caught her."
"What happened?"
"She's not her."
"Oh. What's her name?"
"Rana."
"Not so Enara."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
Katarina rose from the bench.
"Shall we go home?"
"Let's go home, Kat," said Shane rising.
He stood beside her and put his arms around her shoulders. They walked out of the park.
"By the way, when do you think we should hold the engagement party?"
"We can have our friends come over on Sunday."
"You're frowning, Shane."
"Won't you like it grand?"
"Nope. I'm happy enough to have you beside me."
Shane and Katarina went out on Saturday to buy the things they needed for Sunday. They went to visit a flower shop to pick some stem flowers they were to use on Sunday. Katarina picked red roses. It's her favorite flower. Then they went inside the grocery to shop for the foods they were to prepare.
Katarina decided she wanted to buy a red dress to wear on Sunday. So, they stopped by her favorite boutique to pick a red dress. Since the engagement party will be a surprise announcement on a Sunday lunch, she chose a light red dress which she decided would go well with her pumps.
They left the shop after.
Then, they passed by a vintage shop in the avenue as they were heading back. Katarina decided on a whim that she'd like a vintage necklace to go with it so she can show it off at Sunday's special celebration.
They entered the shop and bought it.
After buying the brooch, Katarina was caught by a bracelet.
"Do you like it?"
Shane asked while she was looking at the bracelet behind the glass case.
"It's beautiful."
"Would you like me to buy it for you?"
Katarina shook her head but was peeking at it with half-closed eyes.
"Come on, Shane. Let's go home."
She tugged his arms.
"I think it'd look beautiful on your wrist, Miss." The young assistant timidly said.
Katarina looked at her.
"You think so?"
"You have a beautiful slender wrist, Miss."
"You heard her, Kat," Shane said looking at the bracelet.
It was a slim spiral golden bracelet in carved snake scales with irregular-shaped red stones secured to its end.
"It matches your necklace."
Katarina's eyes grew big.
"You think so? Aren't you just trying to pinch me to buy it?"
She asked suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the store assistant.
The younger woman shook her head and said with determination.
"No. I'm telling the truth, Miss Kat."
"Well, then," she said looking at the bracelet with unmasked desire convinced that it will look great with her red dress. "Let me buy it."
Katarina opened her purse but Shane stopped him.
"I'm paying."
"You don't have to. It's my whim bracelet."
Shane looked at her.
"Kat."
"If you say so."
After Shane paid for her bracelet, she linked her arms on him and they went out of the shop.
Rana went down as she heard a couple left the store with the bell chiming upon being closed.She was walking down the stairs when she heard a voice of a man and a woman who appeared to be undecided whether they would buy the bracelet or not. She would have gotten down fast to see how it was going but stopped herself when she heard the shy voice of Noreen, her young assistant trying to persuade the customers to buy it.She hid a smile to herself.Working over a month now at her A&V Shop, Noreen has shown wonderful progress. She started the job being a very silent type of assistant and Rana was quite worried because she needed someone good at selling her antiques and vintage items. Her previous assistant Ariadne who was twenty-five years old was a brighter and more talkative sort who could easily sell to customers but she was eight months pregnant and decided she needed leave for her pregnancy so Rana decided to give her one last month.Rana could do th
"See you, Monday, Ran." Noreen said as Rana closed the door of the shop. "Have a great weekend, Noreen," said Rana looking briefly at her and raising her hand in a wave. "Bye." Noreen turned her back and walked on. Rana locked the door with her key and hid it back inside the inside pocket of her bag. She closed her shop at five when it's Saturday. She walked in the opposite direction Noreen took and headed along the streets deciding to buy cakes as she passed by a patisserie shop to give herself and Julienne a sweet treat. It was Saturday after all after a long working weekday. She knew that Julienne would feel elated seeing it. That woman loves cakes more than her. It's her behemoth addiction. What amazed Rana about Julienne was despite her best friend amassing a large quantity of sugar in her system she didn't get fat easily. Julienne has a beautiful curvy body which Rana envied while she could only be either slender if not so skinny. She passed a meat shop and bought roasted
Julienne was out on the top floor of the building hanging the bed laundries that she just finished washing. It was Saturday. She’d been alone in the apartment since Rana left for work very early. She woke up past nine am earlier and just lazed around the entire morning. She watched at least two films--a romantic and an action movie. By the time she finished watching the two films, it was already lunch. So, she closed the TV for a while and went to the kitchen to make shrimp pasta and toss salad for lunch. Then, she made lemonade for her drink. She loves weekends. Especially, Saturdays like this. She can laze all day round and just do whatever she wants. Saturday is her solo day as she likes to call it herself as Rana is out in her shop all day while Sundays are for her and Rana. They decide whatever they want to do together on Sundays. The first day of the week. Before work resumes the next day. She straightened the soft thick white blanket on the pole metal and bent over to get t
The floor was bustling with work. Phones were ringing. Sounds of typing could be heard. People were moving in different directions. "Shane, come to my office for a minute. We need to talk," said the plump woman dressed in a formal black coat covering a white top and gray pants when she came over to Shane's station. She wore thin round gold-rimmed glasses with a gold chain hanging loose with its end secured to the glass support tucked in the ears of a golden hair pulled back in a twist knot. The woman crossed the floor and went inside her office. Shane finished typing the last sentence of his article and saved it. He rose from his chair and walked to the office. He opened the door and closed it. The woman was typing in front of her PC. She sat with a very straight posture. Her name is Laura Simmons, the editor-in-chief of Daily Newspost, their newspaper publication. She stopped when she saw him and looked at him through her glasses. "I like the last article you wrote about the pan
How will I get you out of there? Shane thought as he looked incredulous at the object with utmost intensity. When he lost that bracelet twenty years ago, he gave up the thought of returning to Lunara. But now that he's seen it, there might just be a chance. But he needs to know how to get it out first. He didn't know how to go back to his old home which was metaphorically speaking a billion light-years away. And when he found himself inside this strange place of New York City where he arrived twenty years ago the first thing that he kept looking for was that moon charm bracelet that had been secured to his wrist. It never lost itself while he was still at home back in Lunara despite playing all day long. It had a secure fit that prevented it from falling off his wrist. And now the only thing that reminded him of who he truly was--was securedly locked inside the glass-covered case displayed among the ancients of the world. He was chewing on his cheek as he looked at it with grim fer
She must be Enara. Shane thought in silence. His hands curled at his side. Its knuckles whitened. Shit. Julienne cursed inwardly. Did she just say amnesia? Julienne felt embarrassed revealing Rana's condition to Shane. He looked shocked she noticed. She observed him with fury and asked nicely. "Will you please forget I told you that Rana is an amnesiac?" "Why? It doesn't matter." He retorted. His voice was flat. He tried his best to contain his shock. "You're not supposed to know it," said Julienne with a large sigh escaping her lips. "You're a journalist remember? What if you write something about her on the paper? Amnesiac people are points of interest among sensational newspaper writers. It would deeply hurt Rana." Shane looked back at Julienne's cross expression and gently patted her shoulders. "Don't worry. I don't divulge secrets, Julienne. I'm a news journalist not a gossipmonger nor a tabloid writer," he said with emphasis. She still looked at him with distrustful eyes.
Shane brought Katarina to the 150th-anniversary celebration of the American National Museum. The pop artist was singing her latest hit while they were seated at the back. Other guests and special guests of the night occupied tables before them. Katarina was dressed in a cherry red dress and her hair was twisted in a knot behind her head. While Shane was dressed in his black tux beside his fiancée who looked fabulous and ravishing in her hot red dress, his sight was already caught stolen by another woman dressed in a bright sky blue dress whose hair was also put up. He could only see the slender nape of her head. The woman turned her head revealing her oval face with curly caramel strands to see Shane looking at her. Rana gave him a small smile upon seeing him and turned back her attention to the stage. After another song, the pop artist was replaced by a band led by a male and female singer who played the music, and the dance floor was opened by Mayor Blasé and his wife. All the othe
Rana was asleep. It was past midnight on her digital alarm clock. Her head was lying comfortably on the pillow while her back was flat on the bed with the blanket covering her entire body. She stirred a little but was still deeply soundly asleep.She was walking along an empty road. But it wasn't so dark; she felt the light cast by the moon above. She could feel the chill in the air. Reflexively, she checked her black leather vintage wristwatch. It was midnight.Where could she be? She looked everywhere around her.The place was unfamiliar to her eyes. A thin fog has descended the road and everything around her. She felt the cold breeze as a slow wind blew past her. She was dressed in her current day working clothes--a yellow top and a pair of black jeans and her favorite brown boots but her sleeves were short. She felt goosebumps on her skin when the chilly air touched her skin. She blew a breath and saw smoke coming out of her mouth.She averted her gaze to the side and saw trees tha