WHO ARE YOU, MONA?

“I’m, Ray, your business ethic tutor” he stands with his arms crossed over his chest and then points at me “Is that 4.0 CGPA transfer student, Gerrard?”

I stood up and nodded my head.

“Good, hope you get 4.0 points this semester as well, Please be seated” he continued “Group Assignment! 3 people in a group, form a group now and give me the name. Please choose your team wisely as it will affect your final exam for this semester. If anyone has difficulty finding a group, please do let me know. I will help to arrange it”

One of the gossip girls asked me to join their group but I rejected it as I had already accepted Mona to be in a team with her. Besides, I was not good at dealing with gossipers and couldn’t stand people who gossip a lot because it was a never-ending topic, poisonous, malicious, and destructive. Men need a lot of space to digest everything.

.

“Left one spot, I have no idea whom to choose” Mona stared at the instruction booklet in complete perplexity

“Whoever will do, as long as it is not a person who sits beside me” I mumbled

“Please don’t include me in the group, I pleaded” Les interrupted

“Gerrard, you are so bad” Mona replied and submitted our name to Mr Ray,

“I have gathered all the group names. Since Leslie didn’t have a group and Mona’s group only had 2 people so Leslie will join the group”

“I protest,” Shouted Les

“I protest as well” I shouted

“You guys have no right to protest. Class start!”

Mona passed a note to me asking me out for dinner, I was so happy about that, who doesn’t? but I was scared. What was wrong with me? What was I scared of? Should I go? All sort of question was burning my brain calories and then Mona passed another note, it wrote What took you so long to decide? Are you scared or nervous? Gerrard whom I knew is not like this. No matter what I will wait for you at First Dates restaurant at 8 pm.

First Dates restaurant sounds so familiar to me, but how come I was unable to recall it? Arg! whatever Focus! Focus! on tutorial class. I was aiming for a 4.0 pointer to maintain my scholarship. Leslie seized the note and wrote something and then passed it to Mona. “What did you write?” I whispered

“See you at 8 pm” replied Mona

“What!” I looked at Les “Antique! Why did you reply on behalf of me?”

“Because you have distracted me from paying attention to Ray’s class! If want! then go for it! Being a coward is not your style! Man up!

“I’m very manly, I just have a lot of appointments to arrange! I’m thinking about which dates to go”

“Then I here to help you to decide, you should have been grateful”

“You two stop talking” Ray pointed at us.

Leslie raised her hand “Sir! He was asking whether he could change the place where the place near the whiteboard as he is short-sightedness”

“Then Gerrard, sit forward for my class till you have your eye checked”

Les interrupted again “Sir, he won’t be wearing glasses as he said only nerds will wear those. He doesn’t want to spoil his handsome image. So, if possible, he wishes to sit near the whiteboard for the rest of the semester”

Everyone in the class laughed, What was so funny! I won’t let her get what she wishes. I raise my hand and stand up “Sir! She is the one who hardly sees the whiteboard. Her short-sightedness has increased. She doesn’t want to let us know that she doesn’t have enough money to get a new pair of glasses. She kept asking what was written on the whiteboard. To avoid her from continuously distracting me, I suggest changing her sitting place near the whiteboard”

“OUCH!” I shouted as she pinched my leg “Sorry! bitten by mosquitoes”

“Then both of you sit in front”

“I OBJECT!” we said at the same time

“No objection! move your ass now!”

#

Now already 8.15 pm, and I was still in my room lying on my bed. Thinking should I go or not? There must be something between us, I wanted to know the truth. So, I dressed up casually and called a taxi to the First Dates restaurant. When I walked through the door, I saw her sitting in the corner, she was stunningly gorgeous, wearing a black pencil dress. It does well in shaping her curves and also exudes very feminine energy. Somehow, my heart was beating so fast when I got nearer to the seat.

“Please be seated. So, you are late but you are forgiven”

“… You just look stunning”

“Seems like you have forgotten our first date here and this was what I wore that time”

“We here before? Why can’t I don’t remember?”

“Perhaps, I’m not that important to you at all”

“Give me some hints”

“When did you date Lena after you dumped me?”

“Lena and I had just dated 3 months then broke up recently. Wait! This is the place where Mina and I have a first date!”

“Meaning whenever you date a new girl, you will bring her here. I’m so disappointed with you”

“I…….” I was speechless and couldn’t finish my sentence as I remembered had only brought Mina here no one else but she knew about it meaning I did date her here before.

“Johnny, Mina, you and I went to a birthday party to celebrate Johnny’s 19th birthday party. Then,”

I tried so hard to recall but my head was so painful whenever I think of that day. What happens on Johnny’s birthday? I keep beating my head so that I can remember.

“Why are you hitting your head? Stop hitting”

What was going on with me? I ran out of the restaurant and ran to a crosswalk when I heard Mona chasing behind me. I stood right in the middle of the road; my head was so painful and spinning that made me hard to take another step. I heard cars honk, and I fell on the road unconsciously but I heard Mona kept saying “Gerrard, IT IS NOT THE TIME YET! IT IS NOT THE TIME YET! SO…..!” I passed out