Page 86 of The Fallacy of True Love
I stepped inside the room and closed the door behind me. This place was small, but it was clean and had a window and a door with an actual knob and two functioning locks. The double bed took up half the room, leaving just enough space for me to walk between the desk and chair setup, but it looked like it could fit two.
You know, just in case.
Setting my bag on the chair, I unzipped it and reached for my laptop. I put it on the desk and dug into the back inner pocket for my charging cable, only for my fingers to catch on a paper rectangle. Pulling it out, I found two hundreds pesos folded into quarters.
My mouth fell open. It was the money I’d given to Alonzo for my food. Somehow, he’d snuck it into my bag along with a torn piece of paper. On it, he’d written:
Maya—
Dinner’s on me. Good luck with boot camp—if you’re still there when you see this.
If not and you’re back in Juana, I hope I got to see you before you left...and that you left with better memories of Manila than what you came with.
Alonzo
My chest seemed to constrict, and I told myself it was from stress and frustration. Grabbing my phone, I sent him a text.
Cam
u messed w my bag?!!!
The past times I’d texted him, he was quick to reply. This time, my phone remained silent. I wondered about the delay, and then I remembered him saying he had a shift after class today.
I dropped my phone on the bed and paced across the room. It took me three steps. It would probably take him two.
Damn it. I reached for my phone again and dialed Nikki, tapping my fingers against my thigh as I waited for her to pick up.
“Please don’t tell me you’re calling from jail.”
I snorted. “I don’t think they’d let me use my phone there.”
“Good point,” Nikki said. “What’s up?”
“He returned my money.”
I heard a scuffle on the other end of the line, and then my phone pinged with a request for a video call.
I accepted it.
Nikki and Jo grinned at me. “Hi, Tita Cammy,” Jo called out.
Even though I missed the little girl and would have wanted to see her at any other time, I wished she wasn’t in the call right now because it meant having to sanitize my words.
“Hi, Joey girl,” I said. “How are you?”
“Great! Tito Eric brought Milo here yesterday, and I get to play with him for three more days! Milo, say hi!”
The camera swung down to show the dog sitting next to Jo’s legs as she scratched him behind his ears.
I smiled, my tension easing at her giddiness. “Hi, Milo. It sounds like you two are going to have lots of fun this week.”
“Uh huh!” Jo said.
“Don’t forget you need to clean up after him too,” Nikki reminded her daughter.
Jo let out a dramatic sigh. “Yes, Mama.” Looking back at me, she asked, “Is Tito Ally with you?”
I’d been stifling my laughter, and then she hit me with that question. “He’s working,” I answered without thinking.
