10 THE THREE GORILLAS AND THE BANANA

" You look so beautiful Xhemin Lae"

" You look so beautiful Xhemin Lae"

" You look so beautiful Xhemin Lae"

" You look so beautiful Xhemin Lae"

Okay fine, I know I'm pretty! I covered my face with my hands to wash away the emotions. His words
echoed in my head over and over- its giving me severe headache!

I looked through the glass window on my left and busied myself admiring the beautiful waves kissing the
sand. The sky is clear and the sun is scorching outside.

I remember those wonderful summers that me, Huzey and Ziggy spent on beach during our childhood
years. How petty we have to grow up fast, our summers now are spent on academic researches and
trainings.

The team is on a seafood restaurant right now situated along the beach. This place is just few
kilometers away from the University Circle where we are staying. We are currently celebrating the
success of Huzey and Ziggy's performance.

The view was so refreshing it made me forget my recent predicament.

" What are you thinking?" Huzey asked me when he noticed that I am lost in my own train of thoughts.

" Err.. nothing.." His question crashed me back to reality. I turned to his side and realize there was only
the two of us left sitting in the table right now. I wonder where Ziggy and coach went to.
" Not a convincing alibi" He let go of the newspaper that he was currently holding and stare at me with
suspicion. He squinted his eyes while scrutinizing my expression trying to figure out if I'm lying or not.
Huzey knows me very well, and this time he knows there is something bothering me that I am not telling
him.

Huzey and I had been the best of friends and there is nothing in this world we would not tell each other.
This is the first time I felt hesitant to convey my thoughts to him. But the thing that is bothering me is
quite complicated. It's not that I don't want to share it with him, I just don't know how to tell him these
things. How can I convey something that I myself is having hard time to decipher?

" Have you ever been in love?" I asked in my attempt to confess what's on my mind.

" Why are you in love?" He asked in a straight face.

" I don't know" I answered as I heave a sigh. I looked at him with a tiredly gazed as I confessed my
agony.

How can someone know whether they are in love or if they are just having a system failure in their
heart? The beast and I crossed the line earlier. We did something that we shouldn't have done. The last
time I check, he was my nemesis. From what happened this morning, I don't know how to label him right
now.

"With that man?" he asked with certainty.

I lowered my head as my face went red with embarrassment. I did not respond but I know that he
already knows the answer.

" Do you like him?" he asked as he pulled out the newspaper again and flipped through the pages.

" I don't know"

" Do you like seeing him always?"

" I don't know"

" Does he makes you happy?"

" I don't know"

I was not lying to Huzey, everything between the beast and I confuses me. I'm feeling so helpless that I
need Huzey's confirmation or opinion over this thing. This is what I usually do whenever there's
something that I can't figure out, I always seek his opinion. This time I literally am dying for him to tell
me what to do.

" So tell me Huzey am I in love?" I asked eagerly anticipating his answer. I looked at him eye to eye and
even moved my face closer to him.

" I don't know"

He answered in a stoic expression as he flipped through the pages again. However, I saw his mouth
curved an angle that he tried so much to contained. He grinned!

P a a a a c k! I managed to snatched the newspaper from his hand and hit his shoulders with it.

This man! He already knows that I am desperately seeking out his opinion yet managed to laugh over my
predicament.

" What's that for?" he was still trying to hold his laughter when he retorted

" You just repeated my answer!" I pouted in front of him showing him my dismay.

" Sorry last word syndrome!" he winked and looked at me with shinning eyes. He managed to keep a
straight face for a minute before he let loose with a loud guffaw.
Since his expression was a bit contagious, a little later, our table was filled with both of our laughter.

" What are you guys laughing about?" Coach and Ziggy appeared out from nowhere in front of us. Each
of them pulled a chair and seated themselves.

" What is it?" Ziggy demanded eagerly as if he can't wait to join the fun! He reached out for the glass of
water from the table and drank out from of it. I could see drops of sweat from his head, I bet they took a
stroll in the beach.

" Love" Huzey spoke without oddity in his voice as if the thing he mentioned was an ordinary topic for
us. I glared at him feeling betrayed over such revelation!

" What! Cough…cough.. cough…!" Ziggy almost fell from his seat.

" 'You okay Zigs?" I reach out the glass of water to he was currently holding afraid he might accidentally
let go of it.

" Why are you guys talking about love? Are you two having an affair behind my back?" He yelled as he
pounds his chest with his hands.

"Why can't we talk about love? Is it forbidden?" Huzey answered as if nothing unusual is happening.

" And do we need to have an affair to talk about it?" I responded sarcastically.

" Who by the way is in love?" Coach asked suspiciously as he looked at the two of us. His eyes are
demanding of an immediate answer.

" She's gonna kill me if I tell you who" Huzey mercilessly exposed me.

" Huzey ! ! ! " I yelled in rebellion. My best friend just betrayed me I can believe this!
" She's not only gonna kill you, she is also gonna throw your soul to hell too!." Ziggy threatened him as
soon as he recovered from his incredulity.

The three burst into laughter. I blushed red in humiliation. I am the victim again for today!

" Whoever laughs will face death tomorrow" I threatened them when I realize how pitiful I am right
now. These three boy are teaming up against me. I squinted at the them.

" ha ha ha ha ha" They laugh harder when they heard me.

" Whoever laughs will turn into an ugly ogre"

" ha ha ha ha " They laugh harder than before. They even exaggerated it this time.

" If you guys won't stop laughing, I'll EAT YOUR SHARE OF THE LUNCH!"

Silence engulfed the place. No one dared to laugh. The food threat was effective!

" Are you going finish even the chicken bones?" Ziggy asked with a teary eye. He was like a child being
bullied by someone bigger than him.

" Yes" My voice was firm and my expression was icy. I mean every bit of what I said.

" Even the sauce?" He asked again anxiously.

" That too" I nodded hastily while crossing my arms.

" Won't you spare even a drop of the drinks?"

" No"

" are you going—"

" I'm going to eat everything in the table including the utensils! " I glared at them with a murderous look.

" Coach, she really is serious!" Ziggy grabbed coach shoulders as he yelled helplessly to him.

" Yes I know so be quite…. okay?" Coach encourage him to be silent, afraid that one more cry from him
will make the situation worst.

" I don't want to die in hunger….." Ziggy said sobbing in silence.

Few minutes after the waiters served our food. The three boys had been so quite in fear of my threat.
They lowered their head and eat hurriedly as they can. They were careful and calculative of their actions
making sure they won't make any sound. I ate my share quietly enjoying the silence. A silent meal rarely
happens when we eat out together.

We are almost finished eating when Huzey spoke again.

" So Xhem do you already have an answer to it already?"

" To what?"

" If you are in love with Mr Lagdameo or not?"

I looked at Huzey in a madman gaze. I wish I was Cyclops so he would die instantly in my stares. I really
did think I successfully ended this topic earlier. Guess I was wrong.

" You can eat the plate if you want" He intentionally showed me his empty plate. So he dares to defy me
because he is already full? Sh*t!
" Cough..cough…cough.." Ziggy fake a cough this time. He was amused of what Huzey did. His eyes are
shinning bright as if saying 'it's payback time!'.

" Ziggy boy….. I think you have a severe cough already. Do you want me to ship you to heaven right
now?" I tried to threatened him again and give him a sharp laser look.

" No thanks! Why are you so mad? Huzey was just asking a friendly question and you are acting like a
madman. Is that how a person who is in love acts?" He rolled his eyes at me.

" Ziggy. That's really how it works. Because when you are in love your heart beast faster than normal,
giving you intense feelings. That's why Xhemin is so intense! " Coach said succinctly.

" Really?" The two boys turned their head to coach in unison. They look at him intently. Like me, the
boys were stunned to know that coach Gem has knowledge about love. How come he didn't teach these
things to us?

" Coach, since it looks like you have some knowledge, why don't you tell us a bit about love?" Huzey
suggested. I think these guys are doing everything to keep humiliating me. They are enjoying themselves
over my chagrin.

" Right! So the academy's fee for you coach will be worth as well!" Ziggy said sarcastically.

P a a a c k! Coach hit Ziggy's head without waning. I already have a feeling that coach will do that
because of what Ziggy said.

" Coach! Don't do that to my precious brain!" Ziggy exclaimed helplessly.

" Are you telling me I'm not a good coach?" Coach glared at him.

" Of course I was just kidding! What I want to say really is that, why don't you teach us these kinds of
things aside from the strategies in the competition. I think that will also help us too" He explained like a
puppy in front of him while caressing his head.
" Coach I agree. I think that's better so that we won't be like Xhem. She's seems to be having a hard
time, look at those dark circles under her eyes!" Huzey now turned to me and pointed to my face. I
covered my face in immediately trying to avoid their scrutiny.

" Okay fine. Listen to me it's like this!"

The boys leaned closer to coach as if they are discussing a secret strategy of the competition. They were
acting as if this matter is of high importance. Who are these boys fooling too? I know they are just trying
to annoy me.

I opted to ignore them and faced the window where the beach is. I intentionally sit sideways to convey
that I am not interested joining their silly conversation.

" This is how you will know if you are in love". Coach heightened his voice. He was intentionally doing it
so I would hear his explanation. I refused to give in and focus on looking at the beach.

" How coach?" Ziggy leaned closer than before.

" Don't put your mouth near me, I can smell your foul breathing. I know you didn't clean your teeth
earlier"

"That's smell----is the smell of the most expensive mouthwash in town today!"

" Really?"

" Yes, now tell us hurriedly!"

" Okay. First, you will know you are in love with the person when you cannot stand his gaze"
" Slowly coach, I'll write it down!" Huzey who was joining the fun intentionally took a paper and pen
from his bag and wrote it down. Huzey is a serious type of person but throughout the years of being
with silly people like Ziggy and I, he kind of learn how to join the fun.

"For how long?"

" Ten seconds is the maximum. So if you are in front of that person, look at him in the eye and try
counting from one to ten. If you can't stand his gaze before the count of ten, then it means you are
possibly in love with him!"

" Noted" Huzey responded and scribbled something on a piece of paper.

" Second. You will feel an electrifying feeling whenever you touch that person!"

" You mean you will be electrified? I didn't know love can kill! " Ziggy thought for a moment.

" Silly child. I'm talking of a different electricity. It's something that you feel running through your veins"

" Okay. Noted" That's Huzey again.

" Third. If that person calls your name, your heart will jump!"

" Is it possible for a heart to jump?"

" Yeah I think!.. okay coach this is noted"

" Fourth. Whether you close or open your eyes, you will continually see his face"

" The fifth and the last. If you will not be able to see that person, you will surely cry out of loneliness.
That's it bow! " Coach exclaimed and crossed his arms confidently as if he is someone expert in this field.
I continually ignored them but since we are on the same table, I heard every single word they shared to
each other. After coach last words, the boys suddenly become quite. I wonder what are they doing. I
want to continue ignoring them but suddenly, I felt sharp gazes behind my back. I turned my head to
look at them.

Errrrr! My senses did not fail me they are indeed looking at me intently. They are like big gorillas eyeing
a helpless banana in front of them!

" What now?" I uttered innocently.

" Have you tried looking him in the eyes?" Coach started the inquiry.

" Were you able to stand it?" Ziggy said as his eyebrows curled into each other.

" Did you feel an electric felling when you touch his abs that night?"-Coach.

" Tell me how does a hurt jump?" - Huzey.

" Are you imagining his face when you are watching the ocean's view? - Ziggy.

" Are you about to cry because you haven't seen him for the last couple of days? - Huzey.

" Can you guys stop these nonsense!" I rose from my seat angrily. These boys are really something! I
clenched my fist and walk out. I know these guys will not stop bombarding me with questions so I
decided to escape their inquiries.

I ran towards the exit as fast as I can. I'm really annoyed right at this moment, I can't stand them
anymore. My head hurts so much and they are making it worst!

" Guard! Don't make that girl run away!" Ziggy shouted when I reached the exit.
Suddenly a huge man blocked me with his arms crossed. His built is so big and his face frightened me. I
halted in an instant in fear.

" What is it this time?" I turned my back to our table and asked them with gnashing my teeth in fury.

" We forget to tell that the meal is on you since we don't have cash!" Coach responded with a sneer and
he looked away.

Ziggy was beside him whistling while looking at the ceiling while Huzey was pretending to be reading the
newspaper again.

Toink!

I lowered my head out of frustration. I really can't figure out why I had been a part of this team!