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A THING CALLED LOVE |
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Eros heard the faint zing and he instinctively ducked, barely missing the barbed point of one of her arrows. Psyche fumed, the next time he won't be so lucky,
"Psyche, darling." Eros was horrified. "Calm yourself!"
"You good-for-nothing creep!" Psyche screamed, taking hold of another arrow,
"Cheating double-timer!"
Eros quickly jumped behind a passing thick cloud, mentally calling on Zeus for help, "What did I do?"
"What did you do?!" she restrung the arrow and aimed for her errant husband,
"Didn't you think I'd know? That two bit wood nymph of yours had the nerve to blab your meetings to everybody!"
He tried to pacify her, knowing that any form of denial would put him in deeper trouble, "Darling, she meant nothing to me, nothing! She was coming on to me, I swear!"
"So! It's true!" the arrow pierced the cloud, almost hitting Eros, neatly separating it into two halves, leaving the shaking God an easy target for Psyche's wrath, "and I suppose you humored her out of common courtesy, didn't you?"
"Psyche, please, I won't do it again." He knelt before her, hands clasped in supplication, "I won't do it again."
"That's what you told me about Iris!"
"But darling, Iris just brought me a message from Juno."
"Was it written on her neck so that you had to bury your face on it?!" Eros gulped, Mind, think of something!
"I was looking at her earring."
Psyche's lips pursed in disbelief, her patience thinning out, "And how would you explain that Naiad-what's her name?"
"I was only asking for a drink." Eros answered promptly, that was true enough.
"Oh, yes!" she glared at him. "From her mouth!" another arrow looked him in the eye.
"Psyche careful," he pleaded, "Those things hurt, you know."
"I know!" the arrow flew; sure of its mark when suddenly Eros disappeared just as it was about to carve him.
Aphrodite appeared then, stepping out of her cloud clad in a favorite white flowing peplos. She was about to attend another weekly Circle of the Gods, a tedious meeting in her opinion, when she heard the commotion.
"Aphrodite!" Psyche murmured angrily.
"Hello, Psyche." Aphrodite smiled at her daughter-in-law, looking at her with a critical eye, Up to now, even after centuries of marriage to her son, she had not yet really approved of Eros' wife. This time, however, she had to take Psyche's side, having heard of her son's 'exploits'.
"You shouldn't have intervened, Aphrodite, with all due respect," Psyche was trying to contain her anger, but only barely. "The arrow wouldn't kill him, thanks to his immortality, but it surely will cripple him for a few days and he won't be able to resume his trysts with those nymphs."
"I am sorry, Psyche, I do know and understand how you feel," Aphrodite said, pitying her, "but someone down on Earth needs help and I had no one else to send but him."
The part about someone needing help was true but it was only when Eros seemed to be facing a dire predicament did she chose to send him. Usually, Aphrodite would just listen to Psyche nagging Eros and she saw no reason to interfere, after all, her son had always been the most frivolous and the most flirtatious among the Gods, even when he was little.
But today was a different matter. She had not lavished love and care on her son just to see him harmed later in life. Even if it was her own fault.
"To do what?" Psyche muttered furiously in response to her mother-in-law's words.
"To save the love life of some insignificant mortal while our own marriage is suffering from his womanizing?"
Aphrodite resisted the urge to remind her that she herself was once an 'insignificant mortal' and it was because of Eros that she was granted immortality.
"Calm down, Psyche." Her tone was a commanding one, but on seeing the desperate look in Psyche's eyes, she softened and said in a soothing voice, "Do not worry, my son knows where his true heart lies, just let him follow his own path and he'll eventually come home.
Eros dropped to the ground with a thud and winced in pain, having prematurely 'humanized' himself while in the air.
"Ouch!" pressing his hurt back, his eyes turned heavenward, "Thanks Mother, but please the next time you haul me out, give me a softer landing."
For a moment, the sky darkened and Psyche's voice echoed instead of Aphrodite's, "What do you want?" she was sarcastic, " a bed of feathers?"
Eros was startled, half expecting his wife to appear before him but she didn't and he was relieved.
He looked around and saw that he was in the thick shrubbery that surrounded what appeared to be a small neglected playground. Nobody was around, probably because classes are still going on, and even if there were kids at play, he would still be hidden from view.
Quickly, he changed from his now dirty white chiton into a dark blue polo shirt tucked into denim pants, Nike shoes replacing the more comfortable sandals. He was no stranger to trips like these and his mother had briefed him on the facts on the way down here, so all that was left was to find his people, shoot them with arrows and then head for home.
He picked up his quiver and the pointed darts previously soaked in the enchanted fountain of Aphrodite and carefully slung it on his shoulder after making it invisible to the human eye.
Finally, he straightened up, his mind's eye scanning the area until it trained upon a lone figure sitting on a bench not far away from him.
Jason was studying, or at least he was trying to, except that his mind kept straying away.
The memory of the last fight with April kept returning to his mind. She had heard of his latest escapade, this time with a Czech exchange student named Martina.
After listing all his faults in a long tirade fraught with emotion, she told him she never wanted to see him again. It had not really
bothered him then, dismissing her words as an empty threat said in anger as it usually was in their previous quarrels.
Give her a few days to cool off and it would be easy to make up, or that's what he thought, until he saw her holding hands and laughing with Mike Rodriguez, the university's prized jock, in a deserted hallway.
With jealousy tearing at his insides, he confronted her with a tirade of his own.
April, however, had only given him a withering look after he had ranted his brains out, and reminded him of their split up. He had protested then, saying Martina never meant anything to him and that he'll stay away from other girls from then on, but she’d ignored him.
"That's a very familiar line, Mr. Enriquez," she told him icily, "but I'm not that stupid to fall for that again. If you think I'm still going to put up with your flirting, then you've got another think coming. I am not a toy you can play with and then neglect while you attend to your other playthings, at least Mike recognizes that I have feelings too."
He had been trying to win her back again since then, but she was adamant and soon it was becoming clear to him that he had lost her. Ordinarily, she'd forgive him as soon as he came to make amends, but until now, nearly a month since their last break up, she had not given in.
He sat there, feeling miserable and angry at himself when suddenly a pair of strong arms jerked him off his seat.
"What the-" he began angrily, but a sound behind him cut him off.
Turning to look, he saw sizeable branch on the bench where he’d sat just a few seconds earlier. His mouth gaped open, color draining from his face as the realisation of what could have happened if the branch had fallen on him began to register in his mind.
Still shaking, he turned to his rescuer, "T-thanks."
Eros smiled, "I was passing by when I saw the limb fall off." Actually it was he who broke off the branch by way of his telepathic powers. "There was no time for a warning so I pulled you out. Sorry if I scared you."
Jason's eye widened, "Sorry? Are you nuts?" he said incredulously, "If you should decide to scare me again just to save my butt, then by all means do it."
He gave Eros a shaky grin and the latter smiled back. "By the way," he extended a hand "I'm Eros."
"Jason." He shook his hand. "Believe me, I'm really glad I met you."
Both laughed at the implication and Jason felt the shock's effect slowly ebbing away from his body. He sat a few minutes more in the grass, breathing deeply, until his racing heart had more or less returned to normal beats.
"Hey, you new around here?" He asked, as Eros helped him to his feet, "I don't think I've seen you before."
"No, you haven't seen me before." He said, handing Jason a notebook and a T-rule that had fallen off from his hands. "And yes, I am new here."
"Then let me show you around." Jason offered smilingly. But then the university's clock tower chimed at the same moment, reminding him of the time.
"Oh, shoot. It's two o'clock." He slapped a hand to his forehead and then looked at Eros apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'll have to give you a rain check on that tour, I've got a class coming. What building are you supposed to be in anyway?"
"Humanities." Eros neatly improvised, not really expecting the question.
Jason's eyes lit up, "Great! Your building's beside mine, at least we can walk together. I'm sorry, really."
"Hey, that's okay. There are other days."
"Eros..." Jason mumbled, feeling the sound of the name pass between his lips as they walked down the cemented path. "It's a very interesting name."
"I know." He laughed in response. "My mom was into mythology while she was carrying me."
"Oh," he muttered, "that means the God of Love, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Eros shrugged indifferently but inwardly he was smiling. It was refreshing to know that some mortals knew about them even if they didn't necessarily believe in their existence.
Jason was silent for a while, thinking.
"Something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh. Oh nothing." A sigh escaped his lips, "I just thought, uh well, you won't be able to help me out even if you were the real God."
Wanna bet? Eros almost said to him. They turned around a corner and soon they were in front of a tall building.
"Here we are, you take that entrance," he pointed with a finger, "I'm sorry I can't linger any longer, I'm late as it is, but anyway thanks again Eros, I hope we'll see each other again."
Don't worry, we will. Eros smiled back and shook hands with him. He watched Jason walk away with stooped shoulders before starting off to the opposite direction.
Now to look for April Martinez.
"He's a jerk!" Vicky told her flatly. "He deserves it."
April remained silent, not wanting to be reminded of Jason. Vicky was right, she had to admit. Jason had hurt her enough and she deserved someone better, if only this crazy heart would listen to reason.
"Um, excuse me ladies," both girls looked up, "I'm sort of lost, I was wondering if you could help me out."
Vicky beamed. He's so cute! "Sure. By the way, I'm Vicky Santiago and this is April Martinez."
"Eros." He was amused at the smitten look in Vicky's eyes, "Do you know where Humanities is?"
"Oh, yes!" Vicky gushed, ignoring the glaring look of the librarian. "It's the newly painted building with statues of some mythical gods out front. You can't miss it."
Eros smiled again, his eyes taking in the troubled face of April. "Well thanks, you're a great help."
"Anytime." Vicky called out to his retreating back, wishing he had lingered and talked.
"Sayang." Vicky told April. "I did not even know his last name." But her friend did not respond.
Eros stood at the telephone booth near the building's main entrance, waiting for Jason and thinking of April. He knew he ought to shoot these two with his arrows and get it over with. But then he'll have to return back to Olympus, as it was the rule among the Gods never to stay longer than was necessary.
With Psyche's present state of mind, she might just be waiting to clip his wings. He couldn't help but notice the similarity between Jason’s circumstances and his own.
Until now, it had not occurred to him that Psyche may get tired of forgiving him, or worse, find another in his place. This was unlikely because it was definitely unheard of that women deities may have other lovers aside from her husband.
Still, it was a possibility. Judging by what Jason is going through now, to be deserted by someone who meant so much to you is not an experience he would like to have.
"Yo! Eros." Jason greeted him, shaking him out of his reverie. "I was just thinking about you."
"Really? Why?"
"You saved my life, pard, remember?" he gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder blade. "I could hardly forget that."
"Oh, well that was nothing." He said with an undertone of guilt, after all, it was his fault that Jason almost got killed. "Anyway, I was looking for you, too."
"Shoot! You need a favor or something?"
"No." Eros laughed at the eagerness in his voice. "Actually, it's more like a question. Do you know anybody named April Martinez?" the question was delivered in casual tones but his eyes keenly watched for the reaction.
Jason was instantly on guard. "Why?"
"Well, yesterday I asked them for directions."
"Them?" suddenly the image of Rodriguez with April flashed in his mind.
"Yeah, she was with a Vicky someone, who made the introductions."
Jason was surprised when he let out a deep breath, not realizing he had kept it bated, but another suspicion formed in his mind. "Why are you asking me if I knew her? Are you interested?"
"No." He assured him, eyes deceptively innocent. "They were talking about a Jason, I was wondering if it's you."
"What were they talking about?" He asked instantly.
"Hey!" Eros smilingly held up his hands. "You sure are asking a lot of questions. How about answering mine?"
For a few moments Jason stood there silently staring at him and then took another deep breath. "C'mon." He inclined his head, putting an arm on Eros' shoulder. "I'll treat you for saving my life, that is if you won't mind listening to me rattle on."
"You're on?!"
Inside the cafeteria, with lukewarm soft drinks and half eaten palaboks on their table, Jason related everything to Eros, about April and their break up, his feelings about it and how much he wanted to break Rodriguez's neck so he could have her back. Eros patiently listened to him, picturing himself in his shoes.
"Do you really love her?" Eros asked thoughtfully.
"Of course!" he threw up his hands, impatient at him. "Why else would I feel this damned bad if I didn't? I mean, I play around a few times but she's still the most important person in my life."
"Do you want to get her back?"
"What kind of a stupid, stupid question is that?"
"Well, it seems to me, you're not doing anything about it."
"What do you want me to do?" Oh God! Is he exasperating or what? "If only she'd give me another chance." He said desperately.
"Why don't you show her how sincere you are?"
"Oh, great idea, Einstein." Jason's brows raised, his tone laced with sarcasm, "Tell me genius, how do you suppose I can do that when she won't even talk to me!"
Eros was unperturbed. "Send her flowers."
"I did." He was matter of fact, realizing nothing will get through this guy, absolutely nothing. "She sent them right back."
"Then buy her a box of chocolates as a peace offering."
"She hates candies. She'll only throw them in my face."
"Write her a letter?" Eros was beginning to think this was hopeless.
"I sent her one and when she learned it was from me, she tore it up before she even opened the envelope."
Eros sighed. "Then there's just one last thing you can do."
"What?"
"Go to her on your knees and beg, no let me rephrase that, go to her on your knees and grovel for her forgiveness."
"What?!" Jason sat up straight, not really sure if he heard him right. "Are you crazy? I'd never do that, I'd die before I do that."
"Then you're a lost cause, better start forgetting her now." Eros shrugged significantly, taking a sip of his drink for the first time. Ugh! He grimaced inwardly, how do these people drink this stuff? It's, he groped for the word, it's yucky!
Jason was staring at him; he was really serious. The bastard's really serious. He then thought of April and what her reaction will be if he did follow Eros' absurd suggestion.
"Well?" Eros urged, trying to wipe off the taste of the liquid in his mouth with a paper napkin and wishing he could have a goblet of ambrosia instead.
"What if she turns me away and...and laughs at me?"
"That's a chance you just have to take, Jason." Eros eyed him, daring him to refuse.
Jason turned his eyes away, still undecided. Then he realized he didn't have to do it if he didn't want to. He was on the verge of
telling him so when Eros turned to him.
"Now's your chance, Jason."
"What are you talking about?"
"Look behind you."
Jason turned and saw the burly frame of Mike Rodriguez pull up a chair for a dark-haired girl in a white uniform.
"April!" He muttered under his breath, jealousy waving green flags before his eyes.
"It's really a shame." Eros said with innocent lightness, devilry dancing in his eyes. "You're a lot better looking than he is. Is he her new boyfriend?"
"The hell he is!" He stood up angrily and grimly strode towards April.
April looked up and so did Mike, watching him move lithely. In spite of her earlier conviction, she could hear the familiar thudding of her heart ringing in her ears. She wasn’t sure how she managed to look at him so indifferently, but she knew it took a lot of will and effort.
April, we have to talk." He told her once he reached the table.
It stung April that he had the audacity to tell her what to do. Mike looked on warily at the silent battle of wills, suddenly uncomfortable but ready to protect her with one punch if Jason tried anything.
"Why?" April asked him coolly.
"Maybe it would be better if we talk privately."
April's eyebrow shot up. Who does he think he is? "Maybe, I don't want to."
"Look, April-"
"Look, pal." Mike cut him off, unable to just sit there like a passive onlooker. "The lady says she doesn’t want to talk to you."
"Mind your own business." Jason snapped at him, about to tell him off but rapidly changed his mind when Mike stood up.
Jason's eyes widened as he craned his neck to look at his 'rival', who was a good four inches taller than his five foot eight, not to mention that he had about twenty-inched biceps attached to an expanding chest. Even Eros was stunned, Jason will be pulverized.!
"I think you better go." Mike told him in a voice that resembled Schwarzenegger's in the Terminator. Jason gulped, frightened to the roots of his hair. But he stood his ground.
"I want to talk to April." He said in a voice that had very little confidence, his knees turning to jelly.
"She doesn't want to talk to you."
"Why don't we let her decide for herself?"
April, however, was equally determined not to talk to him. "I'm sorry, Jason." She looked away from the mute plea in his eyes.
Jason's face fell. Slowly he turned away. Eros had been watching him and by now had unsheathed his arrows. Though still invisible to the other people around him, he was about to use the bow when Jason suddenly turned back to April and knelt down. Now, everybody in the cafeteria became interested in Jason and April.
Reaching her, Jason raised pleading eyes to her, impervious of the curious stares. "April," he began as everyone strained to listen, "You don't have to talk if you don't want to but please listen to me, please?"
"April..." There was concern in Mike's voice.
"It's all right Mike." She said quietly to him. "Let him make a fool of himself."
Jason winced at her words but determinedly went on. "April, I know I've been stupid, unfaithful, and callous. I guess I've hurt you a million times and don't deserve another chance." He said slowly.
"You got that right."
Jason reddened, especially when somebody snickered. He was getting discouraged but he pushed on, his words measured and even.
"I fooled around with other girls a lot, never really knowing how much pain I caused you. But when you turned up with him, I was hit real hard here." He placed a palm on the upper side of his chest where his racing heart beat underneath.
"I can't believe I could hurt so bad but that's what I was feeling. I suppose I got a pretty good view on what I've put you through.” He gave a bitter laugh. “So I said to myself: Okay, Jason, you’d better make up with April fast or you might lose her. But then, I was too late, wasn’t I? I’ve already lost you.”
Against her better judgment, April felt herself being moved from within. She couldn’t deny that she still loved him.
“You said you don’t want to see me again, I don’t blame you. I was downright disgusting. But before I go, I want you to know something. I only wish you’d believe me.” He breathed deeply.
“I love you, April Martinez.” His voice was solemn. “I never showed you how much, but I do.”
“For a few precious moments, she sat there, looking at him with uncertainty. She loved him still but God knows she didn’t need more lies. What she had gone through was enough. She closed her eyes, refusing to look at him again. Jason then stood up and moved away with heavy steps from her.
“Jason.” The call was so soft, but he heard her. He turned, a flicker of hope in his eyes. “I want you to meet Mike Rodriguez. He’s my cousin and he’ll make mincemeat out of you should you hurt me again.”
Jason practically flew the distance between them to scoop her up in his arms amid the cheers of their ‘audience’.
“I love you, April.” He held her tightly. “So much. I’m sorry, very, very, very sorry, for all the pain and the hurt.”
“I love you too, you jerk.” She told him against his chest. “Please don’t do it again.”
“I won’t.” He smiled into her eyes. “Ever again.”
Unnoticed by anyone, a lone figure left the cafeteria and soon the God of Love was flying back to Mount Olympus.
He now knew what to do and what not to do. Who would have thought that a mere mortal would unknowingly teach the Master of Hearts a valuable lesson in love.
By now, Jason was looking for him to thank him, but Eros had more reasons to thank Jason. He had opened his eyes before it was too late.
Back at Olympus, Psyche prepared to meet her husband. Smiling inwardly, she knew he had learned that the thing mortals called love is not something you played with, but is something that is cherished and treasured.
Aphrodite had told her to let him follow his own path and now he’s coming home. |
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