Ten Years Later
"I love you; you are the only one for me." He said with a tone of sincerity and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, honey." She replied and smiled at him.
"Tsss, fools." Isa mumbled as she cringed at the sight of the couple seated right in front of her. She stood up as her stop was near. Isa steps off the bus and walked towards her bookstore. She wittingly named it Page Turner. Good thing the pre-ordered books are coming in today, and she is expecting to rake in some profits.
When she was in high school, never did she imagine herself to be right here where she is right now. She was a coward who was afraid to do things on her own. Isa was a weakling, someone who can never stand for herself.
Everything changed when Cayden walked out of her life without warning, just like her mom. Her mom crashed her car on the night of her graduation. The night of celebration turned into a night of mourning. Isa was inconsolable for a couple of months that she missed the enrollment period for her college.
She missed a full year trying to figure out her life, and her relationship with her sister Debbie turned sour altogether when her father also turned to alcohol after losing their mom. The turn of events was difficult for all of them. The Moore Mansion only reminded her of the pain of her loss. She decided to go and leave the mansion, leave Klane for good. The inheritance she got from her mom was enough for her to start her small bookstore, study, and move out. Since then, Isa opted to stay in another state; in Dreidross a full five-hour drive away from her home in Klane.
The past eight years were not easy for Isa especially that this was the first time she lived alone. The luxurious life she was used to proved to be another hindrance for her to adapt to a simpler lifestyle. For most of the time, her life was quiet as she chose to bury herself in her business and schooling. She majored in broadcast media. In fact, she invested on a simple broadcasting set which she setup at the second floor of her bookstore. This one is something she does on the side, streaming online podcasts, tackling love advice.
"Good morning." Jack greeted Isa as she entered the store. He is Isa's trusted assistant since she opened her store. He was tall and handsome, but he was openly a queer. Isa loved being around Jack as he was bubbly and fun to be with. He makes her dull days more bearable.
She looked around and saw some customers subscribed to her library section. She has a section for book lovers who opt to pay monthly dues to read unlimited books whenever they want to. She is the only bookstore that offers this service. That's why she got so many regulars when she advertised it.
Isa smiled back at Jack and greeted him back. "Good morning, gorgeous. I have a feeling you are exceptionally happy today." She noticed that usual smile on his face whenever he meets someone new.
Jack showed a wide grin on his face and placed his arm on his hips as stared directly at Isa. "Girl, you know what's weird?" He asked her and that wide smile was changed with a straight face.
Isa shrugged her shoulders. "What?"
"We've been besties for a while and I haven't seen or heard you get giddy with an actual person." Jacked walked closer to the counter where Isa settled in her seat. "Girl, men in these books, they don't exist. Get a real one and maybe you'll get a smile on your face like this." He pointed on his wide grin.
"Ahm, no thanks, I am better off with my books." Isa raised her hands, showing her disinterest in Jack's idea.
Jack chuckled at Isa's answer. "What did men ever do to you?" He asked Isa.
"Nothing." Isa sneered at her annoying friend.
"You know, girl? Sometimes I still cannot sink it to my brain how you can do those love advice on your podcast when you are totally clueless about love and men." Jack frankly asked Isa.
Isa looked around to see if anyone had heard Jack. "Hush." She placed her hand on his lips to shut him up. Jack playfully shouted; "Bella Moore is here. Bella Moore, the Love Guru, is here! She is this dork of a woman who is afraid of love!" His words were muffled and almost incomprehensible. He laughed as Isa turned red, trying hard to cover his mouth.
Her identity in her podcasts is a complete mystery even for her devout fans. Isa is still the timid, unfashionable Isabella Taylor back in Klane and she still does not think that putting effort on her style is worth the trouble.
"Crazy bitch!" Isa tapped on Jack's shoulders. "We got new orders coming in; make a space for the center aisle." She said as she tried to stir the conversation in another direction. She blew out her cheeks when she was sure that no one heard Jack.
Jack stood at attention and made a salute gesture to Isa. "Yes ma'am." He turned around but walked like a supermodel towards the center aisle.
Isa shook her head and laughed loud seeing Jack. She took a deep sigh. Come to think of it, Jack is right. She never gave any man a chance to get too close to her. After what happened to her and Cayden; she felt like she could never trust anyone with her heart again. Sure, it seemed like a puppy love back then, but to her it was real, as real as the heartbreak that she felt. Isa felt like she needed to save every woman from every heartbreak. That is one of the reasons why she started her podcast.
Her fans and listeners think she is an expert in love because of her experiences, but the truth is she never had one except for Cayden. All her opinions and advice are from romance novels, manhwas and movies. Where does she get the audacity to appoint herself as a love guru? She is as clueless as everyone else. However, surprisingly, she only had success and good feedbacks from her listeners.
"Ring, ring!" Isa's phone started ringing. Her phone is literally buried under the clutters inside her bag. It's been a while since somebody called her phone. Her mobile device's purpose in the recent months was solely as an alarm clock. She checked the caller ID; it's her sister; Debbie.
Isa ended the call and shoved her phone back into her bag. "Ring, ring!" her phone rang again and again, and she opted to ignore it. The time she left home, Debbie never tried to call her, not even once. This is an unwelcome development for her that she does not even know how to react, how to feel about this unexpected call.
"Girl, if you are not going to answer that, I will answer it myself. I'm getting pretty annoyed already." Jack looked in her direction to warn her. "Take note, pretty and annoyed." He clarified and smirked at Isa.
"Cover your ears, then! I will not answer that damn phone." She stubbornly answered Jack and widened her eyes towards him.
Jack placed both her hands on her hips and raised his eyebrows. "For Pete's sake, Isa, can't you just turn that darn phone off?" He argued with Isa. Jack pointed out to their customers who are also starting to get irritated with the ringtone which has already become a noise to their ears.
Isa looked at her phone as she thought about it. She does not want to connect with Debbie again, but she also did not want to shut her out immediately. She took a deep sigh before she answered the call.
"Yes?" Her tone was icy and her answer was brief, making it obvious that she did not want the conversation.
"You need to come home, Isa." Debbie answered her with a hint of urgency. Isa was silent; somehow she expected this reaction from her.
Isa heaved a heavy sigh and answered her sister; "Thanks, but no, thanks." She was trying her best to be bitchy at replying to Debbie. She heard her frustrated sigh on the other end, but Isa kept mum.
"I know this isn't the type of reunion you were expecting from me, but Isa, please." Debbie lowered her voice as she started pleading with Isa. An awkward silence brew between them; she could not hear Isa, not even her breath, as if she set herself on mute.
"Please. I'm begging you Isa, just this once go home. Dad wants to see you." Debbie tried her best to convince her sister, she paused before she broke the news to Isa. "I don't think he has much time." Debbie's voiced cracked as she explained the situation to Isa.