Strangers, Again

Sandra Hills rarely looked up since they left Cebu City, her back intensely pushed against the backseat, legs supporting the heavy laptop. It was four o'clock in the morning but her eyelids won't shut down. Her friend gave her a copy of The Vow, saying it was a masterpiece and a true story. If the laptop could talk, it would probably say: "Hey, Sandra. It's scary you've never blinked for six hours."  

She had finished watching The Notebook, Titanic, and Love Actually in one sitting. All of those movies made her feel warm. Great stories. The Vow started well. Sandra adored movies with a car crash. But when Paige woke up and thought her husband Leo is a doctor, Sandra pushed the power button hard and closed the laptop. 

No way! Memory loss? Who are they kidding? Love stories using memory loss as the plot device never works for Sandra. They're impossible. Unbelievable.

Her boyfriend, John Ryan, who was driving the car, heard the laptop closed and looked at Sandra through the rear-view mirror. "Wow! You stopped. What a miracle. Anyway, we'll stop at the first gasoline station we see. Okay? The rain is getting thick. And it's getting cold. They probably have cup noodles. Are you okay?"

"The Vow broke the rule of a good story," Sandra said, putting the laptop inside its bag. "A big disappointment."

"Broke the rule of a good story?" John said. "You mean, broke your rule of a good story. You also said that to 50 First Dates which is really good if you finish it. And you're the only one I know who hates Finding Nemo."

Sandra, avoiding the eyes of John, looked outside the window. It's as dark as midnight. The rain looked like thick smoke, covering almost everything in sight. She was so lucky to have a boyfriend that really knew movies. John even dreamed of being the next Steven Spielberg, which was too big of a dream for a call center agent. Sandra was smiling thinking about her boyfriend's hopes when -

"Hey, John. About the tail light - "

"On a tight budget, Sandra. Next payday, I promise. It will be fixed."

How could he forget about it? Sandra's heart was beating so fast as though it wanted to get out of her chest. She remembered the crash scene in The Vow.

And there it was, as though Destiny was playing with her, she heard a loud honk. Sandra turned back to see what it was. A big truck! 

"Jesus, John! I don't want to die!"

[Please wait for the Part 2]