Carlos couldn’t believe his sight when he saw Daren’s cheek from afar. It was obvious someone had just delivered a punch to his face, looking at how swollen it looked. Carlos wasn’t going to allow anyone to calm him down until he had done the same to whoever did this to his friend turned brother.
Just as he was about to make his way to Daren so he could fish out the culprit worthy of a deadly punch, like a spirit reaching out to a human, something whispered in Carlos’ right ear. “You know you don’t know what happened yet; don’t get into trouble like you did the last time.”
Carlos looked around to confirm that no one was whispering into his ears; the voice was so clear in his head. With the warning from the unknown, he decided to find out what was going on. He got conscious of his environment and shifted his gaze off Daren; everyone was holding a glass of wine, including those around his friend.
“Did someone just propose a toast?” He looked around one more time, and after discovering that no one had a clue about the question, he asked himself, “Well, let’s find out.” He said.
Carlos had been friends with Daren since high school. Although there were others in their clique, none had the kind of bond shared between Carlos and Daren. Like a stubborn drunkard, Daren is very troublesome and often picks fights with his colleagues and even those older than him.
After causing troubles, almost all his friends often leave him to dance to his tunes; only Carlos stands with him to either ward off Daren’s opponents or beg on his behalf. However, like that day, which was for the owner after several escapes by the thief, the last case in which Daren got involved before their graduation day was a lot more than he and Carlos could chew. The problem landed both of them behind bars for two weeks.
Carlos couldn’t forget how Daren cried and asked, “Are we going to celebrate our graduation here?” Carlos could remember how angry he was at Daren’s question because he couldn’t even think about their graduation; all he cared about was getting out of prison. As Carlos reflected on the scenario, he could not help but ask himself, “How could his friend slap a police officer's child?”
Mike and Alicia were famous lovers, well-known during their high school days. Like Romeo and Juliet, they could do anything to get anyone trying to affect their relationship out of the way. However, Daren found a way to be the glitch in their love lives.
He fought Mike several times, warning him to stay away from Alicia, whom he claims is his girl—someone he never even asked out! This could have been their first disagreement, but Carlos found a way to dissuade Daren from troubling a relationship that was obviously never going to be his.
“I don’t think you want to be the second choice of any lady. If you force yourself on her, you may also regret the outcome. Think of it from these two angles and avoid being toast! Instead, toast someone more beautiful, like Margaret.”
As Daren heard the words of Carlos, he couldn't help but reason along his line of thoughts, especially the conclusive part, “Margaret is really beautiful, and I can’t believe I didn’t even think about her before considering that thing called Alicia.” In his jealous response, Carlos could easily conclude that Daren took the bait and that peace can reign henceforth. “A toast to peace at last.” He said to himself.
After high school, just like every other student, everyone got situated in different spheres of life. Carlos and Daren were still good friends, and they still got in touch with their colleagues.
The occasion that brought their set together was a wedding ceremony between Mary, one of their classmates, and another guy whom she met after school. It was as if they all saw the event as an avenue for reunion; almost all their classmates were present, but what led to Daren’s swollen face?
Like the case of several high school romances, Mike and Alicia didn’t end up as life partners, but both are married and attended the event with their spouses. Just like every other member of their set, Margaret also showed up with her husband.
Daren appeared so different, looking all calm and handsome in his suit. However, he didn’t show up with his partner because he doesn’t have one! He felt offended by several questions thrown at him.
“Hey Daren! Wow, you look amazing. Alicia had told me a lot about you. So where’s the lucky girl?” Although that was meant to be a lively conversation started by Alicia’s husband, Daren wasn’t really comfortable with his nosy inquiries. “It’s really nice meeting you, Drake,” was all Daren could mumble in return.
Daren was finally shocked to see that no one else was called to propose a toast at such an event than himself. “You want a toast? I’ll give you a burnt toast!” As Daren said this to himself, like a man fully repossessed by a familiar spirit, he couldn’t control the rage within him.
Just like in the old days, he was ready to cause trouble. The only difference is that no one had any idea he was going to say all he had in mind; they all thought he had changed when they saw his appearance. Daren couldn’t contain his disgust; it seemed they organized the party to attack his singleness!
“To the newlywed couple and the seniors already on the journey, I would like to congratulate you, and truly, I admire what you’ve got. Can we all jam our hands together and celebrate the love shared till this current moment?” Everyone clapped their hands and cheered at Daren’s words with nods and affirmations of his beautiful presentation. “You guys are toast! You can clap for now, but you’ll cry in the end, I promise!” Daren said to himself.
“But before we go into the clinging of cups and traditional calling of words and repetition by everyone, I would want us to ask ourselves a question. How did we get here?” The whole audience replied to Daren with gestures that suggest reminiscing about the past and thoughtful postures that resonate with his proposed points. He studied all their attentiveness and continued.
“For example, many men have had several ladies in their lives before deciding to settle for who they are currently with. Like Mike had Alicia and I had Margaret, who had Mary?” Like a wind of commotion entering a space as an uninvited guest, the atmosphere became tense, but Daren wasn’t done.
“I’ll conclude by saying a big congratulations to myself, because I have more opportunity to have several others before finally settling for less and deciding to deceive myself just like every married person out here--” Before he could complete his statement, a slap and a punch landed on his face simultaneously.
Thankfully, Carlos arrived at the event just in time for his rescue. Although things were later brought under control, Daren was later excused from the event where he had left a dent.