Chapter 12

The next day, both women slept late. Jane did not have class at the university, and Cherry had nothing important that she needed to do. So, they both woke up around midday. Cherry heated the leftover sisig from the day before, and they ate it with a bowl of rice. Cherry was reluctant to reopen the conversation about what Jane had done the night before, and Jane was feeling shy and embarrassed at what she had done and what she had told her mother. On reflection, she thought that being slightly drunk had made her lose her inhibitions in the bar and later in recounting what had happened to her mother. So, nothing was said, and both pretended that nothing had changed between them although of course their relationship had altered dramatically since the previous Saturday night.

After their brunch, Jane took a shower to remove the lingering smells of cigarette smoke, and Cherry busied herself with laundry, especially Jane’s nurse uniform which was still heavily impregnated with smoke from the bar. That was when she noticed that Jane’s nurse cap was missing. So, she went to the bathroom and spoke to Jane through the shower door.

“Jane, I’m washing clothes, but I can’t find your nurse cap. Where did you put it?”

“Wait, I’m just finished here,” Jane replied from inside the shower.

The shower door opened and Jane stepped out, grabbing a towel to dry her long hair.

As Jane stretched her arms up to wrap the towel around her head, Cherry could not help but to admire her body. She looked a lot like Cherry had done at her age 23 years before. Although Cherry kept herself fit and in shape by working out in the gym almost every day, she knew that if it came to a choice for a man to choose between her and Jane for a night of sex, Jane would win hands down. Her fresh face, her firm body, and her cute smile would be enough for any man to open his wallet in order to persuade her to open her legs.

Jane looked puzzled at Cherry’s question. “Isn’t it with the uniform? I’m sure I put it there earlier when I undressed.”

Cherry shook her head. “No, it’s not there. Can you check in your bedroom?”

Jane walked into her bedroom, still nude. Actually, she was proud of her body, but the only time she could be fully nude was at home after a shower or in the privacy of her bedroom. She looked around the bedroom but there was no sign of her cap.

“No, I can’t see it. I don’t know where it is. Maybe I left it in the Grab car...” she tried to think back to the places she could have left it before arriving home.

She had only been in the bar and the Grab car, so if she had left it in either place, she knew that her chances of ever seeing it again were very slim.

“Sorry, mama. I don’t know where it is. I must have left it someplace last night.”

Cherry shrugged and continued to sort out the clothes for washing. Losing the cap was not such a big deal, but it meant that Jane would have to buy a new one.

The rest of the day passed quietly. Jane studied in her bedroom and Cherry exercised for an hour. They went to bed quite early as they were both still tired after Jane’s late-night adventure. Also, the next day was Thursday, and Jane had class again. Her normal class hours on Thursday were from 9 am to 8 pm, with a gap from 3.30 to 6 when her last class began. So, having to leave home at 8 am and not returning until 8.45 or 9 meant that Jane was usually very tired on Thursdays so she tried to sleep early on Wednesday nights.

Cherry followed her usual routine of working out in the gym and then prepared a light lunch for herself at 3 pm. She did not expect Jane back until later that evening, so she settled down to watch a movie on Netflix. However, she had barely started watching when the doorbell rang. Cherry and Jane had few visitors to their apartment, and certainly none at that time in the afternoon. Puzzled, and a little curious, Cherry went to the apartment door and looked through the security spyhole. What she saw made her even more curious. Standing outside was a well-dressed Western man although she could not see his face clearly.

“Who is it?” Cherry inquired through the wooden door.

“Hi. You don’t know me, but I met a young girl who I think lives here, another resident told me that this is where Jane lives. She’s a trainee nurse,” he added helpfully. “My name’s Bob, and I met Jane 2 nights ago. She left something behind and I’ve come to return it.”

Cherry’s heart almost stopped when she heard who it was. So, this was Bob who had educated Jane about how the prostitutes operated from the bar. She debated to herself whether to open the door to him or deny that Jane lived there. However, she decided to take a chance and open the door.

When Cherry opened the door, her heart leapt to her mouth. She knew who Bob was because he had been her customer a few weeks before. Bob also looked surprised to see the prostitute he had fucked only recently standing in the open doorway.