he was sleeping amidst the winds that were blowing outside on a saturday night. although the storm had passed and is headed out of the country, remnants of it were still upon the surrounding area. it was quite a welcome relief as the change in temparature helped him sleep soundly unlike earlier in the summer where the heat was barely tolerable. it was past 11pm when the phone rang. though he usually answers it upon ringing the second time, the comfort zone that he's in made him hesitant to get up and reach for the handset. a few more rings echoed the room. reluctantly, he arose from his sanctuary of slumber and picked up the phone.

him: hello?
woman: hello, it's me.

it was her, surprisingly giving him a call at that late hour. though he didn't recognize her voice at first, he tried to compose himself as he straightened his posture.

him: hey, what's up?
her: can i ask you for a favor?
him: what is it?
her: but first, do you have work today?
him: yeah, in a couple of hours, 'round 2 A.M. what is it?
her: can you pick me up here near my office? i'm not feeling quite well and i didn't go to work. and since it's my rest day tomorrow, i'll be heading straight home and not to the apartment. can you please pick me up here?

he was quite stunned by this request. though he'd normally say yes like he did back in their days of going out almost everyday, the scenario was quite different. first, she was in a place at least an hour's drive south of where he lives. second, he was not familiar with the area and is poor in directions. combine those two, and the fact that she was asking to be brought home near where he lived, plus with the weather conditions outside, he won't make it in time for work and would be at least an hour late. she kept telling him the reason for not going to work and sounded quite disoriented. he was still half asleep and in surprise when he finally answered her.

him: let me think (then looks at the clock)
her: will you make it in time for your shift?
him: (after a couple of seconds) i don't know, i might not. what's wrong?
her: (sounding helpless) i dunno, i'm feeling sick.
him: i don't think i could make it in time for work. i'm sorry.
her: it's ok. i'm sorry if i woke you.
him: no, it's ok.
her: ok, bye.

the conversation ended abruptly as it began. at best, the entire length of the call was a minute and a half, two at the most. he was concerned with the weather outside, the slippery roads and the distance to be traveled back and forth. that made his reason not to pick her up. he then went back to sleep, savoring the precious minutes until it was time to get back up and go to work.

yet as his day began at the office, he cannot help but think of that conversation. this was the first time he had turned down her request. any of requests. yet the more he thought of it, the more he realized that he made probably one of the biggest mistakes he could ever make. so what if she pulled his chain in the past, made a fool out of him while he slowly fell in love with her? so what if she made out with him in the past while she was still with his boyfriend? so what if she left him out in the cold? those were not enough reasons for him to turn a cold shoulder when she needed someone. he was better than that. he always had a soft spot for her because despite everything she has done to him, the hurt, the shortcomings, the letter he made for her which she threw away and never read, he somehow still loved her. he tried to keep himself occupied while at the office and when he finally reached his car at the end of his shift, he broke down, tears free-falling, feeling stupid, sorry and mad at himself for what he has done. he had let her down, the woman he considered his inspiration, his joy, his past and his future. and as he drove home with ballads as the music on his stereo, tears still falling, he cannot help but wonder if this would be the start of another long drought in communication for the both of them. for once, he let his pride prevail, but in the end, emotions brought out the realization that it was the dumbest and the most stupid thing he's ever done.

epilogue: he tried to get in touch with her through text, even if he promised himself not to do so without her texting first. he asked her how she was, and if she's ok. she replied hours later, saying that she has kidney stones. he then asked her how she got home, but she never replied back…