i'm not a secret spiller!

I drain my coffee cup down and take my jacket. It’s Ian’s first day in Ben & Jerry’s and I’ve promised to come there, just mingling around, having some nice cup of ice cream and we’ll walk together to the cinema.

I’m wearing this gorgeous orange tunic paired with dark brown skinny jeans and a brown leather post-man bag. It’s the latest trend! And I got it half price in e-bay. Mum and Dad have gone to this wedding party of dad’s acquaintance and I’m going with Ian so the house will be empty except for the irresponsible twins. I have reminded them for the thousandth times to keep the door close and don’t light the stove, if they’re hungry they can take pudding from the fridge or something.

I close the front door and walk to the bus stop. There, are a woman and an old man, they look all carefree and light. It’s like their life are perfect and I can tell it from their face. They’re not stressed out and tense. Dang, when will my life be like theirs?

“Where are you going, Miss?” the old man turns to me, smiling.

“Oh me? I’m going to Ben & Jerry’s.” I answer

“Oh, meeting friends, huh? Teenagers these days…” he smiles, “…I was once like you too. And in the old days, there’s no Ben & Jerry’s or Krispy Kreme. I have to work hard for my family. Teenagers these days should work hard too, life’s too easy for kids now. All they do everyday are just laughing, meeting friends, shopping and playing.” He says, kindly but in a protesting way.

Yea, right. He won’t believe me how much problems we have to deal with every day!

It’s 3 p.m. when I turn to Ben & Jerry’s. I can easily find Ian behind the ice cream cou
nter, he’s extremely happy to see me and the ice-cream guy is there too, he’s too dumb-founded to talk. “You know this new guy?!” he asks puzzled. Me and Ian laugh and he makes this face that shows ‘what is goin on?’

“Umm, this is my boyfriend, Ian. Ian this is..umm…” I pause a little as my cheeks redden, I know I forget his name. “I know his name already, Hun.” Ian says casually and they laugh at me.

“It’s Scott, Scott McKinsley.” says the ice-cream guy, still laughing.

“Oh, yea, right, Scott.” I mumble absently. “So, how’s your first day?” I ask

“I have to do something, I’ll leave you two alone, ok?” Scott says, disappearing through the door at the back of the counter. Ian and I sit down on an empty table and he starts speaking to me, telling me what a good start today is. He’s all happy about his job. Scott comes out and brings us 2 ice creams and he sits together with us.

“So, is this the boyfriend you’ve told me several times?” he asks, eyebrow rises.

“Well, yes he is.” I say, smiling.

“What? You two have been talking about me?!” Ian says in a shocked expression, but he’s such a bad actor that he makes us laugh. “Ok, so tell me now, when did you two meet each other for the first time exactly?” he asks.

“Well..” I start, “It was when we met Mrs. Manson for the last time. I was so depressed and stressed out, so I came by to have a cup of ice cream.” I explain.

“You have no idea how tense she was!” Scott adds lightly.

“Oh, I know! She must had this folded face with her mouth pouted.” Ian says, teaming with Scott, teasing me.

“Ok, enough guys, before I walked out from this store.” I say. and they laugh even more.

Customers come and go and finally it’s closing time. I wait Ian to help cleaning up and then he changes his work uniform into a casual clothes and he comes out all fresh and fragrant. I’ve always liked his smell, it’s refreshing, yet addicting!

“So, shall we go?” He asks, offering his palm, I reach for it, grinning. “See you tomorrow!” Ian says to Scott who turns to see us and waves back, “Have fun you two!” and so we walk to the cinema.

“How’s Vi?” Ian suddenly asks as we turn to the next street.

“Not good.” I answer. “I called her today morning and she sounds pretty pissed by what I did yesterday. I know I shouldn’t have done it.” I say, sighing.

“Oh.. maybe you have to wait till she feels better.” Ian says.

We arrived at the cinema and was confuse between 2 real good movies when a woman in a blue knee-length dress with her hair up comes up to me. “Hey, aren’t you Sugar Dale? Vivienne’s best friend?” she asks.

“Errr, yeah, why?” I ask back.

“Is it true that Mr. Freyson of Freyson perfumery is going to divorce with Mrs. Freyson?!” her eyes bulges in desperation to know. And I can tell that my face forms some kind of a shock face and I can see Ian’s eyebrows rise in astonishment.

“I…..I don’t know…” I say stutterly.

“How do you know that?” Ian asks in scrutiny.

“Oh, it’s in Jalouse Magazine, it’s everywhere, don’t you know about that?” she says in a look that makes you feel stupid.

“Jalouse?” I ask absently, looking at Ian.

“Yes, the French magazine!” she says as if she’s teaching me 1+1 and I don’t get it.

“I know what is Jalouse!” I say in a high-pitched voice, “I just don’t get it why is it in Jalouse and why am I there?!”

“Come on Sugar.” Ian takes my hand and drags me to the bus stop.

We walk really fast that I don’t know where he’s dragging me to. Several people were looking at me when I walked past them and Ian drew me closer to him. “This is wrong! You shouldn’t have pass the information to a journalist!” he says as we walk in a slower pace, knowing that we’re in a residential street with townhouses built close to one another and standard cars parked in front of it.

“I didn’t pass any information to any journalist!” I snapped back, feeling betrayed.

“But how could they know about it?! if Vi knows, she will think that you spilled the information to the magazine because as far as she concerns, you’re the only person know about all of this!” Ian says impatiently. We fall into an awkward silence. The kind of silence you’d use to think, not to feel uneasy.

“But I didn’t….” I feel my throat clenched.

“I know you didn’t do it, I trust you, but how about Vi? She’s in a break down condition. And if she got this news, she’d be more pissed than ever.”

I know! I say frantically to myself. My brain works harder and I can’t imagine tomorrow morning, or even now, that Vi reads the magazine and I even haven’t read it myself. Maybe they mentioned something not true there that makes the public all curious and ‘oh-my-god’ing

Gosh….why should it all be this complicated?

Ian dropped me home to avoid more people on the street asking and everything. He kissed me good bye and left. I’m now in my own room, in front of my computer and typing the words ‘Freyson Perfumery’ on the box. The results is shocking, about at least 400 articles are found under those words and I specify the searching by typing ‘Freyson divorce Sugar Dale’

I wait as I hold my breath and when the results turn up, I just can’t believe it, there are more articles about it than I thought! And they even got the photos of me on the street talking with Vi in a serious, more like angry face! Oh my god! I click the next photo that shows me a picture of me, pushing the door of the mini market while holding the cookie bag. No wonder I felt followed that day! And I thought I was too paranoid!

I took a hot shower to ease my mind and lay my head on my bed, trying to sleep but I can’t! my eyes are still wide opened and my computer is still on with the articles of me and picture of me and Vi on it. The title is even grosser, ‘Will Freyson Daughter Survives The Pressures?’

What is that suppose to mean? I’m a pressure to her? Like it or not, I have to get things straight to her before she finds the news herself and blame me for being a secret-spiller. Well, I’m not.