Chapter 9

“That's it, I'm calling the doctor.” Tim declared, throwing his hands in the air as he headed for the exit. “It's obvious that the allergy episode went as far as knocking your brains out this time.” He muttered as he walked.

“C’mon Tim.” Dylan intercepted him. “You should have seen her. I'm sure you'd agree with me that she is the most beautiful person you'd ever see.” Dylan's excitement lingered and so did Tim's irritation.

“You must know that I have never been this enchanted by a woman ever since you know who.” Dylan rolled his eyes for a brief moment, expressing the disgust that accompanied the memory of his ex-girlfriend, Naya.

Tim paused for a moment, his gaze locked onto Dylan's. He could see the seriousness and assertiveness in Dylan's eyes. And truth be told, it has been a long time since Dylan ever brought up the name of a woman, much less been interested in one. Whoever this mystery lady was, she must be special to have made his friend and business partner go loco.

Willing to go with the flow and find out more about this woman Dylan spoke of, Tim resorted to leaving his reservations aside and probing further about the mystery lady. 

“I do admit that I haven't seen you this…..excited in a long time,” Tim admitted. “However, you are yet to put a name to the face of your….do I call her your knight in shining armor? Because she came to your rescue at a desperate time of need.” Tim smirked, pleased with his choice of words and sarcastic comment. 

“About that…” Dylan hesitated, “I do not know her name. I only remember her face.” His face sank as he said the words.

Tim's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and disbelief. It was appalling to think that Dylan had been going on and on about some woman whose name he did not know. The irony!

Dylan was quick to notice the disappointed expression on Tim's face and had to remedy the situation somehow. “I was between life and death at the time. There was certainly no way I could have gotten her name.” 

Tim's expression softened. Dylan's words did make sense after all and he hadn't thought of the possibility of that. “That is true.” Tim agreed.

“But I'm sure you'll get over her soon.” Tim added, patting Dylan's shoulder. 

“Her face is already imprinted in my mind. Forgetting her is not an option.” Dylan grinned.

“You must be joking.” Tim chuckled, staring at Dylan whose expression remained unfaltering. “So what do you intend to do? Go around the entire city in search of your Cinderella?” Tim's voice was serious now and sarcastic.

“If I have to, I will.”

Tim opened his mouth to speak but could not find the words. It was absolutely useless to try and argue with Dylan. Once his mind is set to achieve something, he does not relent until he gets what he wants. 

“Go ahead. It's not like you'll listen if I tell you otherwise.” Tim said in dismissal, frustration dripping from his voice.

“I'll go inform the doctor that you're awake so you can get discharged now.” Tim pats Dylan's shoulder in a defeated manner. “Good luck with your mystery woman. I'm heading back home.”

Dylan bid his friend goodbye as he watched Tim leave. He then falls on the couch, mapping out possible ways to locate the woman who had succeeded in capturing his heart.

***

The very next morning, Dylan set off on his mission to find the woman who had saved him. His best bet was to return to the bakery shop where the incident had occurred the day before. The Paramedics were no help in identifying who she was. In their defense, she hadn’t given her name and they did not bother to inquire any further since she was not a relative of his.

Dylan entered the shop, heading straight for the counter. One of the sales attendants immediately recognized him as the customer who had an episode the day before and hurried off to call their manager. 

“Good morning sir. My name is Brian. I’m the manager here.” greeted the middle-aged man, the manager of the bakery. His voice was polite but tense. The staff exchanged nervous glances, watching the interactions between both men closely, worried that Dylan had returned to claim damages for the incident yesterday.   

“Good morning.” Dylan replied, his tone calm “I’m here to….”

“I am aware of what happened to you here at our shop yesterday and I’d like to offer my sincere apologies to you sir.” Brian interrupted, his head lowered in a gesture of shame and remorse. “I can understand if you want to sue us for damages. We are more than willing to compensate you however you want.”

Dylan stared at him for a brief moment, speechless. He had not expected this level of concern, nor had it crossed his mind to hold them accountable. The tension in Brian’s voice and the hurdled-up staff staring at him finally made sense, but suing the bakery was by far the last thing on his mind. 

“I do not wish to do any of that.” Dylan replied. Brian’s head shot up abruptly, confusion evident in his eyes.

“If you’re not here for that, then maybe you’re here to order something?” Brian asked, curiously. 

“No, I’m not,” Dylan said, shaking his head slightly. “I’m looking for someone,” He added, glancing between Brian and the staff. “There was a woman who had approached my table during the episode and helped me.”  

Dylan went on to describe what she looked like, asking if any of them had noticed her but neither one of them could recall anyone fitting the description. Just as he was about to give up, the beautiful black attendant from the day before spoke up, breaking the silence. 

“I do recall seeing her. I took her order yesterday.” She said, and Dylan’s face lit up with hope.

“But,” she continued, “we only keep records of customers who ordered takeout. Online customers.”

Dylan’s heart sank on hearing that. Without her name or any details, finding her was going to be a lot harder than he thought. 

Meanwhile, Ivy could not get over the sweet aroma that greeted her nostrils when she had first walked into the bakery. She had not gotten the chance to enjoy her lunch due to the chaos of that evening. And though Juan had gone out of his way to restock groceries, she craved a bite of those sweet pastries before heading off to the hell hole she works at. Hopefully, this time, she would not need to play hero again.