The Bodyguard
The soft knock interrupted my reading.
My long-time helper, Khun Nid, came in and announced that we have a visitor.
“I’ll be right there,” I logged out of the computer and followed her outside.
When I came downstairs, the woman didn’t see me right away.
She was bending down inhaling the candle that was by the window.
The brightness in the room was a stark contrast to how gloomy everything about her was -- from the dark suit, the black leather boots, to the long hair that was held together with a black elastic tie .
I cleared my throat.
If was only then when she straightened and turned around to face me.
I was not prepared for what I was about to see.
This woman before me with the long dark hair, clear skin and the thoughtful look in her eyes is my bodyguard?
But it wasn’t the physical features that gave me pause.
It was the fact that she looked exactly like my ex.
But instead of saying something about that, I put on a neutral expression to hide my confusion.
There was an urgent matter at hand.
“You’re my bodyguard?”
“Ai-oon Insamug,” She held out her hand, unsmiling.
Well, I’ll be damned.
Same face, same last name.
What are the odds?
“Metavee.”
Her handshake was firm, businesslike.
“Would you like anything to drink?”
“No, Ma’am.”
“Is there anything I need to know about this...arrangement?”
“All you need to know is I’m here to protect you. 24/7. Ma’am.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I don’t joke about these things.”
“Just to let you know Miss Insamug,”
“You can drop the Miss. I am at your service.”
“How about I call you Ai instead? Is that acceptable?”
“You’re the client. You can call me anything you want.”
I stared at the woman who has never smiled since she got here.
There was a stiffness in the way she carried herself as if everything about her was methodical and calculated.
But it was the look in her eyes that was intriguing.
Behind the cold facade,I sensed something different.
Something itching to come out and run wild.
“Ma’am, you were saying?” She interrupted my thoughts.
“What?”
“You were telling me something.”
“Oh. Yes. You said you will protect me 24/7?”
“That’s part of the contract, Ma’am.”
“Could you drop the formality?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
I glared and but she was unaffected by my annoyance.
“You don’t have to call me that. I’m guessing we're around the same age.”
“I don’t know but I will try not to address you as such.”
“This was my cousin’s idea. I didn’t really need a bodyguard.”
“If you don’t need me then what am I doing here?”
“Like what I said, this was my cousin’s idea.”
“Should I tell my boss my services are not required?”
“No.”
“I’m confused.”
“I’m sure your boss briefed you on what happened to me.”
“He did and I saw it in the news too.”
“Good. Then I don’t have to explain anything.”
“But you said you didn’t need a bodyguard. Why was I hired then?”
“I only agreed to do this for the peace of mind of the people around me.”
“But not for your own sake?”
“No.”
The frown got deeper and deeper.
I didn’t care to explain.
“You’re here now so might as well make the most of this arrangement.”
She looked completely lost.
“I’m going to the office. Wait here. I’ll get ready.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
I didn’t bother correcting her this time.
If it was from her training or a job requirement, I should get used to it.
Inside my bedroom, I wrestled with the idea of whether to call Oom.
We broke up months ago.
But meeting Ai-oon and seeing how similar they looked was a complete shock to me.
This couldn’t be dismissed as a mere coincidence.
Except for the mole on Ai’s face, everything was the same -- the eyes, the nose, the lips.
But what exactly is my goal here?
We no longer talk to each other.
Whether she had a twin or not was not my concern.
But my curiosity wouldn’t let my mind rest.
When Oom and I were dating, she mentioned she has an older sister.
But when I asked if I could meet her, she quickly changed the subject.
Oom was tight-lipped about her personal life as if talking about it was more of a burden than a release.
She never really told me a lot of things.
Even if I asked questions, her answers were spare.
We argued a lot about how closed-off she was.
Oom knew things about me because I shared details of my life with her.
She knew about my contentious relationship with my father and my mother who never stood up for us.
Despite that, sharing was not enough to encourage her to be more open.
It intensified my curiosity but it was also the fastest way to make her upset.
The secrets she kept and her unwillingness to tell me about herself made me feel unimportant.
If I wanted to, I could hire a detective to investigate but that would be going too far.
Oom didn’t trust me enough to tell me things.
Do I want to earn her ire more by doing something behind her back even if it was under the guise of protecting myself?
I pulled up the call history on my phone and saw that the last one I made was two months ago.
Oom left a voicemail about returning the stuff I gave her.
The message made me sad because I didn’t ask her to return my gifts.
She didn’t need to.
But I understood why she wanted to do that.
She was purging me from her existence by getting rid of anything tangible that reminds her of me.
I called back but she didn’t pick up.
My finger hovered on the screen and I stared at it for a while.
I asked myself again why I wanted to know if she has a twin.
Was it because of what happened in the past?
Years ago, I met someone at the planetarium.
The name on the uniform was Oab-oom Insamug.
I fell in love at first sight with that person.
That’s what caused all this confusion on my part.
I was about to give up on the idea when a loud knock on the door startled me.
I accidentally pressed the button and called Oom.
“Shit,” I quickly ended the call.
“Ma’am, is everything alright?” Ai asked behind the door.
“Yes.”
She really takes her job seriously.
I didn’t expect her to follow me upstairs.
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Okay.”
I didn’t hear any footsteps in the hallway so I opened the door.
She was standing in front of it.
“You can wait downstairs. You don’t need to stay here.”
“It’s part of my job.”
“To follow me everywhere?”
“To make sure you’re safe.”
“This is unnecessary.”
“You can never be too careful.”
“Are you going to follow me in the bathroom too?”
“Only if you ask me to.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that but has it happened to you?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting. Tell me more.”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss.”
“Suit yourself,” I closed the door in her face.
I leaned with my back against the wall, heart beating fast, my mind going a hundred miles an hour.
Being face to face with Ai-oon was unnerving.
Was it really Oom I met at the planetarium all those years ago?
If it wasn’t her, then the answer was outside the door.
But how come she doesn’t seem to remember?
She didn’t look shock as I was when she met me.
There was nothing on her face that registered confusion or familiarity.
Did that day meant nothing to Ai-oon?
Am I that easy to forget?
How come it wasn’t the case with me?
I remembered that day as if it was just yesterday.
The memory of meeting my first love, the one I fell in love at first sight, I kept protected in my heart.
I never allowed anyone to get close, not even Oom.
Perhaps she felt how despite being together for years, I have never given myself to her completely.
Was it because I would meet Ai-oon one day?
The one I truly love?
A knock broke my train of thought.
“Ma’am, are you really okay?”
“Yes.”
With a frustrated grunt, I went straight to the bathroom to get ready.
If I was right that Ai-oon was the girl I met at the planetarium, I have to find out.
I wouldn’t be able to rest if I don’t get the answer I needed.