FROM STREETS TO SUITES

Flower Boy.

"Rowena," he whispered her name, wishing that he could take off the doll head, and reveal himself.

He could, of course, but won't that only make him feel embarrassed?

She knew about his multiple part-time jobs, but she didn't think he would be working in the amusement park. If she had known, maybe she would have taken her engagement party to somewhere else.

He could not move an inch. He was too shocked to even stretch his hand to give her the flower.

Seeing that he was reluctant to hand it over, she yanked it from his hands, and turned away, focusing her attention on the man.

If only she knew who was holding her flowers...

"Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" The crowd that stood to watch them chorused in eagerness.

The man smiled, and pulled her closer to himself. He leaned forward, closing his eyes, as he planted a kiss on her lips.

Right in front of Harrison, his girlfriend was kissing another man so passionately without a care in the world.

He looked down at himself. Still in his bear doll costume, he felt like a clown.

Here he was, working so hard to make his girlfriend happy, meanwhile, she had dumped him for someone better off.

He wondered why she could not break up with him if she was tired. Why did she have to make him feel stupid?

"Aw! They are so cute!"

"She is lucky to have him as her man. Look how rich he is!" Another commented, taking a picture of them.

As Harrison turned to leave, the man called him back.

"Hey, clown!" He yelled.

Harrison didn't budge. He kept on moving.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

He finally stopped and turned back. The man took out his phone and handed it over to Harrison.

"Take a few pictures of us," he instructed, without any form of politeness.

Harrison was reluctant to take it, however, he did.

He glanced at Rowena, who was smiling all through, like a child who was given ice cream.

It hurt him as he took pictures of them. This was supposed to be the both of them.

He had everything planned out, including the venue. All he needed to do was get a ring.

A laugh escaped his lips. A painful laughter. Truly, it was a curse to be poor. Whatever you owned was just temporary. It could be taken away from you in a blink of an eye.

The man was indeed wealthy, and could afford the life that she wanted. The life of materiality.

It made him wonder how long she had been with him. She couldn't have known him recently, could she?

A tear dropped down his cheeks, but no one could suspect that he was in pain.

Of course, it was hot inside, as the costume was heavy. Anyone would think that he was sweating.

Who would even notice, when he was still putting on the costume? He had to shed his tears alone.

It wasn't like anyone would pay attention to him, anyway. He was just a clown in their eyes. A joke and an entertainer. Other than this, nobody actually cared.

They all cheered the newest couple, making him feel like he didn't even exist in their midst.

The man pulled the lady into an embrace, the two of them were smiling widely. This made Harrison step back a little, wondering if she was ever happy with him.

He hadn't seen her smile so widely for the past few years he had been with her.

Why then was she with him? Why didn't she break up with him?

He watched them walk away, with their hands entwined.

In a split of seconds, the man picked her up in a princess style, taking her unawares. She swung her hands over his neck, looking closely at him with a smile on her face.

Everyone screamed, applauding him for how romantic he was, wishing that they had a man as him.

Some of the single ladies there wished they were in her shoes. They surrounded them, walking behind them until they got to the car.

He slowly put her down, helping her get into the car. It looked like the scene where the Prince wanted to take his princess home.

The man turned to the people that followed, and announced, "there are free foods and drinks for everyone at the restaurant downtown. Eat and drink whatever you want!"

His announcement earned him admiration and respect. There was only one restaurant downtown, and it was quite expensive.

"If we all go to the restaurant downtown, where will you go, sir?" Someone shouted from the crowd, causing everyone to turn to the man, curiously waiting for his response.

Although they knew his answer, they wanted to hear it from him.

A mischievous smile crept up his face, as he glanced at her. "I will take her to the most expensive hotel, and spend the night with her, eating her nice meal."

"Oh, my! That lady is so lucky to have a romantic bad boy as her husband," someone from the crowd said, feeling dreamy.

Of course, there was another meaning to what he had said, and the people around quickly understood what he meant.

They bursted into laughter, cheering him for his courage, while Rowena secretly blushed.

Harrison felt like he didn't even exist at all. He watched the whole scenario, and to him, it was like a film.

He wanted to believe that that was not his girlfriend in that car. He wished that he could wake up from this dream that seemed so real.

Didn't she say she was busy with a lot of work? Was this the project she was handling?

What happened to the promises they made some time ago? Didn't she promise to wait for him to become rich? Was she that impatient to have dumped him this way?

He pulled off the doll head, and stared at her direction with pain visible in his eyes. As she smiled at everyone, she caught a glimpse of him at the corner.

She was shocked to see him there. She looked down at his outfit, and realized that he was the one who gave her the flowers.

She could not say a word or do anything, other than stare at him in shock and sympathy.

Tears welled up his eyes, as he watched the car retract from his sight.

The manager walked up to him, waking him up from his thoughts.

"Hey, wake up!" He said, tapping his shoulder. "Rather than stand here watching them, work your ass harder. Maybe, just maybe, people will gather to watch you."

He brought out an envelope, "here. This is your pay." He tossed the money to him, and walked away.

If only they knew…