Chapter 20
What will be the most difficult thing you will do for the one you now love?
For some, it would be to forget about the past relationships that they had gone through.
No matter what went wrong, what happened between the two of you earlier, you will still somehow remember the person deep inside your heart?
Most of them will admit that we still think of the pervious person that we once shared.
It could be a song both of us used to sing in karaoke.
It could be a movie both of us shed our tears to.
It could even be a path or place we used to go.
The smallest of all memories that unfolds itself slowly through the deep emotions inside you.
Sometimes we are angry with our current partners for remembering their ex. Once the jealousy starts, it never ends.
But have we ever asked ourselves why we can’t forget about them?
I did not forget about her, that someone who used to share my life with. I remember what I did that angered her, what I did that made her very happy. I remember all the arguments we ever had and all the tears she shed for me.
I remember all these so that I can treat my current girl all the corrected thoughts and feelings.
People once told me “To live is to first learn to love. You will only know about life when you start to love.”
I find it only half true.
I would believe “To live is to first dare to love, then experience the heartache of losing it and finally finding the courage to love correctly again.”
Only then you will know what love and life is all about.
The plane departed Shanghai on a Sunday afternoon. Christine was again sleeping on the plane and Mark had to be contented with the entertainment system again.
He had always wanted to know how Christine is able to sleep on the plane. Little did he knew this time Christine wasn’t sleeping. She was only avoiding him.
The plane arrival at Changi Terminal 1 on Sunday night.
Mark and Christine parted their ways at the airport, as both parents were there to fetch them. As both of them walked out of the arrival hall, Mark had to pretend he didn’t know Christine at all to avoid her father.
Mark did get an eyeful of her father as Christine hugged him.
He was glad he didn’t walked out together with her based on her father’s physical build.
Once reached home, Mark and had a good bath and dinner before unpacking his luggage.
As he separates out all the dirty laundry, Mark found a uniquely looking pen inside.
“Wow... that looks expensive. I wonder whose pen is it. Maybe Chris? Nah.. Shouldn’t be. It certainly looks like a men’s pen to me. Maybe it’s Zhong Liang or Wenbin’s”
Mark thought for a moment relating to his China counterparts.
“Whatever! Finders’ Keepers!” That was the only conclusion drawn on his mind as he kept his pen in the drawer.
Mark was drained from the flight then he went to bed immediately after unpack his stuffs.
As he lay down on his bed, Mark is sure looking forward to tomorrow.
Not because that he loved to go to work but having the chance to see Jade again.
The night was quiet as his sweet dreams blossoms.
Morning came and Mark was all ready to go out after having breakfast. He had time his move very precise so as to be able to see Jade on the train.
It seemed rather childish to some people that Mark HAD her phone numbers, he could simply dial her up and ask to meet up.
But he didn’t. He wanted to play a game.
To Mark, this was call the game of destiny.
To find someone in the crowds, without the aid of anything, anyone. Just purely analytical sense and luck.
Maybe this is what fate is all about.
Finding the right person at the right time.
This was how he founded his first girlfriend, Jade.
He had never play this game since.
But when he reached the MRT station, Mark had decision to make.
It was as if the simplest decision he had to make.
A simple choice that stands at fifty-fifty chance.
But Front or Back cabin?
Mark stood at the middle of the platform with deep thoughts analyzing the situation.
The last time he saw her, she was in the front cabin. However he did not see her the very day.
“Could she went back to the back cabin since we already settled our differences?”
Before Mark could make up his decision, the train arrived at the platform. As it was the timing of the train Jade would usually take, Mark had to hop onto the train to make up his mind again.
Mark was squeezed and pushed by the fellow commuters to the inner portion of the cabin. As it was rather jammed at the early peak hours, it was near impossible for him to move.
A earlier determined Mark had to give up for the day. He just looked out of the window as the train continued its journey.
“Maybe we are not fated at all.”
His thoughts began to stagnant before he heard a voice behind him.
“So… we meet again? Hee hee”
The voice was crystal clear and sends waves of excitement through the spines of Mark. It was the voice he had shared long conversations with and longing to hear again.
Mark turned around to look for the source but he looked in vain. There was nowhere that he could see her.
“Here lah…”
The owner of the voice waved at Mark, she was sitting just beside him as he stood.
“Jade? Hey!”
Mark got a pleasant shock as he finally locates her.
Jade had her spectacles removed and put on light makeup. Whatever triggered the transformation didn’t matter. What matter most was the outcome.
Jade looked really glorious without her specs.
Gone was her usual long sleeves and blouse office style ‘uniform’.
Instead a low cut floral dress fitted right through her curvy figure.
It was not as amazing like the ‘ugly duckling tale’ as Jade didn’t looked that bad in the beginning. It was really more towards those pretty girl-next-door transform into a highly impressive socialite kind of scene.
Jade was definitely more feminine than before and Mark looked at her from a different prospective.
As his mouth opened, all that he could ever say out was
“Wow…”
Jade looked at the stunned Mark.
“Do I looked that bad? It took me a lot of courage to start wearing this you know.”
Jade started to adjust her dress.
“No.. you look great.. really. I’m totally speechless.”
Mark literally mouth-watered.
“Well.. looks like we are fated to meet again.”
Jade smiled. She looked exceptionally sweet this time.
“Yup.. how come you are in the middle of the train? You should be at the last cabin as usual?”
“Well, my card ran out of money so I have to top up. Then the train arrived when I reached the platform, so I just board in the middle.”
Jade shrugged.
“That’s really great!~”
Mark couldn’t believe how lucky he felt.
If her card was fully topped or he chose either end of train, both of them would not have met.
The two of them paused for a moment before Mark continued.
“So how are you?”
Mark started the usual round of talks as he did not where to start again.
“I’m fine, your soup really helped. You gotta teach me how to cook them one day.”
“Why not this weekend?”
Mark just blurted out.
“Hmmmm… I have to confirm with you again. It’s still too early to say mah. Maybe there are other guys who wanna date me too?”
Jade winked.
“Oh ok… we’ll see how again.”
The tone of his voice brought out the disappointment in him.
“Anyway, you’ve got my numbers right? You can always sms me nearing weekend.”
Jade relight his hopes one more.
Time passed too quickly when you least expected. The train arrived at Yishun at the rate that Mark could not accept. He wanted to continue the journey to Raffles Place but he hesitated.
It was Monday morning and his boss needs to have a meeting with him and Christine to discuss about last weekend’s presentation and follow up on the responses.
“Hey.. I got to alight.”
“Yeah.. you have a great day ahead ok?”
“Alright, bye…”
Mark bid farewell before pulling himself out of the train before the door closes. The route to office from the train station seemed longer than the train journey.
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Mark was the first to reach the office. The quietness of being alone was disturbed with the voice of a fully charged soul.
“Dude! My brother! Congrats on your presentation!”
Shaun opened up his arms and shouted the front door as he enters.
“Hey man! Thanks”
“So.. did you.. and Chris… erhm.. you know .. you know..”
Shaun was elbowing him as he bitched.
“What? What do you want to ask?”
Mark shot back.
“Well… only a blind person won’t know she carries a torch for you. Didn’t the two you have a good time at Shanghai?”
“Yeah.. we spent through midnight!”
“WICKED!!!”
“Shut up Shaun, we were only rushing through the presentation.”
“Chey!! Spoiler! Boring bastard.”
“Hi guys, good morning! I’ve bought breakfast for everyone.”
Christine entered the office.
“Oh hiya Missy Tan. Oh my… you smell damn nice”
Shaun breathed her up as she walked past.
Christine stepped on his foot as she placed his breakfast on his table.
“Of course it’s nice. It’s Gucci.”
“Morning Mark.”
Christine placed his share too.
The three of them then spend the rest of the morning clearing up the unread emails.
Boss had initiated a debrief at 1100hr.
“Mark and Chris, both of you had done a great job. I have receive various compliments from Sales side and our China counterparts. Even our MD looks forward to an aggressive sales after your performance.”
“Thanks Mr. Lee, for the chance”
Mark replied.
“Keep up the good work both of you, and take the rest of the day off. You must be tired from the flight yesterday. See you tomorrow.”
“So where are you heading?”
Mark asked Christine as both of them went out of their boss’s office.
“I need to go for a spa treatment, I initially wanted to take half day but since he gave us time off.. better still.”
“Alright, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
Mark bid goodbye to Christine and Shaun.
As it was still early, Mark decided to take his lunch at the café where Sharon works. It had been awhile since the last time he saw her.
A stranger greeted Mark when he reached the café.
Apparently there was no sign of Sharon at the café at all as Mark scanned around.
After taking his lunch, he approached a staff at the café.
“Excuse me, is Sharon on leave today?”
The staff looked at Mark strangely.
“Sir, you didn’t know?”
“What?”
“Sharon no longer works here, in fact she had been missing for a week already, there was a newspaper report of her case few days ago but since then there was no news of her.”
[To be Cont]
