Chapter 7
What does it matters to you when you realize you’ve lost your mobile phone one day?
The value of the phone which you’ve saved so hard to buy?
The sentimental value of the phone which was bought by someone special?
The pictures inside the phone which you failed to back up?
The long list of contacts inside your phonebook which you failed to remember all?
Whatever it may be, there will always a reason to be sad over the things that you’ve lost.
I have a friend who came to me feeling disgusted over the lost of his mobile phone. I asked him what the reason was that he was so sad about.
He replied that he was mad because of the long list of contacts inside his phonebook.
I laughed at him and ask him why he didn’t write it down somewhere like the good old days where mobile phone wasn’t affordable.
“It’s so troublesome…”
he replied.
“Didn’t we use to remember each other’s home number by hard last time? Has Technology crippled your memorizing power?”
I questioned to his silence.
I decided to rub it further to his wound.
“So how many of contacts you have in your phonebook?”
“A few hundreds... from secondary school friends, army friends, school mates, ex-colleagues and current colleagues.”
He replied feeling a sense of accomplishment on his network.
“When was the last time you’ve called all of them?”
That accomplishment look suddenly turned into frown.
He tried not to answer me but it was all clear, he hardly called anyone.
“So what does it means to you that you’ve lost their contacts since you won’t call them up anyway?”
He looked back at me feeling lost.
“If they are your true friends, then they will call you one day won’t they?”
He nodded and didn’t complain a word since.
Let me challenge you to a mini-game on your mobile phone.
First, think of a number between 1 to maybe 150.
Key the number you want and press ‘#’ then call.
(This should work on Nokia/SonyEricsson phone but others phone need to verify)
This will route to the SIM Card slot in your SIM Card memory and by chance you won’t know who it is.
Once you made the dial, don’t hang up but talk to the person who answered the phone. The person could be someone whom you’ve just waved goodbye or someone you’ve never spoken for a few years.
Talk and tell him/her about your life and this little mobile game which you’ve learned.
Most importantly… tell him/her
“You’ll always be a good friend of him/hers in years to come!”
The night was hot & humid as two person sat across the bed with back facing each other… It had been a long time since the two last talked to each other. Finally the wife couldn’t hold the cold war any longer.
“David… Let’s end this altogether shall we?”
There was no response from the guy who stood up and walked towards a book shelve.
“How long do you think I can endure this?”
The woman raised her voice across the room.
The man took out a book and went back to the bed totally ignoring the woman’s plead.
“Ok David, I give up I give up… Yes…I admit… I admit I’m seeing someone outside.”
The woman covered her face shamefully.
“But it’s all because you are always working and working and neglecting me!”
The man flipped open the book which was an album containing several photos of the two of them together.
Finally the husband laid his eyes on his once beloved wife.
“So… What do you expect me to say?”
The man finally spoke as he cleared his throat.
“I…. I don’t know…”
“The man whom you mention…. His name’s Jason?”
The man continued flipping the album.
“How… did…you?”
The woman was totally speechless.
The man let out a big sigh.
“Hmmm…. Even though I’m a workaholic, there are things which can’t escape my observations & instinct.”
“Please….”
The woman plead with her redden eyes.
“You know, you used to be a very pretty lady. I believe the charm didn’t dessert you after all these years after all.”
The man closed the album.
“Please don’t let our girl know, I beg you.”
The woman cling her hands onto him.
“I ought to be very angry, you know. But somehow I didn’t, in fact I finally found the answer I’m searching so for long. Didn’t our oath mean anything to you fifteen years ago?”
The woman didn’t answer.
“What else do you think we are going to tell Janet? That her mother ran away with another man?”
“NO! Please! Don’t! My daughter will hate me.”
The woman couldn’t bear her emotions any further.
“Go as far as you can, I don’t want to see you and him in my life ever again.”
The man stood up and walked out of the room.
And so the oath that once made by a lovely couple ended in a bitter divorce. The legal issues took a few months to sort out and Janet only knew of it on the day of custody settlement.
David won the custody of Janet as Margaret didn’t fight for it.
“I hate you! You monster! You drove Mummy away!”
Janet cursed at her father the day after the settlement.
“If you think it’s my fault then so be it but this is no way to speak to your father.”
David replied with a tight slap on her tender cheek.
“You Jerk! I will remember this day!!! I’ll curse you everyday!!”
Janet wailed as she was pulled back to her father’s car.
Margaret stood afar as she watched her daughter kicking and beating her father.
“I’m sorry Janet….”
A drop of tear edged from the corner of her eye.
“Don’t worry; we’ll live a new life from today onwards.”
A pair of hands wrapped round her waist and accompanied her walking different directions from David’s car.
The dark clouds came and covered the surrounding space. Within moments, rain came and poured from the sky. Lightning and thunder completed the beginning of a long downpour.
The room was quiet except for the beeping sound of the medical devices and the rain outside.
“It’s been exactly one year already…”
Janet looked at the thunderstorm outside.
Few hours had past since Janet’s father was rushed to the hospital. He was revived by the doctors in the nick of time and had passed through the critical stages. He was then transferred to a single ward but not waken up.
“One year to what?”
Edwin suddenly felt curious as he sat patiently by the chair.
“One year since my mum left me…”
“Oh….”
Edwin paused for a long moment as he looked at Janet staring at the window.
“Janet?”
“Yeah?”
Janet didn’t turn her head towards him.
“Why do you hate your father so much?”
Edwin asked.
“Huh? Why I hate him? Because he tore us up. That’s why.”
“If your mother loved him that much, why would she leave him because of his workaholic habits?”
Edwin’s question shot through the cold air like a stinging arrow. It swirled and pierced Janet’s heart completely.
Janet turned and stared blankly at Edwin.
“Why…. I don’t know…”
“Did you ever ask your father?”
Janet shook her head.
“Why don’t you ask him? Maybe there’s more than that? I don’t know…”
“Win, would you leave your wife because of her bad habits one day?”
Edwin thought deep before he answered.
“I guess I won’t. I always thought loving someone is accepting her most original self? But if she does something which I don’t like, I will let her know. I will give her time to change and I will wait but I’ll never leave her because of that…That’s just me…”
Their conversation was interrupted with a coughing sound from the background. Janet went outside to get a nurse to verify her father’s condition leaving Edwin in the room.
Her father stared at him.
“What’s your name? *Cough Cough*”
“Ehh… Hello Uncle, My name is Edwin…”
Edwin replied shyly.
“Edwin, you are a very smart boy.”
Her father’s stared broke loose with a smile on his face.
“I’m sorry Uncle… I don’t get you.”
“I didn’t expect someone at your age will ask Janet that question on why her mother would leave me because of my workaholic habit. *Cough, cough* properly she is too immature to understand what happen between me and her mother.”
“Uncle, you heard our conversation just now?”
Her father nodded.
“Yeah… I had a dream. A dream about our bitter divorce and when I woke up, I heard you asking that question. *cough*”
“Uncle, you just woke up… you should not talk so much.”
A doc and few nurses came and examine Janet’s father as Edwin was retreated to a corner. He saw the look of her worried face and let out a smile from the corner.
“So how is he?”
Janet asked the doctor.
“Don’t worry, he should be fine. We will arrange for more scans tomorrow. He will have to be warded for a few days for observations.”
The rain had started to stop as the frown on her face was finally wiped off.
“Win, I need to go home and bring him some of his clothes. Can you accompany me?”
Janet walked out of the room before Edwin could answer. Edwin looked at her father before he went out and both of them smile at each other.
It was nearly nine when Janet finally settled the necessity for her father in ward. She decided to stay over at her friend’s place since her father was unable to restrict her movements.
“Win, I give you a lift back?”
Janet asked as both of them walked out of the hospital.
“It’s ok, we are going different directions. It’s still early; I can take the bus and train.”
Edwin rejected the offer.
“Thanks Edwin, I won’t know what to do today if you won’t there for me.”
Janet suddenly jumped up and gave him a tight hug.
Edwin’s face was completely blushed and his heartbeat nearly stopped.
*Thanks… for asking that question…*
“Huh?”
Edwin suddenly froze.
Janet let go and looked at him.
“What? Aiyo! Why your face so red???”
Edwin held his cheek and tried to hide the fact of his blushes.
Janet couldn’t hide her amusement and let go of her laughter.
“Edwin… you never been hugged by a girl before?”
Edwin lowered his head and shook.
Janet stood up and walked towards him.
“You are so cute! Come; let me give you another hug…”
Edwin tried to dodge but was still caught by her.
“This is for helping me in my Math Test. Thanks!”
The two of them stood there for a few minutes until her ringing phone broke the ordeal. Edwin sent her back on a cab before he walked towards the bus stop.
The clock chimes strung eleven times when Edwin opened the door. His father was reading the Chinese newspaper.
“Pa… you still awake? Waiting for me? I’m sorry.”
Edwin was guilty that it was way past his normal curfew.
His father put down the newspaper and smiled.
“It’s ok, as long as I see you back. I won’t mind waiting. You had dinner?”
“Dinner? Oh no!!! We never even had our dinner yet!”
Edwin then felt his stomach trembled.
“What happened huh? Let me cook something for you. You go take a shower first.”
Edwin was half eating his noodles and half trying to explain the whole day event to his father.
His father just sat beside him and smile.
“Pa?”
Edwin stopped munching his noodles.
“Yeah?”
“You think Ah Ma will leave you because we are poor?”
“Of course not!”
His father defended.
“Why not?”
“Because we are poor in the beginning! If she would leave me, why would she marry to me in the first place?”
“That’s what I think too!”
“Silly boy, quickly finish up your noodles and go to bed! It’s nearly midnight.”
-----------------------------
It was eleven on the taxi when Janet reached Jolynn’s void deck.
“Damn... I think I brought too much stuffs”
Janet ranted as she carried a sling bag and another hand held as she waited for the lift.
“Janet?”
Janet heard a voice and tried to find the source…
“Adrian?”
“Yeah…. It’s me…”
[To be Cont]
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