by J. A. Delese
He started to tell the story, and she gave her full attention to him with big eyes.
“And then?”
“I went over to your apartment to see you. You were about to cry when you saw me. I hugged you, and we kissed.”
“Oh…that’s romantic. Was it summer?”
“Yes, it was.”
“I think I remember it!” she shouted.
“Really?” he asked and frowned.
“No, not really. I think I just imagined,” she said timidly.
He hugged her tightly again and whispered into her ear with his nice voice.
“No need to try so hard to remember what’s passed. What’s more important is that we are together now, we love each other now, and we are going to be together for the rest of our lives.”
Tom
“It’s so beautiful!” she said.
She looked around and kept saying how much she loved his home.
“You know the small apartment in New York. Compared to that one, this is like a palace!” she almost shouted.
“Yes, I remember,” he answered, smiling.
He remembered the apartment she rented in New York. The first and the last time he visited there, he saw her wearing a sexy slip, waiting for a guy. Candles and rose petals were spread all over the house. That memory wiped his smile from his face.
“Tom?”
Her sweet voice called his name.
“Yes?”
“Don’t be daydreaming! Show me other rooms!”
She dragged him to the other rooms, but actually, he didn’t really know much about this place. Right before she was discharged from the hospital, he bought this condo. He thought she might remember things quickly if she went back to the house they stayed together in before, and that was the last thing he wanted now. So, he quickly found another place where they could start all over again. This condo was smaller than his previous home and didn’t have a nice view, but at least it didn’t have stairs.
“Wow! You have so many books!” she said as she entered the study.
“Have you read all of them?” she asked.
“No,” he answered simply
“What?”
She started to laugh. Tom felt it must be the first time for him to hear her laughter.
“Then you just bought them to show off?” she asked as if she couldn’t understand him at all.
“Usually the interior designers buy them for you,” he explained.
“Wow…that’s such waste of money,” she giggled.
“It’s not! Sometimes I read books when I’m free!”
“You mean, you read this?”
She showed a book to him. It said Ulysses on the cover.
Come on. Why do you always choose that one?
He remembered the last time she was reading that book. He yelled at her and told her not to read his books. He felt guilty again at that memory.
“I heard this book is very difficult to read,” she said.
“It is. I gave up halfway.”
“Can I read your books? I like reading books!”
“Of course. You don’t need to ask,” he said and held her in his arms. “Everything’s yours.”
She smiled at that. He felt like he had been blessed to see her smile so often. He was about to kiss her, but they heard a sound from outside the study.
“What is it?” she asked. “Someone’s here?”
“I guess Susan’s back,” he said simply.
“What do you mean? Who is Susan?”
“The housekeeper.”
“Oh! We have a housekeeper! Do I know her?”
“Yes. You have known her for a while.”
“That’s great!” she said cheerfully and walked quickly out of the room. He followed her to the living room, where Catherine was already saying hello to Susan.
Didn’t know she had this much energy, he laughed in his head.
“Hello. Glad to see you again, Susan,” she greeted Susan happily, but Susan was just looking at her. He already told Susan what happened and even asked her to act as normal as she could, but she looked very embarrassed. He gave a sign with his eyes to Susan, and then, she showed Catherine a smile. Catherine, however, seemed to still feel strange about Susan, so he whispered into her ear that Susan couldn’t talk.
“I see,” she whispered back.
During dinner, he told her she could decorate the condo however she wanted, and she was quite excited about it. He thought this was way too easy—way easier than it was supposed to be. Just like that, she was happy, and just like that, he was also happy. Really, just like that, they were happy. Whenever he came back home, she welcomed him with her sweet smile, and they spent the evening together watching TV or playing chess.
She was good at playing chess. She said it was much easier than go. He asked her to teach him how to play go and she tried, but he gave up eventually. She was right. It was more difficult than chess.
“I think you can be a professional.” He said seeing her playing, but she shook her head slowly.
“I’m not good at all. You should see the real professionals. They are amazing.”
“You are already amazing enough to me.”
“You know, when I was young, my father scolded me and even hit me, if I didn’t win in the matches. Maybe that’s why I’m playing well now.” She said sarcastically and even laughed a little about it, but it wasn’t funny to him at all. He laid his hand gently over hers on the go board.
“I’m glad that he doesn’t need to face. I’m sure I would make him pay for what he had done to you.”
He said firmly, but she just smiled. She crossed the table and sat beside him. She hugged him tighter with her arms.
“I love you.” She said shyly and he held her tighter to his chest.
“I love you more.”, he said.
He felt he became more energetic and healthier. For the past two months when he had stayed alone in that big house, he felt empty and lonely. He had nightmares every time he fell asleep. Now, he didn’t dream anymore. He didn’t feel empty anymore. He thought it was a miracle. He thought that it was impossible to live like this again. He prayed to God to allow them only happiness like this—no more nightmares, no more tears, no more sadness in their lives, since they suffered enough. He prayed every night for that future before he went to bed, though he knew it would not come true.
Catherine
She put on her new black dress. It fit her well and looked elegant, so she liked it. She looked at herself in the mirror. She could tell that she had lost a lot of weight. She was previously not fat or chubby, but she wasn’t too thin. Now she was skinny.
Maybe I was trying too hard to fit into a wedding gown.
Otherwise, it seemed impossible for her to be skinny like this, since she loved food, especially sweets. She even needed to skip dinner sometimes to maintain her body before.
Anyway, I need to put on some weight. Too skinny is not good.
She looked at herself in the mirror one more time. She could say she looked fine, but she felt nervous. She smiled to herself in the mirror. She knew that this was the step that must be taken, so she couldn’t run away from this. She breathed out deeply and opened the small box beside her. As soon as she opened it, a beautiful flash of pink caught her eyes. It was her engagement ring. He had given her a beautiful pink diamond ring for their engagement. It looked perfectly beautiful and elegant, so every time she looked at it, she lost her mind. She slipped the ring onto her fourth finger and went downstairs to her fiancé, who was waiting for her.
“Hello, darling,” she said with a smile.
He smiled back at her. He was wearing a sleek dark grey suit. Every time she saw him, she couldn’t stop thinking how handsome he was. He was so tall and had very beautiful blue eyes. She loved to see his eyes. Sometimes she just stared at him without any words, and he would gently push her face away, saying that he felt awkward.
“Very beautiful,” he said and kissed her cheek. They got
into the car and drove to his parents’ house. She felt so nervous as this was the first time she would meet his family. Tom told her that she had met Tom’s mother previously, but she couldn’t remember anything at all. She felt so sad about all the good memories that had disappeared from her brain.
Perhaps I was luckier than I was supposed to be.
Perhaps that was why God wiped her memory away. She sighed again.
“Don’t be nervous. Everything’s going to be fine,” he said gently as he held her hand.
“I know.” She smiled back at him.
About half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a mansion, and the doorman opened the car door for her. She stepped out of the car and looked at the big house in front of her. It looked not too luxurious like houses in Beverly Hills, but it gave her the vibe that it was a place for someone who was strong and powerful. She gulped nervously. Then she felt him put his arm around her waist.
“Shall we?” he said.
The main door opened for her, and they went into the house. As soon as she went into the house, she could feel the warmth from inside. The house was bright, modern, and elegant. It obviously reflected the taste of the owner. They passed the foyer. His family was waiting for them in the huge living room. There were his father, mother, grandmother, and Nate. Surely, she was happy to see Nate again.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe. Thank you for inviting me. It’s such an honor to meet you all,” she said softly.
No one, however, said anything back to her. They were just looking at her, especially his grandmother. She felt awkward and honestly, quite embarrassed, but suddenly, Nate smiled and welcomed her.
“Welcome, Cathy. So glad to see you again.”
Nate spread his arms and she hugged him.
“Thank you, Nate. Happy to see you too.”
“This is my grandmother, Margaret.”
Tom dragged her by the arm and introduced her to Margaret.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Sharpe.”
“Nice to meet you too, Catherine. You have such a sweet voice.”
“Thank you. Everybody says my voice is like a little kid’s, which means not good, doesn’t it, Tom?”
She looked at her fiancé, but it seemed he was not too happy with her joke.
“Nonsense. Your voice is the sweetest one I’ve ever heard,” Margaret said.
She was about to say ‘thank you’ one more time, but Tom spoke first.
“Don’t spoil her, Grandma. May I ask for something to drink? I’m very thirsty now.”
“Of course! Let’s sit down and have dinner,” Ingrid said.
They sat around the huge dining table, and dinner was served. The food was nice, but she wasn’t really eating. She was too nervous. She was aware how important this was. She must make them like her. Otherwise, this marriage wouldn’t work, just like her first one. The harder she tried, however, the more she could tell that she was becoming less interesting, and that made her feel more nervous.
“Are you alright?” Tom whispered.
“Yes. I’m fine,” she said and smiled to him.
“Then, I guess we should talk about our wedding now,” Tom said cheerfully.
He looked at his family around the table, but again, no one said anything back. The only looked at the dinner table. She could feel that they were not happy about this.
Of course.
She understood them. It was absolutely understandable to her that they didn’t want to accept her as a member of their family. Given her history, it was not easy to welcome her. She drank a sip of cold water. She wanted to drink wine like the others, but Tom still didn’t allow her to drink alcohol, because of the medications.
“We’re planning to do it next month,” he said.
“That’s too soon,” Ingrid said. “We won’t have enough time to prepare!”
“It will be fine, Mother. We want it to be small and quiet,” he said.
“But—”
“Have you talked about this to your mother, Cathy?”, Nate interrupted suddenly.
“Uhh….”
She couldn’t answer right away. She hadn’t talked to her mom yet. Actually, she didn’t even remember how long it had been since she’d talked to her mom.
“I think you should talk to your family first,” Nate said.
Family? What family do I have?
She literally had no one. Her father killed himself when she was young, and her mother married someone new and left her. She grew up in her grandmother’s house alone, and her grandmother passed away more than ten years ago.
“Or maybe it’s better to visit them. You haven’t visited your hometown for a long time,” Nate said.
“NO,” Tom answered loudly.
Everybody looked at him in shock, especially Catherine.
“I mean…she’s not physically strong enough now, so it’s better not to travel that long distance,” Tom explained and held her hand with his gentle smile. “Maybe we can ask them to visit us instead.”
“Maybe,” she smiled back.
I don’t think so. My mom will be nothing but an embarrassment.
She knew her mom and all the extended family members. They all were greedy and ill-mannered. For her, it was definitely much better to live in this world without them.
“Are you going to invite friends?” Nate asked, casually cutting his steak with a knife. “I’m sure Rebecca would want to come over.”
Rebecca!
Catherine remembered her, of course. She was her colleague and the last time she saw her, Nate said they were dating.
“Are you two still together?” she asked excitedly.
“No, we are not,” Nate answered right away, and she could sense his embarrassment at her question.
“Who is this girl?” his mother asked.
“Just a friend. She worked together with Catherine, before she…,” Nate paused for a while and looked at Catherine’s eyes. She didn’t know why, but she could tell that he was hesitant.
“Before she moved to London,” Nate said. Then he lowered his eyes and continued to eat.
“We will think about the guest list soon,” Tom spoke in a calm tone.
“Patrick!” She said happily and looked at Tom and Nate.
“I remember Patrick! Nate, do you remember Patrick? He was also my colleague!”
“I do remember Patrick,” Nate said.
“He’s a funny guy.”
She suddenly recalled all the funny jokes he used to make and smiled happily. He always made her laugh.
“You should invite him too, Cathy. I’m sure he won’t miss your wedding.”
“We will decide later!,” Tom raised his voice.
“Gentlemen,” his father said.
He didn’t say anything more, but she knew that he was upset. This man scared her. She didn’t exactly know why. He was not a big guy. He was slim like Tom.
Yeah, Tom really looks like him.
They really looked alike. Nate, on the other hand, looked more like his mother. She took a look at Nate and his mother. Then she realized that his grandmother was looking at her. She actually had been feeling like she was being watched, and she thought this was a bit uncomfortable, but she smiled at Margaret as a courtesy.
She’s just checking on me, possibly. Understandable.
On the way back home in the car, she didn’t say much. She was thinking of what she heard and felt during dinner. Tom was fiddling with her hand while talking excitedly about their wedding, but she wasn’t really listening to him.
“Maybe I should visit my mom,” she said abruptly.
“What?”
“Maybe it’s not a bad idea.”
“Dr. Dempsey advised—”
“Doctors have to be careful all the time. It’s okay to take a flight. I won’t do anything else, just visit my mom, stay for a few days in my hometown. That’s it.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said firmly.
“Come on, Tom. You’re bein
g overprotective,” she complained.
“I’m not saying never, Maybe several months from now,” he said.
She breathed out deeply. She held his hand and looked into his blue eyes.
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“The thing you are hiding from me, the truth. Tell me the truth.”
Tom
“What are you talking about?” he asked, trying to act as naturally as he could. “I’m not hiding anything.”
He, however, could feel that she didn’t really buy what he was saying.
“Don’t lie to me, Tom.” She stared at him with her dark brown eyes.
No, this is way too fast.
It’d been almost a month. How could she recover her memory so quickly? It was too fast! The doctors said it might take a few months or even years. He looked at her and tried to think of what to tell her. He must convince her to stay here with him.
“I love you,” he said.
He knew that he should have said something better than this, and he did think of something better—I didn’t mean to hurt you; I did it because I love you—but what actually came out of his mouth was only this: “I love you, Catherine.”
He said it again, hoping that she would say the same thing to him, but all she replied was “I know.”
Then she silently turned her face away from his and just looked outside of the window till they arrived at their condo.
He walked behind her all the way to their living room. He was thinking about what he should do to keep her there. He definitely wanted to choose a peaceful way, if she allowed it, but he knew her. She wouldn’t listen to him. She would yell at him that she was not a whore, and she would go back to the man she loved. Then it couldn’t be peaceful.
Then there’s only one way out.
He took a step closer to her. He wanted to grab her arms and warn her that he wouldn’t let her leave him no matter what, but she turned herself to face him first.
“Your parents will never allow this marriage, right?” she asked.
“What?” he asked back.
“Tell me the truth, Tom.”
Oh! That sort of truth….