Arnold, Sly and Bruce 'Back in Action'

 

Memories and Chances

                           

“I had the chances. He gave me lots of them but I never had the courage to do so.”

I met her one Sunday afternoon in mid-October when red leaves hanged on the trees aligned by the road and one gust of wind was all it takes to send the leaves flying into the sky. The air gave off a certain gentle scent that changed my image of a dusty Tokyo city into a more rustic place.

I was waiting for a friend at a nearby Starbucks just two streets away from my apartment in Shinjuku. It was my first time there as I am not much of a coffee person and would only drink it whenever the time calls for it. This might sound disappointing to Starbucks or coffee lovers but that's the truth.

When I was there, I understood why others raved so much about Starbucks. The place provided a relaxing ambience with a strong coffee aroma in every corner of the shop. The service crew showed smooth movements even when the shop was crowded. They would bring the customers’ orders to them with a smile before striding away at the beat of the bossa nova music in the background.

However, I noticed a problem. Like any other things which seemed perfect, there is a problem or rather; there should be a problem somewhere along the road. As I sat near the window, I got a nice view of the whole shop including their regular patrons. Most of them are in their late-twenties wearing expensive coats, well-ironed long sleeve shirts or blouses and newly-polished leather shoes. Each of them gave out an air of sophistication not only in the way they dressed but also in the way they talked. Only a handful of people were dressed in casual wear, including myself. Somehow, it felt like there was a barrier between the two groups of differently dressed people and it was kind of suffocating. It made me felt anxious. Starbucks seemed to have built a frightening gap between two different groups of people. Nevertheless, this was only my personal opinion.

As my eyes continued to wander around, I noticed a girl about my age sitting on a couch. She was tapping her fingers on her knees along with the beat of the music. She had her dark brown hair in a loose ponytail and wore a small light-blue tank top over a white t-shirt and brown pants. She laughed as another girl talked to her. I was about to look away when she noticed that I was looking at her. Our eyes caught each other for a brief moment before I turned away. A few minutes later, I saw her wave goodbye to her friend at the door before making her way to my table.

“Hey.” She greeted and I looked up to meet her eyes.
It was then I finally realized who she was. She was Hanezawa Kana, a friend of a close friend back in high school. I guess she looked a little different from what I remembered five years ago and that was why I didn't recognize her initially. She had grown her hair and ditched her glasses. To put it simply, she looked more beautiful. The last time I saw her was during our common friend's party after high school graduation.

I offered her the seat in front of mine.

“Thanks.”
She smiled and tapped both hands on the table as if signalling that she was about to say something. I guess she liked tapping.
“So, I bet you don't remember me, right?”
I shook my head to indicate that I do remember her. She smiled again.
“And correct me if I'm wrong. You’re Motoharu, right?”
I nodded, suppressing a grin. She remembered me.
“Uh, Motoharu… Jin?”
“Actually, it's Jun.”
“S-Sorry. I can only recall surnames of people I knew back then.” Hanezawa apologized and then smiled sheepishly.
“I should have stopped with Motoharu.”
“It's okay.” I said, shrugging the topic off. I often don't remember the names of people too, so that makes it even.
“So Hanezawa, you need to talk about something?”

From the expressions on her face, it seemed that she was a bit surprised by my question. I guess no matter how you look at it, I was too straightforward. She was the one who approached me so I assumed she wanted to talk. I didn't know how to put it in a nicer way but that was how I felt.

“Nothing.” She chuckled and she looked into my eyes.
“I kind of remembered something when I saw you, Motoharu.”
“Like what?”

She took a moment of silence before answering my question.
“Maybe you'll think that it's weird but seeing you now made me remember what I used to be five years ago. Ever since I came to the city for college, I haven't seen anyone from our place. It feels like I have lost my connection to the past and I feel like a wandering soul here in Tokyo. I do have friends here but it still feels different.”

“I kind of understand that.” I told her and her face lighted up.
I used to have that feeling after two years of living alone in the city. I didn't pursue college but started working in a small publishing company right after I graduated. I was the youngest employee back then but no one really cared. The pay was good and my co-workers were all nice people. Maybe those are the reasons why I am still working there. However my relationships are like hit-and-run vehicles. You got hit and after a few months, they would all run out of your life. The last time I dated someone was two years ago.

“Anyway, are you waiting for someone here?” She asked, changing the topic.
I told her yes.
“A girlfriend?”
“No. Just a friend from work. He said he'll drop by at sixteen hundred hours.”

Her expression softened after hearing what I said. She wore a small smile and looked as if she recalled some good yet sad memories. She looked lost as she stared at the table. I thought I bothered her so I apologized.
“Sorry. It's kind of weird that I said sixteen…”
“Have you heard anything about… Ryuu?”
Somewhere at the back of my mind, I expected her to ask that.
“He got married five months ago.”
“Yeah. I heard about that.”

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Ryuu was our common friend. We were in the same classes throughout high school. He was a “military freak” and was always fascinated about wars. He would have band-aid on his face for cosmetic purposes. He also liked keeping his black hair long in a pony tail. He said that a soldier would look cool with long hair and I guess he did look cool. Girls from other classes would whisper to one another whenever he walked through the school corridors. He would receive love letters in his locker everyday and different girls would confess their feelings for him every other week. He was also popular with the guys. Wherever he went, everybody liked him. He was that kind of person.

Everybody thought that he wanted to be a real soldier but they were wrong. I found it weird too when he personally told me that he likes the military but he wouldn’t want to die in a war.

His obsession about the military sort of influenced me too. I became used to military time which is time in a twenty-four hours format. It became a habit of mine to report and identify time using military time.

I was happy to see him again when I attended his wedding ceremony back in May. He hadn't changed a bit since we last saw each other and his hair was still long. I got to know his wife, whom he met from work. I learned that she was a “military freak” as well. I guess that might be the reason why they got along well.

Hanezawa was Ryuu’s childhood friend. However, few people knew about it. They never talked in school nor exchanged glances whenever they crossed paths. I barely see them together in school. They each had their own different social circles but there was always a special bond between the two of them.

The first time I saw them talking was during Ryuu's sixteenth birthday. I remember there was full moon on that night and we had secretly set up a party for him in the school grounds. While I was chatting with some friends, I saw Hanezawa went up to him and handed him a gift. At that time, I thought she was just another girl confessing her feelings to him but to my surprise, Ryuu called me over and introduced me to her. It was also the first time I ever talked to Hanezawa. She looked small and shy back then.

“I assume you didn't attend the ceremony.”
I hadn't seen her that day and Ryuu seemed sad about it. He was expecting to see her.
“You're right.” She said.
“I didn't go.”
“Ryuu was expecting to see you.”
Hanezawa nodded as if she already knew that. She then asked me if I wanted to know the reason behind her absence.
“You would tell me otherwise even if I said no, right?”
She laughed at my comment.
“I was being selfish. I thought only Ryuu and I shared a special connection. I mean, we practically spent half our lives together. We knew each other's secrets and dreams. When we entered high school, I was a little sad that he found a whole new world for himself. He met new friends and had quite a number of girlfriends. I thought he would never have time for me but he would always find time to drop by my house once a week. He would always tell me the good things that happened to him, how he enjoyed playing softball with you and other friends and how annoying were the tons of love letters he received everyday.”
I smiled at her.
“Maybe that's the reason why you didn't give him one.”
Hanezawa gazed at me in surprise. Seconds later, her expression changed into that of a shy little girl. Her face was red.
“Motoharu, would it be weird if I tell you that I love him?”
“It will be a lot weirder if you didn't.”

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In the end, my friend whom I was waiting for wasn't able to come. He told me that something cropped up. I didn't mind and told him that it was okay.

I thought Hanezawa would leave after I told her about my change of plans. However, she came back after walking off initially and asked me if I wanted to go out and have a drink somewhere else. She said she wanted to talk more. I agreed since I had time and we went to a newly built bar named Vanilla Lemon in the backstreets of Shinjuku. The place was small but good. They had someone playing a familiar mellow piano piece. There were a few people drinking.

We ordered vodka. During the first few drinks, neither of us talked. We drank and savoured the liquor as it made invisible lines in our throats. Several times, drunken old men would try to hit on Hanezawa but I made them leave on seeing her discomfort. If they wouldn't, I would generously walk them outside and call a taxi for them so they could go home.

It was already nine o'clock or twenty one hundred hours when I checked the time and I was walking my seventh man of the night outside. I realized that we have been drinking for four hours straight. I called a taxi and entrusted the drunken guy to the driver. When I got back into the bar, Hanezawa was sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, swaying with the music. Oh no, she's drunk.

I asked if she's feeling okay.
“You know what?” She answered.
“It's entirely your fault that I'm feeling miserable again.”
I took the seat beside her and refilled my glass.
“Really?”
Now, she's blaming me.
“Hell yeah! If I hadn't seen your face, I wouldn't have remembered things. I would have been in my friend's apartment and we would be watching this drama called… Oh no I forgot the name. Anyway, I would have been with her right now! But no! You showed your face in that coffee shop and I saw you there! It would have been better if I didn't turn around at that moment but I did. I even approached you! Now, memories are coming back to me, flowing like hell and I don't even like it!”
“But at least you're not like a wandering soul now.”
That calmed Hanezawa down. She sighed and drank another glass.
“Tell me. You're regretting that you didn't let Ryuu know what you felt for him, right?”
I heard her sigh again. It was a long, deep sigh.
“I had the chances, Motoharu. Ryuu gave me lots of them. However, I just didn't have the courage to tell him and I hated myself for that.”
I saw her bury her head on her knees and I felt kind of sad for her. She must have really wanted to convey her feelings but one thing prevented her. Fear. It was the fear of being rejected and the fear of losing everything if things didn't go the way she wanted.

“If we had been much closer before, would you ever fall in love with me?'
I was taken aback by her question. I didn't expect it coming. Nevertheless, I thought I ought to answer her. She might go berserk if I didn't. After all, she’s drunk. However, that wasn’t the only reason. I felt that I really need to answer the question. Cold sweat ran down my cheeks. I told her what was on my mind at that time.

“I personally think that anyone can fall in love with anybody. I don't know how to explain it properly but I just have that feeling. Everything is about understanding and acceptance. Most of the people who have high standards in choosing partners ended up with the exact opposite of what they wanted. One must open his or her eyes to see.”
Hanezawa threw me a look saying that I didn't exactly answer her question.
“So what's your answer?”
“If that had been the case, then I must say yes. I might have fallen in love with you.”
“You know what? You are so not real.” She said but then smiled.
“But thanks anyway. I've got my confidence back.”
She raised her glass and offered a toast. I accepted it.

We didn't talk for a while after that. She had her eyes glued to the woman playing the piano and I was busy thinking about her last question. When she asked, I hadn't given it much thought and simply said what I was thinking. Her voice rang in my mind again.

“Would you ever fall in love with me?”

I thought of how Ryuu really felt about her. Did he ever see her as a girl and not just some friend? Sometimes, I thought he did. Whenever he was talking to Hanezawa, he had that certain smile that I didn't see when he was with others. It was as if he was fully opening himself up to her but then stopping at a particular point. Now that I thought about it, he seemed to be controlling himself whenever she was around. He was always showing off, goofing around but it was different with her. Something was always holding him back.

I chuckled as the truth dawned on me.

Hanezawa and Ryuu were the same. They were both cowards.

“I think Ryuu loved you.”

She didn't answer. I became worried and turned to see why. Somehow, I felt relieved. It was not that she didn't want to answer. She just couldn't do so. Hanezawa was off to dreamland.

“No way.”
I smiled hopelessly. Where should I take her? I didn't even know where she lived. I thought of her friend but she did not mention the location of her friend's apartment. I tried to look for her wallet but she didn't have one. I laughed again. She invited me for a drink without money? Not knowing what to do, I paid the bill and carried her on my back.

I stood for a while at the bar as I tried to feel her weight. She was not as heavy as I expected. Her hair smelled nice too. I found myself staring unconsciously at her hands which were hanging in front of me. They were small and beautiful and resembled those of a pianist. I wondered if she can play the piano. Suddenly, an image flashed in my mind. Wait… Was it just déjà vu or did this scene happen before?

“Ryuu… once carried me like this too…” Hanezawa murmured even though she was asleep.

Something just didn't feel right. Something told me that what she had said wasn't right. Nevertheless, I went outside and hailed a taxi for the eighth and last time.

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It was not Ryuu who carried her back home that night. It was me. I was sure of it. The memory returned to me after I carried Hanezawa on my back again and somehow, it felt good. It was as if it filled a space in my heart that has been empty for a long time. The memory was a long lost piece of me.

We were at Ryuu's house that night for a grand graduation party. Ryuu's parents came back from America and they thought they should hold a celebration. Ryuu came from a rich family. They owned a big furniture company that exports to different countries and I heard they were trying to enter the real estate business.

The party was open to everyone and many people, especially the girls, accepted such a rare opportunity. Who wouldn't want to spend their last day as a high school student with Ryuu? Nobody. It was good news for the boys too. The boys could find plenty of eligible girls at the party and might get lucky with them. I guess it was pretty normal that everyone wanted to go.

Hanezawa arrived at the party at ten minutes before eight in the evening. I could tell because I remembered looking at my watch before she came. Ryuu brought me with him and we greeted her with a playful salute at the gate. She looked beautiful as she stood there in her simple white dress and her hair tied in a knot. She didn't wear her glasses too. Like always, she chatted to Ryuu and simply smiled at me. We never really had a proper talk with each other then. It was usually a smile and a small “Hi” whenever I was around. I even thought she hated me for being there. Anyway, Ryuu took her hand and said that his parents would be glad to see her again. I saw her cheeks burned red as she left with Ryuu to talk to his parents.

As usual, I was left alone again. It was fine with me though. I returned inside and talked or rather flirted with some girls.

A few hours passed by and I went to get a drink after being bored of flirting. My throat was dry from talking too much. A girl from my class named Koizumi was singing in the background. I listened to her as I drank in a corner even though she missed a few notes and her tempo was kind of off. I got nothing better to do anyway. That was when I overheard Ryuu talking to his parents.

“Do I really need to meet them?” He asked, frowning.
“I mean it's late and are you sure they are still coming?”
“Of course! They just called and said they are on their way. You need to stay.” His mother said.
“But I need to…”
“Let's just have someone bring Kana-chan home, okay?”
Kana-chan? It hit me who she was when I saw Hanezawa sleeping on the sofa. Did she get drunk?
“No! What if something happens to her?”
“Like I said, our driver would…”

I didn't know what came to me but I interrupted their conversation. I told them that I could send her back home. Ryuu was a bit hesitant but he agreed to my offer. After all, he didn't have any choice. He wanted to lend me his car but I refused since I didn't have a driving license.

That's the reason why I ended up carrying the sleeping Hanezawa on my back while Ryuu called a taxi for us. As soon as we got one, I let her in first before getting in myself. I remember Ryuu warning me about not to lay a hand on Hanezawa but I simply laughed at him.

'Don't worry. I won't.' And the taxi set off.

The ride was unexpectedly long. I was sitting beside an innocent sleeping girl and the driver kept staring at us through the mirror. He might be thinking that I am a pervert who have lewd ideas about Hanezawa.

I shifted my gaze and tried to focus my attention on the things outside the window.
I heard a little chuckle but I ignored it. I was feeling really uncomfortable and I thought of jumping out of the car.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I thought.
I just wanted to help out and what did I get in return? A silent torture? Yeah, that's what I got.

I felt a sense of relief when we finally arrived at her house. I quickly paid the driver and carried Hanezawa again.
“You've got a cute girlfriend there.” He said, opening his window as I passed by it.
I shrugged the comment off. I guess I was too tired to react and I should just let him think what he wanted. Anyway, there’s no chance that I’ll ever meet him again in the future.

No one answered when I rang the doorbell. Are they already asleep? Luckily, the door was left open. I entered the house and lay Hanezawa down on the nearby sofa. She was still asleep. I thought of bringing her to her room since she might not feel comfortable sleeping on the sofa but I had no idea where it was. Their house was quite big and there were many rooms to choose from. I removed her shoes and undo her hair so she would feel a bit more comfortable. After resting for a while, I decided to leave.

“Thank you…” I heard her murmured.
It made me smile a little.
“Thank you, Ryuu.”
Surprised, I turned to look at her again one more time. Hanezawa's eyes were closed. Seeing her and hearing what she said made me feel hopeless. I don't know how to put it but I felt hopeless and kind of sad at the same time. I realized it was because she thought I was Ryuu.

I left without another word. That was the last time I saw her. In fact, I never expect myself to see her again.

Not in another five years.

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When we got back to my apartment, I lay her down on my futon, removed her shoes and placed a glass of water near her just in case she feels thirsty when she wakes up. Following that, I rested my back on the wall and let myself become sober. I didn't feel drunk even though I drank more alcohol than I probably should. Normally, the same amount of alcohol will knock me out. I guess being with her helped me control my senses. I needed to stay awake and alert so I could protect her. I did it for the sake of a girl that only said “Hi” to me before we met at Starbucks.

Maybe I should be the one to tell her what she said to me back in the bar. I should be the one who should be saying that it's all her fault that I suddenly feel confused. It's all her fault that I started remembering things that I never thought I will recall. If she hadn't turned to look at me at Starbucks, if she hadn't approached me then I would have came home much earlier. However, she did come up to me and greeted me with a “Hey”, the second word that she ever spoke to me and even invited me for a drink without any money on her. Yeah, someday I should tell her that. I should really tell her that.

However, let me look at her closely.

Let me look at the girl who clearly reminded and explained to me the word, “Regret”.

She was a lot better than any dictionary in the world.

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I woke up the next day sleeping on my futon. Hanezawa was nowhere to be seen. I assumed she left while I was sleeping. The sun was already up. Feeling really light-headed, I made my way to the bathroom to wash up. I smelled really bad due to the alcohol I drank yesterday. Something caught my attention. It was the full breakfast meal waiting for me at the table together with a note on the side.

“Thank you last night and I take back what I said about you. You are real. – Hanezawa Kana”

I flipped the note and there was something else written on the other side. I thought it was her phone number but it wasn't.

“P.S. I thought of visiting Ryuu and his wife when I'm finally ready. I hope you can be by my side when that time comes. I'll drop by your apartment sometime.”

She did not mention when would it be on the note but I admit that I had never been more excited about going home since that day.

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“You only gave me two chances even though I have known you all these years. I had two chances to tell you everything and I always had the courage to do so. Or so I thought. However it is kind of unfair. I am not complaining about how few chances I had but I think you are the one who is unfair. You are so unfair. In both of the chances that you gave me, you never listened to me. You were always drunk and I always end up talking to myself. Lonely isn't?”

Remember Her

                                            
                  True love is lit by a light with a never ending flame so why does it die?
This is a question most will never understand but I guess it’s true when people say, “All good things come to an end whether we choose for it to or not.”
Have you ever met someone who stole your heart or took your breathe away? Have you ever wondered if there was someone out there just for you and no one else? From the moment Audrey saw him walk through the door, she couldn’t help but to stare at what was in front of her. It was as if nothing else mattered. For a moment, time had stopped and everything was moving in slow motion. She knew from the bottom of her heart that he was the one.
It was about eight o’clock and the night was young. Audrey and I wanted to go out and have some fun. I called Audrey to see if she was ready to go out yet but she was still getting herself ready.
“I’ll be there in about thirty minutes or so.” I told her.
You could tell from the tone of her voice that she was ready to go out and make history. Little did she know that this was a night that would eventually change the rest of her life. It was around ten o’clock when we arrived at the club. We were standing at the bar waiting for our drinks when she noticed him coming through the door. She had never met him before but she had a look in her eyes that told me she was in love.
“Audrey? Audrey?”
There was no response from her. I could see that she was looking at him. He was about five foot nine, thin but with a good build and nicely dressed. However, something just didn’t seem right.
“Audrey?” I asked again and she finally turned to look at me.
“Come on. Let’s go check out the people here.”
She grabbed her drink and walked slowly behind me.
The club was starting to fill up. More people started hitting the dance floor. Audrey and I were dancing when he came over.
“Hi, my name is Frank. Can I dance with you lovely ladies?” He asked politely.
“Sure.” I responded.

After dancing for a little bit, Audrey and I decided to take a break. Frank came along and we started to talk. We told him we were going go to the bathroom and he asked if we could come back and talk a little more. I told him we would be back if he didn’t move and he calmly nodded his head.
While in the bathroom, Audrey turned to me and asked, “So, what you think of him? I think he likes you.”
She knew where my heart was though.

After leaving the restroom, we went back to Frank and we started dancing again. The three of us had so much fun that it seemed as if the night had come to an end too soon. As we were leaving, Frank asked if he could have our numbers. Audrey gave him her number and we left.

They started to talk and eventually got together. It turns out that Frank is the youngest of three kids who was from a little town two hours up north from us. To show her how much he cared for her, he would visit her almost every weekend when he was off work. She would go visit too but he preferred her not to because of the long drive. After two years of dating, Audrey and Frank’s relationship was still as strong as ever although Frank’s parents didn’t think that Audrey was good enough for him. He was able to keep their thoughts on the sidelines and follow his heart about what he felt for Audrey.

One day, Frank drove over and asked Audrey if she would marry him. He told her that they could run away and be happy together.
“Why so sudden?” She asked with confusion on her face.
She saw tears rolling from his eyes. She could see the hurt that he had inside him. She grabbed hold of him and held him tight so that he knew that she would never let go.
With tears in her eyes, she slowly whispered in his ears, “Honey, yes I will marry you. I’ll run away with you but just let me say my good byes to my family and friends first. Okay?”

Audrey and Frank agreed to run away later that week. Audrey had the better car so she was supposed to go pick Frank up on Friday. They decided they would go stay with a friend of his until they got jobs and had enough money to start a new life in a new state. Audrey was very scared but she wanted to support Frank with all she could. That week, she started to fill her car up slowly with stuff that she needed. She had to do it when her family was asleep so that no one would know. Soon, Friday came around sooner then she had expected.

It was around four o’clock when Audrey showed up at my house. I gave her a hug as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“You’re the best friend that I’ve ever had and I wish the best for the two of you but, are you sure you want to do this?”
She nodded her head and handed me a little box.
“Open it.”
Audrey smiled as I opened the box.
“This is an angel that I’ve had since a long time ago, longer then I can remember. This is one of my most treasured items and I want you to keep it safe for me.”
I gave her a hug and we talked for a bit until she said she needed to get going. Little did I know that this would be last time that I would ever see my best friend.

It was about eight thirty at night when I got a call from Frank asking if I had seen or talked to Audrey. I told him that I last saw her at around five plus and she said that she was on her way to pick him up. Apparently, she never got there. Frank figured that her parents probably found out about their plans and wouldn’t let her leave or talk to him. He got into his car and started to race towards her house. To make matters worse, there was a car accident along the way that slowed him down. The only thing that was on his mind was to get to town and confront Audrey’s parents to let them know that he was serious about wanting to marry Audrey. He would do whatever possible to give her everything that she has ever dreamt of and be the one to make her happy for the rest of her life. Frank got to the front of her house and sat there wondering how to put what he wanted to say into words. He knew that as long as he had Audrey, he would be happy.

He finally found the courage to walk up to the house and ring the door bell.
Audrey’s mom came and answered the door.
“Is Audrey home?” He kindly asked.
She kindly responded that she wasn’t home but he was more then welcome to sit and wait for her if he wanted. Hence, he did so. Thoughts kept running through his head as he sat on the sofa.
“Did I scare her?”
“Where could she be at this hour?”
“What if she didn’t want to run away with me but was too frightened to tell me no?”
Then all of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Frank immediately jumped up from the sofa to get the door, hoping that it was Audrey.

 Standing on the other side of the door was not Audrey but two police officers instead.
“Hi.” One of the officers said.
“I’m Officer Steven Mitchell and this is my partner Officer Mike Jones. Is this the residency of Audrey Thao?”
Frank stood speechless and confused but he nodded his head. He wanted to ask for the reason they were here but nothing came out from his mouth. The cops asked if it is okay for them to step into the house and Frank nodded his head again.
“Are you her brother?”
“No. I’m Frank. She’s my girlfriend.” He stated.
“Is she alright? I’ve been waiting for her to come home.”
The officers wanted to know if her parents were home.
“Yes, they are. However, they’re sleeping.” He responded.
“What’s wrong? Where is she? Did she do something wrong? Is she hurt?”
He knew that something was wrong and his eyes started to tear.

The cops looked at each other and then glanced at Frank.
“Would you take a sit Frank?”
He knew it was going to be bad news but he still hoped that she would be alright.
“Now Frank, we came here tonight to let you guys know that Audrey was in an accident. Witnesses say that she was heading north on the freeway when she was hit by a drunk driver riding south who had no headlights on.”

Frank started to cry and scream louder then he had ever done before and that woke Audrey’s parents up. The cops explained what happened and Frank left the house with tears in his eyes. He could not believe what had happened. He had just talked to her earlier and tonight was supposed to be the first night of the rest of their lives together not the end. Frank suddenly remembered the accident he came across on his way to find Audrey. Why didn’t he stop instead of rushing through? It was her. He could have helped her or at least see her for the last time. However, the truth is she was gone and there was nothing that he could have done.

Audrey’s parents blamed Frank for her accident. He paid for the whole funeral but it wasn’t enough for her parents. They knew they have lost their daughter but they didn’t understand that Frank had lost the dearest thing to his heart. They blamed him because if she hadn’t been on her way to see him then she would still be alive.

Death is harder for some as compared to others. It took Frank three years before he finally face up to reality and realized that Audrey wasn’t coming back no matter how much he wanted her to. It’s interesting how life can suddenly come to an end. Some are lucky enough to never go through the pain of losing a loved one. However, for the rest of us, we can always remember that our loved ones never really leave us. They continue to watch over us as angels above us.