Falling in love is not the same as learning to love someone. Time and circumstances define the differences between the two but in the end there is always a finite result in which happiness and sadness play a predictable role.
This is a journey abou...
"Come on, I'll be fine." Liz was using her charm to coerce Hank into releasing a certificate of cardiopulmonary clearance to indicate that she was physically fit to travel abroad.
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"Are you out of your mind? What if you went into cardiac arrest in midair?" Hank wasn't eager to have his license revoked for falsification of documents by letting his patient walk out of his office with a piece of paper that says permission to commit suicide. His paranoia was a bit exaggerated but he couldn't live with his conscience if something bad ever happened to her.
"What are you worrying about? Jeremy is a doctor, he can be my babysitter. I'm sure he knows CPR*. You're way too paranoid." Her last treadmill stress test result was enough confidence that she needs to dispute Hank's magnified pessimistic view of her overall health.
She was capable of exhibiting endurance and tolerance for moderate physical exertion without passing out. "Besides, what's so tiring about sitting in a plane for several hours?"
Hank was beginning to entertain the reasons she was serving on a silver platter but tried not to be too complacent. "But what if something happens to you? That'll be pinned on my head. I'm not fond of guilt trip."
"I'll be fine. I promise."
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Liz almost won the debate but Hank was difficult to persuade. She left his office empty handed. But it didn't stop her from wanting to go with Jeremy. If Hank doesn't want to release the damned certificate, then she'll have to travel without it.
Two days later they arrived in Tokyo Japan as scheduled for the conference. Nothing bad happened throughout the flight as Hank had feared in his head. Feeling a bit smug, she sent an e-mail to Hank saying "I told you so."
She and Jeremy were booked into two adjoining hotel rooms. Privacy was a blessing to Liz because she didn't want him to ever get the chance to see her during an episode of chest pains. There was something about her insecurity of being treated as an invalid because of her heart condition, she didn't want to be a pity case.
The conference was set in the mornings from eight to twelve noon for four days then a certification ceremony on the fifth day. The participants were free to have the afternoons and evenings to themselves so they can enjoy their stay with sightseeing and shopping. Part of their tourism program included culture immersion tours made available by the conference committee to interested participants.
They arrived at the hotel around five thirty in the afternoon which was a day early for the conference because Jeremy had a thing for avoiding jet lag prior to the event.
"Would you prefer to have dinner here at the hotel or explore the city tonight for some food adventure?"
"Let's try the local street food and pubs." Liz prepared herself to venture new things on this once in a lifetime trip. There was no stopping her from enjoying everything about it. Heck, she might not ever get to travel abroad again after this. She decided that there's absolutely no room for regrets in her agenda.
Jeremy couldn't remember the time that he had so much fun as a tourist during his past attendances in various conferences as a doctor. Sure there were a few no-hassle flings that kept him entertained for an hour or two but it left him more awkward upon recall of such trivial things.
Since he had grown to be fond of Liz, the past conquests that were regarded as prized trophies and pure fun back in the days have now left a sour taste in his mouth and a huge dent in his armor of morality.
He was too proud to admit it but to deny his shallow and conceited past character was an insult to Liz as a woman. Although he would never be the one to bring up the subject.
She defines the word amazing and the man she would love and adore would be one lucky bastard. Unassuming and generous, she was very comfortable in her own skin. A brave woman who can speak her mind even if it meant she would have to disagree with a few dozen people along the way to prove a point that her unconventional and radical thinking is worth the argument. And whenever she decides to do something there's no way anyone can dissuade her. The opposition could only win if it was deemed as a more plausible reason which rarely happens anyway.
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*CPR - Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped.
