Chasing You

the FRIENDS' reunion

"We ran some tests and found out that your father has Sensorineural Hearing Loss. This happens when the inner ear is damaged and the auditory nerve cannot conduct nerve impulses from the ear to the brain, causing complete deafness. Soft sounds are a lot harder to hear and loud sounds can be muffled and not really clear. This is the reason his hearing aid doesn't help him." 

I brought dad to an audiologist here and this is what she said but she also said that it can be treated with surgery. I was happy that he would be able to hear without using his hearing aids again. 

The date was fixed for surgery and luckily it cost a little cheaper than I thought and which will save me some of the savings money. I plan to use it for paying the rent. 

It's been four days since I saw him and this was the first time I wasn't thinking about him all this time. Well, maybe because I was too busy thinking about my father and the surgery that I didn't pay attention to the other things. 

I took two weeks off and weirdly enough when I told Mr. Laurent about this, he didn't deny it even once and just gave me the weeks off when I asked for just one week. I wonder what changed him. 

Whatever happened, I was happy that my father was home with me back in New Jersey and he was better after the surgery. They performed a Cochlear Implant into his ear, making him hear every sound I make and I couldn't be happier than this. 

It's been two weeks since the surgery and I extended my stay back at his place and yes Mr. Laurent permitted it. I think he may have damaged some nerve inside his brain. I think he should get it checked. 

Nonetheless, I am here for another week and the hope of meeting him again is already starting to fade away. I don't feel like going back to New York anytime soon and I think he would have already given up on me. 

How foolish of me, now I think, I should have given him my number when I got the chance but I didn't and now I am starting to regret it. But I really wanted this to work out. I should have kissed him when he told me he wanted to. 

I should have stayed the night with him and given him my number when he asked. I should have told him he drove me crazy when he smirked like that whenever he looked at me, when he held me, looked at my lips again and again. I should have done all these things when I had the time to. 

"Chloe? Could you come inside for a minute honey?" I like it here with my dad being around me so he can call me whenever he is in need or whenever he is bored. I am like his personal entertainer right at this moment. 

Well, I do nothing but open up his Instagram and ask him to watch some reels, the best pass time ever. 

"Yes, dad I am right here." 

"Why don't you go out for some drinks? Meet up with your old friends? You know live life how you used to when you were in New York." 

"How could you say that? I am not leaving you until I make sure that you're absolutely fine and don't need my assistance. Even Mr. Laurent granted me this extra leave. I am not moving an inch of my body from this couch." I sit down on his spot, deliberately. 

"Well that's my spot young lady and if you are sitting here, why don't you find yourself another spot?" I shift to another side of the couch. "Go out and enjoy. I promise I will be okay and if I need any help, I will call you immediately." 

"I am not going." 

I can't believe my own father convinced me to go out to a bar with some old friends of mine who I don't even remember. It's been a century since I met them. I don't even know how they agreed to go with me out for drinks?