stoLen

Chapter 11

The Sharp Hint of New Tears

FLASH FORWARD

The main door of the conference hall suddenly opens. Enter a group of five men wearing high-end tailored suits and faces with blank expressions. The four of them are carrying suitcases. The one man who isn't might be the big man.

Today may be the biggest day for me at work. Well, it depends on the outcome of this meeting. I have been anxious and irritated the entire week, and it has created a toxic atmosphere in the whole engineering department. For that, I apologize to all my staff.

I have been preparing for this for several months now, and certainly, no one can find any flaws in my presentation. From inception all the way through operation, this proposal is perfect. All the hard work, skills and experience I have gained since I started working here will be put to test. This company didn't send me to Chicago and New York for nothing.

My boss trusts in me completely that's why he gave me this project. I am confident enough, but of course, things can be so unpredictable with these men in black. Are they supposed to appear really scary?

I don't remember meeting them back then, but I am fully aware who they are and what they do.

This morning, I was awakened by a phone call from the most important person in my life right now.

"Yes?" I was mumbling.

"Get up and get ready! Big day today."

"Ten minutes more?"

"Up! Now." He said then I heard him taking a deep breath which frightens me all the time.

"Okay, okay. I'm getting up now. I'm heading to the bathroom, and..."

"Forth! Seriously."

"Okay, Pha. I'm serious. I'm up now."

"Okay. Don't forget breakfast."

"Can we eat together?"

"No, you need to hurry. I'll see you tonight."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now get moving. Good luck."

"Thanks. See you tonight."

Then, we hung up.

I usually give him a ride to the hospital before I head to the office then pick him up at night, but he didn't want me to lose focus on today's presentation, so he insisted on going separately.

Pha and I have been officially together for more than a couple of months now.

It has been a real roller coaster ride for the two of us, but I can say now that it was all worth it. Even the accident I have been in. Actually, I think that accident paved the way for the two of us to finally open up and understand each other better.

And from that, we became more aware of what we truly feel for each other. I have learned a lot of things, my mistakes in the past, that helped me become a better person for Pha. When I think about it, I can't help but realize that it was all my fault. I was a total jerk.

However, Pha keeps telling me that we should share the burden and forget about it altogether.

We have a normal relationship. By normal, I mean we see each other twice or thrice a week to have dinner together. Weekends, or when time permits, we take short trips, or just spend time together being lazy.

Some days, I pick him up from work, too. When my schedule is loose, I surprise him by dropping by the hospital just to see him. One day, I walked in on him taking care of someone I remember.