SERENDIPITY

Chapter 2 "Life goes on?"

A few years later, Terrence Grandchester was with his fiancée, Susanna Marlowe whom he was supposed to marry in a few days. She had long blond hair with blue eyes. It had taken him some time to finally decide to marry her.

- Honey, I was able to book the Waldorf-Astoria! Can you imagine? They had a last minute cancellation! She had told him while they were preparing the wedding.

- The Waldorf? Said Terrence.

All his thoughts were all of a sudden back to that evening when he had met Candy... and their last attempt to be together in the elevators... but why was he thinking about Candy? He had spent the last years searching second hand book stores looking for "Romeo and Juliet", but none of them had Candy's information in them... Maybe she didn't do it? No, Candy had seem to be an honourable person who kept her word... Since the elevator thingy hadn't worked, she had probably dropped the book to the second hand bookstore like she had promised. Anyway, he had moved on with his life, it wasn't important, Candy had probably moved on with her life too, unless a miracle happens...

- Yes, the Waldorf-Astoria, said Susanna, isn't that classy? We have the rehearsal dinner tonight. Isn't that great?

- Euh, yes, honey, said Terry smiling, that's great.

But he was thinking that if that wasn't a sign, that was taking him back to Candy... No, it had been too long...but didn't he continued looking for the book? He kissed Susanna to try to erase the image of Candy, without really succeeding... and the wedding was now for very soon.

He went to the Waldorf –Astoria with Susanna. He met Charlie Sanders, his childhood friend who was there with his sweetheart, Sandra. His parents were there too, so were Susanna's and those who were in the wedding party, girls and boys of honour.

His friend Charlie practice his speech and Terrence was smiling, but his head was elsewhere. He kept kissing Susanna to try to forget about Candy. When the rehearsal was over, they all had to meet to have a drink, but Terrence wasn't feeling like it...

- Mum, dad, I can't stay, he said, I have a lot of work to do.

- Oh Terry, said his mother, can't you not work just for tonight?

- No, mum, other wise, I would. I don't have the choice.

- All right son, said his father, but don't worry... you're getting married soon.

- Exactly, I have to finish everything before I leave for my honeymoon, said Terrence

Susanna approached him.

- You're going to be thinking about me?

"Even if I'm thinking about another woman at this moment..." He said in his mind.

He kissed Susanna for a long time on the lips.

- Work well, honey, don't over do it.

- Goodbye honey, said Terry leaving.

Susanna got inside the Waldorf to join the others.

Terry was walking to go get his car and he passed in front of a booth selling books.

- A little book to read? Said the vendor who was the Jamaican type with a big woolly hat on the head.

Terrence looked on the table and he saw "Romeo and Juliet". He took the book and opened it... Nothing. He put it back. The seller asked him:

- You don't like the book?

- I already read it, said Terry.

- I can propose to you something else? "The Bridges of Madison County"?

- I've seen the movie, thank you, said Terrence leaving.

He walked to the parking where he had left his car, he took it and went back home to "work"

oOoOoOoOoOo

In another city of the Unites States, in Chicago, more exactly, Candice White, was going to work. She was a doctor at the hospital, but she also worked for a free clinic, to help those who couldn't afford to pay for their medical care. She did her rounds and she couldn't wait to go back home. She had a young man who had hurt his leg. He was also a little disappointed...

- I was in a party with her and I let her go without telling her! Can you believe that? She's my soul mate! My destiny... what do you think doctor?

Candy started thinking about that evening she has spent with Terrence in New York... Why was she thinking about him all of a sudden?

- Well, I think that everything happens for a reason. If you're destined to be together, you're going to end up together...

- Thank you doctor, for cheering me up, but I know you're a scientist... you believe in serendipity?

She looked at him smiling.

- Good luck Jason, she said.

- Thank you doctor...

She continued her rounds thinking about Terrence, but she decided that she should get him out of her thoughts... At the end of the day, she went back home. She had an apartment not too far from where she worked. She opened the door and she saw the floor was full of white rose petals. She smiled. There was a big box gift wrapped in white silk paper on the living room table. She put her bag on the couch and she opened the box. She found another box inside and she smiled and she found another box and another one and another one, and finally a little blue velvet box and she opened it, but the box was empty!

- You haven't said "yes" yet, said a man's voice.

She raised her head to looked at him smiling. He approached her and with the ring, he was making the sound of an airplane...

- Yes, she said smiling

He approached her and kissed her on the lips. Then he took her left hand and put the engagement ring... but... it looked like something was blocking it! He tried insisting...

- It's ok, she said, we'll take it to the jeweler to adjust it.

- All right, he said, but don't go and read some sort of sign, all right? It's an accident! That's all.

- No, oh Lord , said Candy, don't worry, it's beautiful.

She looked at the ring, half way to her ring finger...

- I like it a lot!

But the incident was still in her mind.

- Great! He said, I'm going to call Archie and the others to tell them you said "yes"! Get ready to go out!

- What? She said surprised, they were worried?

- Not about your answer, but because of our tour... they were hoping they would be able to program our honeymoon in our schedule... Bora-Bora? What do you think?

- Yes! I can't wait! She said smiling.

He got out of the room to make his phone call. Candy stayed in the living room and looked at the ring which was half way through her finger... It was like destiny was telling her not to get married... she had refused to give her phone number to Terrence, because a truck went by just at that moment to make her piece of paper fly... then there was the elevators... but when she went back home that night, she had decided to drop the book to a second hand store... and since that night, every time she would get some change , she would check the 5$ notes to see if Terrence's name and number was on it... She thought she had forgotten about that story, since it had been years... First her patient and now the engagement ring that's refusing to slide... What was destiny trying to tell her?