SERENDIPITY

Chapter 6 "Serendipity"

Candy and Terry ended up getting up and leave the ice rink. They had picked up the black cashmere gloves and they went to sit on the bech, where they had sat the first evening.

- Shall we go? Said Terry, where do you live?

- I'm at the Waldorf...

- Seriously?

- Yes, I know; you had to get married at noon today...

- How do you know that?

- My friend Patty was invited, she knows your ex-fiancée...

- Patty?

Candy like the his British accent, the way he pronounced the "T" in Patty, not "D" like Americans who said "Paddy".

- She's your friend too? If I had known, I wouldn't have gone all the way to Chicago to look for you.

- You went to Chicago?

- After finally finding the book "Romeo and Juliet"...

- You found it on the day before your wedding?

- And you don't know how yet... Susanna gave it to me as a wedding present...

- Oh my God!

- I finally had your name and number , the day before my wedding!

- And you went to Chicago?

- And I found you getting it on with a young blond man...

- What?? But that's impossible. First of all, I was here with Tom my fiancé, ex-fiancé, who is not blond...

- You were going to get married too?

- Yes, that's what started it all... the ring Tom got me wasn't going through my finger, it stopped half way...

- Oh, said Terry.

- Then, I was walking around to breathe some air, during my engagement celebration and I saw a poster of "The Hustler"...

- My favourite movie...

- Then I took advantage of Patty to come here in New York for her birthday... she almost went back when she realized what I was doing... but I had to try to find you...

- The 5$ bill...

- I was turning around the 5$ bills that would fall into my hands, in vain... We went to the Waldorf...

- But it wasn't lucky for us the first night... which floor did you chose?

- The 23rd...

Terry looked at her stunned.

- Incredible! Why weren't you there? I picked the 23rd too! You didn't wait?

- What?! But I did, where were you?

- Well my elevator stopped to pick up a man and a little boy dressed as the devil...

- You're kidding...

- I'm not kidding, it was like the devil himself had decided to screw it up for us, because he pressed on a bunch of buttons! The elevator stopped at every floor... it was even stuck between 15 and 16 for a moment... that's without counting the people coming in...

- But you were going up, most people would want to go down right?

- I know! But of course, on that evening, nobody had any problem going up to go down...in the end, everybody was coming out of the elevator to see if you were there ...

- I waited for a while, since you weren't coming, I said to myself that you would eventually arrived if you had chosen number 23...

- But you didn't know that a little devil had pressed on all the buttons to number 23...

- Oh my God! We could've been together since that first evening...

- Yes...

- I went back home and I did what I promised with the book "Romeo and Juliet". I wrote my name and phone number and I went to drop it off at a second hand bookstore...

- That's  good. You could've been discouraged on the first night and not do it...

- I trusted destiny... the Waldorf seemed appropriate to start my quest... I met a man dressed like a golf ball who gave me a flyer for a promotion at the golf club...

- The golf club?

- Yes, you said you wanted a golf club for Christmas, remember?

- Oh yeah... I went to the golf club and there was a woman over there named Candy, but she was very big...

- You're sure it wasn't me?

- And certain! Then my hairdresser wasn't there and you were replacing her...

- I must have given you a horrible hair cut because I don't know anything about cutting hair...

- I didn't stay to find out... I ran out of there like a rabbit ... then I was in a taxi, there was a traffic jam and there was a man on a motorcycle singing : ♪♪I want Candy!♪♪

- Not possible! Said Candy laughing.

- I went to see my friend Charlie, who was supposed to be my best man and who said I was crazy because I had to get married in three days and I was thinking about another woman... I convinced him to come with me to look in second hand bookstores for "Romeo and Juliet" book, in vain! All the books we found didn't have your name and phone number... when I went back home that day, Susanna was waiting for me... she wanted me to be romantic, I didn't know what to tell her... She wanted me to tell her that she was the only woman for me in the world.... I wanted to open my mouth, when the smoke alarm went off, she had burned the dinner! It was like destiny didn't want me to make that declaration, because Susanna, want the only woman who was destined to be with me. While she was taking car of the dinner, she had taken my stuff out of the closets so we can pack our bags... there were clothes everywhere in the bedroom, I was sitting on the bed and it was on a little brown back from Bloomingdale's with the glove inside. When I put the glove on, I felt something inside, it was the receipt with your credit card number... I went to the store the next day...

- They usually don't give out that kind of information...

- You don't know how tenacious I could be... and in the meantime, I was checking all the second hand bookstores on my way... at Bloomingdale's, I got an employee who took advantage of the situation to rise his commission for his monthly sales by making me buy expensive clothes and crocodile skin shoes...

- You did it, just to have my last name?

- I was ready to do anything to have your information... only we had to look in the archives since your card request was from seven years ago, it was carbon copies back then so your last name was erases by the fingers who had touch the form...

- Not possible! Said Candy laughing

- So, the employee suggested that we go to your former address... That's how I ended up at William Albert Andrew...

- Oh, he mustn't have been very happy to see you.

- That's the least we could say, he practically threw me out... after announcing to me that you were getting married...and he also knew I had to get married... your boyfriend is holding a grudge...

- He's not my boyfriend...

- Ah?

- He's my father...

- Your father? Are you making fun of me?

- Technically, he adopted me...

- Oh...

- And he's very protective of me...

- Very in love with you, you mean... after that, I decided to go back to the pub the "Serendipity"

- Last night? I was there with Patty...

- We missed each other again! That's where I decided to give up on everything... your "father" told me you were getting married and there was a bridal shop on top of the pub... for me it was a sign that I had to go to my wedding rehearsal and my bachelor party... you were also getting married until Susanna offered me your book...

- I decided to give up there also, that's funny... and you went to Chicago... to see me getting it on... but it couldn't have been me, because I don't live in a house in Chicago, but an apartment...

- That's good to know... well in the end, it was a good thing, because my friend Charlie made me noticed that if I would rather be looking for a woman I had met years ago practically on a whim, then I didn't really want to be link myself to Susanna... there was a reason for everything... I couldn't marry Susanna...

- So you came here and cancelled your wedding...

- Yes...

- I was on my way to Chicago after breaking up with Tom... the night before, we were here at the ice rink and he looked at the sky and he saw the stars saying that he didn't know their names, I looked and I checked my forearm and I knew it was Cassiopeia... Another sign! On the plane, when the stewardess came to ask me if I wanted to rent earphones to watch the movie, since the plane wasn't taking off any time soon because of the weather... I realized that I had Patty's wallet... the stewardess asked me if there was money inside. I looked and there was a 5$ bill that I have to her without checking the back... she turned it and that's when I saw your name and phone number... I practically ripped off her hands and the stewardess wanted to give it back as change to another customer and I got off the plane... I went directly to your place and I was told that you were getting married at the Waldorf, I took a taxi and of course there was a traffic jam, I got out before and I ran to the room yelling "Stop it"... to find an empty room... I was desperate... there was an employee putting the chairs away who told me that the wedding didn't happen... I couldn't believe it! Patty left and I decided to stay to look for you... and I came here.

- You  really would've stopped the wedding?

- You can bet your life, I would've done it! she said smiling.

- I don't ever want to leave you!

- Me neither...

- I love you Candy

- I love you Terry...

- I'm going to make an honest woman out of you... will you marry me, Candy?

- Oh yes Terry! I want to marry you!

He smiled, he put his two hands on Candy's cheeks and he approached her to kiss her on the lips. He looked in his pocket and he took out a little blue box.

- You got me a ring? You knew you were going to see me?

- Well, with my luck, I didn't want to take any chances...

He opened the box. It was an emerald surrounded by little diamonds. He took it out and put it at her finger and it fit perfectly. It was the right size. For Candy, qui had a ring half way through with Tom, Terry was just the perfect man for her!!

- It's the perfect size, no adjustment needed!

- That's a good sign, I suppose, said Terry.

- oh yes! Thank you Terry! I love it a lot!

They kissed for a moment.

- Let's go see my father..., she said.

- Do we really have to?

- Don't tell me that you're afraid of my father after everything you did to find me?

- Of course not! Let's go!

- Candy! What a nice surprise! What are you doing here with the runaway groom?

- Don't tell me you were at the wedding!? Said Candy smiling.

- Of course I was..

- I think you know Terry...

- We met last night...

- It's good to see you again, said Terry.

- Come in, please, said William a little ironically.

They got in the apartment and they went to sit in the living room. Candy and Terry sat down in the two place love seat, William was in the arm chair.

- Mr. Andrew, said Terry, I wanted to tell you that I asked your daughter to marry me and she said yes...

- Really Candy? He just left a woman at the altar...

-It was because of me, daddy! Said Candy smiling, and if he hadn't done it , I would've stopped the wedding!

- Incredible!

- He's the one I told you about, all those years ago!

- Your Mr. Fantastic of one evening?

- I respected your daughter, said Terry.

- I know my daughter, said William.

Candy looked at them smiling.

- Yes my Mr. Fantastic of one evening. Do you realized he chose the same floor that evening?

- Ah!, said William, and why wasn't he there?

- A little devil, if you want to believe it, said Terry.

- I should send a present to that little devil!

- Daddy! Said Candy smiling, well, it only delayed the unavoidable, because serendipity put us back together... he found my book with my name and phone number and the 5$ bill with his name and phone number found itself in my hands:

- When? Asked William.

- Last nigh, said Terry

- This morning, said Candy.

- It was on razor's edge..., said William.

- Daddy! Said Candy, I love him.

- Then be happy. I'm giving you my blessing.

- Thank you daddy, said Candy standing up to hug him.

William stood up too, to hug his daughter. Terry had also stood up to shake his hand.

- If you abandon my daughter at the altar, I would be crazed with joy!

- Daddy! Said Candy hitting him softly laughing.

- Don't hold your breath, said Terry taking Candy in his arms, I'm going to keep her forever.

And he kissed her in front of William who was smiling. Candy had told him what had happened and he had listened, he had felt the joy and the excitement in her voice. He was happy for her, even if for him, this whole story was completely crazy...

"He who finds without searching is the one who has searched for a long time". Gaston Bachelard.