Rebirth of a Rose

27. Silver Rose

Merlene took Dong Fu and Sam, to her studio. Dong Fu had been here before, but he listened to everything Silver told him, like a new student listening to his teacher. Sam was much calmer than before, but still quite like a kitten who wouldn't dare to make a mess in front of his mother.

"I started Silver Rose ten years ago, with the help of a friend." She told Dong Fu as they walked to the inner room. "He was our best friend." She said referring to Sam. "He loved roses, so we named our designing brand Silver Rose."

She opened the door to the inner room, and there was a ten years old photo portrait of Dong Fu and her. It was put up recently. Dong Fu was stunned looking at it. He was just twenty two back then and twenty two now. She continued, "He was a model, though he retired from the industry early. But he continued to be the show stopper for my every show. He took retirement after my first show. After that, he made a statement to the media that he would be an exclusive model for Silver Rose. He was taken away from us months ago. His birthday is coming soon, I want to say a proper goodbye to him." Her voice was full of longing.

She took him to another room, there were more than twenty cloths, "All these clothes were worn by him at the shows before. I preserved them well. They will be worn by other models at the show, but you will be wearing this." She opened a wardrobe and Dong Fu was left stunned looking at the piece of art. "I was preparing it for a winter fashion week, but..." She sighed, "He won't be able to wear it anymore. I didn't think I would let anyone see it."

She was almost to tears, sadness prevailed on her face. But more than her it was Dong Fu, he turned and left the room immediately.

Silver was left standing foolishly, "Did I say something wrong?" She asked Sam. Sam saw tears in Dong Fu's eyes, while he passed by him. He smiled at Silver and said, "Give him some time, I told you he was Dong Fu's fan."

Dong Fu left the studio and went straight to the hotel. Sam returned late in the evening. They had booked a two-room suite to stay. The lights were turned off, there were some scented candles lit. There was a piece of soft music playing in the background. The atmosphere in the room was quite heavy. He saw a shadow of Dong Fu sitting on the couch and a bottle of whiskey which was half empty.

Dong Fu was quite, Sam went and sat on a couch next to him. He saw his eyes red and swollen, his cheeks were red. He had cried for a long time. Sam had no idea what Dong Fu felt. Being alive was something to be happy about, but then Dong Fu left a life behind, a life full of memories. Sam and Silver were his closest friends.

After he died, only they knew what they had gone through. But it wasn't easy for Dong Fu either, accepting an entirely new life while looking at his old one fade away into thin air. There was an uneasiness in Sam's eyes. He didn't know what to say. He sighed in despair, he thought Dong Fu would want to go back, "If you don't want to do the show.."

"What are you talking about?" Dong Fu interrupted him. His voice was a little hoarse. He lifted his hand, holding the glass of alcohol and stared at the drink. "Those clothes were designed for me, what's mine..... how can I let it go? My previous body is indeed gone, but I am still alive. What I love, what's mine, no one can take it." He gulped down the drink and looked at Sam, whose eyes were dropped, "I never apologized to you."

Sam looked at Dong Fu's flushed face, those beautiful eyes had become misty, "Apologies for?"

"I died... I never thought about how you must have felt. I was gone, but you two still had a life to live. The look that I saw in Silver's eyes broke my heart. I was too selfish to not tell you two earlier." He poured his glass full again.

"It's not your fault." Sam replied.

"I can't drop a big bomb on Silver before the fashion show... I will give her hints and let her fill in the gaps slowly or should I tell her directly?" Dong Fu asked Sam's opinion.