Heartbreaks, Prosecution, and Retribution

Chapter 17: Unplanned Event

With only three days left until I return to Korea, I didn't do much. I didn't even do much throughout the time I was here since everyone had been working. I was bored out of my mind, being semi-depressed because I'm leaving my family here, but looking forward to the day I leave to go back to my own family.

It was now around 8:20 p.m. I was at my dad's house lying on the sofa channel surfing hoping to see if anything would catch my eye. I was just relaxing, getting ready for bed. My sister and father already went off to their own rooms, probably already sleeping. My dad, however, has this habit of going to bed while watching the History Channel. I had little energy left in me from the day from being exhausted from an early wake-up and with the anxiety that I have; to sleep at this point would be heaven.

Then, suddenly, there were several light knocks at the front door as if someone was nervously asking for help. My dad lives in the country, so those who usually knocked late at night were either people who needed to use the phone for car trouble, Law Enforcement from someone getting into a nearby traffic incident or hitting an animal such as a deer or people running over dogs. People always thought the dogs belonged to my dad, but they were never his. Of course, there were times when other people came to my dad's looking for someone in the household, but these all rarely happened.

I got up, being interrupted from my channel surfing as if I was really doing anything important. I was in a relaxed state of mind, not really concentrating on anything but being in a blank state. I really was in a lazy zone. So much so that I didn't really want to get up to see who it was. Though, if it was someone in need of help, then I would feel kind of bad for not assisting.

As I proceeded to the door, I peeked through the curtains. I would appear like a criminal hiding from the police. I looked to see my ex-wife standing on the porch with her hands rubbing each other and her head slightly tilted downward. She looked a bit nervous from what I'd seen. Why is she here? I asked myself. I opened the door, not asking her to come in.

"What the hell do you want?" I rudely proclaimed in a voice not too aggressive, but stern enough to get the point across.

As she began to talk, I interrupted her on purpose by asking, "Why Are You Standing Here?" Again, as if I was hoping she'd say sorry and leave or drop-dead whichever would be first. Hopefully, death but that wasn't going to happen. I went ahead and let her talk. She slowly spoke. Softly she asked, "Can we talk?"

I asked her, "How did you know that I was in town?" Thinking to myself, but of course, her friend, Nikole, saw me.

She said, "My sister told me she has seen you at the store, shopping." I thought I may or may not have seen her. Not that I really cared to acknowledge them if they did. "So, alright, what do you want to talk about?" I said to her.

She said, "I just wanted to talk to you since I haven't seen you in three years. I just wanted to know what happened between us." She suggested that we take a drive just to talk and focus on the whole ordeal of what had happened in our relationship.

I gave in, though I knew I shouldn't have. I believe in a fair trial and that all people should be given a chance to be heard and told their side of an explanation.

As I stepped out of the house, I looked into the driveway to see my car although it wasn't my car. It was the one that I lost in the divorce. It was nearly in mint condition three years ago, before I left, considering the whole new front end and all. It is now no way in the shape it should have been in. It has scratches all over, a few small dents in the hood, and one headlight out. How could someone not take care of their vehicle, their primary means of transportation?

As I got inside the car, I was afraid to touch anything. There was trash all throughout the car. "I am glad that she didn't litter," I joked in the back of my mind. I then continued to notice a few cigarette burns on the seat. I never allowed anyone to smoke in my car. The smoke always gave me a bad headache. Luckily for me, the car smelled of old cigarette buds which lingered through the upholstery as if the fragrance was the selected car scent she chose.