Wishes and Kisses || COMPLETE

Chapter 11: The Wish That Set Jean Free

We spent the rest of the Sunday driving home, drinking peach tea, and eating sandwiches. I told Jean everything with how Megan got the necklace, to how Jason and I tried to get the principal to help us, to how Mrs. Wu knew about Jean being a genie all along, to how I got to the studio. Jean in turn told me about how Megan treated her, to how Megan wanted to be famous and on the same show as Gloriana Florea and she ended up being her 'assistant', to how Gloriana Florea didn't like her so she ended up wishing they were sisters. We talked in detail about everything, but it wasn't one of those kinds of conversations where we spoke about all that was wrong, but about the adventures we've been on and how we conquered the battles in the end. It was a beautiful feeling, talking and laughing with her once more. This was my personal last wish, to have a moment like this with her again before I set her free.

It was about 7 in the evening when I finally dropped Jean off. Jean's mother and father swarmed her with hugs and kisses. They insisted I stay for dinner, and I had no choice but to say yes.

After dinner, Jean and I sat in her room, talking like normal. We talked about both nothing and everything at the same time if that made any sense. But I knew in the pit of my gut that this conversation had to end, but there was one last thing that needed to be said before I did that.

"Jean . . ." I think you and I both know what has to come next," I said.

"Your third wish . . ."
I was sitting on her chair, and she was sitting on the bed. I got up and sat next to her, taking her by both hands. "I promise I'm going to make the wish this time, but before I do I have some things I need to say. Jean, you being in my life these past few weeks has taught me a lot. You've taught me a lot. You've taught me that no matter external factors are changed, the biggest changes have to come from inside ourselves. You taught me to stop wishing for things, and to work for the things I've always wished for. You've also taught me how to care for people. How to trust in people. How to let everyone in. I guess ultimately what I'm trying to say is that--"
"You love me?" She asked.

"No. Well yes, but that's not what I was trying to say. What I'm trying to say is, I am so grateful that I met you. No matter what will happen to us after the third wish is made, I will always remember everything you've done for me. I will always remember the impact you made."

I pulled out a gold-plated ring with a crayon maroon rose in the center, and put it around her finger. "I know you don't like it when you're bought fancy things, but this isn't just a fancy peice of jewelry I got at the mall. I made this, Jean."

She admired the ring on her finger, turning her hand 180 a few times. "What's the story behind this?" She asked.

"I made melted a maroon crayon in the shape of a rose," I said. "I guess it's a thank you for lending me that crayon that day in kindergarten. I never really did get to thank you."

"Did the crayon really mean that much to you then? To me, it was just a crayon."

"Well to me, it was an act of kindness that I badly needed that day. I guess you could even say that kindness was seeded inside me somewhere and blossomed its own flower. And I know that my soul isn't intertwined with this ring or whatever like your necklace is, but it really does have a part of me with it."

Her face got closer to mine. "What a nice romantic gesture."

I traced my thumb on her cheek. "Romantic, platonic, or otherwise, I care about you in more dimensions than one."

"What did you mean before when you said 'whatever will happen to us once the third wish is made', Nick?"

"All this time I haven't made it because . . . Well I'm afraid things will change. I'm afraid you wouldn't choose me."