"WHAT?!!!" It was another shock for him. Was everything some kind of a joke? Was everything only a dream? He was at the gym. At the corner of his eye, he could see Christine walking in his direction.
"What happened? Is everything alright?" Christine asked him. Worry filled her eyes.
David ignored her. "What time is the flight?" he asked Kenji on the phone instead.
"She just boarded the plane," Kenji answered.
"WHAT?!!!! Why didn't you tell me?" He asked his cousin again. His getting angrier and angrier.
"I thought you knew," Kenji answered.
"What happened?" Christine asked again.
David ignored her again. "I didn't know… Why didn't anyone tell me?" He raised his voice and hung up the phone. He could not describe what he felt. He just felt like crying… like a lost little boy.
"David? What happened?" Christine asked for the third time.
"Don't leave me, Joe," he uttered instead and ran to his car as fast as he could. "Joe…" he started the engine and took off. He stepped on the gas some more and he was speeding on the road. He does not care! He can pay all the speeding tickets he could get. But, he can't lose Joe.
"Joe… wait for me… don't go. Just wait for me please…. I promise, everything will be alright from now on. Just don't go."
Before he knew it, he drove the thirty minute drive to the airport in fifteen minutes. He quickly walked in and asked the receptionist. "What time will the Paree flight leave?"
The receptionist checked her computer and smiled at him, "It already did, sir, 10 minutes ago. There will be another one leaving tonight."
"Is Joe Chen on that plane? The plane that left?" he asked.
"Let me check, sir," she said, then looked back at him. "Sir, there is no Joe Chen…"
"Josephine Eliza Chen," he said quickly.
"Ohhh…" the receptionist nodded, "Yes, sir, in first class, Josephine Eliza Chen."
David chuckled, "No… she did not leave. She won't. Are you sure that's her?" he asked again. The receptionist nodded.
David sat down on the bench nearby. 'If she leaves, she will return. I'm sure. She can't live by herself. She needs me. She will come back for me… That's right… I'll wait here… You'll be back… I know you will.'
*****
Joe looked at the screen in front of her. There was a movie being played. She forgot the title and it seemed to be interesting but her mind wandered to David. 'Did I do the right thing, David?' She sighed and closed her eyes. When she opens them, she knows she will already be in London.
*****
Kenji stopped his car by the ocean. He stepped down and took off his shoes to walk barefoot by the sand. He found a rock nearby and sat on it. Then, he looked up. A plane drew a straight line in the sky. 'I had waited for so long to see the real you again Josephine Eliza Chen, I can wait for another year.' He sighed and gazed at the ocean before him, letting the wind blow his troubles away.
*****
After 7 hours of waiting, the guards suggested for David to go home. He had pestered the receptionist for the hundredth time that she called a security on him
"I'm waiting for my best friend, Joe… Josephine. I want to be here when she comes out that door," he said and pointed at the glass door.
The security nodded, "Yes sis, we understand. However, her plane has not yet landed in Paree. We will call you as soon as it does."
Suddenly it dawned to him that Joe left indeed. He believed she'll come back, he believed she did not leave. Still she did. 'Why, Joe? WHY?'
It was already midnight and he needed to rest. He nodded in agreement. The receptionist took his number. After that, he headed for the exit. With a heavy heart, he found his car and drove back to their estate. He needs to know why she left.
*****
"What is going on?" David stormed into the house and slammed the door after him. He was unaware of the worry the family had for him. He did not notice the worry in his mother's face nor the concern in Christine's eyes.
"What is going on, David Ji? Where have you been?" his mother asked. "I called the police and filed a missing person report!!!"
"Are you okay?" Christine asked. "You were not answering your phone. What happened?"
He ignored Christine for the fourth time and faced his mother, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Madame Lila raised her voice. She did not know what David was talking about.
David was now livid. "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!" he screamed. "Am I not important in this family anymore?!"
"What are you talking about?! Would you calm down?!!! Why are you screaming at me?" the Madame glowered.
David took a deep breath and asked, "Why didn't you tell me Joe was leaving?"
Kenji closed his eyes and then sighed. "We thought you knew," he lied.
David looked at him unbelieving. He chuckled mockingly, "REALLY NOW?"
"Josephine told me that she will tell you," explained the Madame.
David could not help the tears that welled up his eyes, "No one told me… NO ONE DID!!!" he said and ran upstairs before they all saw him crying. However, he made sure that all of them heard the banging of the door afterwards.
Christine sighed. "I'll call him when he calms down," she said. "I'll be going home now."
"Why don't you stay?" the Madame offered.
"I will be alright," Christine gave Madame Lila a faint smile.
"Matthew, call the chauffeur," Madame Lila ordered.
'That happened as expected…' Kenji thought and then excused himself.
Christine took Madame Lila's offer. She clenched her fists as she sat down in the backseat. Tears started to well up her eyes as she recalled how David reacted. She clenched her jaw to stop the tears from falling. But they still did. It was a long way back to her apartment after all. She immediately wiped her tears.
'I knew it… I knew it all along,' she thought as her heart broke. This will be her first heartbreak but she will wait for David to break them up. She still decided to love him in the remaining time they have left.