"Your husband?! Did Hendrick tell you this?" He asked and Karen gave her signature reply - she nodded.
For some reasons known to him, Stan found this to be hilarious and couldn't stop himself from laughing. "I wonder what's going on in that guy's head? It's not like he wanted the marriage in the first place." He said it aloud but it was more like he was talking to himself.
"What did Hendrick do?" Asked Karen, as she didn't quite understand what he said.
"I'll explain it while we eat. So, let's go?" He asked, but Karen still shook her head stubbornly.
"No! Grandma, Mom, everyone be angry." The way she put her words made her sound confused, but Stan understood.
'Is she getting better or worse?' He wondered but he shrugged off his thoughts. He had to think of something to make her change her mind.
Stan's face turned pitiful in the next second and he started faking tears. "I thought we were friends. Was everything we did the last time we went out nothing to you?" He sniffled.
Karen looked guilty when seeing the crying Stan "I'm Sorry." She quickly apologized.
"Please go out with me, even if it would be the last time... At least, let me say a proper goodbye." He took out a kerchief and wiped his invincible tears.
"Okay, one time." Karen gave in and with no time wasted, Stan excitedly led the way to his car.
"It was about time!" Said Ian when he saw them coming towards the car and he quickly started the car.
He made the car face the direction which they were to go and immediately Stan and Karen got in, he drove off in a haste.
"Are you tryna get us killed?" Kevin complained and held Ian's arm.
Ian who was seemingly annoyed, wiggled his arm to get Kevin's hand off him. "Let go of me, I'm driving."
They were about to start their bickering, but they heard Karen's laughter from the backseat and that made them become still and quiet.
"They are really clowns, aren't they?" Stan said, trying to make her more comfortable and free around him and she giggled.
....
Along the road, a cab parked at the side and out of it came Jane. She was already making her way towards the dojo which was opposite where the cab had parked but she was stopped.
"Hey! You haven't paid me yet!" The cab man yelled as he ran to her, but Jane continued walking as if she had not heard him.
She dipped her hand in her pocket and threw a few bucks behind her, not caring where it landed.
"Hey!" The cab man barked at her, obviously insulted by her attitude, but he calmed down on realizing that the money was more than two times of what she was meant to pay. He quickly took the money and dashed to the car, just Incase Jane had not intended to do that and decides to come back for her money.
Jane went across the road and stopped in front of a building. She looked up at the words that were boldly written at the entrance and mumbled it to herself. "The dojo." Then she looked at the picture of the guy that Ian had sent to her. "Hope you are ready for me? I'm gonna fucking rip you apart." She entered the building.
She went past security and they had called after her, but it fell on deaf ears. She was like a robot programmed to do only one thing and that was to find that guy and beat him to a pulp.
She made sure to look at the face of every guy she walked past but she didn't see the guy in the pic. She even rudely turned some guys around to face her, just so she could see their faces. They were starting to think she was crazy and that might not be totally wrong.
She entered the main hall where the martial arts students were and they were all in uniforms. Her eyes swept through the room, but she couldn't find him.
Her heart started beating faster in realization that this could have been a prank. Actually, she was really sure this was a prank and she hated herself for being so stupid. 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You are very stupid, Jane. You really are so..' Jane's inward outrage and self-blame was cut short when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
She turned around and saw a matured man which she guessed should be the martial arts teacher.
"Young man, are you lost or are you here to join us?" Asked the man, nicely.
"Do I look lost to you? And about joining you guys…" she looked around once again with an unimpressed expression "no, thank you. The training you give your students would be nothing compared to the training I got as a child." She proudly said.
"Hey! Watch it." A male student angrily said and before Jane could take a proper look at him, his fist already hit her jaw and lower lip. "I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just walk in here and look down on us."
The impact from his hit made her head turn to the other side and her hood slid down, revealing her hair. She had not expected that at all and it came as a surprise, but the surprise was immediately replaced with rage.She slowly turned her head to face the guy and they all saw her bleeding lip.
The student's mouth opened in realization "Y-you are a girl?" He asked with surprise written on his face.
"No, I'm not!" She shouted and charged at him, punching him straight in the guts and continued doing so until both of her arms were held tightly by two other students.
The student's eyes had gotten red when he looked up at her and a dangerous smile appeared on his face when he saw that she had been restrained, and was struggling to release herself. He clenched his fist and was moving closer to her.
"You aren't gonna hit a girl, are you?" Said one of the female students.
"He said he's not a girl!" He barked at the girl that had spoken and was about to hit Jane. Jane closed her eyes and tilted her head to one side, expecting the hit any second from then.
"Hit her and I'll see to it that you never step foot in this dojo ever again." The teacher threatened him, and that was enough to make his hand paralyzed.
He slowly retreated and angrily walked out of the hall.
"And you! Get the hell outa here!" He said to Jane. "What are you waiting for? Kick her out already." He spoke to the students that were restraining Jane.
"I'm not an animal, I can walk out myself." She struggled and kicked but they didn't budge. They were strong and it hurt her pride to admit it.
They didn't let go of her until she was pushed out of the building entirely. "And stay out!" One of them yelled and shut the gate.
It had been a long while since she had been embarrassed like this and she laughed at herself. She hated the person she had become, but hated the person that made her to be this way even more. "I hate you." She mumbled with a shaky voice and she rubbed her eyes to prevent an embarrassing tear from strolling down.
….
Ian drove to a classy restaurant called 'Classic foods' which was not far away. The restaurant had a large parking space for it's customers and Ian parked the car there.
They all got off from the car and proceeded to enter the restaurant. Karen was mesmerized by the restaurant's size and the beauty of it or maybe she was actually attracted to the different dishes that were being showcased on the large screen that was hung up on the wall of the building.
"Don't drool over a screen, Karen. Why don't we go inside so you could drool over the actual food." He joked and pulled her close to him as they entered the restaurant.
"Take a table far away from us." Stan ordered his men and they quietly did so, then he faced Karen.
"Let's sit there." He pointed to a table that was close to the air conditioner.
They walked up to the table and took their seats. A menu was already on every table, so the customers only had to glance through it and place an order through a tab which was also on every table.
"Have you decided what you want?" Stan asked Karen who was still looking at the menu. "You can still read, right?" He asked with uncertainty.
She looked up at him and smiled, but didn't answer his question.
"No worries, I'll order for you." He picked up the tab and typed what he wanted for himself and for Karen too.
In no time, a waitress was already carrying what they ordered on a tray, and was heading towards their table. "Good morning sir and ma. Here are your orders." She greeted and dropped their food on the table.
"Like what I ordered for you?" He asked and Karen nodded.
She began eating the lobster rolls like a starved child and Stan couldn't concentrate on eating his food. He found her new eating habit quite interesting to watch.
She was soon done with her food and Stan was yet to eat half of the food on his plate. "More?" Stan asked her after recovering from the shock of seeing her ear like that.
He made a second order for her, but this time he ordered for yoghurts.
The waitress brought the yoghurts and was surprised to see that the plate in front of Karen had been emptied, but she knew better than to keep her surprised expression on her face. "Here you go, miss. Enjoy."
Karen looked at the yoghurt and then at Stan.
"Try it, you would love it." Said Stan, sounding so sure.
Karen hesitated to take a taste, but she smiled when she tasted it and began to gobble it down. At a point, she slowed down a bit and held her tummy, which made Stan chuckle.
"What happened? Full already?" He teased her and her reply was a burp. He was stunned for a moment, but in the next second, he laughed. "How rude. You've lost your table manners and self conduct as well." He joked.
"You've got yoghurt on your face, close to your lips." He said and Karen's hand moved to wipe it off, but was stopped. "Wait… let me wipe it off for you." He stood up and bent over, with the table between them.
His face was moving closer to hers and if she wasn't in the condition she was in, she would probably be wondering if he was gonna wipe her face with his own face. His face was now very close and the next thing he did made her body go stiff.
He sucked the yoghurt on her face and if there were to be a slight movement of his lips to the left, his lips would end up on Karen's lips - which would make it literally a kiss.