Alex ran over to the lake the moment he saw Debbie jump in and followed her into the water without a second thought.
Fortunately, Alex was a good swimmer so he grabbed Debbie by her clothes and tried his best to swim toward the shore.
"What are you doing? Let me die!" Debbie shouted. She struggled to get free from Alex's grasp, but he held tight and wouldn't let go. Eventually, with a lot of effort, Alex managed to pull Debbie safely back to the shore.
Debbie sat on the grass by the lake and asked in a sad voice, "Why did you save me? Why didn't you let me die?"
Debbie's entire body was drenched. Her clothes were clinging tightly to her body, outlining her delicate figure and making her look extremely pitiful.
"Why did I save you?" Alex caught his breath. He really couldn't understand Debbie's thoughts or actions. "You might think you want to die, but have you considered your parents? Who'll support them in the future? And the state has supported you for so many years, and this is how you repay society? What are you thinking?"
Alex wanted to wake Debbie up from her self-pity and give her reasons to want to live.
Debbie was a little shocked by Alex's words. She hugged her knees and started to feel calmer.
"You said you're not afraid of death, but why don't you have the courage to live?" Alex's tone became a little gentler.
Debbie raised her head and looked at Alex with her big watery eyes.
Her eyes were shining brightly, she broke Alex's heart. He suddenly had a feeling that this girl was not the sort of person he'd thought she was.
"If it was possible for someone to live, why would they choose to die?" Debbie sounded hopeless.
"If you've got problems, why don't you tell me about them? Maybe I can help you." Alex asked, trying to sound positive.
When she saw Alex's sincere gaze, Debbie knew that he really wanted to help her. A warm feeling rose from deep within her heart, making her feel very comfortable.
But Debbie's heart chilled when she thought about her situation. "You can't help me," she said.
"Just tell me what it is. Believe me, I can definitely help you," Alex replied. Coming from such a rich family, he was sure that he could easily help her.
"I'm really grateful that you want to help me but forget it. There's nothing you can do." Debbie smiled faintly. She felt that this stranger in front of her was very kind.
"Okay." Alex sighed. He continued in a serious tone, "But I hope at least you'll promise me not to do such a stupid thing again."
"All right, I promise," Debbie responded.
Alex felt reassured. He pulled Debbie up from the ground and said, "Oh yeah, and don't buy such expensive food in the future. I don't think it's something you and your family can really afford."
Debbie's face reddened and she lowered her head slightly. She tugged at her clothes with both hands and whispered, "Actually, I normally eat for less than two dollars a day. I thought today was my last day on earth so I plucked up the courage to go to the restaurant for seafood risotto."
Listening to Debbie's gentle voice, Alex's heart couldn't help but soften. "Then why did you order two servings?"
"I know it's too extravagant to eat 40 dollars in a single meal. But to save money, I haven't eaten for the past two days, so I'm really hungry. That's why I ordered two servings." Debbie's voice was becoming softer and softer.
"I understand." Alex replied. Looking at the shy and timid Debbie, he decided that she was exceptionally cute.
"Come here." Debbie pulled Alex back to the stone where she'd left the food. She smiled warmly at Alex, then gave him a container of risotto. "Here, eat."
Alex quickly refused. "No need. Aren't you hungry? You eat it up," he said.
A few minutes later, Debbie said, "It's good that you haven't just eaten. I just realized that I can only eat one of these meals after all. I'm already full. Here, you have it." Debbie raised her chin.
"Ok." Alex took the carton and sat on the stone to eat.
"You sit down too," Alex said while eating. Debbie was watching him, and it made him feel self-conscious.
"Okay." Debbie sat beside him. Alex had just used a lot of energy saving Debbie and was now very hungry. He ate quickly and some grains of rice stuck to his face.
Alex and Debbie chatted as they ate. Only then did Alex find out that Debbie had been praying to her mother in her hometown in the northeast, begging forgiveness for her actions.
By the time they'd finished eating, they both felt there was something special between them.
"Can I see you tomorrow?" Alex scratched his head and asked with a hint of embarrassment.
I have a really good feeling about Debbie, he thought, and I really want to protect her. I'll be really upset if I can't see her again.
Debbie was surprised by Alex's question and she blushed.
She listened to her heart and responded, "Sure."
**
The next day at noon, as soon as Alex had finished his classes, he went straight to Ramsey Lake. There, he saw a delicate figure sitting on the same rock as yesterday.
He walked over with his heart fluttering.
Debbie heard his footsteps and turned around. In her hand was a red and yellow plastic bag. She stood up and handed the bag to him, saying, "This is for you."
Alex was pleasantly surprised. He took the plastic bag from her and saw that it contained peaches, plums, and apricots. The fruit were in pieces with droplets of water on them.
"Did you buy this fruit just for me? He asked. "It's too expensive, please don't buy it in the future," he continued, although he was deeply touched. I know that many people eat fruit every day, but for Debbie, eating fresh fruit is a luxury, he thought.
"Eat them," Debbie replied. "These fruits are all in season now, so they're not expensive. And they're the leftovers that no one else wanted. The shop manager sold them to me at half price. I'll clean them up and dig out the bad bits for you. Don't worry about it." Debbie said with some doubt.
"How could I not worry?" Alex was surprised by Debbie. She saved up some money to buy me fruit, yet she has so many of her own problems on her mind.
Alex picked up a peach and stuffed it into his mouth, splattering the juice everywhere, "Yum, it's really delicious," he said. "Why don't you have some too? This peach is so sweet." Alex picked up a peach and gave it to Debbie.
Debbie looked at Alex, who was happily eating, and smiled sweetly as she put the peach into her mouth.
**
Over the next few days, Alex and Debbie would meet at the lake at noon every day.
Each day, Alex would first eat at the cafeteria, then bring food to eat again with Debbie. Debbie was always pleased to see him.
Of course, the dishes that Alex brought were all the most basic ones. He wasn't ready yet for Debbie to find out who is really was.
One particular day, Alex packed a second serving of soup and vegetable stir fry and went to Ramsey Lake.
Strangely, Debbie wasn't there. She should be here by now, Alex said to himself. I wonder what's keeping her today.
Alex sat calmly on the rock and thought, Debbie's never been out for a proper meal before. She's bound to be thrilled when I take her to the best restaurant in New York.
He sat on the rock and waited for 20 minutes but Debbie still didn't come. Seeing the food was getting cold, he took out his phone and called her.
"Debbie, where are you?" he asked.
"Ah—" She answered. "I'm sorry, Alex. I can't make it today. Our class is doing experiments in the laboratory and I can't leave."
"Okay." Alex looked at his phone and had an idea. Debbie can't come to me, but I can take the food to her.
He picked up the food and walked quickly toward the laboratory building.
When he arrived, he called Debbie. He told her that he'd arrived and asked her which laboratory she was in.
"Oh—" She answered. "You came to the laboratory. Um, I'm leaving now. Eat by yourself today, don't worry about me." Debbie's voice sounded strained and when Alex asked her where she was, she hung up the phone.
Alex had a bad feeling. Is Debbie hiding something from me? He wondered and he felt increasingly uneasy. He ran out of the lab, threw his food into the trash can, and started to look for Debbie anywhere he could think of.
The cafeteria, the supermarket, the lab—he looked everywhere he thought she might be, but he couldn't find her and she wasn't answering his calls.
Alex had run out of options. His heart felt in disarray.
He walked despondently to the playing field, sat down on the grass, and, still in a daze, watched people jogging around the track.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he saw a petite figure sitting in the corner of the stands. He was sure it was Debbie.
He felt invigorated as he quickly stood up and ran toward her.
"Debbie, why didn't you answer my calls?" he asked Debbie as he walked up to her. He was still feeling upset, but when she raised her head, he was shocked.
Debbie's face was battered and bruised, and her eyes were swollen. Her pretty face was a mess.