image


image

Loved, Lost and the Message

Quah Chee Lu
ROMANCE
Report this story
Found something off? Report this story for review.

Submitted to Contest #5 in response to the prompt: 'You send a message to the wrong person. What happens next?'

Steve walked out the staircase. Drenched in sweat, speeding up his pace, he ran to his car at the open parking lot.
He wanted to scream through his shaking lip.
Less than half an hour he would go to attend his sister’s wedding anniversary party.
Steve blamed himself, I should have cancelled the gym training session today. You see. How to get there in time! You idiot! How to get my sister’s forgiveness?
He kept walking and shook his head
Finally Steve came to his car and took out his remote key, wanted to hit the road as soon as he could. Looking around, however, he noticed that the sky was getting really dark.
He thought to himself, I have to inform her that I would be late. Giving her an apology is a must.
Inside the car, Steve was started to type his message in a hurry. This message must be out in the blink of an eye.
For a second, without giving a second thought, Steve just pressed the Send button and the message was sent out successfully. He felt relieved now but he had to prepare himself to reach the party as fast as he could.
As Steve started the engine, driving north, past the city centre, he realised that there was something wrong on the receiver.
He felt that he had mistakenly selected the name of the receiver as his sister was called Jane.
Steve pulled over, bending down a bit to grab his phone at the foot of the passenger seat. A surge of terror flared, he looked at the screen with his eyes wide opened.
It was a replied message.
Paused.
A long paused.
Sometimes, it was not wise to do the thing in a hurry.
Then, this was a consequence.
Steve tensed.
Speechless.
The phone number of this replied message had already been forgotten for past five years of his.
Minutes passed, Steve took a deep breath and tried to figure out what would be happened next after this unexpected incident.

The message read:
“Hi! Quite a surprise to see your message. I know that your message wasn’t meant for me. But, at least I know that you still have my phone number at your record”

Steve said nothing.
Through the window, he noticed a stream of passengers thickening up at the bus station. They were worried about the rain that was pouring in soon. At the moment, his favourite song of The Day You Went Away was echoed inside the car from the radio.
Steve closed his eyes and never thought that this was happened right now after many years of trying to be better, strong and of course, to be himself.
Steve waited. Maybe he waited for his favourite song to finish, or, something back to him. Courage.
Minutes passed, outside, his car window was fogged with cold raindrops.
Suddenly, there was a sound resonating at the lonely moment.
Ping.

The message read:
“Hi! Tomorrow I will go to Kuala Selangor and spend the whole day over there. If you are really want to see me, you can find me over there. Remember. Something will find a way.”

Steve was stunned, bewildered and was unable to think further as if his power just turned off for a while.
After nearly the end of his sister’s anniversary party, Steve casually said goodbye to his sister and her family and left in a hurry.
Driving south, past residential area, Steve just stopped his car at the petrol station. He just wanted to ensure that there was no low light level indicator flashing on the dashboard as it was an hour trip to Kuala Selangor by tomorrow.
Was she serious about this?
What should I do now?
Steve drove back home, showered and switched off all the lights from living room to bedroom. He was alone since the day his parents had migrated to Singapore.
Steve looked at the ceiling floor and his inner mind was getting confused about what was going to happen next.
Unconsciously, Steve wanted to talk to the cold air in his room about his feeling and dilemma.
His chest tightened as if it were hard to breathe.
Immediately he straightened up, turning on table lamp, and opened the drawer of the side table. Taking out a stack of dusty albums as if it had already been buried underneath for many decades. He flipped the album and his tears were flowing down his cheeks uncontrollably.
The blankets around him were also plotted with tears.
Minutes passed, Steve closed the album and held it close to his chest.
He felt something so strange.
Unable to tell what it was.
Putting down the albums next to him, he just lied down and stared at the ceiling again with all the old memories with her flashing in his mind.
After a long minute, his eyes began to tell him that he needed to take a rest. His long-awaited answers would be unleashed by tomorrow. Eventually, Steve fell asleep and he did hope for something to be rekindled.
The next morning came at last. Outside, the street was calm and peaceful, traffic still in the sleeping mode. But, Steve already woke up and meticulously dressed up his favourite outfit. On his way out, he turned and saw his figure reflecting in the mirror at the wall. He smiled, looking back at the albums on the bed, smiled again. Just an unexpected message, life of back-to-bachelor under his 47th chapter would soon be closed.
Steve took his phone, selecting the Waze, typed a place of their rendezvous.
He smiled and knew that he could reach there on time.
On his journey.
No message.
No call.
Why?
Maybe she just gave up.
Steve drove along the route of LATAR Highway in silence but only his favourite songs played. She invaded his thought.
It was just past half an hour when his car turned into the a small straight road lined up with palm oil estates and scattered villages
Steve lost count of how many times he had checked the inbox.
Finally, his phone responded.
Ping.
Steve froze.
A silver of hope. Or, possibly, some kind of disappointed notification.
Ping twice.

The messages read:
“Hi! I am so sorry.”
“I would be late. Last minute meeting has initiated. It seems that it is kind of an urgent discussion session. No idea how long it will take. Could you wait for me.”

Steve took a deep breath. Relieved.
Feeling better.
Looking around, there were a gathering cows and goats at the greenly rippling plains and fields next to palm oil estates. The traffic was started thickening up. Farmers began to engulf themselves in their own estates.
Then, Steve turned and looked down at the screen of the phone.
Already. Time waited. Heart waited Everything was also waited. So, today was no different too. He could wait another decades.
Decision made.
Steve typed back and hit the Send.

The message replied:
“I am okay. Don’t rush. Let me know once you are ready.”

Paused.
Time was started to tick.
Message came.
Steve jumped to his feet to grab the phone.
He smiled and filled with unexplainable happiness as if this was the first date for him.

The message read:
“Great. It is glad to hear that. I will keep you abreast of it.”

Steve replied with Yes.
Immediately, he checked the clock and there were another 30 minutes to reach the destination.
After this, Steve knew that she would come back to him again and he wouldn’t let her walk away so easily. Giving me a chance to say sorry about everything.


The morning and the afternoon.
Everyday it was the same.
No more or less.
The very day with own agenda.
But, today, this was a big date for Steve.
The agenda of retaking her home. His home. The future owner of his house. His owner.
Five years they hadn’t spoken, met and greeted each other.
Maybe today would be significantly different.
After the last message he sent in this early morning, there was something bad feeling sneaking back again.
Sad. Terror. Disappointed and everything at this moment seemed to slip away.
Evening had come.
5.30 p.m.
No message. No call. Again.
The clock was ticking.
Steve was started to see his tears in ready.
Inside the car, Steve held his phone tightly as if it would run away from him any moment.
Suddenly.
The silence broke.
Ping.
All what he needed now was a sound of ping.
It just happened.
Without further ado, he read the message. Relieved at last.

The message read:
“Please go to Route Five Cafe. Not far away from the town. Use Waze. Easy spot. Please help me order my favourite drink. You know. Coffee Latte. I will be there as fast as possible I can.”

Steve looked out of the car window and watched the horizon of ocean, slowly, it was bit by bit painted by a colour of pink and orange at this sunset moment.
Smiled. A hopeful Smile.
Seeing her in person was his greatest pleasure.

Minutes passed, Steve stopped at the entrance of the cafe. He found it. The place that his new chapter was going to be rewritten.
He called for the waitress to find a perfect seat. The waiter did so, then Steve felt very satisfied with the seat in the corner.
Hours later.
Almost 8.00 p.m.
Steve had already finished drinking two cups of black coffee. But, the coffee latte he offered for her remained untouched and eventually it was cold.
Steve looked up.
He turned to glance over the entrance.
A woman in her late forties entered and she wore a black ribbed dress.
Finally she came.
Steve recognised her in an instant.
Her beauty and slimness. Of course, her smile.
Immediately, Steve stood up to welcome her.
She approached and apologised, “I am so sorry. I am late. Steve. Forgive me. Please.”
“Don’t be sorry. Janice. Please sit down first. Surely you are very tired after the long hours meeting and also the long journey to be here.
She smiled. This smile haven’t changed.
Sweet.
She sat across the table.
Steve ordered the waiter to give him a glass of plain water.
Janice looked at him expectantly.
“How are you?” She asked finally.
“I am fine. How about you?”
Janice nodded and said, “Me. Within these few years. Job changed. Shifted to a new place. New friends come and go. New lessons learned. A lot. Maybe I can tell you everything about it.”
Steve nodded and said,” Yes. You might try me.”
Both smiled and looked away.
A pause.
Steve put down the phone on the table and leaned forward.
“Actually, we haven’t seen each other for so long. It’s been a long time. But, you are still pretty and great.”
Janice smiled and said, “Thank you. Steve.”
Steve nodded and smiled also.
Suddenly, Steve straightened up and said, “I don’t know that this message I accidentally sent to you was wrong or right otherwise. It was all happened so unexpectedly. Life will find its way back to its beginning. Here, I shouldn’t have left you. This was my big mistake. Yes. We argued, we disagreed and then in the end we separated because of my ego and intolerance. I am really regretting about it. Feared to send you a message after that. These past five years I have done nothing about it. But I know that I have to say something right now.”
He paused and wiped away his tears.
Janice could feel her tears in her eyes too. Slowly, she held out her hand to Steve’s shaking hand.
Steve was taken aback by her warm hand, heart pounding and racing, and he was unable to say a word.
This warm touch reminded him of those days they were a couple and together for many years.
Steve nodded silently and continued, “I love you. Janice. I realised that you are so important to me. Since yesterday, I am keep telling myself that I have to get you back to me. You know, you’re always in my heart. Please forgive me.”
Janice looked away.
The aroma of coffee was floating in the air. Old memories of theirs were started to replay in their minds.
A pause.
Finally, she turned to look at him.
“Steve, I am glad to know that you are still loving me. Sometimes I feel that there’s something, I don’t know how to put it, still missing in my life. I have no idea what it is. I was still keep looking for it. Perhaps, I am still searching for it. Till yesterday, your message came, immediately I knew the answer. My long lost puzzle is complete now. Please forgive me also. Steve.”
Both smiled and said nothing.
But they knew that they had already forgiven each other.
Within hours, they talked about their work experiences, lifestyles, vacations and the people they met.
On and off, the waiter approached them and asked for his any order.
Steve thanked and the waiter walked away with a forcing smile.
In the cafe, underneath the stars, they talked, smiled and laughed loud enough to catch all the attentions from the crowds.
It was almost 12.00 a.m.
The cafe was going to close.
They stood up and walked out of the cafe.
In the middle of the street.
Steve looked at her and said, “Janice, could we meet again by tomorrow?”
There was a long silence.
It seemed that the time had stopped for awhile.
Finally.
Janice turned to Steve and said, “Steve, I believe that one day we will meet again. Today, I will keep this wonderful moment in my deepest memory and never forget.”
Steve confused.
Worried.
Unable to find any words to say.
Then he took a deep breath and asked, “Are you still mad at me?”
Janice shook her head.
Steve asked, “Janice. Then, what happened?”
“No. No. It is not what you think it was. Everything is fine. Maybe….” Janice stopped and looked at the screen of her phone.
Steve noticed that her face had changed in an instant.
Janice looked up.
Thoughtful. Dilemma. Hesitation.
Suddenly, Janice reached for his hand and said, “Steve. You did well. I hope that you and I will be to be together again. To build our home, to teach or grow our children, and to see the world. And many many things.”
Steve held her hands tightly and feared that he would lose her again.
Janice continued, “I will remember you for the whole of my life. Promise me, you must live better than anyone else. I believe that you can do it.”
Steve said nothing, kissing her forehead and held her hands.
Both looked at each other without a word.
Finally, Steve smiled and said, “Janice. I will never give up on you. I will wait for you everyday. I believe that you will change your mind one day and come back to me. I don’t care how long it will take. As long as you have me in your heart.”
Janice’s tears rolled down her cheek and Steve held her hands with tears in his eyes too.
Slowly, she looked up and said, “I have to leave now.”
Steve nodded. There were thousands of words he wanted to say: Don’t go. Please stay with me tonight. Please don’t leave.
But, he knew that she would go otherwise and no one could stop her like five years ago.
Finally, Steve kissed her forehead again, releasing her hand and backing away.
In fact, he wanted to hold her hand till forever.
Janice leaned forward, kissing his cheek and walked away with a delighted smile. Slowly, she vanished into the distance, into the darkness.
Within a second, the whole world of his ended up with loneliness, depression and helplessness again.
He wanted to scream out loud.
In the beginning of this morning, he held on to a pinch of hope that they would be together again and somewhere in the beach waiting for the sun to rise. A beautiful sunrise before them.
But it didn’t. It seemed that it would not be happened again.

After they parted, Steve stood by his car at the parking lot and thought about her face, laugh and smile repeatedly. Unable to stop thinking of her any minute any second. His mind was almost blown away.
The inner heart seemed to be collapsed anytime.
Steve looked up at the night sky with thousands of glittering stars. He felt that all of them were laughing at him.
Steve muttered, “I know I have missed a second chance again. But, no problem. I have many chances by tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Many. Don’t laugh at me.”
Minutes passed, Steve just walked away from his car and gave up on looking at the laughing stars. He just took a short walk along the pavement lined up with street lights.
Unconsciously, he returned back to the cafe where his new life was almost to be started again.
Steve stood and stared at it with all of the memories of her replayed in his mind.
For a second, the waiter came out from the cafe and approached him, and asked, “Sir, May I help you?”
Steve looked up and met the waiter in front of him.
The night wind was started to breeze between them.
Finally, Steve recognised the face of the waiter and said, “It is okay. You are a nice guy. Thanks for your service and found the perfect seat for me to meet my….girlfriend.”
The waiter smiled and looked a bit of confused.
Steve saw his strange expression and asked, “Something went wrong. You are not him?”
The waiter shook his head and explained, “Yes. I am. But, I didn’t see your girlfriend. You sat alone.”
Steve confused and asked, “You are kidding me. She was sitting right across from me. It was real. We could feel each other. I have had ordered her favourite drink for her. We talked, drank and laughed together. I believed that you had seen this in your own eyes.”
The waiter smiled and continued, “Yes. We saw it. Also, we had no idea why you were talking and laughing to nobody. Maybe this was the way you did all the time.”
Steve closed his eyes.
What happened?
Was it a joke?
Minutes passed, Steve patted the waiter and walked away with confusion.
He took his phone out immediately and tried to call Janice but there was no answer anymore.
Steve was getting tense.
He called again and again but it was still the same.
The tears were coming.
Steve closed his eyes and he knew that there was a last resort that he had had to do it.
He looked at the phone book and searched for the phone number of Janice’s mother, Mdm Fong.
Found.
He found it.
He dailed it.
Mdm Fong picked it up this late at night.
Steve greeted her and asked her about Janice.
Mdm Fong told him everything.
It seemed that it was unacceptable to him.
His eyes were wide with disbelief and he was unable to continue the conversation again.
A pause.
Finally, Steve hung up the call.
Steve cried loudly and furiously. He started to feel the pain of losing something. Something was irreversible.
She was gone yesterday.
In the hospital.
The car accident few days ago.

Now, Steve just realised that from the beginning of the misplaced message that he had sent to her to the day that they met in this chosen cafe. She always stayed with him. She was sitting at his passenger seat while he was searching for his phone which had dropped at the foot of the passenger seat. They heard their favourite songs play one after the other. In the midnight, he cried with his albums at the bedside and she also cried next to him. On the drive over, she didn’t leave him but stay by his side. Also, inside the cafe, she already sat across the table and enjoyed her coffee latter with him.
Steve said nothing.
Silence.
He could feel that his heartbeats echoed into the night sky.
Suddenly, Steve feared that the messages of Janice would be no longer to be existed.
Slowly, carefully, he looked down at the phone screen and tried to search for her messages.
Steve smiled and glanced over the cafe again.
Only her messages were real and remained intact. They were still kept in the inbox. Possibly this was the only thing she left for him as a remembrance of her charming, beauty and attractiveness.
Steve closed his eyes and whispered, “Janice. I love you.”
He hoped that she could stand beside him to hear it again.
Steve looked around.
Then, he continued to walk on the lonely pavement.
Silence.
The whole world went into the silence.
He started to whisper and smile.
Into the darkness.

Share this story
image 70
Points Earned
image #386
Current Rank
imageimage
2 Readers have supported this story
Help This Story win

Tap below to show your support

10
Points
20
Points
30
Points
40
Points
50
Points
LET'S TALK image
User profile
Author of the Story
Thank you for reading my story! I'd love to hear your thoughts
User profile
(Minimum 30 characters)

Beautifully written! I really enjoyed the depth and emotion in your story — I have given full 50 points to your well deserved story! Would love your thoughts on my story too—Overheard at the Edge of Goodbye: https://notionpress.com/write_contest/details/6116/overheard-at-the-edge-of-goodbye

0 reactions
React React
👍 ❤️ 👏 💡 🎉