Fan Fiction |
by Carmen Yip
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Chi Keung was talking to someone on the hallway…
TIM: (curious) Who is he, Keung?
KEUNG: You don’t remember him, Tim?
TIM: (shakes his head) Nope…
KEUNG: (extending his hand to the corridor) Come in, Gallen!
As Tim tucks his head out slightly, a little boy around the age of 8 or 9 jumped his way into the ward. As the figure gets closer, Tim thought he looks a little familiar to the eyes.
LITTLE GALLEN: (broadens his smile to show his teeth) Hi, Uncle Tim!
TIM: (smiles) Hi, you are…
KEUNG: He’s the naughty little imp staying besides you; you can’t recall that, Tim?
TIM: Uh… not really. (puts his head on the little boy)
Just then, another little figure tumbles her way into the ward, approaching Keung’s direction.
LITTLE GIRL: (shouting) Daddy! Daddy!
TIM: (taken aback, looking at Keung) Ah Keung, did I hear wrongly? (laughs) Since when had you got a daughter?!
KEUNG: (shakes his head) Looks like you really suffered from a severe concussion! (carries the little girl up) Come, let me carry you!
MEINA: Hey, where’s the doctor?
KEUNG: I think he’s coming right over!
LITTLE GIRL: (sitting besides Tim) Daddy, I thought you don’t want me too!
TIM: (opens his mouth wide) Huh?
LITTLE GIRL: Daddy! I want you to carry me!
MEINA: (objected) Flora! Your daddy is still unwell, let me carry you instead!
LITTLE FLORA: (shifted away from Meina and tugs Tim’s sleeves) No, I don’t want you!
TIM: (lost) Flo… Flora is my… (looking at both Keung and Meina)
LITTLE FLORA: (pouted unhappily) Daddy, you don’t remember Flora?
TIM: (stupefied) Daddy? (to little girl) You… you call me Daddy?
LITTLE FLORA: (cries) Daddy don’t want me anymore!
TIM: Oh… no, I don’t mean it that way… (scooped her up, takes a deep breath) Where… where is your Mummy?
LITTLE FLORA: (stretching out her hand and handing over a mobile phone) There!
TIM: (taking the phone and talked into it) Hello? Hello?
LITTLE FLORA: It’s ok, Daddy! Mummy said she would see us tomorrow!
TIM: She would see us tomorrow? (paused before enunciating the words, looking at Keung hopefully) Helen will?
KEUNG: Eh… yup!
TIM: (gasps in relief) That’s great! But why didn’t she come today?
LITTLE FLORA: Daddy! You promised me to get me the dressing set I want!
TIM: (touching her face) Flora… how old are you?
LITTLE FLORA: Hmmm… I’ll be four soon! Have you forgotten my birthday as well, Daddy?
TIM: Eh… of course not! (smiles) It’s coming soon, isn’t it? But Flora, can you call Mummy for me, Daddy needs to speak to her!
LITTLE FLORA: Why can’t you call her yourself?
TIM: Eh… I don’t…
MEINA: (taking the mobile from Tim) The doctor is here, Tim! I think you better let him have a check first!
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[Night – hospital ward]
The clock was ticking relatively loud, considered that it was almost midnight and Tim was alone in the room. The stack of documents piled up in front of him had aggravated his headache to a certain extent, and he finally decided to take a rest. Building the smoke-free city was Michael’s idea, and his unfulfilled wish. As his best friend in life, Tim had made up his mind to fulfill this unfinished aspiration of his pal.
However, it was rather tiring going through all the proposals at one go, considering that he is supposed to be suffering from ‘amnesia’. As a matter of fact, he had all those little ‘jigsaw puzzles’ as some temporal irretrievable parts of his memory system. Taiwanese clients were certainly hard to handle. They would cheat you out of some wine and all that nonsense before they would even get down to serious business. Businessmen! That is what they all are!
Somehow, it had reminded him of the days when Helen had helped him dealt with some Taiwanese clients by assuming, rather voluntarily, as his translator for that night. It was quite hard for him to erase that off his mind, as business had gone unexpectedly well that night. It was perhaps due to luck, or chance, or even the little entertaining funny accented Hokkien translated by her. He had a little too much to drink that night, but she had it worst, considering the fact that she had drunk tens of mugs on his behalf. The redness on her face was even so visibly clear under the dim lights of the car park. As she was getting into the car in a drunken manner, Helen was still mumbling something telling him not to take too much alcohol, yet she herself is taking that for him, how ironical!
But it wasn’t her speech which called the memories back, it was that silly look on her face; that cute face, reddened to that resembling a bright, red cherry, which hauls his memories away once and again…
TIM: (mumbling) Helen… where are you? I miss you…
Either by chance or fate, a cold gust of wind blew through Tim, sending a shiver signal down his body. His eyes suddenly widened, and he rubs them with disbelief, as she had mysteriously appeared before him like a spirit.
TIM: (exclaimed) Helen? Is that you? (he goes closer)
HELEN: Yes, indeed.
It took him some courage before he gets inches forward and slowly feels her outline. The form was still and straight, and as he traces his way up her face, there was clearly the presence of certain unspeakable feeling. She hadn’t changed a bit from the last he saw her. As he gradually brings her into his arms and locked her in them, the heat transfer from her body to his had warmed up his heart satisfactorily.
TIM: Helen… why… why did you tell Flora you would only see us tomorrow? Did we have a quarrel?
HELEN: What had fell upon you that caused you to forget what took place?
TIM: Then why did you come here and see me?
HELEN: I thought you may want to see me…
TIM: Yes, I do! (releases her) I have thousands of queries to clear, but I would prefer to say it later. We’ll have plenty of time, wouldn’t us?
A faint smile appeared on her face, and he couldn’t apprehend it.
HELEN: I don't know if this is all fated, but I have never regretted my decisions. The most innocent of all is Flora!
TIM: (knits his brow) What is wrong with Flora?
HELEN: Some problems with her heart, I’m scared, Tim!
TIM: (decisively) I won’t let anything happen to our daughter!
HELEN: Tim, I think I got to go now, it’s late! (she looks out through the window)
TIM: (found a nurse looking strangely at him) It’s ok, Helen! I won’t care how people look at us! I just want us to spend some time together. The doctor says I may have suffered from amnesia, and I can’t recall what happened before the accident. (then he stretches out his hand and lets her lean back against himself) Now help me call back my lost memories…
HELEN: (sighs) Where do you want me to start from?
TIM: As you like!
HELEN: Ok, the day when you had an accident, you were on your way to…
TIM: (interrupted) A minute! (grins) Do I get some reward for being attentive? Perhaps a… little kissie? (winks)
HELEN: Then do I get any reward for narrating?
TIM: Yes, certainly! I’ll return you a dozen of kisses!
HELEN: I’ll ignore you then!
TIM: Ah… no! Carry on…
An hour later, Tim had unknowingly dozed off. In his daze, he thought he heard something…
She turns around and gave him another kiss on the lips, then got herself out of his arms.
HELEN: (whispers) Tim, don’t ever be so silly again…
She took another look of him, and then exited through the door. Someone else was outside…
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PS: Ok dear all, I understand this is more than a bit out of ATE, out of imagination, but I will be sweeping up all these very soon and get into the main topic... I think next chp shld be able to reveal wat happened exactly...
30/10/04 ... 0155hrs