Fan Fiction |
by Carmen Yip
*Note: Certain little parts and/or venues of original scenes have been slightly altered to fit story.
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Tim was taken unexpectedly when Helen suddenly calls out his name, he wheeled himself around…
She stirred a bit and shifts her head nearer to the pillow smilingly; he froze for a couple of seconds.
She parts her eyelids slightly, and releases her arms loosely across, he took his retreat hastily.
The little note on the side table was picked up:
“Helen, I decided to let you sleep a while more ‘cuz you were so tired yesterday. You kept fidgeting about in my arms last night, but don’t worry, I slept like a log! And you had better rest more today. I’ve applied leave for you. Your breakfast and milk are on the dining table. Remember, don’t take black coffee again, it’s bad for your health!
Love you, Barry”
HELEN: (whispering) Love you too!
Tim lowers his head behind the corner. If only he could cherish her then, he would be the one besides her…
His hand clutched tightly against the concrete wall and slid its way down. He prevented further agony by turning back and moving away stealthily. In his hurry, he knocked into the mug placed at the kitchen counter and it went its way down. Seeing that she was alerted, the guilty party made a quick trot behind the sofa.
Helen rushed out to the counter. The strong wind were blowing at an unsteady pace across her, as she flickers her eyelids slightly and shuts the adjacent windows. An unknown source of material got into her eyes and she retreated a step, to fall lightly down. He made a step but finally decided to hold back…
She got up on her hands, and wipe them against each other to sweep off the dust. He pressed his lips tightly and left silently when she went into the kitchen again…
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[2nd day - 11 August 1994 – Thursday – Gold Coast – night]
Tim was especially early for the night meeting Helen had arranged with him. But nope, it wasn’t with him, it was with the past him! He sighed a long breath. Years ago, they enjoyed themselves pretty much on this certain bright luminous late afternoon under the basking sun. Out of loneliness, he seeks her company, but the latter was more than happy to entertain her crush. Just a simple Fillet-O-Fish from Mc could make the girl express her most subtle form of delight.
She was much enamored by his little naughty stunts and the surprise kiss he had sprang upon. But he had to ruin her mood, by forcing her to face the fact that she was none other than a substitute to fill his vacant heart. Yet she accepted it graciously and continued to indulge in her own world of intoxication. He admitted having tender feelings for her, but it was the idea of his love for Ivy that prevented him from taking that extra inch.
She had employed her selfless contribution and everything she could present to get a tad of love and concern from him, but his heart and mind were too busy engrossed in the obstinate matter of his doubtful love for Ivy, and was of course, too blind to reciprocate or even appreciate her as a friend. Had it not been Ivy, the woman whose words would forever bear certain weight in his head, he wouldn’t even bothered apologizing to Helen for his unscrupulous means of getting business by making use of the latter.
Ivy! She was the first woman who had and was willing to sacrifice for him, and he had that notion carved deeply into his roots. For he had not been able to get rid of those unnecessary burdens weighing his mind, and at the same time, thought too highly of himself, he had unwittingly but ironically caused the death of his best friends in an sarcastically indirect manner.
It was still lurking around his brain cells, how hard he had tried to save Ivy out of the lion’s lair, how painful it felt to see her so-called beloved making her systematic moves to doom. He couldn’t really do anything. But he had both of his greatest comrades with him. There was Ah Keung, the buddy he grew up with and looked upon as a blood brother; and there was Helen, the one who would never deserts him regardless of what heinous atrocities he had committed. But he was wrong, ‘never’ was an exaggerated term! He did lose her at last!
Had not for her presence, with her support, he wasn’t even sure whether or not he could make it through those cruel and biased trials the Taiwan judicial system had brought across. It was her presence, it was her words, her advices, to help him, and enable him to help Ivy pulled through the most arduous period. She didn’t want his appreciation, or identification with her in any form, as she had set her heart solely on getting the innocent party out of trouble.
But he had applied the extreme malicious way of breaking her bleeding and unattended heart with nasty words, unfeeling actions and selfish treatment, of which any other living object pampered and well cosseted by since birth, resembling that of her, would declined to undertake. But she had swallowed his cruel comments down into the bottom line of her pride, lowering her status, discarding her dignity, just to be around him!
He often wondered, which definitely was after she left him for real, if she was the one in trouble instead of Ivy, would he really have the energy and courage to hang on! He couldn’t answer it himself!
Heaven makes sport of him, and her, ever so much in their lives! Just as he was relatively well-prepared to obey his heart for another time in his life as to accept her, something had to happen to Ivy! All hopes of reconciliation were almost as good as gone, when he displayed overstated concern over his buddy’s widow.
God and Helen had bestowed him with countless chances to make his future more colorful by opting for the right choice, but this conceited man had always believed in himself and no one else for consultation. His weak heart proclaimed otherwise. But there was no turning back…
As the parties he was waiting for arrived swiftly at the door of the restaurant, strolling into the right side of it, facing the recognizable window-side, Tim snapped out of his thoughts almost instantly.
They sat down and took quick orders, as the eavesdropper conceals partly of himself behind the little menu his was holding, facing them at a diagonal angle. He concentrates to make sense of what they were talking…
HELEN: I supposed you have not changed your mind of placing your present residence under mortgage?
TIM: (smiles faintly) Of course! I can’t possibly sacrifice Choi Kee! (sighs) I’ve let down Keung far too much already!
HELEN: (placing a concern hand over his) Don’t think this way again! It was Michael who had done so, and shown no distinct signs of remorse! You shouldn’t be brooding over all these unhappiness again!
TIM: (notices her cut on her hand) What happened to your hand?
HELEN: (smiles) No big deal, just a little graze incurred from a fall!
"Tim" struggled with his heart on the other side…
TIM: Didn’t Barry take good care of you?
HELEN: (chuckles) He can’t be around me 24 hours a day, and I’m not a three-year-old to request for such attention!
TIM: Have some red wine then, perhaps it’ll help!
HELEN: I never heard of that!
TIM: Now you do!
HELEN: (laughs) Yeah! (taking out some documents) Anyway, some details I need to include for you. I will get the official document for you by tomorrow. Could you see me at my office around two?
TIM: I’m catching the afternoon plane to France tomorrow!
HELEN: Oh! To convince Uncle Tam again?
TIM: Yeah, I got insider’s info he’s residing there temporary.
The two carried on with their merry little chat until around two hours later. As the solitude figure feels a wholesome of lonesomeness encasing him, he could at the same time senses some sourness across his mind.
God! He was actually jealous of 'himself'!
This time I know…
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PS: Hmmm... I got a lil bit too engrossed with mysts and went on further chps, end up putting this off until today! :p
Anyway, I know many facts abt this chappie are quite redundant, but it's just to provide further solidification of the background needed for further progress, cuz in the upcoming chappies, things may tend to progress a bit too fast... Ok, I'm done with!
08/09/2004 ... 2218hrs