| Fan Fiction |
by elmo
“Do you guys have any plans on Sunday morning?” Myolie asked both Raymond and Bosco as they sat down in the cafeteria to have their dinner.
Raymond shook his head, before nudging on Bosco’s arm, “Do we?”
“Baseball game, isn’t it?” Bosco said, as he tucked into his meal.
Raymond grinned with delight when he recalled about the game, “Oh yes, join us Myolie. It’ll be fun.”
“I don’t know how to play the game.” Myolie replied.
“Bosco can teach you,” Raymond laughed, “He’s a very good teacher. I’m his best protégé so far.”
“Wow, serious?” Myolie smiled and looked over at Bosco, whom was already blushing when he caught her surprised expression.
“I…Actually, Raymond plays well too…He can teach you as well…” Bosco stuttered in a soft voice, feeling his cheeks getting warmer.
“Gosh, my apologies Myolie, I forgot to inform you that Bosco feels extremely shy with girls,” Raymond placed his arm over Bosco’s neck, before chuckling aloud, “Especially when these girls are so pretty.”
It was Myolie’s turn to giggle now, as Bosco kept his head down and continued eating his meal. She could see that he was pretty embarrassed by Raymond’s remark, and hinted to Raymond to stop his teasing on Bosco.
Bosco watched and listened on silently at the side as both Raymond and Myolie continued bickering all the way back to their respective dormitories. He had wanted to try to join in the talking and laughing between both of them, but somehow, he just did not fit in at all. After seeing Myolie back to her room, Bosco had the intention of telling Raymond about his feelings towards Myolie. From what he observed earlier on, it was evident that Raymond got along really well with Myolie, whilst he often got tongue-tied when it was his turn to speak to Myolie. Maybe Raymond could help him out in this area of improving his communication skills with ladies.
“Ray…” Bosco started to speak.
“Hey, how about a game of baseball now? My hands are itching.” Raymond suddenly suggested.
“That’ll be great.” Bosco answered, since he thought that it would be easier to discuss with Raymond during a game of baseball, just like how they were in the orphanage.
Bosco put on the catcher’s glove in his left hand while holding onto the ball on the other hand, and stood a few meters away from Raymond, whom was getting ready with the baseball bat. Bosco flung the baseball towards Raymond at full force, before Raymond’s eyes locked on the ball and swung his bat to hit it straight back to Bosco.
“Gotcha!” Bosco leapt up a little to catch the baseball with the catcher’s glove, “You should try hitting harder.”
Raymond laughed, “That was my ‘hardest’, Bosco. You know what, I better train myself up so that I won’t disappoint Myolie on Sunday. You’ll help me, am I right?”
“Ray, actually…” Bosco wanted to tell Raymond about his crush on Myolie, but Raymond interrupted him, “When I first saw Myolie, I told myself that she’s the woman I wish to spend the rest of my life with. Well, even though we didn’t get off to a good start, we’re progressing pretty well lately. I’m planning to confess my feelings to Myolie on Sunday. Do you think it’s a good idea? Do you think she likes me too? Ah hmm, does she like me? I wonder…” Raymond stopped talking when he did not hear any response from Bosco, whom was standing rooted to the ground with a disappointed expression.
“Have I said anything wrongly?” Raymond walked up to Bosco, “Or do you have something to tell me?”
“I…Erm I…Actually, I just wanted to say that I’ll definitely help you, so you don’t have to worry too much. I bet Myolie will like you.” Bosco forced a smile on his face.
“Really?” Raymond played with the bat in his hand, pondering about Bosco’s words, “Ah, I must start planning for Sunday now…” With that, Raymond strolled back to the dormitory deep in his own thoughts while Bosco followed closely behind, as he made up his mind to keep his feelings a secret forever.
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[Sunday]
Raymond was making his way towards Myolie’s dormitory when he saw her arguing with another lady whom he did not recognize at all. Feeling curious, he walked up to both of them, and heard Myolie addressing the lady as ‘Nancy’.
“You take Dad and Mum and leave this place first. When I’m done with my job here, I’ll join you guys again, don’t you understand?” Myolie sounded impatient.
“No!” Nancy rebutted, “I’m supposed to take you home now! Dad has said that we are all going away as a family. We can’t leave you here.”
“But I just said that I’ve…” Myolie continued.
“Is your family or those strangers out there more important, Myolie Wu?” Nancy cut in.
It was apparent that Myolie had no answer to the question since she remained silent, even though the annoyed expression on her face did not disappear.
“Hi,” Raymond smiled at Nancy, hoping to ease the tense atmosphere, “I’m Raymond Lam…”
“I’m sorry but if you don’t mind, I hope to have some private chat with my sister.” Nancy glared at this ‘intruder’ as she almost succeeded in getting Myolie back home with her.
Raymond shrugged his shoulders at being unwelcome into the conversation, and nodded his head, but before he could walk off, Myolie pulled him back to her side and held onto his hand tightly, showing it in Nancy’s face.
“I understand that Dad is worried about me, but I think his worries are unfounded. Raymond’s my boyfriend. He’s a pilot in the British Royal Airforce, and he’ll protect me when needed.” Myolie proclaimed.
Nancy’s eyes darted from her elder sister to Raymond, whom quickly put on a smile at her. It seemed that her suspicions had not been cleared yet. Myolie had never mentioned about having a boyfriend before, and the man before her did not seem to fit into her sister’s criteria of a boyfriend, especially his goofy smile, which turned Nancy off immediately.
“Yeah, you don’t actually have to worry about Myolie’s safety,” Raymond reached into his pocket and whipped out his badge, “She’s not lying. I’m really a pilot in the Airforce. I’ll protect her with my life.”
“But…” Nancy was starting to believe in it when she saw the serious look on Raymond’s face.
“No ‘buts’, Nancy. Come on, go home now. It’s time for you guys to set off already. Send me a telegram when you’ve settled down in Yorkshire.” Myolie quickly ushered her sister towards the electric tram.
“Alright, please take care of yourself then,” Nancy gave a final hug on Myolie, before turning to look at Raymond, “My sister’s all yours then. Please take good care of her.” With that, she boarded the electric tram and set off.
“Thanks so much for the help,” Myolie smiled gratefully at Raymond, “I wouldn’t know how to persuade Nancy if you hadn’t appeared. My family isn’t very supportive of me joining the Red Cross’ voluntary team.”
“Oh I see,” Raymond began to rub his palms together nervously, “Actually I’m serious when I told your sister that I’m willing to protect you with my life.”
Myolie gave a weak laughter, “Your joke’s not funny, Raymond.”
Raymond hastened his footsteps and stopped directly in front of Myolie, whom was taken aback by his action. Taking hold of Myolie’s hands, Raymond gazed into her eyes with his utmost sincerity.
“It’s not a joke. I really like you, and I hope to protect you forever. Myolie, please give me a chance.” Raymond confessed his feelings for her.
Myolie was hesitant on accepting Raymond. Her opinion of him did change after interacting with him during this period of time, and she admitted that she had developed some positive feelings for Raymond, but she feared for the lack of security and confidence in their relationship should they get together. Pulling her hands out of Raymond’s grip, Myolie gave him an apologetic look, and quickly walked past him without a word. However at that moment, Myolie did not notice a bicycle coming towards her direction at a fast speed, and before she knew it, a strong hand grasped on her arm and swung her around, pulling her out of danger.
“Watch your steps next time!” The cyclist shouted as the bicycle whizzed past them.
Myolie blushed awkwardly at the close proximity between Raymond and her. He had drawn her into his arms, and a strange feeling erupted within her as her heartbeat started increasing rapidly. Raymond slowly released his hold on her, and stepped back a little.
“Let’s go now. Bosco’s waiting for us at the field.” Raymond said, noticing the weird atmosphere between both of them.
“Raymond…” Myolie called out whilst Raymond turned around, “I…Well, aren’t you supposed to protect me?” She held out one of her hands at him.
Raymond gave a wide grin, and gladly interlocked his hand together with hers. Myolie smiled embarrassedly as they continued their way towards the destination.
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Bosco lay on the grass, staring up in the sky. Occasionally, he would see a few fighter planes flying across the sky, and it hit upon him that the war was still on-going outside of London. The past few months had been really peaceful for him. His thoughts began to linger onto Myolie. A smile appeared across his face as he recalled the first time both of them talked to each other. He could sense his feelings for her getting stronger as each day passed by, but alas……
“Bosco Wong!” It was Raymond’s voice.
Getting up from the grass, Bosco saw Raymond and Myolie walking towards him, before his eyes caught sight of their hands interlocking together. He knew that Raymond’s new relationship status with Myolie already.
“Okay, you’ve to keep your legs slightly apart, and then bend your knees a little,” Raymond said, as Myolie followed his instructions, “Now, hold you bat like this,” Raymond stood behind her and held onto her hands, giving her the proper directions, “And then, you shall hit like this,” He showed her how to swing her bat correctly.
Bosco found himself feeling uncomfortable, as he watched the couple being so intimate with each other. Turning his attention onto something else, he kept his mind away from both of them, although he could not resist stealing a few peeks at Myolie, whom was giggling and enjoying herself very much.
“Bosco, you can throw the ball now!” Raymond shouted to him, before he whispered into Myolie’s ears, “Now, keep your eyes fixed on the baseball…” Myolie could feel Raymond’s grasp on her hands tightened a little. Before she knew it, Raymond had already directed her arms to swing the bat and hit the oncoming baseball back to Bosco.
Knowing that it was Myolie’s first try at baseball, Bosco deliberately failed to catch the ball, letting her win instead. Myolie jumped up in joy, as she planted a peck on Raymond’s cheek. Raymond grinned with delight, as he sent a wink at Bosco, being fully aware that it was Bosco whom gave in to them. He gave his friend a reluctant smile in return. Despite feeling awful inside, he was glad to be able to bring happiness to his best friend and the woman he loved.
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[Early May 1941]
It was close to midnight already. Myolie was making her final round on checking the patients before she was off duty. Yawning sleepily, she gulped down the cup of coffee quickly, before returning to her work. As she walked back to the tent, some loud engine noises could be heard from high above in the sky.
“What are those noises?” Myolie looked up and wondered, before someone appeared in front of her, giving her a shock.
Raymond laughed at her, “Are you off yet?”
Shaking her head, “Half an hour more. Anyway, did you hear these strange noises in the sky? Is the Airforce having some kind of military exercise?”
Raymond looked up in the sky. All was quiet and peaceful.
“Well, I’m not really sure. But to be on the safe side, I better check it out at the Airforce HQ tomorrow.” Raymond answered.
Just then, a woman in her late forties ran up to Myolie and pleaded with her to save her son, whom was having a seizure at their home. Myolie told her to calm down first, whilst she went to search for a doctor to accompany her there. Raymond comforted the woman, and assured her that help was on the way already.
“Raymond, please help me to keep a lookout on the patients first. Dr. Mitch and I will be going over to the house at Collins Avenue to check on the young boy.” Myolie said.
Raymond nodded his head, as he watched the three of them hurried off in Dr. Mitch’s car. Doing what Myolie had instructed earlier on, Raymond managed to complete them as the next nurse reported for duty. While Raymond was making his way towards the cafeteria, loud sirens could be heard everywhere. Suddenly, lights began flickering on all over the place, as the siren continued to blast throughout London, waking up the entire city.
“Air raid! It’s an air raid! They’re coming to bomb us! Quickly, take cover!” A few people ran on the streets and yelled out loud to anybody whom could her them.
Within minutes, everyone began running for the designated bomb shelters for safety. Medical personnel and the volunteers were being roused awake as they assisted the needy patients towards the bomb shelter.
“Order please! There’s no need to push!” The personnel commanded over the chaos.
Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard, as the first bomb landed on the city, sending the people into more panic and disorder. After that, the subsequent bombs came very swiftly, leaving them no time to react at all. Raymond was trying to calm his mind down. Now, he was worried for Myolie’s safety. He needed to find her fast, because it seemed like the German pilots would be lingering on for quite some time.
“Collins Avenue…” Raymond mumbled breathlessly as he ran along the streets in search of the correct street name. Unexpectedly, he heard a deafening blast, which seemed to be just inches away from him, and then he was being thrown off his feet from the impact of the explosion, hitting his head against a concrete pillar. Struggling to get back onto his feet quickly, Raymond shook his head rapidly in an attempt to get rid of the ringing sounds in his ears and the huge amount of dust surrounding him, whilst he pressed against the head wound using his bare hand. Looking up at the sky, he saw three fighter planes carrying the German flag flying off in another direction to continue their mission.
Finally, Raymond arrived at Collins Avenue, but to his horror, the entire street had been destroyed by the bombings as the houses were either blasted to the grounds or erupting in flames. As he climbed through the ruins, he saw dead corpses or people whom were unconscious or serious injured strewn all over the place. “Are you okay? Don’t worry, help’s on the way.” Raymond repeated the same sentence to every survivor he found, giving them a tiny hope to hang on there. As he ploughed through the wrecks, he kept his eyes peeled for Myolie, but so far, there was no sight of her at all. Raymond feared that she might be buried alive under the ruins, or worse still, she could be dead. The latter seemed to instill a dread in Raymond, as he doubled up his speed and effort to continue his search. Soon, it was already two hours since the air raid had ended, and Raymond was both physically and mentally exhausted. The upper part of his shirt was soaked with his blood from the head wound, which refused to stop bleeding despite the pressure applied on it. He had spotted Dr. Mitch’s car earlier on but it was being crashed under a huge tree.
“Help please…Anyone there? Please help me…” There was a feeble voice coming from deep within the ruins.
Raymond stopped in his track. He recognized that voice. Bending down towards a tiny hole, he tried to figure out the person trapped inside there.
“Myolie, is that you?” Raymond raised his voice, shouting through that tiny hole.
There was a short pause before a reply came, “Raymond?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out now.” Raymond reassured.
His every muscle in his arms ached badly as he started lifting the debris away piece by piece. A few other passers-by saw what Raymond was doing, and assisted him in saving the trapped survivor in there. Finally, the hole was huge enough for her to come out from. Taking out his shirt, Raymond quickly tied one corner of it tightly around his wrist, before passing the other corner to Myolie.
Lying down flat on his stomach, Raymond held out his shirt, “Grab onto it with both hands. I’ll pull you up.”
Myolie saw the blood stains on Raymond’s shirt, and knew that he was hurt. Holding onto the other corner tightly with both hands, Raymond started pulling her up with every ounce of strength he had left.
“Give me your hand, Miss!” One passer-by stretched his hand out with the intention of grabbing one of Myolie’s hands when she was halfway up there already.
With the combined effort of two men, Myolie was pulled back up to safety, as she gratefully thanked the passer-by for rescuing her. Turning to face Raymond, both of them embraced tightly in each other’s arms.
“I knew you’d come.” Myolie felt tears streaming down her cheeks, feeling the fear within her subsiding away just like the previous time when Raymond came to her rescue from the group of ruffians.
“Thank God you’re fine…” Raymond mumbled continually before everything before him blacked out.