| Fan Fiction |
by DTLCT
Charmaine sees a familiar scene in front of her. It seems like another déjà vu. She walks up to where Benny is standing at his favorite spot – the rooftop area where the one of the ladders lead to the floors below.
“What are you thinking of?” Charmaine asked.
Benny jumps upon hearing her voice. “Whoa! You scared me.”
Charmaine smiles. “Am I that scary?”
“No, just that I was deep in thoughts.”
“Oh?” She puts on a teasing smile. “Who are you thinking of then?”
Benny shakes his head and turns towards Charmaine. “Who else?” He put his hands on her shoulders.
Charmaine smiles at him, leaning onto his shoulders. But before she could enjoy the moment, he disappears. She panics, standing up straight once again and looking around for him.
The scenes changes all around her and takes her to the hospital.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Sheh,” The doctor said in an apologetic and sincere tone. “We’ve done all we could.”
Charmaine feels tears forming in her eyes. Her world suddenly becomes a blur.
“Ms. Sheh!” The doctor called out in alarm, attempting to catch her at the same time. “Ms. Sheh! Nurse, come at once!”
Charmaine snaps out of her dreams after that and feels a lump in her throat. Although it had been 3 years already, she still feels the pain. She hasn’t cried since that day but suddenly tears are rolling down her cheeks again. She doesn’t want to alarm Mandy so she pulls herself together again and tries to go back to sleep.
*****
Ray's Dream.....
Ray sees himself walking down an alleyway. This place looks like his favorite hideout area when he was a kid. Wait a minute! It is that place! But what is he doing back here?
He sees a young woman coming towards him. The young woman looks awfully familiar.
Before he could figure it out, the young woman walks towards him and calls to him. “Ray, come here. We need to go fast! Or we won’t catch the next train.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Ray answered.
Ray goes into a shocked stage hearing himself say that. As if in reality, he looks down at himself and realizes he’s his young self again. But why didn’t he recognize his mother?
Little Ray follows his mother anyway, obeying like a good son. They take the train to a very far away place that Little Ray doesn’t recognize. His mother holds his hand tight and leads him off the train. Sometimes, she has to carry him because of the crowded area, not wanting to lose him. They finally arrive at the main street area where it’s less crowded. His mother hauls a Taxi and they ride in it to an old rundown apartment building. His mother looks nervous or uneasy all of a sudden. She takes a deep breath and gets out after paying the driver, holding Little Ray’s hand tightly – too tight for comfort.
“Ow….Mommy… “ Little Ray cried out, feeling his hand throbbing.
“Sorry, little one,” His mother said. “We need to go find Daddy now.”
“Okay, Mommy!” Little Ray said excitedly. He skips while he walks, still holding his mother’s hand.
They have to walk all the way to the 5th floor without elevators since this rundown building doesn’t have any. Little Ray sees his mother walks to the door on the left of the stairs and tags behind her a step. She knocks on the door. Little Ray could hear sounds coming from the inside, like someone trying to get to the door as soon as possible.
“Mommy, is it Daddy?” Little Ray asked, staring up at his mother.
“Let’s hope I’m wrong,” His mother answered.
“Why?” Little Ray asked innocently. “I want to see Daddy.”
Before his mother could explain, the door opens, revealing a young woman.
“Where is he?” Ray's mother demanded, giving the other woman a stern look.
Little Ray looks at his mother and the young woman, not knowing why his mother is mad all of a sudden.
“I'm sorry, ma'am, but who are you looking for?” The young woman asked back, confused.
“Daniel Cho,” Ray’s mother answered, her expression still grim.
“Oh, are you a friend of Daniel? He just left awhile ago for work. How may I help you?”
Little Ray sees that his mother hesitates a bit before speaking up again. “Who are you?”
“I'm his wife.”
“What are you talking about? I'm his wife.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. But are you sure you have the right one? I’m sure there are lots of Daniel Cho around.”
Traces of anger could be seen on Ray’s mother’s face by now. “Don’t play dumb with me. I know that you’d been hiding my husband these past months. No wonder he kept saying he have to go on business trips. I should have known you two have been carrying on all this time.”
The young woman still looks confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, ma’am.”
Before Little Ray could see what’s going on, he hears a smack and then the young woman covers her cheek, which had turned red.
“I’m sick of your lying,” Ray’s mother said. “Tell me where he really is.”
“I told you he’s at work but I still don’t know what you’re talking about,” The young woman said, confusion still visible on her face. “I think you should go ask the apartment owner so he could clarify that I’m not lying. I am his wife.”
The young woman couldn’t say anything further because Ray’s mother has pushed her way into the apartment, pulling Little Ray in with her. The young woman becomes all shocked. She yells out something about, “This must be a really big misunderstanding.” But Ray’s mother doesn’t want to listen. She walks around the apartment, looking for her husband. Ray’s mother makes her way around the apartment, with the young woman tagging behind, not knowing what else to say to improve the situation. When they come near a small room at the back, there’s a clanking sound vibrating the room. Ray’s mother walks faster to the door and pushes it open. The young woman dashes towards that area also, but is too late. When the door slams inward, there’s a little girl on the floor. The young woman rushes in and helps the little girl up.
“Are you okay, dear?” The young woman asked in a concerned tone.
“Mommy!” The little girl cried out, gripping her mother’s neck with both hands.
Little Ray realizes that his mother has stopped dead in her tracks. He looks up at her to see her face passive or maybe she’s confused, not knowing what to do. Little Ray takes his eyes off his mother for a minute to observe the little girl inside the room. He sees that she’s just like him, but maybe younger and shorter.
The young woman, seeing her little girl frightened, becomes braver. She stands up, holding her daughter in her arms, walking towards Ray’s mother. “Are you satisfied now, ma’am? You’ve searched the whole apartment and there’s no one here. So could you please leave now?”
Ray’s mother snaps back into her anguish expression. “This is your daughter?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“No wonder.”
“Mommy,” Little Ray called out, tugging on his mother's shirt sleeve. “Where's Daddy?”
Ray's mother is still in her little trance, mumbling things at random that she doesn't realize that the front door has opened.
The young woman walks towards the living room again. “Daniel, you’re home early!”
“How are you doing?” Daniel asked, smiling at her and then taking the little girl from her arms. “And how’s my princess doing today?”
“Daddy!” The little girl called out in excitement.
Both Little Ray and his mother hear a familiar voice. They turn around towards the living room. Ray’s mother walks towards the man. Little Ray recognizes him too. He breaks into laughter and runs towards the man.
“Daddy!” Little Ray called out excitedly.
Daniel’s smile fades at that time. “Ray! What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here then?” Ray’s mother asked coldly.
Daniel realizes she’s here for the first time. “Sheryl! What are you two doing here?” He puts the little girl down suddenly.
Sheryl – Ray’s mother – looks from her husband to the young woman. “You two disgust me!” She stares at the young woman with heated eyes. “And you say he’s not here?”
The young woman doesn’t know what’s going on so she looks towards her husband.
Little Ray, seeing that everyone’s face looks so intense, so he doesn’t dare to step any further towards his father. He walks towards his mother instead.
The room becomes quiet for a moment.
Sheryl looks at her husband. “How could you, Daniel?”
“Sheryl, I can explain!” Daniel blurted out, feeling ashamed.
“Save it!”
Before anyone could react, she gives the young woman a slap in the face and wants to reach out further to attack again. At the same time, Little Ray and the little girl are both yelling for their mother. Daniel’s trying to separate the two women. The young woman receives another blow since Sheryl had pushed Daniel out of the way due to rage.
Little Ray suddenly feels pain around his back. He turns around, seeing the little girl. He has a shocked expression on his face. “What are you doing?” He could see the little girl advancing closer. “Mommy!”
The little girl had gotten her hands around Little Ray’s throat, putting only a little pressure there. Little Ray’s still scared though, yelling for his mother to help.
That got her attention all right.
Sheryl turns around to see what’s going on. “Ray!” She steps forward to help her son.
The little girl moves backward, dragging Little Ray with her.
“Mandy, let Ray go,” Daniel ordered. “He’s your brother.”
“No!” Little Mandy shouted out stubbornly.
“Honey, let him go,” The young woman said in a gentle voice, maintaining her calmness. “Listen to Mommy.”
“You little brat, don’t you hurt him!” Sheryl shouted out.
“You’re hurting my mommy!” Little Mandy yelled out. “You have to promise you will stop!”
Little Ray suddenly feels brave, seeing his father. “Daddy said it! I’m your brother. Let me go like a good girl now.”
“She…” Little Mandy stops to point at Sheryl with one hand. “…has to promise to stop hurting my mommy.”
“Princess, let go!” Daniel urged anxiously.
“Honey, put that nail filer down,” The young woman begged her daughter.
Little Mandy takes another step backward since the others are advancing on her. She trips! Both kids crash backward on the floor. Little Ray on top of Little Mandy. Before the others could get closer to them to help, Little Mandy’s left hand shakes and the filer she’s holding brushes slightly into Little Ray’s left neck.
The others rush towards them. Sheryl pulls her son up and checks the wound. Daniel also rushes to Little Ray’s side to see. There’s a blood line dripping down his shirt. Sheryl pulls out a handkerchief from her pocket and presses onto the wound with it, stopping the blood from coming out.
The young woman, on the other hand, is helping her daughter up and steps over to see Little Ray as well. Sheryl turns around at that same moment and sees her. She gives the young woman another slap and leaves the apartment, carrying Little Ray in her arms. Before she’s gone, they could still hear her say, “You house-wrecker, you’ll hear from me if anything happens to my son!”
Little Ray, feeling pain and dizziness, is still able to recognize his mother. He reaches out and grips his mother’s neck as she carries him downstairs. “Mommy, I’m dizzy.”
“Hold on, honey!” Sheryl soothed her son. “Mommy’s going to take you to the hospital.”
“Mommy…” His voice weakens into a soft whisper. “…I’m scared.”
“Honey, don’t be scared,” Sheryl said, her voice full of emotions since she’s crying now. “We’ll be at the hospital in no time.”
Before Little Ray passes out, he could still hear his father calling out his name.
Ray wakes up in the dark, feeling emptiness all over. He still couldn’t forget the images that had happened 17 years ago. He feels his left shoulder where the wound had been. It healed already, but there’s still a scar there, reminding him of the incident. Nightmare! Nightmare is the word for it.
*****
Wallace's Dream.....
“Wallace, get in the house right away!” A woman’s authoritative voice ordered.
“But Mommy, I want to play some more,” Little Wallace objected.
“Get in the house now!” Mrs. Huo repeated.
“Okay.” Little Wallace walks into the house.
“You're being obnoxious! You'll have to behave or I'll tell your father about it when he gets home.”
“No, Mommy. I'll promise I'll be good.”
“That's good.”
“Mommy, when is Daddy home?”
“He will be home soon.”
The image suddenly changes into another scene....
“I'm sorry, Mrs. Huo,” A cop said. “But your husband has been in an accident.”
Mrs. Huo drops the glass she's holding, shaking. “What happened?”
“Some drunk driver hit him.”
“Is he all right?”
The cop looks down before facing Mrs. Huo again. “I'm sorry. The driver hit him really hard.”
Mrs. Huo shivers. “I want to see him.”
“Mrs. Huo, follow me. But I must warn you to be strong because it's not going to be easy to see the scene.”
“I know.” She turns to Little Wallace. “Take care of your sister while I go inside for a bit.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Little Wallace said.
“Don't worry Mrs. Huo,” Another cop reassured her. “I'm going to watch out for these two while you're gone.”
Mrs. Huo follows the first cop.
The scene changes again....
“Mommy, when is Daddy going to be home?” Little Wallace asked his mother, his eyes staring at her and waiting for her to answer.
“He's not going to be home again,” Mrs. Huo said quickly yet quietly.
“Why?”
“Because he can't.”
“Mommy, I don't get it.”
“He's in Heaven, honey.”
Little Wallace is young, but he knows what Heaven is. He knows Daddy won't ever be around to play with him anymore. He bursts out crying.
“You have to be strong,” Mrs. Huo said. “You have to take care of your sister now.”
Little Wallace wipes his tears away. “Yes, Mommy.” He walks over to where Little Alice is. “Come on, Alice, let's play outside while Mommy do her work.”
“Okay, Wallie,” Alice said, following her brother outside.
The scene changes again, but this time Little Wallace has grown into a handsome young man.
“Wallace, I decided to go to the U.S. for a while,” Mrs. Huo informed her son.
“How come?” Wallace asked. “You’re tired, Mom? You're going on vacation?”
“No. I want to go check this place out before I move there to live.”
“But you're so far away. Who will take care of you?”
“Alice will go with me. We'll be fine.”
“But...”
“You stay here and finish your studies. Then you can come and join us.”
“Mom, I love Hong Kong. I want to stay.”
“I know you will take good care of yourself.”
The scene changes at that time....
“Ge, will you come and visit me one day?” Alice asked.
Wallace smiles. “Maybe.”
“Ge, you have to!”
“Okay, if I have time.”
Alice, her tears falling down her face, reaches out and hugs her brother. “I'll miss you!”
Wallace wakes up with a start. He wipes away the sweats that are forming on his face. He wonders why he's dreaming of that again.
© Tuesday, August 8th, 2007
Posted: Friday, October 9th, 2009