Farewell

Hello! Again with the spoiler, I'll try to write this one shot story about Alice and her love life. This time is about she and her long ago-crush. Why suddenly I came up with this one? I don't know, I just happened to find a stack of weird sheets of undelivered love letters of Alice which were supposed to send to Gerald Rivers, her desperately-love interest. Due to Alice's cowardliness, they were just left unspoken.

The story was taken place a while before Alice met and best-friended with Dave. Actually Gerry was one of reasons why she finally closed to Dave.

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Preview:

Gerrald Wayne Rivers, or known as Gerry, was Alice old friend. They were in the same primary school. About 9 years separated, they finally met each other. That time Alice still in the last year of college life while Gerry had been graduated because he shortened his high school by one year due to his utter shrewdness. 

On the fateful day, they met in their primary school reunion. Alice found him no changed at all. Even though they never met and even well-friended each other,  they did not feel clumsy when getting into personal conversation. 

Their relationship was getting closer because the intent communication they held. Until a month later from that reunion, Gerry asked Alice to go on a day-dating. As expected from Alice, she was really happy. She didn't feel that she already had a crush with him but the way Gerry treated her really make her felt comfort.

Leaving her in-progress-final project deliberately, she went to her hometown (also Gerry's hometown) located about three hours away from where she was. Her effort was paid off. She had very special moment with Gerry which she would never forget for the rest of her life.

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February 2009

It had been two months since I treasured a day-dating with Gerry which I could never forget so much even a single piece of memory. It also had been a month since we did not communicate each other. The only reason was his extra-hectic job which made him should fly from one region to another. I could comprehend that, I even never complained about this condition. Moreover, we were not even dating yet so I did not have any rights to ask about my selfishness. 

I loved him, really loved him, since the day he asked me to go on that day-dating. Ironically, when I started to realize my feeling for him, he started to keep the distance. He went further and further as if I could not reach him anymore. Okay, I should take a look at reality. There was no possible for him to act the way he did two months ago because he was an employee now, an employee of highly regarded foreign company. But if he really had the same feeling, he should not be that way. So was it meant he did not love me at all?

For a lazy people like me, thinking about those kind of things were troublesome. I preferred to go on with my life than to think about his feeling to me, even to be honest I was curios of that. But it seemed I was too afraid with reality, so I just accepted the fate anyway and got through the days without his support. Oh and one more, I was not a kind of woman who would try to make a move first. Blamed my stupid pride, I preferred to keep waiting instead of trying to call or send him a message.

Okay, forgot about Gerry. I should be ready for attending my roommate, Norah Madison to present her final project now . I glanced at the mirror to check my appearance. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Someone knocked my room - actually it was not my actual room since my college was out of town so I should live in the dorm. I immediately opened the door and saw Hanny standing there impatiently.

"Ready? Let's go before they prohibit us entering the courtroom!" she said.

"Rogeeeer!" I wore my shoes posthaste and caught her up.

Norah already stood in front of us, according the three jurors whom each had a fierce expression as if they were about to devour the preys. She explained her project very specifically, tried to avoid any single mistake. We knew about her perfectionism for so long, so that was understandable. Really, compared to me, we were totally different human being as if we were in the different poles. My recklessness with her perfectionism often dragged us into argument. Hanny was in between, she still could match with either mine or her personality.

I swore I barely understood what was Norah talking about. Our different major study might be the only reason. I glanced at Hanny sitting right beside me, she seriously paid attention to every word of Norah's explanation. Again, it was understandable since they were in the same major. My stomach started to sing as long as I yawned so much. It was dreadfully boring!

"Oh how long will it be lasted? I'm starving..." I whispered to Hanny desperately. It seemed I ruined her concentration. 

"Try to get hold on your stomach. We'll be finishing this in an hour," she answered without taking any single glance to me. 

"An hour? I think I'm gonna die..." I immersed my face on the bag which I put on the table. It was a torturing! I regretted for not having any breakfast before getting here.

Having no option left to choose, I tried to paid attention to Norah, just like Hanny did. I even hallucinated her as a big portion of my favorite black pepper steak that made me wanted to devour it soon as possible. But my vibrated phone resuscitated me from that stupid hallucination. I got a mail.

I immediately opened then what I saw was shocking me a bit too much. It was Gerald Rivers who sent me the mail! With my hands trembling, I opened the mail and started to read that unexpected mail.

Hi Al, how are you? It's been a while, eh?

Finally I get a chance to come back home in three days after my adventures going around the United States!

Oh by the way, you have a dentist acquaintance right? Can you help me to let her know about it?

Still in a big shock, I looked over the phone unbelievably. It was really Gerry! Finally he sent me a mail after a month! Trying hard to hide my excitement, I kept wishing this judgment session would be finished soon. I hardly bore my willingness to reply that email, but I calmed down myself because I planned to call him later on. Then I sent a mail to Cynthia Douglass, my high school fellow who also a dentist that Gerry referred to, instead. I asked her about the availability to nurse his tooth, not until five minutes she replied with satisfied answer. She said she would help me anytime - eh no, I meant help him.

Suddenly the sound of clapping hands heard. I finally realized that the presentation had over. In order to not being accused for not paying attention, I clapped my hands as well and immediately ran toward Norah and congratulated her. Yeah, she was graduated already while Hanny and I still fought for our final project. Actually it was not our laziness that impeded us graduating a half year before others, just like Norah did. But we were not such a ambitious woman and still wanted to enjoy the college life a bit longer. Haha such a lame excuse.

"You're really not going to join us having a black pepper steak? It's my treat hey!" Norah convinced me to join them celebrating her eventual graduation. I should eagerly accepted the offer when hearing 'black pepper steak' thing, but I had more important things to do which no other than calling someone who successfully made my heart beat faster. Of course I did not tell them the real reason why I declined that invitation, because they would unquestionably get mad at me. 'How could you choose love over friendship?', that what they might tell me if I really told the truth. I just told that I had a problem with my stomach instead.

* * *

Now I was already in my room, holding my phone tightly with the heart raced rapidly. Repeatedly breathing in and breathing out, I pressed some certain numbers which stuck tightly on my head with quivering hands. Not until a minute later, the holding tone of his phone was heard.

"Hi, Al?" said someone out there that made my heart rattled abysmally. His voice... I finally heard the voice that I longed so bad. "How are you doing?"

"Doing good..." I somehow heard the noise from his vicinity. "It seems so noisy... you're outside now?"

"Yeah, I'm at airport, waiting for the evening flight."

"Airport? Where are you going?" I asked perplexedly. Was he going somewhere again?

"Going hooome to Massachusetts. So excited, you know!" yeah, it could be concluded from his delightful voice. 

"Home? Aren't you supposed to go home in three days?" really confusing, he just told me that not until three hours ago.

"Gotcha!" he laughed. "Actually my superior tricked me. He said he reserved ticked for three days ahead. Soon after I texted you, he gave me the return ticket with today's flight. So I immediately rushed into airport and not until thirty minutes ago I arrived here,"

"Geez... your superior loves joking so much..." I started to feel my heart went slower. "And about the dentist..."

"Oh yeah, how's? Is she available?" he apparently still sunk in excitement.

"Yeah, she said she was not too busy this week, so she may help you anytime..." I explained carefully. 

"Where are you now? In Massachusetts or New York?" he asked, turning the topic.

"New York, but I'll be coming home by tomorrow afternoon," I made a sudden decision. I never thought I would come back home tomorrow. It's okay, I was willing to do that for his sake.

"You really want to come back? Oh don't worry, you don't have to go home because of me..." he said as if he could read my mind, really straight to the core.

"No, not at all. I've made a plan of going home since a week ago, furthermore I want to break free a while from my strangling final project,"

"Haha okay, okay... by the way, how about the progress about your project?"

I swore I hated this question. "Change topic please,"

He just laughed. 

"Umm then..." I said doubtfully. Honestly, I would say thing such, 'When we're gonna meet?', but I did not have any courage to say. "About your books..."

I finally found a good reason for us to meet. Actually, I borrowed his books after that a-day-dating.

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot about them! They still in good condition, don't they?" he emphasized his last sentence.
"I wish..."
"Hey, c'mon!"
"Haha kidding, you know?" I laughed, still wishing he would notice my intention.

"Umm... I think I have a time for us to meet. You want to meet me that bad right? You want my signature right?"

(to be continued)