Authors: Ong Xiong
“I don’t know.
How would you like to hear it play?”
“Guitar. It’s
best on the piano of course, but I love it on the guitar.”
Silence.
“Wait here,”
Jackie said.
“Where are you
going?” Sue asked.
“To talk to the
manager.”
“What? Why?”
“You’ll see.”
Sue watched
Jackie approached the bartender who motioned Jackie toward a man sitting at a
table by the stage. Jackie approached the man and shook his hand. Jackie
motioned toward her and the man looked her way. Jackie waved and Sue gave a shy
wave back. They spoke again then Jackie waved for her to join him at the table.
Reluctantly, she went toward them.
“This is Mr. John
Burr. He is the manager here and has given permission for you to replay
Moonlight
Sonata
,” Jackie said smiling.
Sue just nodded,
too dumfounded and nervous to verbally reply.
“Hi there, Miss
Sue Thao,” John said extending his hand to her.
“Hello. Nice to
meet you,” she said shaking his hand. “It’s very generous of you to allow me to
play but it is not necessary for me to replay the piece. The band did an
excellent job and I—”
“Give it a try,
Plain Sue,” Jackie urged. “Play the guitar.”
Soon, Sue was on
the small stage, sitting on a stool with a guitar on her lap. She was too
nervous to care what kind of guitar she was holding. The band was courteous and
if they had any resentment toward her, they didn’t show it. The manager told
them what Jackie had relayed, that Sue thought the music was bland. No, no, no,
only that one particular song she had recognized was… She tried to defend her
statement, but in the end, she was onstage with the band, John and Jackie
watching.
Sue looked about
the room and was relieved to notice that some patrons were not paying
attention. Those at the bar were either drinking or deep in their conversations
and those on the dance floor, well, one slow dancing couple didn’t seem to
notice the music had stopped. There were about seven people sitting at the
small tables surrounding the stage. She could see four people’s faces, but
three were in the dark and she could only see their forms.
Nervously, Sue
began to play the piece. The last time she played the guitar was at Jae’s hotel
and she hadn’t played any piece in particular then.
She’s really
good
, Jackie thought. Jackie watched her with searching eyes. He could see
her allure. She wore jeans with a cream color knit sweater and tennis shoes.
She looked lovely with her wavy hair flowing to one side. Was this what
attracted Khyba—her innocence? Her candidness?
Sue was nervous
at first but soon she was immersed in music and she forgot about the audience.
She didn’t see the way Jackie was looking at her or that there was a man
sitting in the shadows, watching her every movement. She finished playing the
song, thanked her audience then placed the guitar on a stand and left the stage
in something between a run and a walk.
Jae watched Sue
played the guitar. She seemed to be looking at the music but she knew the piece
by heart. She had played for him long ago in his apartment. There were many
feelings in the way she played the piece. That was his Suzy, sitting on that
stage. It was his Suzy, laughing, joking, so unguarded. It was the Suzy he
wanted to see again. His Shorty.
“You don’t miss
Khyba, huh?” Jackie asked when she joined him at the bar.
“Nope,” she lied.
“He’s arrogant and chauvinistic,” she said smiling as she sat down. “He thinks
he can do whatever he wants to whomever he wants without much consideration for
their feelings. For example, the announcement of our marriage.” She paused.
They were facing each other when she asked, “How much do you know about Jae and
I? You knew my last name, yet I don’t recall us being formally introduced.”
“Khyba
Hyung
talked a lot about you.”
The only
indication Sue gave Jackie to let him know she heard him was the way she was
looking at him. She was thinking whether to believe this man. There was doubt
and hurt in her eyes, but there was also love. Khyba often said looking into
Sue’s eyes was like looking into her soul. Jackie was beginning to believe it.
Because at the moment, even in the dimness of the room, she looked at him with piercing
dark eyes that showed him all she felt. It wasn’t lust or desire that he was
used to seeing in women who wanted Khyba. Not the flirty, lusty, greedy eyes he
so often saw on the women he took to his own bed. He felt he knew her; he had
searched for her. He had looked into her life. Perhaps that was the reason he
was feeling the way he was.
At twenty-nine,
he was tired of looking into the eyes of a woman either wanting him to get to
Khyba or wanting him for some other reason than just him. He was looking for
someone who would look at him the way Sue looked at the mere mention of Jae.
“Do you hate
him?” Jackie asked.
“Very much,” Sue
answered.
“But you just
said you love him, now you hate him?” Jackie was expecting her to lie, to deny
it and proclaim her love for Khyba.
“I hate him
because I love him. I know that makes no sense.” She sipped her drink then
asked, “How long have you known him?”
“A while. Would
you like to know what he has become? Would you like to know about Khyba?”
“No. I don’t want
to know what he has become. I know he’s a great dancer, very talented, so I
guess, he has succeeded in what he wanted to do. But in all honesty, I’d rather
not know who this Khyba is. I don’t need to know what Jae does for a living to
know he is no longer the person I met long ago.”
“So you really
don’t know about Khyba
Hyung
then? You haven’t seen his work?”
“Not recently.”
“To think, he
went on the Ms. O show just for you.”
“He did?” Sue
asked surprised and flattered that he remembered her idol. “I’m surprised he
remembered that I liked Ms. O,” Sue added softly.
“He did remember,
even with his
infinitesimal
monkey brain.”
“You remember
that, huh? I’ve called him worse. Sorry. I can be quite pompous when I’m
upset.”
They drank their
drinks. Jackie noted she didn’t drink any alcohol. He was beginning to
understand why Khyba married this woman. He thought she would want to know
everything there was to know about Khyba or at least be curious about what he
has become. “I think I know why Khyba
Hyung
likes you so much.”
Sue raised an
eyebrow. “Please, do tell. The way I treated him, you’d think he would have
nothing to do with me.”
Jackie smiled.
“You’re quite honest with him.”
“I have no reason
to lie. Like I said, there’s something about him that makes me want to tell the
truth and nothing but the truth.” She happened to look up and saw it was one in
the morning. “Oh my. Do you mind if we get going? I really should get some
sleep before the wedding.”
Jackie nodded and
they started to walk back to Michael’s townhouse. They didn’t say much to each
other during their walk. The night was cool and snow was falling. A thin layer
of fresh snow covered the sidewalk and cars. Their foot prints created a trail
behind them. The street-lights illuminated the dark night and for some reason
Sue felt an odd feeling of loneliness she hadn’t felt since her time in Seoul.
Luckily, before that aching feeling had a chance to blossom, they reached
Michael’s townhouse.
At the door, Sue
turned to Jackie and extended her right hand. “Thank you for your time. I would
thank you for arranging that stage performance but I’m still a bit horrified by
the whole experience,” she said smiling and shaking his hand. “Goodbye, Jackie.
What is your last name by the way?”
“Lee.”
“Well, thank you,
Mr. Lee. I really needed the laughter tonight.”
“Anytime. Please
call me Jackie. I’m too young to be Mr. Lee.”
Sue smiled. “In
that case, thank you, Jackie.”
“Would you like
for me to say goodbye to Khyba
Hyung
for you?”
Sue didn’t
hesitate when she answer him. “No, but thank you for the offer. Good night,
better yet, good morning Jackie. Take care.”
“Plain Sue?”
“Yes?” She turned
back to him.
“If you see that
car,” Jackie said, pointing to a silver Audi parked on the street, two cars
down from the front of the townhouse. “It is Tyson keeping an eye on you.
Please, let me finish. It is for your safety. The press could be determined
and…” Jackie snapped his fingers, thinking for the right word. “Yes,
aggressive.”
Sue was about to
protest again but Jackie had explained with such concern that Sue thought it
best to just let it go. She had heard of Tyson before, the big man who was
Jae’s body guard and driver. Sue nodded and bid him good night. Jackie waited
until she was safely inside and heard the door lock mechanisms clicking before
leaving.
CHAPTER
33
Katie and
Patrick’s wedding took place on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. There was an
over-cast, but Sue glanced around her and thought the day was perfect,
beautiful. Katie told her excitedly about the news of her and went into detail
of what was reported. Sue declined to watch the broadcast on Katie’s phone.
Sue tried not to
think about Jae but the more she tried, the more she found herself thinking
about him. She thought of him when she was at Central Park. She thought of him
when she was alone. She thought of him every day and today was more painful.
There was a dull ache inside of her and when Katie and Patrick exchanged vows,
the ache was even more painful to bear.
Sue dutifully
performed her role as maid of honor. She gave a toast, danced with Michael,
laughed, and danced some more. Michael didn’t bring up what transpired between
them on the night of the shower. She was glad for it.
When it came time
for Katie to toss the bouquet, Michael ushered her to the front of the line.
She raised her hands up but made no effort to catch the bouquet. To her dismay,
Katie purposely tossed the bouquet her way and the darn thing landed in her
hands. She smiled and graciously accepted the bouquet.
Faker
.
Her flight was
scheduled to be on time. The only flight she was able to get at the last minute
was a red eye flight from New York to Washington, D.C., with a six-hour layover
before a connecting flight to Chicago. She would have another hour layover
before heading home to Minnesota but it was better to get out of the city than
to stay.
Remember I’m
not running away, I’m just going home, she kept telling herself.
Then why did
you change your flight plans after meeting with Jackie last night?
Because
there’s no reason to stay.
What about
Michael? He has been so nice and you left without even telling him goodbye.
I left him a
letter.
Coward
.
She really needed
to talk to people more often. These internal conversations were eating at her
conscious. She really was a coward.
Katie and Patrick
had already left for their honeymoon to some secret location Patrick refused to
disclose. There was no more reason to stay.
Sue had returned
to Michael’s townhouse after the reception several hours before but she didn’t
sleep. Instead, she showered and changed into comfortable sweats then finished
packing her belongings and headed for the airport. She couldn’t wait for her
Sunday afternoon flight.
Sue had told
Michael she was leaving New York earlier than planned but she didn’t specify
the date and time. She left contact information for Michael to contact her if
he was ever in Minnesota. As for Jae, she hadn’t heard from him. It was better
this way, she continued to tell herself. The times she was in his company had
left her in tears and she had no desire to continue to cry like a hormonal
damsel in distress.
An announcement
was made that her flight was boarding. Sue gathered her things. She was really
leaving without saying goodbye to Jae, perhaps never to see him again. Maybe,
she should have said goodbye or left a message. No, bad idea, she told herself.
Sue handed her
ticket to the flight attendant and boarded the plane. She made her way to her
seat and was placing her carry-on in the overhead compartment when a female
flight attendant approached her. “Excuse me, Miss Thao?” the flight attendant
said.
“Yes?” Sue
replied.
“We have oversold
our seats and we would like to upgrade your seat to first class at no extra
cost. If you would please follow me, I’ll show you to your seat.”
Sue looked around
her and saw many empty seats. “You’re serious?” Sue asked.
“Very much so,”
the flight attendant politely replied. “This way please.” She gestured for Sue
to follow her.
Sue reluctantly
retrieved her carry-on and followed the flight attendant to the first class
section where she stopped to indicate the row Sue was to occupy. “The window
seat please,” the flight attendant said.
“Thank you,” Sue
said, placing her carryon in the overhead compartment.
“My name is
Misty. Is there anything I can get for you? Pillow? Blanket?”
“No, thank you.
I’m fine,” Sue said taking her seat. Except for Sue, no one else occupied the
first class seats.
Sue placed her
backpack in front of her seat and took out a book before she tucked the bag
away. A flight attendant welcomed the passengers through the intercom and
pointed the exits in the event of an emergency. Then the captain’s voice announced
they were going to take off. Sue was staring out the window, watching the
lights from the airport when someone took the seat next to her. The plane was
pulling away from the hanger and she instinctively turned to see who her
neighbor was, seating so late.