Kim
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One Friday night, Kim was waiting for Yvonne to get home. He intended to get things straight with her. From afar, he could hear the footsteps echoing through the corridor, the sound of YvonneÂ’s heels landing on the concrete ground, nearing. For the first time in his stay with Yvonne, he was nervous to see her face. He could imagine her unsmiling expression as she opens the door. He figured that she would be looking for small details to quarrel with him again. The door flung opened as he was still deep in his thoughts. She was frowning, as she quickly kicked off her heels. She was scanning he living room as if to loopholes that she could use as a weapon against Kim, but to no avail. Kim had made the effort to do some cleaning up an hour before.
“ Had your dinner dear?” Kim went up to her and helped with her handbag. “ Wooh, it was heavy, what you had inside.” He joked.
“ Nothing much. Ain’t u tired today? I didn’t see you sleeping.” There was a slight sarcastic edge in her speech.
“ Can’t. Too occupied with my mind. I guess it was a long time since we last had a proper talk, right.” Kim was leading her to the sofa. The same sofa that Cliff almost had Yvonne laid. Now both of them are seated side by side, Yvonne in his arm. “ I just wanna know what is wrong with you recently. You are not so, erm…, yourself.”
“ Huh? I’m very ‘myself’. What make you say that?” Yvonne was playing with her fingers guiltiness had struck her. She stared at the floor, with her eyes fixed on the gaps in between the tiles.
“ I know you don’t like the idea of getting married. It’s okay with me. It’s not like I’m forcing you or something like that. You know I’ll never force you to do anything against your will, do ya? So what’s wrong huh?”
“ Would you pleaaaase give me a break? I’m tired.” That does it. She walked away into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. Kim was dumbfounded.
During the entire weekend, Yvonne was out with Summer and Moon, and of course Cliff. They were chatting away happily at some Starbucks outlet. Cliff had allows that encounter with Yvonne to fade by itself. But, sometimes in the night, when he was feeling lonely, he would recall the night and imagined how it would be like if Yvonne had not broke loose of his grip. And everytime when it flashed across his mind, his heartbeat increase and the urge of owning Yvonne came back to him. Summer had noticed that Cliff had some interests in Yvonne and felt that they really make a good couple. And during this weekend, Yvonne had sorted some things straight. She intended lead a better life, without Kim. She had owned too much to him. It was so easy to let go and take for granted what Kim had provided for her all these years than to stay with him, tormented by guilt rather than being in love. The problem that lies ahead would be how to go about breaking the news to him. Another week went by and she ainÂ’t got any chance to talk to Kim. He had chose to work night shift, as he wanted to avoid quarreling with Yvonne, and at the same time, gave her time to cool down. For the whole while, Yvonne was in a dilemma, she was so used to having someone cuddling her to sleep but she did not want the person be to Kim anymore. Her thoughts were messing with her mind. Than one night, Cliff called Yvonne at her house for a chat. Yvonne had in fact been chatting up with Cliff when Kim is not around. He is the other option for her loneliness inside.
...to be continue -
“ Still awake huh?” Cliff had expected her to be. “ How’s your boyfriend? How’s Kim?” He had no idea that their relationship is on rocky ground for the pass few weeks.
“ Working, as usual. No time for me.”
“ Well, I’m working in the day with you, and I’ve time for you in the night too. Haha, and I’m not even your boyfriend.”
“ Would you like to be?” She teased him. Their topics had been very bold lately. She had told him how she would like a man to satisfy her needs as well as her ambitions. But all that she had said, she tactically left out the name ‘Kim’.
“ If you allows, even for just one night.” It was typical of Cliff to say such things and Yvonne had got used to it already. Somehow, tonight, she was feeling lonely.
“ Alright, just for tonight.” This served as an invitation for Cliff to come over to her place. And Cliff, of course was glad.
“ You joking? Don’t kid me like this. I’m old and could not take it.” He wanted to be sure of her intention.
“ Well, you can come now if you want, before I changed my mind.” Cliff almost could not believe it.
He was speeding on the deserted road like nobodyÂ’s business. He still could not believe that Yvonne would invite him again after the last encounter. He was afraid that he could not control himself when the time arises. Less than 20 minutes, he was standing outside YvonneÂ’s house, knocking softly, as if afraid anyone who see him. Well, he ought to be careful. Yvonne, as if waiting behind that door, opened it almost immediately. She was in a translucent white blouse, sleeveless. Her red undergarments were almost visible.
“ Common in Cliff, you don’t want to stand there all there, don’t you?” She pointed to the position where he was standing now. “ And don’t forget your shoes.”
“ How about my clothes?” Cliff was testing her reaction.
“ Don’t be stupid.” She said abruptly. “ What do you think I’ve invited you here for.”
Her tone was one so inviting, so does her lips, and her body too. Cliff knew that this is too good to be true. She was offering herself to him also unconditionally. He stepped inside, kicked off his black leather shoes and proceeded to give Yvonne a hug. She did not resist this time round. Nor does she encourage. They were standing in the middle of the living room. His lips found hers and they had a passionate kiss. Yvonne was leading Cliff this time. She guided her tongue into her mouth, as it explored hungrily.
“ You made me wait too long, too long baby.” He was morning these wording as he cupped her butts. There were firm and silky through her clothes.
Yvonne was moving them slowly towards the bedroom, where Kim and her used to sleep together. Her hands feeling the contours of his muscular torso, her legs rubbing against his. This small act made really turn Cliff on. He went on to take off everything as fast as he could. Yvonne was looking at him, biting her lips.
He was on top of her now. She was not struggling, but was moving sensationally under him. He cupped her breast with her bra still on. He remembered the last time he sucked on those nipples and could not wait to do it again. He lifted her blouse over her head and took off her bra with his skillful touch at the hooks behind. He mouthed at the exposed and tempting curves hungrily, leaving a trail of silvery line behind every part that his tongue had passed by. Cliff was in between her legs this time, parting them bit-by-bit as he work his tongue on her clit. Yvonne never felt this way before, as Kim never did this to her. It brought her into another dimension where she never been before. She pulled down her last piece of clothes and let Cliff tease her some more. He tongue was inside her, making her making little jerks and moaning softly.
“ You should go now.” Yvonne said through the bathroom door, as she clean herself up. “ Before Kim comes back.”
“ Its only 4am my baby, let me bath with u a little.” Cliff suggested. He wanted more of Yvonne.
“ No, you should go now. I’ve got what I wanted, so does you. And just go, forget about the whole thing.”
Cliff was hurt upon hearing this. He was thinking that Yvonne might leave Kim and be with him as they were having sex just now. She was so absorbed in it, crawling and digging into him, as he plunged deeper and harder into her. He was wrong. She just used him to satisfy her own desire when Kim is not around. He was just a substitute. “ Okay. See you at work than.”
... to be continued[/b] -
Yvonne was sleeping soundly when Kim came back. She was naked underneath the blanket. She looked so peaceful, so precious to him. He went over to her and kissed her on her cheek, and wonder why this had not woke her up. She usually would open her eyes and smile at him. That was in the past. Kim did not notice anything different about their bedroom, where Cliff had spent the night with Yvonne. He washed up and tried to sleep, beside her, his hands over her body, stroking gently. He knew that the moment when she woke up, she would fuss about him, so he was careful not to wake her. He was looking into her face, which was half buried into the pillow, so innocent. Her curves were shaped out under the blanket so fine. For a moment, he was thinking about the time he slept with her. They were chatting the night away, just kissing and cuddling, nothing else. He wished he could turn back the clock, to the time when their flames ware still burning so bright. The passion and flame between had almost extinguished nowadays.
Yvonne frowned and open her eyes as the sunray shone upon the bed, clothing the sheets with a yellowish glare. She rubbed her eyes and saw Kim, sleeping beside him, soundly. His hands were scarred. She had never noticed those scars before. Some were still fresh, yet to be healed. He must be working very hard out there, and there she was complaining this and that. She even denied him of some decent sleep sometimes. Now he is resting. His body moved as he breathed and somehow, the sight of Kim made her heart contracted hard. Every time he exhaled, her heart ached. She cried.
The next few days at work, Cliff was unusually quiet. Yvonne knew why. Moon had asked him what happen but he just said that he felt that he was used by a friend. Moon let out a laughter, discrediting the whole thing by saying that it happens everyday. Summer joined in to tease Cliff at how he got so depressed over such a small thing. Cliff walked away, without saying anything further. He glanced at Yvonne, who was occupied with her work and thought; how could she treated as nothing had happen. He just couldnÂ’t understand.
...to be continued -
Months passed by. The relationship between Kim and Yvonne had improved, slightly. Kim had a feeling that everything is back to normal again. They talked more often, and Kim tried to spend his weekends with her as far as possible. She had also made the effort to improve the gasping wound that she had inflicted upon their relationship. Cliff, on the other hand, never contacted Yvonne again after that night. He had requested to be posted to the Finances department, reason being that since there are no guys here, it was making him feeling uneasy. In fact, it was the sight of Yvonne that disgusted him. How could she treat me like a sex toy; this thought had made him feeling silly about himself that night, which he satisfied her as if she had loved him with all her heart and body. Yvonne also couldnÂ’t care less. Smith had increased her salary by 20%, thanks to her constant performance, of course, which would not be possible without SummerÂ’s and MoonÂ’s guidance. Yvonne had asked them to come over to her place for a dinner, as a celebration. It was the first time Joey agreed to join in. Smith was busy with meeting and could not make it that night. Cliff was not on the list.
“ Just keep up the good work, and I’ll be more than glad.” Smith excused himself from the party.
That evening, Yvonne when shopping with Kim for the stuffs for the party. A honey roasted chicken, a loath of ham, red wine to do alone with the meats and some fruit salads. On top of that, she had ordered a pizza for Kim, Hawaiian styled.
Summer was the first to arrive, saying that she is very hungry, and could not wait for the dinner to start. Yvonne introduced her to Kim, and she remarked that Kim was a fine gentlemen. Indeed, he was. Moon and Joey reached shortly. They had with them some deserts, mainly jellies and yogurts. Moon had only seen KimÂ’s photograph on the desk at her work place, which Yvonne had placed recently, and concluded that both of them are a matching pair. Yvonne wondered if she like to make this comment, remembering the last time that she said the same thing about Cliff and her. JoeyÂ’s look was one of surprised. Kim had found her very familiar the moment she stepped in. Before he could recall where he might have seen her, she walked up to him and smiled.
“ Don’t you remember me? I’m Joey, what a small world it is.” She sound excited.
“ Erm, sorry, I…” Kim was thinking hard, massacring his brain cells
“ Let me help u a little, I was with you in your ITE, thought yours is only a short stay. I dropped out soon after you and was recommended into the company by my uncle. He’s the GM of the hotel.”
“ Oh, now that you said, I do remember…haha.” Kim replied.
“ Okay, so you both know each other huh, save me the ice-breaking games at least.” Yvonne hugged Kim at his waist and smiled at Joey.
...to be continued -
Joey was only with the company for about 9 months. Little did Yvonne expect that she had such connections with the GM of the hotel. The thought of it would make anyone in the hotel shiver, as her words would be powerful enough to get anyone out of job. At least she would be safe, since she knew Kim. But this did not comfort her abit, in fact, she was disturbed. For the first time, she felt jealous that a girl had so much to talk to his boyfriend, and it surprised her. She knew that Kim loved her a lot, but could he resist the temptations of Joey, who was so good at flirting. She had seen her flirting with Cliff couple of times too, in the past. And she would not be surprised if Cliff had a sexual relationship with her as well.
They were all teasing Kim, asking about how he and Yvonne got together, and what is he working as. They did not looked down on him liked Cliff does, in-fact, they find him very hardworking and loyal, to his shipping company and towards Yvonne. The hours flies by and Summer suggested that they stayed overnight as it was half past midnight. Yvonne agreed to the idea, she enjoyed their companies, as much as Kim does. Moon, however, wanted to go home, as she was not in her most comfortable clothes, but Joey somehow, made her stay. They seem to be good friends outside work. With the helps available, the mess after dinner was cleared in a moment. They had decided not to sleep for the entire night, except for Kim, he had to work tomorrow in the early afternoon.
Yvonne and Summer went to buy some beers at the nearby 7-11 store. Since Kim knew at least Joey, he would not be left out at home, at least for a while. Summer was praising Kim all the way till they reach the store, and Kim was smiling cheek to cheek. She knew long time ago that Kim was a good man. Back at home, Joey was teasing Kim, telling all about him in the ITE last time to Moon.
“ You know, he was always quiet. I thought he was shy, so does the other girls in the class. The guys, on the other hand, felt that he was just putting on a ‘cool’ front…haha.” Joey was laughing away as Kim blushed. “ And, when one of the girl wanted to tell him how she had liked him since his first day in class, he dropped out. I felt so pity for that girl…”
“ That girl must be you right, Joey, I just knew it.” Moon was teasing Joey this time round. The target changed from Kim to Joey real fast.
“ No, no. How can it be me…I didn’t even talked to him for the first 2 months there.” Joey denied.
“ Well than, I’ll let it pass for now.” Moon noticed that both Joey’s and Kim’s faces redden a bit on the cheeks. “ I need to go the ladies.”
“ Well, I only have a toilet here, unisex. Turn right at the kitchen, 2nd door.” Kim directed her.
Now, the living room only left with Joey and Kim. There was a sudden quietness in the air. Both did not know what to say. Indeed, The girl Joey was talking about her no one else but herself. She studied Kim as he seemed to be in deep thought. Joey learnt that he is a grown man by now. The scars on his hand appeared to create a sense of manliness in him. She could not help but think about how it would be if she had confront her love, or rather desire, for him, 5 years ago. Kim had noticed that Joey had kept her sight on him, fixed, as if wanting to see through him. This had make him feeling uneasy. This would make anyone one else feel uneasy anyway. Joey wanted to see how Kim and Yvonne were getting along, and hoped to find some loopholes in their relationship, just to satisfy herself, to prove that if she were to be with Kim, if would be more perfect than him with Yvonne.
“ 5 years, you had been with her, am I right? I figured that you dropped out because of her…what a fool. Forsake you future for uncertainty.” Joey’s words drilled deep into Kim’s mind.
“ Well, that was my business anyway. My families don’t even care, so I don’t see who else should.” He replied spitefully.
“ Fine than. Since fate had brought us together again, I wished that we can keep in contact, as friends. What do you say huh?”
“ Friends, at a distance, fine with me.”
...to be continued -
Moon and Summer, after having some tea served by Yvonne, were more sobered. They stay up to chat watching old films showing on the Tv. Yvonne , after passing them the hot tea, went into the room. She found Kim on the floor, snoring away softly. He had always been so thoughtful. He must have considered the possibility that some of the girls might need the bed, and it would be hard if there were a guy on it. Yvonne went over and covered a blanket over him, and proceeded to sleep. Joey came in shortly and Yvonne shifted in KimÂ’s direction abit to allow some space for her. For the first time, Yvonne had shared her bed with another person of the same sex. She felt funny, and uneasy. She got up after awhile, on hearing that Summer and Moon were still chatting away, and joined them in the living room.
Joey, felt the movement of the bed and woke up, in a dazed. She seemed to like the idea of having the bed all for herself. After all, she was used to having her own bed back home, a queen size one. It was about 5am, when all was quiet in the house. Moon, Summer and Yvonne had fallen asleep in the living room. Joey was awoken by gushes of cold wind that flowed from the air-con. She outstretched her hands, hoping to grab the blanket but could not find it anywhere. On thinking that it might have been kicked to the ground, she woke up and looked around the bed. She was surprised when she saw Kim on the ground, beside the bed. Previously, she did not know that he was there, all along. Joey knew that its only Kim and her in the room now, and this thought had somehow stirred her desires she had for him.
She laid at the edge of the bed, at KimÂ’s side and pretended to sleep. Her hand hanging over and brushing against his face. It was kind of irritating and it woke Kim as well. With his eyes closed, thinking it was Yvonne, he pulled her down. She landed right on top of him, shocked. Kim was hugging her. Joey was shocked, at the same time delighted, and they slept for another hour.
The alarm rang and Kim off it almost immediately. It was this moment when he saw that it was Joey, not Yvonne, who was in his arms, and was disorientated. Nervously, he pushed her away, trying to get up. Somehow, she still cringed to him, with her breasted pressed firmly against his chest. He never had another woman so close to him, except for Yvonne, and this is tempting him a great deal. Finally, he managed to get himself up, after much effort. He stared down, on the sleeping Joey. Her curves were crying out for him. He concluded that Joey really had a great body, and smiled. He went to change in the toilet, since he could not do so in his room, and went for work. In some ways or another, JoeyÂ’s devilish body curves kept appearing in his mind. He could not help but fantasized.
Back at home, the group of girls was awake by 1pm. All of them went their separate ways home, and Yvonne went back to sleep in her room, after tidying up the place abit. She had no idea what had happened between Joey and Kim last night. She was too tired to think about anything else.
...to be continued... -
Weeks past as Kim slogged at work. His company had not been doing very well recently, as the economy was weak at that time. The shipping company had axed some 200 employees within the last few days. Kim managed to keep his rice bowl when he agreed to decrease his salary by 15%. It was tough, having to survive with that already low pay, and now, it would be worse. He worked over-time and tried to make up for the pay-cut. Yvonne was the sole breadwinner back at home now. Smith had given her extra allowances for transport, as she now needed to deal with big clients. She had managed to save some money from that allowance and it turned out to be quite a significant sum. Kim was belittled by the fact that he worked so hard and earned so little, whereas Yvonne was earning at least 3 times his salary now, talking to clients. LifeÂ’s jokes can be cruel sometimes, and it seldom makes people laugh.
Finally, in early November, the shipping company went bankrupted. It owns too many debts and was forced to make such a dread decision by the creditors. Law is just, and can be unfeeling in some cases. Some on the employees who stayed till the end could not get their salaries, some even up to three months. Kim can be considered lucky as he just had his salary for October. Nevertheless, like the rest of the employees, he is out of job. Back at home, he was looking through newspaper and internet for jobs. He had never felt so desperate in his life. The saving in his bank was drying slowly, and he did not wish to touch the joint account, opened by Yvonne and him, 1 year ago, mainly for wedding purpose.
Couple of interviews failed as the companies concluded that he did not have the basic requirements. All Kim had is just an ‘O’ level, with 4 credits. There is no way he can get a decent job, anywhere, in the kind of society compared to five years ago. Dishearten, he seek comfort by confining in Joey about his circumstances. Joey, of course, had learnt from Yvonne at her workplace the state that Kim was in now. She pitied Kim, not because he was unable to get a job, but the fact that he was living off Yvonne at the moment. Joey had a sudden urge to help him, but she did now know how to go about it. She decided to seek help from her uncle, who called the shots around the hotel.
On a Monday night, Joey stopped by her uncleÂ’s private house, located deep in the heart of the rural area. From far, the lighting shone through the windows, like a lighthouse amidst the oceans, reflecting off the surrounding trees, and the tilted road into the magnificent building. The leaves rustled as the automatic gate parted, revealing the winding path, with Japanese-styled lampposts standing proudly by the sides, as if guarding the garden with their faint illumination. A small fountain made up of piled rocks leave a antique touch to the place, as water gushed out and back to the fountain itself. To the right, itÂ’s a garage, which gates were let up, as if to display the cars, 4 of them, lined side by side.
The doorbell rang twice, and a maid appeared. She opened the door and greeted Joey as she took off her jacket. The inside of the house is more like a palace. With ceiling reaching for the sky, and 2 spiral of stairways, carpeted, winding up to the forth floor. The living room was furnished with some of the finest furniture, mainly imported from Europe, and a small portion of art-pieces from South-East Asia. Rows of vases, expensive looking, lined along the shelf above the 42 inch plasma Tv. JoeyÂ’s uncle was sitting on the huge sofa, a shade of brown and black, smoking his cigar away. She noticed that her aunty is not around, and concluded that she should be having a mahjong session with her friends. There is something very sad about this old couple, as they are filthy rich, but without any heir to carry on the wealth. That is also the reason why doted on Joey so much, treating her as if she is their first-borne.
...to be continued[/b] -
“ Oh Joey, haha, so glad to see you. Were you mistreated there?” Her uncle raised an eyebrow, and looked at her.
“ What do you thing huh. Of course not. Uncle Larry, I’ve a favor to ask of you. I hope that u can consider it, as it is of grave matter, at least to me.” Joey was always so straightforward, and it did not startle her uncle abit.
“ Speak your mind than, if its within my ability, and can make you happy, I don’t see why not.”
She paused for a moment as a maid refilled her cup of tea. Uncle Larry dismissed the maid with a wave of his hand. “ Its like this, Uncle Larry, I have a friend, not very highly educated, and not as lucky as me, having you, had lost his job recently. I was thinking if you might create vacant for him to work in our hotel. He is hardworking and would do anything.” Her sweet-talking almost went unnoticed.
“ Oh, is he your boyfriend?” Joey shook her head. “ Nope? Than why?” Her uncle enquired.
“ He’s my ex classmate in my ITE. That’s all.”
“ Fine than. I’ll see what I can do.” Uncle Larry concluded, as Joey let out a sign of relief under her breath. “ Now join me for a game of chess, won’t you? You won the last time by a stroke of luck, remember?”
Joey’s uncle, having agreed to her request, had opened a vacancy especially for Kim, to work in the main lobby, serving the customers. Joey called Kim on his cellphone during lunchtime and told him about it. Kim was rotting away at home, too depressed to even browse through the newspaper. When Joey broke the good news to him, she was expecting a straight ‘yes’ as an answer. However, it was not as what she had thought it would be. Kim, said that he was grateful for her help but at the same time, was feeling a slight anger as she never consult this with him before, when it concern himself. A sudden sense of uselessness struck him hard and he rejected her offer.
Joey, on the other hand, was shocked at how one can turn such a good chance to work in the hotel, when so many people are losing their job. She did not want to see her effort go to waste and decided to go over his place. Smith was not around, as usual, therefore she could have all the freedom she wanted. But it would not make any difference even if Smith was around, giving her status in the company. And as for Yvonne, she was out having lunch with an important client.
The door knocked and Kim almost fell off his stood, as he was arranging the magazines on the tabletop. He did not expect that anyone could come by in a weekday afternoon. He thought that Yvonne might be sick and came home early for a rest, so he opened the door. Standing outside, however, was Joey, dressed in a pink shirt and tight dark blue pants. She had her hair dyed a reddish brown recently and had a little wavy touch on them.
“ Common in, I didn’t expect it could be you. I thought it was Yvonne.” Kim invited her into the house.
It was a hot afternoon, the sunlight pounding on the streets mercilessly, and Joey was sweating on her forehead and her back. Kim could clearly see her bra as he closed the door and walked behind her. She walked over to the fan and stood there, making her hair.
“ Oh its hot. See, I brave the sun to come and see you!” Joey was exaggerating.
“ Haha, not funny at all. Nice try thou’. So don’t you need to work?”
“ I skipped work, and offer the job to you personally, what do you say huh?”
“ You are crazy…” Kim was a little touched by how someone could care so much about him, apart from Yvonne. He passed her a cup of fresh orange juice and sat down on the sofa.
“ Can we talk in your room, it’s the only place that is air-coned, right?” It was just an innocent suggestion.
“ You are a spoilt brat.”
The bedroom was indeed more cooling outside, and not so glaring. Kim sat by the dressing table, while Joey settled for the bed. She seemed to like that bed, as she was bouncing on it playfully. She unbuttoned the first two clips of her shirt and Kim could not help but noticed a sweat, rolling down into her cleavage. He avoided looking at it for too long. Kim had reconsidered JoeyÂ’s offer when he hung the phone just now. It was abused but only one so dumb would reject it. Apparently, itÂ’s a decent job, and the pay would definitely be higher than his previous one. Joey bended forward and look at him, close-up, as if knew that he was thinking hard about the offer. There was something else more distracting, in between the cleavage.
“ So how? Sure you must take the job okay. I been through hell to get it for you.” That was another exaggerating remark. “ If not, I’ll would have to force you to accept than…haha”
“ Forced? How? Not going to kill me do you.”
“ No, I’m going to tickle you hard!” Before she completed what she was saying, her hands were already poking at his ribs. It was ticklish and he tried to get away from her, as far as he could, into the other corner of the room.
Joey, ran after him, and carried on the torment. The sight was like two small kids playing, and laughing away. Suddenly, JoeyÂ’s knee hit the edge of the bed and lost her balance, and fell onto the bed, pulling KimÂ’s tee in the process. He fell on top on her, and she gasped as his body weight crushed her underneath. Kim remembered the time when he misunderstood her for Yvonne and he was losing control. Up-close, Joey was a remarkable beauty. The smell of her hair and sweat aroused Kim more, messing his mind, making him losing himself. Her breasts were against his chest, just like that night, and she is looking straight into his eye. Slowly, Joey held his head towards her and kissed his lips.
Kim, almost automatically, started to respond to her kiss. One thing lead to another and them ended up in each other embraces, naked. Kim had noticed that her figure was much better than YvonneÂ’s. His palm could not hold her completely. Joey, was also losing herself, and could not care if Kim was someone else boyfriend. As Joey was biting into his neck, he pushed her aside.
“ No.” He jerked backward, with a hard-on.
“ Yes.” She pulled him backed. She had wanted him very badly, since the time in ITE.
Kim fell for her temptations, the kind of temptation that no other guys could have resisted. And they made love. Joey was a tigress on bed. She moaned and crawled on the bed sheet as Kim entered her from behind. He came shortly after that, exhausted. So was Joey.
...to be continued -
Kim started work almost immediately. He had told Yvonne that he could not have got this job if without JoeyÂ’s help, of course, omitted away some of the details. He was very guilty about what he had done with Joey and Yvonne was in the dark all along. However, he decided that some things are better to be left unsaid. Kim had observed Joey the next few days carefully and did not feel that anything was wrong, hence, he concluded that she just wanted to have a fling with her that day. However, there was something that was bothering him much, that is, Joey had called him more frequently, even when Yvonne was around. Although Yvonne guessed that since she had found the job for him, they ought to be really close in the past, but she still felt jealous. Even though the topics between Joey and Kim is not really juicy, Kim still felt that she should restrict herself, just in case she spilled the beans.
One night, Kim was asked to stay for overtime, as a bunch of Korean would book into the hotel in the middle of the night. He agreed without hesitation, as he was already used to working night shift in the past. Moreover, the environment here was much better here, at least he would not get to sweat, and smelly. He told Yvonne about it and she went home, saying that she will wait for him to be back. It was past 1.45am when Kim was done with the Korean. He was about to changed to his normal attire when his cellphone rang. The number was unfamiliar. Upon answering, he knew that it was Joey on the other side. She asked him to come up to her workplace and gave him the direction.
Minutes later, he was outside the office where Yvonne and the rest of the girls worked in. It was pitch black inside except the lights from the opposite building can be seen. He walked in, assumed the door is not locked and saw a shadow that almost made him jump in fright. Joey was sitting at the armchair, her usual place, in white. She signaled him to come closer, and somehow, he hairs stood on ends. Never did he knew that the hotel was a scary place to be in at night.
“ Why off the lights?” Kim whispered.
“ Cause we are not supposes to be seen, right?”
“ Right, so what izzit that you ask me here for?” He had too much questions about Joey behaving so strangely.
“ Do you like me? Tell me the truth.” Her voice was trembling, as if she might break down any moment.
“ What? I only loved Yvonne. If you are talking about that night, we were only having a fling, right?” Kim, was thinking that if she really liked him, than he had done something very wrong that night. Cause Joey could use that as a weapon to destroy his relationship with Yvonne.
“ Fling? Hahaha…” Her laughter pierced through the silent office. She waited till her laughter died down and continued. “ I’m dead serious about you. And you should know. In what ways am I no better than Yvonne is huh? Can’t I hold a candle to her? Or was she so great in bed, outshine me? Haha..”
“ Shut up.” Kim was angry, and the anger was because Joey had used her body to try to own him. “ You do not understand. Please, forget about that night.” He pled, knowing that there are no other options now.
“ Well, on a condition.” She stretched her arms upwards, and the shape of her breasts was protruding out through her shirt. She had a tube-top inside her lime green shirt. “ I want you to do something for me. The details, I will tell you in a few days time.”
Kim went home after that, puzzled over what Joey had said. He felt that she did not really mind that night, but was using it to blackmail him. The thought of it freaked him out. He reached home, saw Yvonne watching some Vcds, and treated as nothing had happen. They proceeded to sleep shortly.
Two days later, Joey called Kim to stay over at the hotel at night again. It seemed like she had the authorities to do a lot of stuff around here. He obeyed. Inside the same office, she told him a secret, something that no one else knew.
Many years back, Joey’s uncle, Larry, went to China on a business trip. He fell in love with a girl, work was working in a food stall which he frequented. This girl, who was only 21 yeas of age, was very naïve, given that she had never been educated. They had an affair there the girl gave birth to a girl. The girl was Joey herself. Uncle Larry, who was already legally married to another lady back in Singapore, Joey’s aunty, could not give him a child, regardless of it being a boy or girl. So he suggested that he adopted a girl found on the street during his stay in China, and his wife fell for his lies. This is how Joey had come from China to Singapore. Kim, upon hearing this, was shocked, but at the same time, thinking that why did she tell her about it. It had nothing to do with him.
Joey continued with her story, about what happen to her real mother. Back in China, she fell sick, when uncle Larry took Joey away from her by force. Her bedridden mother could not do anything about it, and Joey was still too young to understand. In a result of the sickness, the lack of medicines and the heartache of losing her only child, she died not long after. Joey was sobbing as she was describing it all. At first, Kim had wondered if Joey was kidding him, but now, he was convinced. After all that Joey had to say, she asked him to go home. He was puzzled, more than the last time.
...to be continue -
The sky was gloomy for the next few days. It seemed to make everyone moody as well. The sun was always hiding behind the clouds, and its slightest sunlight could not penetrate through them. Looked as if it was going to rain, but it didnÂ’t. Kim was watching the clouds floating by with Yvonne at the seaside. It had been a long, long time since they had such a romantic outing together.
“ Haven seen Joey for almost a week.” Yvonne said, as if speaking to the vast ocean ahead of her. It was just a passing remark.
“ Do you know why?” Kim asked her in return. He was feeling funny these few days, especially when Joey poured out everything about herself to him, and him only. : Did she said anything?”
“ I’ll know if she ever did.”
Another day had past and Kim was getting worried about Joey, bothered by what Yvonne had said. ‘Why should I bother anyway, the better of she does not bother me’ He thought. But he just could not stop worrying.
One afternoon, he received a phone call while he was working. It was a male speaker whose voice he was unable to recognize. He said that he was JoeyÂ’s uncle, and needed him and Yvonne to go to his office regarding some grave matters. For a moment, Kim feared that Joey might have told her uncle about her fling with him. But seemed like he had no choice but to go to him with Yvonne, after all, this job if given to Kim by him. His office was at the highest floor, with a birdÂ’s eye view around the whole district. Yvonne was all excited but Kim was nervous.
The office was not really big, but looked comfortable. A huge table made of wood, highly polished, sat in the middle of the room. A man, almost bald, sat on a gigantic armchair, smoking away. The wave of cigar smell filled the room. Yvonne hated that kind of smell and tried to hold her breath. He began to speak as he pushed aside the files on the table and signaled them to sit down.
“ I’m sure that both of you know Joey, quite well” His voice was thick. “ She had a letter for this young gentleman.” With his index finger pointing towards Kim.
Kim took the letter from his hands and placed it on his lap. JoeyÂ’s uncle was turning to Yvonne now.
“ She had spoken well of you. I understand that you had a very good qualification, or else you would not be here, unless, u got a very good connection, like Joey does.” The old man seemed to know everything about them.
“ Erm, Sir, what was the grave matter you mentioned just now over the phone, and had you personally called my cellphone, instead of asking other staff to get us.” Kim enquired. It was very bold of him to ask him questions so directly.
“ Hmm…well than, I shall not beat around the bush anymore. Miss Yvonne, you will now take over Joey’s place in the office. Her job is simple, I’m sure you can do it. It’s less challenging but the pay will be slightly more than what you are getting now.” His unsmiling face was bleak, and appeared to be sad. “ And you, I do not know you name.” Referring to Kim now, “ as she did not tell me, and I do not wish to find out, read the letter and you will know what you need to do. I do not know what is written in it and neither am I interested to know. It seems to be a set of instructions enclosed, follow them well. That’s all I want to say. You may go now.”
Yvonne walked out of his office, with Kim following behind, closing the door after once he was outside, softly. Yvonne was very happy, as she got an easier post with a higher pay. However, Kim was wondering what is inside the letter. He would not want to risk sharing what is inside with Yvonne.
...to be continued -
It was a gloomy night, no stars, no moon, no cool breeze, nothing. Kim and Yvonne had alighted one stop before their designated bus-stop. It had been a long time since he and Yvonne had a stroll together. Yvonne was talking about how far she can go in the company but Kim was not listening. His mind was on the letter, and what is inside. He knew that there was a key inside, as he could feel it through the envelope, and a list of instructions, like what Joey had said before.
“ I’ll bath first. Wanna join me?” Yvonne teased Kim, as she pushed open the main door to their house.
“ No thanks. I prefer the bathroom to myself.” Kim replied flatly.
“ Your loss than…” She seemed disappointed.
It was the best moment that he could have since he left Joey’s uncle ‘s office. Before that, Yvonne was always around. Now, at least he could see what would be inside the letter. Slowly, he ripped open the brown and dirty envelope, with some sort of stain at the side of it. He took out a yellowish piece of paper, a key and a card from inside. The paper was yellowish, as if left for decades, but the card was new. It was a birthday card.
Dear Kim,
Happy birthday.
It was your birthday again. This time, I finally get to send you this greeting card.
IÂ’ll always remember your birthday. xxxxxxxxxxxx.
Love from,
Joey.
He read twice, and thought that it was funny. Firstly, his birthday is two months later. Secondary, the words make no sense, in face, strange. The rest of what is written is blurred. Seemed like Joey had tried to erase the ink by difference means. Kim, held the key against the light of the living room. It was just a normal key, gray in color. It might be some doorÂ’s key, and Kim knew that the answer would be in the letter. He unfolded the yellowish paper and started to read.
Dear Kim,
I am Joey. I am fromÂ…
Before he could even finish the first sentence, he heard Yvonne coming out from the bathroom, and he quickly stuffed everything back inside the envelope.
“ Your turn to bath Kimmy.” Yvonne said as she used a towel to dry her hair. “ Join me in bed later, would you? I’m in a good mood today, It would be better if we could have some ‘fun’” She winked.
Kim nodded and smiled. He was not in the mood for sex, at least not until he read what is the letter about.
That night, he could not perform. The session was over in less than 30 minutes and they went to sleep. It was 2 hours later when he woke up, not knowing why. Maybe the curiosity of what the letter contained sub-consciously woke him. He went into the living room and took out the envelope, which he skillfully hid behind the rows of soft toys. Slowly, and rubbing his eyes, he went into the kitchen and on the light, the dimmest one, and sat on a chair by the dinning table. He read. -
The next day, he asked for a urgent leave from the company. Yvonne did not know about the leave that the company had approved Kim, and thought that he went for work, as usual.
Kim was following the first instruction that Joey had instructed him to. He was to locate a house somewhere on the outskirt of the city, and used the key to unlock the door. He looked at the directions given on the letter, and looked around him. To his left, he saw the street name, as mentioned in the letter and walked in that direction. He was in deep thought, as he proceeded towards the unknown. Why did he even bother to follow JoeyÂ’s instructions? He could ignore it and let his life be normal. There were a few reasons to this question. He was worried about what had happened to Joey, and intended to find out. He also felt that since he had agreed Joey in the first place, about doing what she would tell him. There was something written in the letter that made him continued what he is doing now too. Hands tucked in his pockets, he walked, looking on the ground, thinking about the possibilities he might encounter. The street was deserted.
Half an hour later, he stopped in front of an apartment. The bricks were decaying on the outside. Fungus had planted themselves against the wall, creating trails of greens amidst the red bricks. A wind picked up and rustled the leaves on the nearby trees. Dead leaves dropped onto the floor, and for a moment, his heart was heavy.
The windows of the house he was looking at were nailed with planks of woods, as if to block out what was inside from prying eyes. Could Joey be inside? He asked himself about the unknown as he inserted the key into the keyhole. He turned, once, twice, to the left, and the door was unlocked. Kim pushed the door opened and peeped inside. The interior of the house was the complete opposite of what Kim had seen from the outside. The living room was tastefully furnished with a Tv, enclosed in a glass panel, a sofa, few desks and some standing lamps. He proceeded inside and on the switches at the side of the door but no light came up. The electrical power was not on. He raised his head and narrowed his eyes, as he tried to look for the circuit breaker in the almost dark room. It was located at a corner, left of where was standing. Tip-toed, he reached for the rows of switched and on them one by one. Tack, tack, tack, the sound went on, echoing through the whole place, and it gave him the creeps.
“ Let there be light.” He mumbled as he reached for the switches near the door. The lightings flickered for a while and the room was lit. Now, he could clearly see that the sofa and tables were clothed in white, to prevent dust from settling on them. He also noticed that the room smell of staled air. He went for the stairs on his right and looked up. It was dark up there, as the light could not reach it. He gulped, and proceeded on. His footsteps echoing hollowly as he walked up the stairs. He took out the letter and browsed through quickly, hoping to find what he needed to do here, but found none. He guessed that it Joey might want him to just look at this house. There were three rooms next to one another on the second floor. He went into the second one.
Sunrays were filtered into the room through the curtains. As expected, the desks were all clothed in white. Everything was still as he looked around. There was a full-length mirror at a corner of the room. He looked himself in it and tidied his hair. He liked his hair more than anywhere else on his body. Than, inside the mirror, he saw a book on a shelf, half opened. He turned and grabbed it. There was a photo, clipped onto he page. It displayed a girl, about 5, on a swing, smiling happily. Kim took the dully-colored photograph as he flipped through the book. It seemed like a diary, but the room was too poorly lit for him to see what was written inside. He pushed open the curtains, to allow more light to penetrate the room. It was dusty and it made him sneezed. Looking out the window, he saw a swing, like the one in the picture, on a small grass patch, which seemed like the backyard of the house.
“ So this little girl lived here huh. Joey? Hmm…” Kim said to himself, as he flipped through the diary.
The first few pages described how the girl was so happy, staying in the big house. Towards the middle of the diary, the handwriting was very hard to read, as if the writer was not in the mood to write. The last 10 odd pages were written with the same words. Sadness.
...to be continued -
Inside the third room, there was nothing. It was vacant and somehow lonely. There were pieces of papers pasted on the walls. They were all single words. ‘Loneliness’, ‘Sadness’, ‘Hate’, ‘ Death’. There words were making Kim feeling cold on his skin, despite the sunlight. Puzzled, he went into the first room, which he left out. It was a bedroom. The bed was a small one, good enough for a kid. As usual, all the tables and chairs are clothed in white. On the side of one of the desk, a vase stood there. Dried flowers, appeared to be roses, were in it. There was nothing else. Just as he was about to walked out of the room, he noticed something behind the door. It was a school bag, very dusty and but generally clean, was a name pasted on the side of it. ‘Joey’ it read.
Now it was all clear to him. This was JoeyÂ’s house, at least it was while she was still a child. He looked at his watch and was surprised that it was already late afternoon. He had spent 3 hours inside this house.
Kim locked the front door as he stepped out of it. The words disturbed him a great deal. Joey was happy when she first moved into this house. As she lived here, she was very lonely and sad. But whom did she hate and what is the ‘Death’ she wrote on the paper that was pasted onto the wall, and why did she do that. Confusion engulfed Kim. He went home straight after.
“ So early? I’ve called you but your phone was off. Busy huh?’” Yvonne enquired as she came into the door. Kim had been sitting on the sofa since he came home.
“ Yup.”
“ Yup? Yup what?”
“ Nothing. I’m tired, that’s all. Don’t feel like talking.” He got up, took his stuffed, and went out.
The second thing he asked to do in the letter was to give the key to a person. Guessed like Joey had borrowed the key from that person. Kim felt that he could find out something about Joey from that person, and he decided to look for him or her now.
It was late evening when he reached the place. The whole area were crowded with blocks of flats, very old looking. It was a district for the old and poor families, where no one took care of them. All the flats in it are one-roomed and poorly conditioned. Kim wondered what this person he was about to meet.
An old lady greeted him, as he knocked on the door along a smelly corridor fragranced with urinal stench. He showed her the key, and she invited him into the room. Her house was indeed small, but clean and tidy. An old kettle stood on a stove. No Tv, no radio, no entertainment. There was only a small cupboard against the wall, and a mattress on the floor. Her house reflected her life. Poverty.
She introduced herself as Granny Ling, surprisingly, in English. She signaled Kim to sit down on the floor as she served a cup of tea for him. Than, she sat beside Kim and started to talk.
“ The house was where Joey used to stay.” She began. “ She borrowed the key from me a few weeks ago and said that she would return it. I thought that she had forgotten, instead, she ask someone else to do it for her.” She paused and slipped a mouthful of tea and let out a sign of relief.
“ Who are you to her?” Kim asked. It was an important question for him as it would tell how much she knew about Joey.
“ I’m her nanny when she was small, very cute she was.” She replied. “ Her hair was silky and I used to tie them for her. She is such a good girl, and…”
“ And where is she now?” Kim interrupted. A look of dismay was on Granny Ling’s winkled face.
“ I don’t know.” She frowned. “ She asked me to give something to her when she returned with the key. Guess you have to pass it to her for me.” She got up, very carefully, and went up to the small cupboard, took out a pocket phonebook, and passed it to Kim. “ You may go now. I’m sleeping.”
Kim stood outside her house as she slammed the door on him. He looked at the phonebook. There were only 3 names on it. Michelle, Liz and Cliff. He went home short after.
...to be continued -
“ Very good. The time is now closing 11pm and you just reached home.” Yvonne’s sarcastic remark greeted him as he opened the door.
“ Nothing.” Kim replied plainly.
“ You should have….” It was this time when she noticed the disturbed look on his face and she her anger were overwritten by worries. “ You don’t look okay to me. Wanna tell me about it?” She was coaxing him now.
“ No. Some other time, maybe, after I figure things out.”
Although Yvonne was worried about what had happened to Kim or what he had been through, she did not pursue the matter further. Kim had the habit of keeping the habit to himself. He is the independent kind of man that bottled all the feelings, at least the bad ones, to himself. He would not want other people to be unhappy just because he is unhappy, and this often backfire on him, as the other party will worry more. In this case, Yvonne is already used to it, she did not find anything strange about his behavior.
That night, Kim could not sleep again. He was somehow worried about JoeyÂ’s safety. Although she did not really have a relationship with him, apart from the one nightstand, he felt an overwhelming concern about her well-being. He frowned as he sat himself down at the chair in the kitchen, leaning against the wall on his back. His thoughts were killing him softly, as he was surrounded by too many unknowns. After a short while, he got up and checked on Yvonne. She was sleeping soundly, after a dayÂ’s work.
He went up to the rows of soft toys where he cleverly hid the letter. JoeyÂ’s letter, and bring it into the kitchen, where he started to read it again.
Dear Kim,
I am Joey. I am from your class. You may not notice me but I had already your existence the moment you enter the class, at the beginning of the year. In this letter, I would like to confine in you how much I liked you, and how I wished I could be with you.
For a long time, I have been looking for a man, to protect me, to cherish me and to love me, after my 3 years relationship with my previous boyfriend didnÂ’t work out. I am so used to having someone by my side that I could not be alone again. The night, every night, is a torment for me. I am awoken by nightmares, things beyond our imaginations, every time I felt a sense of loneliness in me. Would you grab my hand and pull me out of this abyss?
Maybe you do not know why I had liked you, well, I do not know too. I guess its just a kind of feeling that I could not describe. I can only say that I feel more alive whenever I saw you in school. When I reached home, my life is meaningless again. Maybe again, you would say that itÂ’s a crush only. But deep inside me, I know its not. Only you can release me from the cage that bounded me. I need more space, and I feel that itÂ’s so hard to breathe in the imaginary cage that I am trapped in.
Below is my address, find me and we shall talk more. If you donÂ’t mind.
xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxx
xxxx xx xxxxxx
Joey
Did you still remember the things you promised me that you would do? Well, finally, IÂ’ve thought of what I need you to do. You can choose to follow the instructions below carefully, or ignore the whole thing like a abandoned baby. Whichever case you choose, I will not blame you.
1. Used the enclosed key to access the above address.
2. Return the key to xxx xxxxxx xx x xxxx xxxx
3. Find me or forget me.
For instruction 3, itÂ’s not really an instruction. ItÂ’s just a option, for you to choose.
This concluded the letter. Kim folded it and kept it back in its secretive place. To find or to forget Joey. It bothers him. Why would anyone asked him to forget a person when there is no misunderstanding or whatever between them. And why would anyone ask him to find her, as if playing a game of hide and seek. He pondered, as the night turned into day.
...to be continued -
Kim, the following day, went back to his office and took a weekÂ’s leave. It was granted almost unconditionally, as if JoeyÂ’s uncle had a hand in it. Than he went to YvonneÂ’s office and looked for her but she was not around. Hence, Kim called her on her cell.
“ Hey Yvonne, do you trust me?” Kim talked as if he was in a hurry.
“ What happen dear? Why did you ask such thing so suddenly?”
“ If you do, allow me to disappear for a week. I have some things I need to figure out.” Kim explained, but not any further than this.
“ Some things? Like what huh? What’s wrong?” Too many questions sprang to her mind. It’s not that she did not trust Kim, one week is too abusive. What is he going to do with that, she thought.
“ Whatever your answer, I’ll going. I’ll call.” The phone went dead. Yvonne called back a couple of times but seemed like Kim off his cellphone.
Kim, went home to get a couple of stuff and moved to a hotel. He intended to stay in that hotel till he sort things out. Upon reaching, he went to sleep almost immediately. He was tired, after more than 36 hours awake.
That night, he called Yvonne at her house. He said that he was sorry for his sudden need to disappear and hope that she would understand. She said she do, the deep in her heart, she knew she did not know why. This was the last call she received from Kim for the week.
Early morning the next day, he went to the place where Joey stayed, that old creepy building. He climber through the fences at the backyard and used a rock to smashed a window at the ground floor. From that window, he went inside the building. The same smell greeted him, and he recalled the time he came here. He hoped to discover new clues about her. Somehow, Kim felt that Joey was not so simple as she looked.
He looked around him and found that he was inside the kitchen. It was one of the places he did not explore the last time. The kitchen had a dinning table, well enough for four persons, but only three chairs. Did her family had only three people? He recalled the night when Joey ask him to stay behind and went up to her office. There, she told him about how she came to Singapore from China. If she had lived here, than it would only be her, her uncle and her aunty. It was a hastily guess, but it seemed logical. There was something strange about the kitchen though. The dinning table and chairs, unlike other furniture, were not clothed in white sheets. It looked like someone was still using them even thought the person had stopped using the rest of the rooms.
He went to the exit of the kitchen and in front of him was a short corridor. It was dark and the other end would be the living room. No wonder he had not seen the kitchen during his last visit. He would not be able to see from the living room, as it was dark and appeared to be like the rest of the walls. His hands touching the sides of the short corridor as he paced forward. Suddenly, he felt something on the left side of the wall. It was a knob. He turned, and it opened a new passageway to a small room. It appeared to be a storeroom.
The small room was packed with stuffs in bags, reaching for the ceiling. A shelf tucked to the side was also squeezed with ornaments and books. Kim grabbed one of the book nearer to him and wipe the dust collected over the years with his hand. It was a drawing book, possibility done by Joey. He took it outside and into the light, where he could see what is inside.
The turned yellow pages had only a few drawings in it. There was a attempted drawing of this house, with 3 figures in it. A man, a women and a child. Kim was smiling as he had guessed the 3 person that stayed in this house correctly. He flipped to the next drawing, it shows a women on a bed, and the child was standing next to her. This puzzled Kim for a moment. Did her aunty, or rather her stepmother, died? The child in the drawing seemed sad.
The third drawing was simple. It was painted all red by watercolor. The next one was at the last page of the sketchbook. It showed the building, this house, at night, with a full moon and nothing else. Somehow, it triggered KimÂ’s imagination on how this building could be at night. Must be quite scary.
It was early afternoon by the time he completed analysis the book. There was no sunshine outside. The whole sky had turned gray and droplets of rain had fallen. He went back into the kitchen and looked out of the broken window, the one which he came in from, and breathed deeply the smell of the rain. It was pleasant. A wind picked up and blew at his direction. His eyes closed sharply when a strain of his hair went into it. Rubbed for a while, he reopened his eyes, and to his surprise, he saw something in the backyard.
The whole backyard was covered with grass and wild flower except for the area under the swing. Kim thought and concluded that if Joey had used the swing only when she was little, and this house had been isolated for years, grass should have grown on them on that area also. The rain was getting heavier and this stopped his intention of looking at that soiled patch more carefully. He went back into the living room and sat on the sofa clothed in white. Listening to the beat of the rain on the roof and ground, he fell asleep.
...to be continued -
It was late evening when he woke up. The living room was unusually dark. Kim could not even see his finger when he placed them in front of his eyes. He used his hands to searched the sofa, and found the torchlight he brought along. He smiled gladly. Remembering the undone business, he proceeded into the backyard. The grass was all wet from the rain a few hours ago. Sounds made by insects can be heard everywhere. There was not a single star, nor did he saw the moon. The only light was those emitted from his torch.
He touched the soiled patch under the swing, it felt soft. It could only be due to the fact that someone had dug a hole and covered it back. He began to use his hands and dug at the bald patch. It was 5 minutes later when he felt something cold below. Shining his torch at the shallow hole, he could see a bronze box, rectangle in shape, buried in it. With some effort, he had the box pulled out. Upon opening it, he saw an ugly looking doll and a photograph, faced down. The picture was taken quite recently, of a place quite familiar to him. It showed a building across a street, the opposite of it was a cemetery. He knew where was the place. He examined the doll and found something written on its palm. The number 213 was written on it.
He went back to the hotel shortly after. Back there, he thought about the drawings and what they really mean. The one in red, he could not understand, and neither did he know how it was related to the last drawing. How a family of three was left with a lonely building. He took out the phonebook that that old lady asked him to passed to Joey. The name Cliff looked familiar enough, Kim just could not remember where he came across that name. He dozed off on the bed when day was breaking. He woke up only late afternoon, the next day.
...to be continue -
For the last few days, Yvonne was bored. She is either working or at home doing nothing. Her house, without Kim, is empty. Summer and Moon had dropped by some times after work but the silence is always there when both of them went home. The silence haunted her, making her think about the unhappy things in the past. But what worried her most is the future, between Kim and her. For the first time, she felt that she really needed Kim to be with her. She wanted to walk the remaining journey with Kim. As she thought of this, she picked up the phone and tried to call Kim. However, the voicemail of his cellphone greeted her. Disappointed, she hung the phone, and went to bed.
“ Hello, is that Cliff?”
“ Yes, speaking, may I know who is on the line?”
“ Kim.” He replied, wondering if Cliff had any idea who he was. “ Need to talk.”
They met at a pub that night. It was stationed in a dark alley, smelly and dirty. But inside is a different sight, with all the hippy people dancing away to the trance music, blasting loudly at the background. They sat by a table just in front of the bartender. A waitress came by and clear the mess on the table created by the previous person that sat there. Kim smiled at her politely.
Kim does not know how to go about asking Cliff regarding the whereabouts of Joey. Kim felt that if Cliff had a hand in her disappearance, he might give it all away if he asked tactless questions.
“ I presume you know Joey, more than who she was in the office you used to work right.”
“ Well, is this an interview? Okay, I did fling with her, a couple of times, and I’m sure she did with you right. Haha…”
Seemed like Joey had told Cliff about Kim and herself. “ None of your concern. She is in grave danger, I need to find her fast.” Kim hoped to create a sense of urgency in Cliff.
“ Danger? Why am I not informed? You make me laugh.” Cliff did not believe him. And there is no reason for him to do anything even if Joey was in grave danger. Cliff did not love her.
“ Whatever the case, I need to find her.” Kim walked away.
His next stop was the cemetery that was found in that box. It was almost dark. He flashed his torchlight across the tombstones and he could not help feeling afraid. He was looking for the grave numbered 213.
“ 209, 210…. “ Kim could not believe that he was doing this. He was looking each grave close up for the number. Each time the flashlight shone on the picture of the owner of that tombstone, he was afraid. Than, to his right, he saw a figure, clothed in black, almost blending with the surrounding. Could it be a ghost? He shifted his torchlight towards that direction and saw that it was a girl, with hair blocking her face. It was at least human.
He went up to her and started to talk to her, asking her why she was here, alone, at this hour. She pointed to the grave she was standing in front of, and said that she came to visit her friend. As the light shone on the tome, the number 213 was reflected. He squatted and examine at the photograph more closely. It was Joey, he almost fell back on the grass.
“ How did she died? When?” He was shocked when he saw the photograph. Now he was trying to brace himself.
“ Last week, she killed herself. Reason is unknown. The police were still investigating it.” The girl in black turned her head, as she spoke. She was quite a beauty, with a proud nose and a valentine cheekbone.
Kim took a few steps backward and ran off. Back in his hotel, he was thinking again. He had not stopped thinking since the day he moved into the hotel. Joey knew that she was going to die, therefore, she left him with all these things. She even told him about her past and declared her love she had for him. Kim, finally found her. He could only wait for the police to determine her death and motive.
...to be continued -
*erased*
-
*erased*
sorree to the "wesses" not here ok? thanx. -
The next day, Kim checked out of the hotel and headed home. He had too much on his mind. He was somehow, sad about JoeyÂ’s death, and more puzzled. That night, Kim never breathes a word about JoeyÂ’s death to Yvonne. He just acted as if everything is normal. Yvonne never questioned him further. While he was sleeping, he dreamt of Joey and him making love. He woke up, and saw that it was Yvonne whom he was hugging.
The next morning, Kim had prepared breakfast for Yvonne before they went for work. While they were eating, someone came knocking on the door. Kim opened it, thinking that it was the laundry woman sending the clothes.
“ CID.” An officer in plain clothe cried. They make their way into the house and asked for Yvonne. “ Are you Miss Yvonne?” The same office asked as he held her hand.
“ Yes, I am. What’s happening?” Yvonne appeared to be nervous.
“ I’m sure this is some kind of misunderstanding…Sir…” Kim voiced out, trying to figure out what had just happened.
“ You have the right to remain silence, but whatever you said could be used against you in court. Now, follow me back to the station.” They led Yvonne away.
Kim followed them to their vehicle downstairs and tried to stop them from arresting Yvonne. But the offices slammed the car doors shut the moment Yvonne got in, and drove off. She looked back through the back mirror, and Kim saw tears in her eyes.
Kim went to the police headquarter a few times the next 2 days, hoping to be granted to see Yvonne again, but was rejected sharply each time. They said that she is currently helping them with a case, and could only be released only when she is found to be not guilty.
On the third day, she was allowed to go home. The police mentioned that they might need her to go back again, in helping to solve a murder case. This was when Kim started to suspect if Yvonne did killed Joey. And if she really does, why. He looked at Yvonne, she was staring out of the window on their way back in a cab.
That night, Yvonne broke down, confessing all the things she had done. She told him about how jealous she was when she saw the look in JoeyÂ’s eyes when she glance at Kim. Yvonne also said that she was unable to control herself when that night she told Joey, to ask her to stay away from Kim. Joey said that it would be a fair competition.
“ I’ll kill you if I lost Kim to you!” Yvonne recalled what she had say.
What happen next is that Joey boost to Yvonne about how good Kim was on bed. This almost drove Yvonne crazy. And so she went to JoeyÂ’s place to confront her. In a moment, a dispute raised.
“ Get out of my house!” Joey had said.
“ You bit-ch, seducing my boyfriend.” Yvonne was crying.
Yvonne slapped her in the process and Joey retaliated. In the process, Yvonne held a fruit knife and killed her. Joey died on the spot, and Yvonne ran away as far as possible away from JoeyÂ’s apartment.
...to be continued. -
Kim was holding Yvonne in his arms. Suddenly, he felt like he was going to lose her. Sobbing hard, Yvonne continued with what she did after she killed Joey. She wanted to create an idea to others that Joey used to be a problem child, and her mind was not stable as an adult.
She had, in fact, planned to let Kim unfolded and figured out what happened to Joey. Yvonne wanted Kim to file JoeyÂ’s case to the police as a missing personÂ’s one. Seemed like the police was ahead of her plan. First-degree murder is death, and Yvonne knew that she could not escape death by hanging. She was afraid. Kim was confused. Both cried.
One day, two years later, Kim was standing before Yvonne again, of her urn. He had spoke of how he advanced in his life, without her, all these whiles. When Kim thought back of the past, Yvonne was like a dream in his life. He had her, and lost her, and had her back, only to lost her again. He never fell in love again. Jealous was the killer. He could only remember Yvonne in his heart, and touching her through the photos they had together. His heart was broken beyond repair, and his life had changed since then. For the better or worse, no one knows. Not even himself.
THE END -
Thanks for the story......
U been great..... -
great story! though the ending a bit anti-climax though
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bery good story..though ending a bit unexpected..hehe..any more stories?
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oei loopholes in the story, who was the girl that appear at the cemetery?