*Please play the music while reading the story*
Four hours ago…
It was at Starbuck Café located in Lamson Street a few blocks from the Central Bus Station at Los Angeles. Caren was sipping her ice blend mocha while remaining silent. Sitting next to her was Toby’s best friend, Jack Anderson. Earlier Caren called Jack to come to meet her before she departs to Phi Phi Island, Thailand to search for the music box hidden by Toby. She wanted to know the real truth that had been kept from her for the last 10 years. She figured that since Jack was Toby’s best friend, she would be able to know the truth behind Toby’s real love for her after all these years.
Caren: Thanks for coming today, Jack.
Jack: Sure. No problem. How have you been?
Caren: I….I’m okay.
(Caren was silent as a grave for a while. Contemplating how to pose the question to Jack. After a while, tears streamed down her cheeks. Jack looked at her with sympathy as he knew what Caren had been through. She probably knew the truth already from Toby’s lawyer, Kenneth, before coming to see him for confirmation.)
Jack: You knew the whole thing?... (sighed slightly)
Caren: Was it true that he has been keeping his promise to me?
Jack: Yes, Caren. He has been keeping it all along.
Caren: Why didn’t anyone tell me?
Jack: He didn’t want anyone to know. Especially you, Caren. All he wanted was for you to forget him and move on with your life. He loves you so much……so much that one could never imagine.
Caren: But…....but why? An….and why now?
Jack: ……(sighed heavily)……….I guess his heart got the better of him. For the first few years after your divorce, he struggled away like an old log. Nobody recognize him anymore. He was always drunk and alone and miserable all the time. Until one day, he started to change. He became his real self again and shaved his beard. Wore his favourite suits and shoes and called me to meet him. I went to see him alright and he told me that he wanted to fulfill his promise to you. The promise to search a heart shaped coral rock. He traveled to almost every part of the world and swam to almost every coral reefs you know, just to search for this coral rock that has to be a heart shape. He asked me to help him and accompany him. I did for a few years and after a while, I quitted joining him. I told him that it was useless. To me he was just wasting his life over something that was no longer there. To fulfill a promise to someone that was no longer there anymore…... (sighed heavily again)
Caren: -(sobbed and was feeling more emotional.)-
Jack: I should have been to Similan Islands with him. To watch over him. So he wouldn’t have drown. After all these years of searching for something and now for what? He’s no longer around. God! He’s so stupid…. He loves you so much until he almost forgot his vow not to see you again.
Caren: What…. Almost forgot his vow? What do you mean?
Jack: He told me that he visited you last year at your office or something like that and said you didn’t see him but he saw you.
Caren: …Last year???
(After a while, Caren remembered that there was one incident that a harley davidson biker wearing a full face helmet dropped by at her office’s main entrance. When she was about to leave the office for lunch and noticed him, the said biker sped off. This incident happened a few times.)
Caren: …Oh! My God! That Harley Davidson??? It was him, wasn’t it?
Jack: Yeah! it was him. He got his new bike a year ago and wanted to come to see you with his bike. He was proud of his bike but I think he was proud of something else by bringing his bike to see you.
Caren: What do you mean, Jack?
Jack: I did asked him before what was the point of showing his bike in front of you and…….
(Suddenly, Jack couldn’t continue and started to sob. Caren was surprised to see his sudden change of emotion. Jack struggled with his tears remembering what Toby had told him and he tried to compose himself. He needed to finish what he wanted to tell Caren.)
Jack: He…he ……he….said… Caren… (sighed)…. He said that he was unworthy of a person to see you… that he hurt you so much and destroyed his marriage with you. He never thought that he was a worthy person or have the right to see you again. When he bought the Harley bike, he told me that he don’t mind risking his life riding that bike though he didn’t have experience riding a big bike because all he ever wanted was to see you with his big bike one day…
Caren: To see me with his big bike? I don’t get it.
Jack: All he wanted was…(sighed)……for you to be proud of him. He figured that when he lost you, you will no longer be able to be proud of him anymore no matter what he does. All he wanted was for you to be proud of him one more time even though for the wrong reason. He said he missed the old Caren who used to love him and be proud of him before and all he wanted was for you to be proud of him one last time. Proud of him riding a big bike ….like a Harley Davidson bike from a person who never ride a motorbike before in his life time. I guess he was so lost of losing you that he thought by appearing in front of you with his Harley, things will be different…. You will be awed and be proud of him somehow….. so stupid …stupid boy!
Caren: (sobbed profusely and emotionally)
Jack: Caren! Toby never stop loving you. I have not seen a person’s love for another so great that can last forever like this. He has been loving you all this long…. until the day he died.
Caren: What…..what about Henie?
Jack: Henie?...You mean Toby's previous mistress, Henie Goldwin? You still remember her, dont' you? She's already long gone.
Caren: Long gone?
Jack: The day when he agreed to see you at Kenneth’s office 10 years ago was the day Henie left him and he was in pain. Terrible pain. First I thought the pain was about losing his mistress, Henie, but it turned out differently.
______________________________<>_____________________________
(In Jack’s mind, 10 years ago at Jack’s house. Toby was knocking on his front door frantically. Jack opened his door and saw Toby crying. )
Toby: ……. Huhhuhhhuhh....(crying)
Jack: Toby! What’s wrong? Come in….
(Toby came in and continued crying with great emotion.)
Toby: I did it….I di….did it (sobbed profusely)……
Jack: You did what, Toby?
Toby: I signed the paper, Jack. I SIGNED THE PAPER. I am officially divorced.
Jack: Oh!.....
Toby: Caren is no longer my wife. I have lost her forever, Jack!
Jack: Okay…. But why are you so unhappy? I thought that was what you wanted. Now you can live with Henie and be happy.
Toby: HENIE? She’s left me yesterday.
Jack: What! What happened?
Toby: She said she didn’t want her life to be so complicated and she left me.
Jack: Just like that?
Toby: Yep!.....Just like that.
Jack: That no good low life whore! Forget about her. Now you know who is the real person who loves you. Go tell Caren about this!
Toby: It’s no use. She doesn’t believe what I say anymore. She said that I lied and lied to her all the time and this time, she will never believe me again. Jack…. My heart is so painful now…..I can’t breath.
Jack: Toby..Listen to me. Now is the time. Go and tell Caren everything once and for all. For god sake, don’t destroy your marriage just because of one young and stupid woman.
Toby: It’s too late. I have signed the paper. The court hearing’s tomorrow.
Jack: Then unsign the paper. Go and see Kenneth tonight for help.
Toby: NO! I want it to be this way….
Jack: What? What do you mean?
Toby: I want Caren to hate me and forget me. That’s the only way for her to live a normal life again without me and be happy again. I have messed up… Too messed up for her. I am just…just…
Jack: No…Toby!...No!
Toby: I AM JUST NOT WORTHY A PERSON FOR HER ANYMORE, JACK. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? HUH? I AM JUST NOT WORTHY ANYMORE. I AM A SCUM AND A TERRIBLE PERSON THAT DESTROYS A HAPPY MARRIAGE AND MAKE PEOPLE CRY AND HURT THEM…… I AM NOT WORTHY FOR HER ANYMORE.
(At this juncture, Toby exited the door and ran away.)
Jack: TOBY! TOBY! WAIT! WAAAIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT!
(Toby was gone.)
_______________________________<>_____________________________
Jack: That day he wanted to tell you everything but you shut him out. He didn’t blame you as he knew it was all his fault and he deserved to be treated that way. …(sighed)….. it was just so sad that his love for you has to wait for so long for you to know.
Caren: Stop!!!!Stop!!!STOP!!!!!!!!STOP IT!
(At this juncture, Caren couldn’t control her emotions any longer nor to hear any of Zack’s explanation of Toby’s secret love for her. She quickly stood up and ran across the busy road. Surprised to see Caren’s sudden emotional outburst, Jack chased after her.)
Jack: CAREN! Where are you going? WAIT!
(Caren stopped and looked back at Jack emotionally.)
Caren: WHY GOD? WHY??? (sobbed)….WHAT HAVE I DONE? OH!!! GOD!....WHAT HAVE I DONE?.........TOBYYYYYY! (cried profusely)
(Jack ran towards her and gently hugged Caren from behind.)
Jack: It’s okay, Caren. It’s okay. Toby knows now…. …. He knows…..
Caren: (continued crying even more and emotionally)………….NO!!!!!NO!!!!!! TOOOBBBBBYYYY!!!!!!!!!
(Suddenly Caren broke away from Jack and ran towards a road junction oblivious of a sudden high speed car coming her way. In a split second, Caren was knocked down by the car and was lying on the road side unconscious. To Jack’s horror after witnessing what had happened to Caren, he quickly ran to her side and tried to revive her while a crowd gathered around. Caren suffered a massive head injury due to the impact of her fall. A moment later, an ambulance came and sent Caren to a nearby hospital with Jack by her side.
Weeks later, Caren was in coma still recovering from the accident. Doctor said she suffered from acute amnesia and might lose her memory entirely if she were to wake up one day. Everything about her past will be completed wipe out in her mind. To some especially her family members, it was a blessing since they thought she had suffered enough already but to others who knew Toby, it was a sad ending because the memory of true love between them that Caren finally discovered after a decade long was forgotten just like that in a few seconds.)
