Chapter III

Watching the trees whip by had some kind of hypnotic effect on him. It seemed like only yesterday, when he first saw her. Fall had just arrived then, evident by the shedding trees all over campus. It was his final semester before graduation, and he had embarked upon the impossible journey, of studying an ancient language of the East – Chinese.

There he was, in the library, with Andrew, examining his exam paper strewed with red ink, spotted with a big red ‘D’ on it. He picked it up and read it out loud. He mumbled something unintelligible in what was suppose to be Chinese. “Did you get anything I just said?” Looking at Andrew, he waited for a response. Without looking up from his book, Andrew shook his head.

“Neither do I!” Will leaned back in despair. “This is so wrong. Seriously. What I need, is someone who speaks the language to practice with …” He lowers his paper, and right before his eyes laid a possible solution: a beautiful Chinese girl was sitting one table away. She had a smile on her face as she scribbled away, with earphones firmly planted on her eyes. “And the Gods are shining my way,” exclaims Will.

“Huh?” A puzzled Andrew looked up and attempted to clarify that expression, only to find that Will had already left his seat and was walking over. She was already packing her stuff, preparing to leave, when Will’s shadow fell over her notebook. She looked up, and was treated to his killer smile.

“你会讲华語吗? (Do you know how to speak Chinese?)” He put on his best smile, knowing he might have just slaughtered a magnificent language with his horrible pronunciation.

She looked at him, with eyebrows raised, as if trying to figure him out. That silly smile of hers actually made her day. “Actually, yes I do.” She grinned.

“Great! Urm … I mean it’s just that I really need someone to practice my Chinese with … and gosh 你真的好漂亮! (You are really beautiful.)” Will laughs nervously. “Sorry. What I meant to ask was do you mind helping me out?” He raised his test paper like a red white flag, and waited anxiously for her answer. He was relieved to see her smile.

Li-en pulled out her pen. “Give me your hand.” She scribbled her name and number on his hand. “Call me.” Smiling, she walked off.

Andrew walked up behind Will and patted him on the back. “Way to go buddy. Li-en eh?” Both of their eyes were fixated on the door, even though she had long since walked out. “So are you going to call her?”

“Are you kidding? Of course I am!” He playfully shoved Andrew.
He called her later that night, and they agreed to meet … the following night. The stage had been set.

Chapter II

“Li-en, open up please, please open up. I need to talk to you!” He pounded on the door, yelling for her to open the door. He realized that it was dark inside, and tried looking through the windows to see if he could make out anything. He tested the doorknob, and to his surprise, the door swung open. When he saw what lay before him, he knew, that she had finally flown away.

The apartment was completely bare, stripped, wiped out, save for a single table lamp, set in the corner. Under it was a fish bowl, containing a single fish. Lonely, he thought, like him. He dropped his keys, and walked up to the bowl, kneeling down in front of it.

That night was still fresh in his mind. They were walking down the aisle, surveying the fish tanks that lined the wall, when he proposed they get a fish together. He could still remember her smile, the sound of her laughter when he said that. He had chosen this one, jokingly saying that it had her eyes and his looks, and that they kept it under that table lamp she had. Li-en punched him playfully, for calling her a fish, her ring glittered under the light.

“Yup. You’re a fish. I’m a fish. It’ll be our baby!” He stole a kiss on her cheek. There it was, swimming. He tore off the piece of paper that had been stuck onto the bowl.

对不起。

That’s all it said. Sorry, he sighed. Sorry for what? He would have liked a better explanation, but it seems that was all he was going to get. A glitter caught his eye. Upon closer examination, he saw it lying among the pebbles. He plunged his hand into the fish bowl, and fished it out, startling the poor fish. In his hand laid the ring.

“Will!” He heard Andrew call out his name, drawing him back into reality. Turning around, he saw both Andrew and Ethan there with someone he did not know. Andrew thanked her for the ride as she turned to leave.

“She’s gone,” he heard himself say.

“Find her!” Andrew had a look of determination on his face. “She left the party not that long ago. She couldn’t have gone that far.”

Ethan picked the keys up from the floor and twirled it around his finger. “Come on! I’ll drive!”

Chapter I

The moment Will stepped through the door, he was enveloped by a blast of heat – heat generated by the mass of people fervently dancing away in the seemingly tiny apartment. The year was almost over and the general atmosphere was that of joy, as if to say ‘good riddance’, or ‘thank god it’s almost over’. But then again, everyone seemed strangely happy, and the smell of pot lingered in the air. Predictable. It’s never a party, till the booze and drugs are present, they say!

His eyes darted around the room, searching. Where was she? The grandfather clock groaned in the corner, but its chime was drowned by the music that was blasting through the small speakers. 11 o’clock. He had an hour, and hour to make everything right. He took a deep breath and made his way through the crowd.

24. That was how old he was, a senior at college, and well-liked he might add. Tall, brunette, blue eyes, a great smile. His killer smile never fails to get the girls. But he wasn’t interested in flings. His eyes were just on one girl. He kind of got her really, for the lack of a better phrase, but yet, something was wrong. He could sense it in the very core of his bones. That’s why he was here. He had to find her, and make things right, before the year was over, before the new year was ushered in.

But he could not see her in the crowd. The countdown began and ended. Amongst the joyful celebrations and greetings, Will slumped into a corner, oblivion to anything else. All, had been lost …

“Happy New Year dude!”

Looking up, he saw Andrew with a big grin on his face. Andrew, one of his best buddies since High School. He was like a giant punching bag, the kind with the heavy base, that could never be knocked down. Add a picture of a clown painted onto the bag – that was Andrew. Usually, Andrew never failed to put a smile on his face. This time would be an exception.

“Happy New Year”, he mutters.

“Man, you look horrible. You want a drink or something?” Andrew gestures at Ethan, another one of their friends, for a bottle of beer. He could barely hear Will, but his lips were clearly moving.

“Li-en! Have you seen Li-en?”

Andrew tried to evade the question by offering him more choices of alcohol. Will knew he was hiding something. Andrew was a lousy liar. He always lost heavily whenever they played poker. His eyes and his giant grin always gave him away. Will gripped him by the shoulders and shook him.

“Have you seen Li-en!” He repeated himself clearly and concisely this time. There was no way Andrew could evade his question this time.

Andrew sighed, defeated. “Alright, alright! I saw her go out the front door awhile back.”

“Alone?”

Andrew hesitated, and then he decided that there was really no point lying anymore. “Jonathan was with her.” He held his breath has he waited for Will to react. Will was strangely calm.

“Give me your keys.”

“What?” Of all the scenarios he had played in his head of how Will would react to the news, this was certainly not one of them. Just then, Ethan arrives with two bottles of beer, handing one to Andrew, and offering the other to Will. Will declines. Hearing of Jonathan heightened his suspicions concerning the fate between Li-en and him. He just had to find out. He had to know for sure. The new year had just begun, and it had certainly not taken off on a good note. Not like he was believed in the superstition that the how the new year started determined how the rest of the year would be, but still who enjoyed welcoming uncertainly?

“Can you drive?”

“You’re the one who’s drunk. Give me the keys damn it!” He knew Andrew was concerned, but he couldn’t help biting at him. Reaching into Andrew’s pocket, he swiped the keys and left. By the time Andrew got past the crowd to the door, Will was already long gone.