Esme had been reading the magazine. It was an old children’s magazine with cartoons and comic strips. Hero had sent a nurse with it. He knew just exactly what could cheer her up.
She was turning around the pages when there was polite knock on the door.
‘Come in.’
The woman, who stepped in, was as usual clad in a mesmerizing dress. This time it was soft, gray silk. Her green eyes glittered like emeralds as usual and her blonde tresses were piled up on her head, in a beautiful manner.
‘Melinda!’ Esme smiled brightly, though her heart sank deeper, but now, she was angry with this woman having discovered her true intentions, not that the woman knew that Esme knew.
‘How do you do, Esme?’ Melinda asked seating on a chair and as all her visitors did, glanced at her leg before looking at her face.
‘I’m fine, Melinda. How are you and Jason?’ His name tasted like sour lemon in her mouth but Esme had since childhood practiced the way to hide her emotions behind a mask.
‘We are fine. That’s why I came, you know, to say sorry on Jason’s behalf...’ her eyes turned steely.
‘Why would you say sorry?’
‘I see. We are sorry that you lost your leg in saving our lives. We are very, very sorry. Forgive us if you can.’ Melinda lowered her eyes. As much as she had said the words, Esme couldn’t sense her sorrow. But still for old politeness’s sake she smiled and said,
‘No problems Melinda.’
‘Thank you. As a way to express our sorrow, we are inviting you.’
‘Where?’ Esme asked, dreading her fears as Melinda opened her purse and took out an engagement card. It was a fancy card decorated with fancy writing and Melinda said, smiling like a graceful hostess,
‘To our Engagement. At the Lopez, Ballroom, of course we also have an old-fashioned ball there. I hope you and your brother will come.’
‘We assure you, we will.’ Esme smiled dutifully, feeling a creak in her heart. She knew it would come to this. Thankfully Melinda rose and thanking her walked away, before the gush of tears she had bravely been holding back spilled out.
She had lost him, again.
First to his passion of photography.
And now, to his girlfriend.
Oh if only he knew...
But he did, though as Esme cried her heart out, she didn’t know that he knew.
Jason walked across the ballroom—with his, now official fiancée, Melinda Lopez, linked to him. Melinda of course was the most beautiful woman in the entire ballroom, having all that blonde-girl-green-eyes charm with her green eyes twinkling like emeralds, and a champagne coloured smooth gown with a knee-length slit and crystal heels and yes of course that blonde hair.
But Jason had had a long enough look at her when they exchanged rings; he was on a more important business now, searching for Esme. And she was; he discovered, in a corner, chatting with Hero, her brother and Estella, her friend.
Esmeralda Grace looked stunning in her azure blue top and the gorgeously frilled skirt reaching her ankles. Her long brown hair was splayed over her shoulders in an adorably messy kind of way, like she couldn’t be bothered with a comb.
‘Esme!’ Jason said as he stopped before her.
She looked up at him lightly and smiled, ‘Congratulations Jason! You got your golden Fleece!’ Melinda laughed politely at that, gently tugging his arm, urging him to move ahead.
For the first time in his life, Jason ignored her looking at Esme and said, ‘Why are you happy Esme?’ Something in his voice made her look up, panicked. He said, ‘Hero told me everything.’ She cast such a glare at Hero that he looked away stiffly. Jason said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know.’
‘Would you have changed your mind, had you known?’ Esme asked. Jason’s cheeks tinted and he looked at his polished brown shoes. She smiled and said, ‘There was no point in it Jason.’
‘But I cost you a leg, how can you expect me to be happy with the guilt gnawing at my heart?’ Jason asked. He looked ruefully at her right leg, which was hidden behind her dress of course, he had seen Hero’s reaction when the doctors insisted on removing her leg knee-down to fix it up with a mechanical one, panicked, angry and he had roared, ‘If only you hadn’t called us here. If only you hadn’t asked us to protect your girlfriend. If only,’ he had looked at Jason with pure hatred, ‘if only Esme didn’t bloody love you! Get out of my sight! And never show your face to us!’
‘It’s not your fault.’ Esme said. Her eyes flickered to Melinda but Jason didn’t seem to notice. He still felt awful and pained that he hadn’t noticed, his best friend fall for him. He didn’t deserve love like that...
‘I think you should move on.’ Hero said coldly. His blue azure eyes so frosty and steely and Jason gave in to Melinda’s tugging in. But he couldn’t help wonder, would he have changed his mind? Had he known?
Esme unloaded the bags out of the car patiently as Hero racked them neatly on a trolley. They were about to catch a flight back home, having politely declined Melinda’s sugar-sweet invitation to their wedding. They had jobs to do, they’d insisted.
‘You shouldn’t have told him Hero.’ Esme said, for the first time in three days broaching the topic. Hero’s limbs stiffened as he put the last bag and said,
‘I don’t regret it. He deserved that.’
‘Now, he’ll be thinking too much about whether he’d have changed his mind if he had known before. And you have put him in the indecision.’
‘He did deserve that breaking your heart.’ Hero flashed coldly freezing her with his frosty eyes. He looked so much like how she did, when she tracked down criminals and arrested them that she was amazed at the resemblance.
‘He can’t break my heart. I was not rejected. I chose to keep away. I’m too far from him for him to realize.’ Her voice had gone mechanical.
And they glared at each other.
‘You’re leaving so soon?’ a voice said, which instead of breaking the tension, increased the tension between them. Jason was dressed in his casual clothes, hands in pockets as he approached them.
Esme could see Melinda standing across the street beside her limo, a look of displeasure on her face.
‘What’re you doing here?’ Esme asked. He flinched at the stiff coldness of her voice. Of course, he had expected to see her crying, oh, she would not.
‘I came to see you off.’ He said.
‘Well, you’ve seen us then. We’re not angry with you and your little pretty wife is waiting across the street. You’d better leave now.’ Hero said.
‘Look, Hero and Esme, I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize...’
‘Shut your sad sorry up.’ Esme retorted. He cringed and she said, ‘I don’t care in the least whether you’re sorry or not. I definitely am not in love with you anymore so shut up and get lost!’
‘Why are you being so inhospitable to me?’ Jason asked.
‘Gods, love is really, really, blind. You still don’t know do you?’ Esme asked, ‘Yes, you don’t. Great, I bet your wife will enlighten you if you ask her. And Jason, I never existed.’
With that she turned around, grabbing her trolley rushing into the airport. Hero followed her looking for the first time pitifully at Jason.
Jason sighed.
He’d lost her again.
He turned and walked to Melinda, his love of life.
‘What was all that about?’ Melinda asked.
‘She just told me that she never existed.’
‘I told you to forget about her.’ Melinda said.
‘Is there anything you haven’t told me love?’ Jason asked looking sadly at Melinda.
‘Like, what?’
‘Something about the train hijack?’
‘Well, it wasn’t a hijack.’ Melinda said as she revved up her limo. He looked at her confused and she proceeded to enlighten him, ‘It was a hoax. I just wanted to test how much you loved me. Well that woman shouldn’t have been there, but she threw us off, and lost her leg.’
‘You wanted to test me?’ Jason asked.
‘Yes. But that woman interfered...’
‘Do you know, how worried I was?!’ Jason yelled, and she stopped the car. He looked at her his eyes fuming, ‘I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DIE!?! AND YOU’RE SITTING HERE AND SAYING TO ME THAT IT WAS A HOAX?!’
‘Calm down Jason.’ Melinda said.
‘You never really loved me did you?’ he asked. Her green eyes stared back at him, with no remorse and he said, ‘I’m disgusted.’ He removed the simple platinum ring and threw it at her face. He got out of the limo and slammed the door at her face.
‘Where are you going?’ Melinda asked calmly. ‘We have a wedding to participate in.’
‘Go get someone else!’ he fumed, ‘I am not going to marry you! And I just broke the engagement!’
And he turned.
He lost the one he thought he loved.
Again.
And he walked heavily, like there was no tomorrow.
Esme had been reading the magazine. It was an old children’s magazine with cartoons and comic strips. Hero had sent a nurse with it. He knew just exactly what could cheer her up.
She was turning around the pages when there was polite knock on the door.
‘Come in.’
The woman, who stepped in, was as usual clad in a mesmerizing dress. This time it was soft, gray silk. Her green eyes glittered like emeralds as usual and her blonde tresses were piled up on her head, in a beautiful manner.
‘Melinda!’ Esme smiled brightly, though her heart sank deeper, but now, she was angry with this woman having discovered her true intentions, not that the woman knew that Esme knew.
‘How do you do, Esme?’ Melinda asked seating on a chair and as all her visitors did, glanced at her leg before looking at her face.
‘I’m fine, Melinda. How are you and Jason?’ His name tasted like sour lemon in her mouth but Esme had since childhood practiced the way to hide her emotions behind a mask.
‘We are fine. That’s why I came, you know, to say sorry on Jason’s behalf...’ her eyes turned steely.
‘Why would you say sorry?’
‘I see. We are sorry that you lost your leg in saving our lives. We are very, very sorry. Forgive us if you can.’ Melinda lowered her eyes. As much as she had said the words, Esme couldn’t sense her sorrow. But still for old politeness’s sake she smiled and said,
‘No problems Melinda.’
‘Thank you. As a way to express our sorrow, we are inviting you.’
‘Where?’ Esme asked, dreading her fears as Melinda opened her purse and took out an engagement card. It was a fancy card decorated with fancy writing and Melinda said, smiling like a graceful hostess,
‘To our Engagement. At the Lopez, Ballroom, of course we also have an old-fashioned ball there. I hope you and your brother will come.’
‘We assure you, we will.’ Esme smiled dutifully, feeling a creak in her heart. She knew it would come to this. Thankfully Melinda rose and thanking her walked away, before the gush of tears she had bravely been holding back spilled out.
She had lost him, again.
First to his passion of photography.
And now, to his girlfriend.
Oh if only he knew...
But he did, though as Esme cried her heart out, she didn’t know that he knew.
Jason walked across the ballroom—with his, now official fiancée, Melinda Lopez, linked to him. Melinda of course was the most beautiful woman in the entire ballroom, having all that blonde-girl-green-eyes charm with her green eyes twinkling like emeralds, and a champagne coloured smooth gown with a knee-length slit and crystal heels and yes of course that blonde hair.
But Jason had had a long enough look at her when they exchanged rings; he was on a more important business now, searching for Esme. And she was; he discovered, in a corner, chatting with Hero, her brother and Estella, her friend.
Esmeralda Grace looked stunning in her azure blue top and the gorgeously frilled skirt reaching her ankles. Her long brown hair was splayed over her shoulders in an adorably messy kind of way, like she couldn’t be bothered with a comb.
‘Esme!’ Jason said as he stopped before her.
She looked up at him lightly and smiled, ‘Congratulations Jason! You got your golden Fleece!’ Melinda laughed politely at that, gently tugging his arm, urging him to move ahead.
For the first time in his life, Jason ignored her looking at Esme and said, ‘Why are you happy Esme?’ Something in his voice made her look up, panicked. He said, ‘Hero told me everything.’ She cast such a glare at Hero that he looked away stiffly. Jason said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know.’
‘Would you have changed your mind, had you known?’ Esme asked. Jason’s cheeks tinted and he looked at his polished brown shoes. She smiled and said, ‘There was no point in it Jason.’
‘But I cost you a leg, how can you expect me to be happy with the guilt gnawing at my heart?’ Jason asked. He looked ruefully at her right leg, which was hidden behind her dress of course, he had seen Hero’s reaction when the doctors insisted on removing her leg knee-down to fix it up with a mechanical one, panicked, angry and he had roared, ‘If only you hadn’t called us here. If only you hadn’t asked us to protect your girlfriend. If only,’ he had looked at Jason with pure hatred, ‘if only Esme didn’t bloody love you! Get out of my sight! And never show your face to us!’
‘It’s not your fault.’ Esme said. Her eyes flickered to Melinda but Jason didn’t seem to notice. He still felt awful and pained that he hadn’t noticed, his best friend fall for him. He didn’t deserve love like that...
‘I think you should move on.’ Hero said coldly. His blue azure eyes so frosty and steely and Jason gave in to Melinda’s tugging in. But he couldn’t help wonder, would he have changed his mind? Had he known?
Esme unloaded the bags out of the car patiently as Hero racked them neatly on a trolley. They were about to catch a flight back home, having politely declined Melinda’s sugar-sweet invitation to their wedding. They had jobs to do, they’d insisted.
‘You shouldn’t have told him Hero.’ Esme said, for the first time in three days broaching the topic. Hero’s limbs stiffened as he put the last bag and said,
‘I don’t regret it. He deserved that.’
‘Now, he’ll be thinking too much about whether he’d have changed his mind if he had known before. And you have put him in the indecision.’
‘He did deserve that breaking your heart.’ Hero flashed coldly freezing her with his frosty eyes. He looked so much like how she did, when she tracked down criminals and arrested them that she was amazed at the resemblance.
‘He can’t break my heart. I was not rejected. I chose to keep away. I’m too far from him for him to realize.’ Her voice had gone mechanical.
And they glared at each other.
‘You’re leaving so soon?’ a voice said, which instead of breaking the tension, increased the tension between them. Jason was dressed in his casual clothes, hands in pockets as he approached them.
Esme could see Melinda standing across the street beside her limo, a look of displeasure on her face.
‘What’re you doing here?’ Esme asked. He flinched at the stiff coldness of her voice. Of course, he had expected to see her crying, oh, she would not.
‘I came to see you off.’ He said.
‘Well, you’ve seen us then. We’re not angry with you and your little pretty wife is waiting across the street. You’d better leave now.’ Hero said.
‘Look, Hero and Esme, I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize...’
‘Shut your sad sorry up.’ Esme retorted. He cringed and she said, ‘I don’t care in the least whether you’re sorry or not. I definitely am not in love with you anymore so shut up and get lost!’
‘Why are you being so inhospitable to me?’ Jason asked.
‘Gods, love is really, really, blind. You still don’t know do you?’ Esme asked, ‘Yes, you don’t. Great, I bet your wife will enlighten you if you ask her. And Jason, I never existed.’
With that she turned around, grabbing her trolley rushing into the airport. Hero followed her looking for the first time pitifully at Jason.
Jason sighed.
He’d lost her again.
He turned and walked to Melinda, his love of life.
‘What was all that about?’ Melinda asked.
‘She just told me that she never existed.’
‘I told you to forget about her.’ Melinda said.
‘Is there anything you haven’t told me love?’ Jason asked looking sadly at Melinda.
‘Like, what?’
‘Something about the train hijack?’
‘Well, it wasn’t a hijack.’ Melinda said as she revved up her limo. He looked at her confused and she proceeded to enlighten him, ‘It was a hoax. I just wanted to test how much you loved me. Well that woman shouldn’t have been there, but she threw us off, and lost her leg.’
‘You wanted to test me?’ Jason asked.
‘Yes. But that woman interfered...’
‘Do you know, how worried I was?!’ Jason yelled, and she stopped the car. He looked at her his eyes fuming, ‘I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DIE!?! AND YOU’RE SITTING HERE AND SAYING TO ME THAT IT WAS A HOAX?!’
‘Calm down Jason.’ Melinda said.
‘You never really loved me did you?’ he asked. Her green eyes stared back at him, with no remorse and he said, ‘I’m disgusted.’ He removed the simple platinum ring and threw it at her face. He got out of the limo and slammed the door at her face.
‘Where are you going?’ Melinda asked calmly. ‘We have a wedding to participate in.’
‘Go get someone else!’ he fumed, ‘I am not going to marry you! And I just broke the engagement!’
And he turned.
He lost the one he thought he loved.
Again.
And he walked heavily, like there was no tomorrow.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
