It's a cold
February night. People are bustling through the
streets, either pulling up their coat collars or
wrapping scarves around their necks, trying to stay warm.
It's
so cold today.I'm standing at my window, looking at
the people moving like little dots. Standing in a heated
room, I'm beginning to pity those people. Why don't they
go home? Do they plan on wandering until morning?
"Almost
time to go home! My boyfriend must be going
crazy." One of the nurses breathe a sign of relief.
"Still needs to work overtime on Valentine's Day. It's
so unfair!"
"You are fortunate." Another nurse says. "Some people don't have anyone waiting for them."
"You mean Dr. Shu?"
Like Sherlock Holmes, my ears perk up when I hear my name.
"Do you remember how she lost control on this day last year?"
"Of course I do." A nurse shudders. "I've
never seen Dr. Shu like that. Crying and yelling, like
she was crazy."
They
are talking about how I was last year. They are correct.
I was out of control, like they said.
"You can't blame Dr. Shu. If my boyfriend died in front
of my eyes, I would probably go crazy as well."
"Keep it down. She hasn't left work yet. She might hear you."
The two nurses are too late. I heard the entire
conversation through the canvas wall.
"Dr. Shu, what are you doing standing here?"
Just
as I was deciding whether or not to reveal myself,
another nurse exposed me. I awkwardly step out. The 2 nurses
who discussed me start to blush. Their faces became
redder than the bow on Valentine's Day
chocolates.
"I'm waiting to go home." I pretend that I didn't hear anything.
"Dr. Shu, you must have gotten too involved in
your work. It's already past time to go home. See
you tomorrow. Happy Valentine's Day!" She waves
goodbye.
"Happy Valentine's Day." I wave back and watch the 2 nurses hurry away.
That's fine. I was ready to go home anyway. Even though no lover is waiting
for me, at least there's a lazy cat waiting for me to feed.
After
I come home, the first thing I do is feed the cat.
I forgot when I first had the cat. Probably since last year's
Valentine's Day. At that time, I was like an abandoned
cat, with eyes filled with despair. Cats don't
cry, I do. That's the only difference.
"Better
drink all the milk or I'll skin you." I
threatened the cat. Her name is Christine, my least favorite
English name. I don't know why I named the cat Christine.
Christine meowed once to let me know she heard me,
but her eyes are complaining about my severity.
Her eyes remind me of someone I used to know,
standing in front of me with eyes of rebellions.
An year ago today, I had lunch with my boyfriend and took the opportunity to complain to him.
"Today is Valentine's Day. Why didn't you give me any flowers?"
He raised his eyebrow. "Why should I give you flowers? You are not my anyone."
"Then... you should at least give me a card!" I pouted my lips, hurt by his tone.
"I know, I know. After lunch, I'll send you an e-card."
E-card.
That sounds so impersonal, but that's the way he
is. "You have to e-mail it to me. I'll be waiting."
I excitedly smiled and planned to sneak home after lunch
to check e-mail. Even though he wouldn't use any romantic
words, I still looked forward to the card.
"I
can't stand you women. Why do you make such a big
deal out of Valentine's Day??" He grumbled while eating
his food. His comment induced me to fight with him again.
"You are not romantic at all!! Don't you watch any Japanese drama?"
"Japanese drama? I only watch Discovery Channel."
"Your
life is so boring." I made a face at him. "One
recent drama was really good. You should have
watched it."
"What's that drama called?" He
didn't believe in the love portrayed in TV and
movies. He always thought they were lies.
"It's called 'Story of A Century'." I gladly answered.
"What kind of trashy plot did it have?"
"What
do you mean trash?? Show some respect!" I was so
angry. "That drama was very touching, and the
theme song was beautiful as well. It's called 'Only
Love', performed by Nana Mouskouri." I wonder if he
knew who Nana was.
"Nana, I know her. A Greek singer with really expensive albums."
"Her voice is worth it." Even though I secretly agreed with him, I couldn't bring myself to admit it.
"Whatever."
He glanced at his watch. "I'll give you 5
minutes to tell me the plot. After that, I'm
leaving."
I tried hard to explain 6 hours
worth of story in just 5 minutes. The drama
portrayed the love stories of 3 generations of
women spanning 100 years, from 1901 to 2000. Each generation
was portrayed by the same actress. The story was
tear-jerking.
"What's so touching about it?" He asked, after listening to the story.
"Don't
you think each generation's story is wonderful?
If I have such great screen writing ability, I wouldn't
be a doctor anymore. I would become a screenwriter."
"If
you become a screenwriter, I bet no one would
watch the show. The TV station can go out of business."
He quickly interjected.
"I'm going
back to work. Hurry and send me the card!" I was
so mad that I went home immediately, not even finishing
my coffee.
As soon as I walked in my door, I turned on my computer and go online.
Staring
at the empty in-box, I began to reminisce about
how we met. Maybe no one will believe me, but my boyfriend
and I were actually neighbors. Our homes were only 1 wall
away. Ever since we were kids, we liked to fight with
each other all day long. I still remember when I
moved to the country that year. Used to the city
life, I couldn't get used to the simple life in
the country. After school, I would just go home
and do nothing. Whenever that happened, he would
always come over to tease me.
"Why are you staring
off into space??" He loved to pull on my hair.
"You're so ugly when you're doing nothing. But
you're also not pretty when you smile." In other
words, I'm really ugly.
"You're the one who's ugly!" I pull back my hair. "If you think I'm so ugly, why do you visit me??"
"Can't help it. My home is right next to your home." He argued.
"Then
I'll move!" The next day, I drew a line in the
ground using some white chalk. A line that I forbid
him to cross.
That year, we were both in
the 5th grade. We couldn't stand each other and
hoped the other would move away. But 5 years
passed, and neither of us moved. Not only that, we got into
the same high school and into the same class.
"You're
that infamous couple." All the students and
teachers in the school would say whenever they saw us.
"We're
not!" I always tried to explain. "We're only
neighbors." At that time, I hated my parents for
making us live next to him.
"My standard is
not that low." He would say. "Who wants her to be
a girlfriend?? It's not like I don't have eyes."
"Yes,
I know your eyes are on top of your head." I
really disliked him. "Better than having eyes on
the bottom of my head like you." He implied that I
couldn't judge guys. At that time, I had a crush on a senior.
I
didn't think that his sarcasm had a hidden meaning. After
a while, I found out that the senior student had lots of
girlfriends. When I cried about it, he silently passed
me a handkerchief and awkwardly held me in his
arms.
"I told you he wasn't any good." He
roughly comforted me. I cried in his arms the
whole night, and began to see him in a different
way. Things began to change between us. We still
fought all the time, but he started to look at me
differently. And I blushed and my heart beat faster when
he was near. We both knew: we fell in love with each other.
Even with this knowledge, neither of us said anything. Even though we would
not be able to resist and kissed each other
constantly. Even though we cared about each
other's every moves. Both of us refused to admit
our love.
Time flew by quickly, and it was
time to face separation. I chose to study
medicine, and he chose physics. Yet we still
couldn't separate from each other. Our parents worried
that we didn't know anyone in Taipei, so they forced us
to live in the same apartment building. Once again, we
became neighbors. We still fought, but sometimes
we fought into the bedroom. Alright, we became
lovers, but we still wouldn't say we loved each
other. We didn't even spend Valentine's Day
together until he saw me share dinner with a man one
Valentine's Day. That night, he waited for me in front of
my door and said that he would take me out to dinner on
Valentine's Day from then on. I have to say that he
was very arrogant. But I nodded and accepted his
request. Since then, we spent every Valentine's
Day together. After graduation, I became an
intern. He started a small computer company with
some friends and became a programmer. We were busy
with our own lives and had no time for a relationship. Three
years later, I became a doctor, and his business began to
boom. We separately moved to bigger
apartments and stopped being neighbors. On the surface,
we left each other. In reality, we were still
together. We spent every Valentine's Day together
but each year became more dreary than the next
because he never told me he loved me even with
all my hints.
Facing the empty in-box, I
suddenly grew very angry. He wouldn't say it and
wouldn't send me a card. What did he mean? Who
did he think I was? I called his cell phone.
"Hello." He picked up the phone.
"I didn't receive the card." I immediately showed my displeasure.
"You didn't receive it?" He seemed really busy. "But I sent it."
He was really busy but I didn't care. "I didn't receive it. Send it again."
"Okay,
I'll send you 100 times. Is that good enough??"
He said with impatience. His tone further infuriated me.
Is that how lovers speak to each other?
"Don't bother sending it to me. And you don't have to pick me up tonight.
I'll eat dinner by myself."
"Don't be childish, ok? I'm really busy."
"I AM childish!" I hung up the phone and tears rolled down my cheeks.
Childish??
Why didn't he consider the situation? We've gone
out for so many years and spent countless Valentine's
Day together. I never received any flowers nor cards from
him. Now, I just want a little e-card. Is that too much
to ask for??
I
unplugged the phone from the wall and turned off my cell
phone. I didn't want to hear his explanations. After I returned
to the hospital, I instructed the receptionist
not to forward me any phone calls. I wanted to
concentrate on work.
Because there were so many emergencies today, I was sweating 1 hour later and forgot about our argument.
"Dr. Shu, please take a look at that patient."
As
I was collecting my equipment, the shrill sound of an
ambulance sounded outside the ER. When I stepped out the
door, the emergency medics hurriedly wheeled in a gurney.
"What
happened to him?" I asked the 1st medic.
Everyone else were trying to help put the patient on the
gurney. He was covered with blood.
"Car accident." The medic replied. "Very serious. He may die."
I
nodded and ran to the operating room with them. When
I arrived, the nurses told me that the man had already stopped
breathing and also his heartbeat also stopped
"Prepare for shock." I calmly instructed the nurses. Saving people is our duty. We can't lose our calm.
But when I saw who laid on the operating table, I lost my calm. That person was my boyfriend!
"No..."
I stood in shock. "NO!!!" I grabbed the paddles
and continuously shocked his body. His body
bounced up and down from the shocks. The scared
nurses went to find another doctor, to tell him that I was
crazy.
I didn't know if I was crazy
or not. I just wanted to save my lover. Even
though we fought all the time. Even though he
never showed me his love. I still wanted to save him.
He still owed me a card. He couldn't die! I threw away the
paddles and began to press on his heart. I pressed with
all my strength, hoping it would revive him, but
he didn't wake up. He didn't even say "It hurts".
He just laid there with his eyes closed,
punishing me with his silence.
Dr. Jian
angrily pushed me away. By that time, I couldn't
see clearly anymore. I cried. I wailed. I bowled until no
sounds could come out of my mouth.
"It's
too late, Dr. Shu. He's already dead. I'm sorry."
Dr. Jian patted me on the shoulder. They knew each other
and ate together once. I introduced them.
"He can't die." I shook my head. "He can't die!!" I struggled to run to him.
"Dr.
Shu, control yourself!" Dr. Jian slapped me. "I
understand what you're going through, but you're a
doctor."
Yes, I'm a doctor, but I'm also a
regular person. How can Dr. Jian understand how I
feel? I've loved him for so many years that it's
become a habit. How can I just throw away a
habit? Besides, he still owed me a card. "I want
him to live! I want him to live!" I ran to him again
and tried to knock the life back into his body.
"Take her away!" That day, I lost my control and my professionalism.
And that day happened to be Valentine's Day.
Afterwards, I asked his co-workers why he left work early that day.
They
told me that after I hung up the phone, he tried to
call me several times but couldn't reach me. Worried, he
drove to the hospital to find me and got hit by a large
truck on the way.
When I
heard this, I froze. My tantrum killed him. Just
because of an unmailed card, he died. After that, I lost
my privilege to be childish.
Like an
abandoned cat, I couldn't even cry anymore. After
his death, I couldn't cry anymore, regardless of how touching
the plot or how tear-jerking the dialogue. They didn't
affect me anymore.
Now,
I'm only left with a cat and a seldomly used computer.
Stepping over the cat, I turned on the computer. Even though
I know no one will send me a mail, I still hoped that
someone will remember me on this day.
Meow,
meow. I looked at Christine to see what's wrong.
She finished her milk. I went into the kitchen to get her
more milk then came back to look at the computer screen.
I have.... 100 emails! Who would be bored enough to send me 100 junk mail?
I
was just about to delete them all when I received another
mail, and this one said: "Because of system error,
we could not send these until today.
We apologize for the delay." The sender was my ISP.
I
looked at the 1st mail. It showed the send date is last
year's Valentine's Day. My heart began to beat fast. Could
he have sent these?
With a
trembling hand, I opened the mail. The first thing
that popped up was a gorgeous red rose set against green
leaves. Then a beautiful melody began to play.... "Only
Love". I couldn't believe it. The rose was so beautiful
and the music was so dreamy. I almost thought I
was in a fantasy. Most touching of all were the
words underneath the rose, because the words read
like a beautiful poem.
"Hwei."
That's my name.
"Knowing you so many years, I've never sent you any flowers. Today I send you a rose."
I received it and it's so beautiful.
"You know we are always fighting. We can never really open our hearts and tell each other how we feel."
Yes, but it's all your fault for being so distant.
"I know I always make you mad by the things I say."
Good that you're admitting it.
"But today I want to say to you: I'm sorry, and I love you."
I waited so many years for those words.
"And I want to tell you a good news. I finally saved enough money."
You already have enough money. Why did you need so much?
"So
Hwei, let's get married!! I was afraid to propose
to you, because I didn't trust in my ability to give you
the good life you deserve. But now I've saved enough money
so we don't have to wait anymore."
Who wanted you to wait? I'm already yours.
"Today, I use this card to propose to you. Will you marry me, Hwei? Will you?"
That's
the content of the whole card. Like a fool, I kept
reading his words and talking to him. It's like I can hear
his voice and see him again.
As if it's back to 1 year ago with us constantly fighting.
The song played over and over. Repeating Nana's heartbreaking voice.
Only
love can make a memory. Only love can make a moment
last. You were there and all the world was young and all
it's songs unsung. and I remember you then when love was
all, all you were living for,
and how you gave that love to me...."
The
lyrics of this song fits our love so closely. When
he was alive, my world was so young. Every day, I could
find a something different to fight with him about. But
after he left, my life is only left with memories and
coldness that will never go away.
"Will you marry me?"
When I read these words, my tears unconsciously came, wetting the keyboard.
Will
I? If he's in front of me, I will definitely kick
him and call him a big fool. If I wasn't willing, I wouldn't
have waited until today.
So I
moved the cursor over the "Reply" box, and typed
the response that I've already prepared for so many
years - "I will."
I will - be by his side
for the rest of my life. I will - fight with him
forever. That is how I answered him, but the only
response I got was the repeating song "Only
Love."
Nevertheless,
I opened every single letter, accepted every
singled rose, and typed the same response: "I will."
I
replied 100 times, and "Only Love" played 100
times. In this cold Valentine's night, the line that's been
broken for 1 year finally got reconnected.
. he texted me na he's already outside the bungalow so i went out then 
ohmigod ! first tym ba nmn bigyan ng flower .. hehehehe .. then ana xa
"ulawa ani uie , first time cu jud ni gibuhat ba" ohhh ~ how adorable
:) 
