DISCLAIMER: The following is of fictional work and should not be taken seriously or be accounted for actual facts in any way. It is not aimed to confuse or mislead anyone for that matter. It is not meant to offend or disrespect any of the artists mentioned in the work either. Its purpose only serves to entertain and share with other fans who also like those artists. Thank you for reading.
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Chun stepped past the black gate and made his way along the path with flowers oozing out on both sides. His hand contained a white envelope. He held it gingerly as he walked. Possibly afraid that it would blow away into the wind if he was not careful. Although the wind was playing nice today and only shown its presence by the swaying of gentle breezes from time to time. A light smile on his face, Chun ascended the steps and entered the main hall. The door was left ajar like always. He knew they were all in the den at the end of the hall. He walked slowly to the den. His mind anxious from his smile but his footsteps still maintained its placid pace.
“Hey!” Kate called out upon seeing his presence.
He returned her smile by raising the white envelope up.
“What is it?” Kate asked, getting up from her place on the lavender cushion set next to the bamboo lounge chair.
The cushion actually belonged to the chair but it was her habit of yanking the cushion out of its place and used it to her advantage by placing it on the floor. She claimed the bamboo chair to be a hassle. She liked sitting on the cool smooth crème tile better. While he was at it, he stared at the light brown brick steps leading to the backyard garden. The sunlight dancing back and forth between the rows of lavishing lavender mesmerized him into wonderment.
“What is it?” Grandma Xu asked, turning her attention away from her needlepoint task temporarily.
“The acceptance letter from the company Kate and I applied for,” Chun explained, directing his eyes onto the old lady.
“Hmm…” Kate mumbled, handing the letter back to him.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t get accepted,” he said, turning his full attention to her again.
“The mail hasn’t arrived yet,” Kate confessed.
“Let’s go outside and wait for it then,” Chun urged.
Kate tugged a piece of loose hair behind her ears and looked at Grandma Xu.
“Go ahead,” Grandma Xu said, gesturing her hands toward the screen door.
Kate turned to Chun and grabbed his hand, hauling him back into the house and toward the front door. He managed to wave a friendly goodbye to Grandma Xu before the screen door slammed shut.
“What department were you assigned to?” Kate continued, her attention returning to the envelope in his hand, regretting she had not scanned the letter properly.
“Designing,” Chun replied, waving his envelope for effect.
Kate’s smile lit up. “That’s great. You got what you wanted.”
He was able to detect the worrisome she was experiencing inside from her eyes. “Maybe they still have an empty spot.”
“I have to make it first, right?”
“It’s not like you to be such a pessimist.”
Kate resumed her smile as they settled down on the front steps. “You’re right. If I get it, I get it. If I don’t, then there are still other opportunities around.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I think you will get it.”
Kate turned to him with a grateful smile.
They waited in silence after that.
Chun watched the sun rays dancing back and forth the garden of various flowers while Kate occupied her head with her own thoughts.
It was until the sun was above their heads that the mailman finally arrived. Without speaking, both got up at the same time and walked to the gate. Kate unlocked the gate and greeted the familiar mailman like many times before. Yet this time, she was more anxious than ever. She was waiting for a letter that would decide her future.
“A package for Grandma Xu,” the mailman informed them, handing Kate a heavy bundle wrapped in light brown paper and a tan string to keep it together.
“Thank you,” Kate rattled out her usual courtesy.
“Anything else, Mr. Lin?” Chun asked, knowing Kate was heading toward hysterical soon if she didn’t get any words from that company.
“Let me check,” Mr. Lin said, fishing through his mail sack.
Chun placed a supportive hand on Kate’s shoulder once again. He took the package from her with his other hand. All she needed was more distraction.
“Ah…” Mr. Lin said at last after a full minute.
They watched in silence as Mr. Lin handed Kate an envelope. It was the same coloring and size as Chun’s. Or at least Kate hoped that the sunlight had not altered her vision.
“Bye, Mr. Lin,” Chun said with a smile as Mr. Lin left them to continue on his route. Then he turned to Kate, tugging on her shoulder. “Come on.”
They returned to the front steps after Chun locked the gate like before.
“I’ll go deliver this to Grandma first,” Chun volunteered, seeing Kate eyeing the envelope unmoved.
Five minutes later, Chun returned to find Kate still sitting where he left her. She was still staring at the envelope. How hard was it to open the envelope? He knew the answer to that. He also knew that it was not about the envelope but the news carried through the letter. Was it a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’?
“Come on,” Chun urged, snapping the letter out of Kate’s hand.
Kate followed his every move as he craftily undid the seal. He made sure not to rip the contents inside. Then came the letter. The familiar anxious feeling crept up from within for some reason. It could have been the same feeling he was experiencing when he received his own letter.
“Miss Hsu,” Chun read aloud, clearing his throat once–though unnecessary. “We are happy to learn that you are interested in joining our company. However…”
Kate’s hand shook with much nervousness. Chun had to pause again. He knew Kate needed the time to sink it all in, especially where the words were directing toward. Kate grabbed a hold of Chun’s arm, urging him to read on.
“However,” Chun resumed once again, “we apologize that we could not fulfill your wish in joining the company in the position you applied. But we assure you that you will find the position we appointed to you will help you in paving your path in our company.” Chun turned to Kate with a hopeful look. “It’s not a rejection letter. They just didn’t place you in the position you wanted.”
“Really?” Kate asked, turning to Chun for reassurance.
“Look,” Chun said, handing Kate the letter and pointing out the lines at the middle of the page. “We will still be under the same department.”
Kate’s smile lit up once again. Her grip on his arm tightened. He felt almost suffocating with her grasp but silently told himself that she was just overly excited. He craftily undid her hand on his.
“As long as I get in, it wouldn’t matter, right?” Kate asked, taking her letter back from him.
“That’s right,” Chun said. “You’ll still get to use your creativity.”
Before he knew it, Kate had grabbed a hold of him once again and embraced him. He returned the hug, knowing that she was finally relieved from the long wait.
“I think we should go inside and tell the others,” Chun said after a minute.
Kate finally released him and turned around to the door leading into the house again.
Chun smiled, knowing that their new lives were about to begin.
© Friday, February 5th, 2010
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NOTES:
*This was never meant to be a one-shot. BUT now that I’m stuck to the point of ridiculous, I just want to fix it around a little and publish it as a one-shot as not to waste it.
*This was inspired by the whole Chun and Kate collaboration in 14 Blades. I actually started it only when news came out about the collaboration AND finished the one chapter before watching the movie itself SO of course, it didn’t have that feeling of anywhere near the vibe of the movie, lol. But I’m glad since it’s more fun that way than leaning on copying the movie’s style. PHEW. (Dodged that one, right?)
*Just for fun, the song that inspired this chapter was Nicholas Teo’s “A Wound In The Heart” (痛彻心扉). I cheated on the scene with the gate thing YET only that part.