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Chapter 4

Autor: Dawn Truman
There were still six hours until my train left for the South, but Wendy returned home earlier than expected. "I've cleared my schedule tomorrow, Joel. I've made all the arrangements for the trip tomorrow to make things up to you."

She hugged me from behind the moment she walked through the door and rested her chin on my shoulder, nuzzling me gently. "I'll cook for you tonight."

She spent a long time in the kitchen making traditional bouillabaisse. It was my late mother's best dish, and I had not eaten it since my parents' passing.

Wendy wiped her hands dry and said, "I sent some people to your parents' hometown to ask the neighbors for the recipe. It took me a month, but I finally mastered it. Even if your parents aren't around anymore, I'll make this for you every day in the future, Joel."

I was close to tearing up. Wendy seemed to really love me. She loved me so much that she was willing to spend so much effort to make my wish come true. However, the doorbell rang before I could taste the food.

Evan was standing outside the door with an exquisite box in his hands. "I'm returning to the headquarters tomorrow, Wendy. This is a gift for Joel to make up for what happened. I don't want both of you to get upset over me."

As he was speaking, his gaze fell on the pot of bouillabaisse. "What a coincidence! I was feeling unwell from drinking too much last night. That delicious scent is making me work up an appetite."

Wendy started filling a lunchbox with the bouillabaisse, which I had not even tasted, and gave it to Evan. "Bring this on the road with you. It’ll warm your stomach up."

I pressed down on the lunchbox. "But you said you made this dish specially for me!"

Wendy placed her warm hand onto the back of mine. "It's just a dish. I can make this for you anytime now that I've learned how to cook this. Evan is leaving tomorrow. Do you really want to fight over something so minor like a dish when you're the man of the house?

"I know no one taught you proper manners because your parents left you when you were young, but I've always tried to make you a better person. Fighting over something small like this dish makes you look petty. Be good, Joel."

Evan took the lunchbox without hesitation, and he passed his gift to me. "I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way, Joel. Please accept this gift. It's a token of my sincerity."

Wendy frowned when she saw me refuse the gift. "You should accept Evan's gift when he's being so sincere about it. You're my future husband, and you need to learn to be grateful."

She swept a gaze at the table and suddenly picked up my precious journal to give it to Evan. "This journal contains all the places Joel and I want to visit but never did. Gifts are about sincerity, and this is perfect as a thank-you gift."

Wendy tried to cajole me. "This journal will help him kill some time. I promise that I'll take you to those places listed in the journal and make your wishes come true."

My voice trembled. "Give me back that journal, Wendy.

Evan noticed me losing my composure. He looked condescendingly at the journal's cover instead of accepting it from Wendy. "It's fine, Wendy. I'm a germaphobe. I don’t want another person's trash."

Wendy's face fell. She wanted to cajole Evan and punish my disobedience at the same time.

A loud tearing sound filled the air, and the thick journal was torn in half. All the 27 tickets that held my disappointments fell all over the ground, and she flung the destroyed journal into the bin.

"It's just a lousy journal. You should have a wider worldview and stop embarrassing yourself. If you like it so much, I'll get someone to put together ten of them for you tomorrow. Now clean up this mess!"

I looked at my naivety and compromises spread all over the ground, and the last of what I felt for Wendy was finally vanquished. I went into the room and pulled out the luggage I had packed earlier.

Wendy was taken aback. "Are you making a show of trying to run away from home, Joel? My patience is limited."

I headed to the door, pulling my luggage behind me. "You don't need to get anyone to put together those journals, Wendy. This journal already has an ending. It's over between us."

Before she could react, I had entered the lift.

As the door closed in front of me, I could see Wendy through the gap right before they closed. She looked confident as she turned to say to Evan, "Ignore him. He can't leave my side. He'll only go as far as downstairs before he comes running back to me."

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  • A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells   Chapter 10

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    The storm continued the entire night, but Wendy did not leave. She curled up outside the inn, under the leaking roof.When the next morning came, the owner of the store next to our inn told us that a young woman had spent the entire night in the storm and ended up with a 106-degree fever, which induced acute pneumonia. She had coughed up a lot of blood while sitting on the steps.The town's ambulance had stopped at the cross-section of the street with its siren blaring loudly, but Wendy refused to get into it. Several paramedics tried to drag her into the ambulance, but it was to no avail.Her eyes had turned red from the burning fever, and she stumbled, falling right outside the door, wanting to see me one more time.When I heard the commotion, I walked out the door with a washcloth in my hand, looking stoic. Wendy was a mess, kneeling in a puddle while clutching the corner of my shirt. Tears streamed down along with the cold sweat from her fever."I feel horrible… It’s just like

  • A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells   Chapter 7

    "Joel…" Wendy's tone softened. She was almost pleading with me. "Please don't say such things out of anger. I know you're still mad about me trying to give Evan that journal." She was still anxiously trying to explain things. "It was just an improvised solution to make Evan happy because he helped me snag a big project. The only person I love is you." Wendy pushed the journal covered in cellophane tape toward me. "Come home with me." I looked at her, thinking about how pitiful and laughable her attempts to lie to herself were. An improvised solution? She has used that same excuse for three years.Whenever she used this excuse, I was expected to take the hit for the greater good, and every time she sided with someone else, it was because she took it for granted that I should know better."Don't you understand English, Wendy?" I pushed the journal back to her. "I've already started a new life here. Over here, no one needs me to deliver any hangover remedies, and no one demands that

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    The train sped smoothly on the tracks, and the view outside the window flew past quickly. I leaned back in my seat as I stared at my phone. Wendy was calling me, but I did not pick up. She had given me thirty missed calls. She must have realized things had spun out of control when I did not return home. I checked my texts and found that she had texted me incessantly as well.Wendy: [Stop throwing a tantrum, Joel. I've prepared dinner.}Wendy: [I admit that my attitude was problematic. Just come back so I can apologize to you.]Wendy: [It's really late now. Where are you? Pick up my call!]Wendy: [I'll be really mad at you if you don't pick up my call, Joel!]Her texts started with a haughty tone that gradually turned into impatience. I read her texts, feeling suffocated. I did not feel pain, only a heavy weight on my chest.My fingers started tapping away to block Wendy's number.Four hours later, my train arrived at a historic town in the South. It was the first stop in my

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