Second Chance (25 page)

Katie and
Patrick’s wedding was tomorrow and she couldn’t sleep though she needed to
rest. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, rested her shoulder against
the window and gazed mindlessly at the city that she would be leaving soon.

Tonight, she had
turned her phone off and did not receive the calls from Jae, Katie, or Michael
to inform her of the marriage announcement.

The doorbell
rang, bringing her out of her reflection. She turned on the lights, put on her
robe and answered the door. To her surprise, it was Jackie, requesting to talk
to her. She reluctantly let him in the townhouse.

“I’m sorry. I’m
afraid I’m not dressed to receive visitors. Please,” she said to Jackie as she
gestured him to a chair in the living room. “May I ask why you are here?”

“Thank you for
receiving me at this late hour. I came to see you about something,” Jackie said
sitting down. Sue sat in the chair opposite from him. “Khyba
Hyung
tried
to contact you but was unsuccessful. Are you leaving?” he asked, seeing the
packed luggage by the door.

“Yes,” Sue said.
“Why was Jae trying to contact me and why isn’t he here himself?”

“Did you, by any
chance watch the news broadcast this evening?”

“No. Why? Did
something happen to him? Is he hurt?” she immediately asked with concern.

“No, no, he’s not
hurt. He doesn’t know that I’m here.”

“Then what is it?
Why are you here?”

“Did you know he
announced your marriage?” Jackie asked, watching her facial expression go from
worry to fury at his question.

“Our what?” she
bellowed, bouncing out of her seat.

“You are not
married?”

“Not that I’m
aware. Why?”

Jackie didn’t
know how to answer. He assumed she knew.

“Why would he do
that? How could he do that?” she asked walking to the window. “That arrogant…”
She didn’t finish what she wanted to call him. She was too angry and too
exhausted. “So that’s what’s on the news? His announcement that we are
married?” She crossed her arms over her middle, hugging herself as she leaned
against the bay window.

“Yes, but there
is more. The press is showing your picture to the world and there will be a
media frenzy waiting for you when you return home. Information about your
personal life is being broadcasted as we speak.” When she didn’t respond to his
statement, he continued. “In the years I’ve known Khyba
Hyung
, he has
never publically declared any relationship with a female. In all the accounts
of his adventures with females, it has always, and I emphasize, always been
media speculations or rumors reported from some source.”

“And I’m supposed
to feel honored?” she asked.

“Do not judge him
so harshly, Plain Sue. He loves you.”

“A simple ‘I love
you’ would suffice,” she said in a low voice.

“I believe he
tried on that account,” Jackie answered, turning back to the luggage. “Will you
see him before you leave?”

“No.”

“I see. Like I
said, there will be press waiting for you when you get home. Khyba
Hyung
will have someone there to protect you, to assure…”

“No! Tell Khyba
to leave me alone. If he was concerned about my safety, he should have thought of
that before he decided to be…to be valiant,” she said angrily.

“What will you
tell the press when they ask about your marriage?” Jackie asked.

Sue didn’t answer
right away. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to hurt him but she
didn’t want to lie either, especially to herself that Jae loved her. “Tell your
Khyba not to worry.”

Taking the hint
that it was time to leave, Jackie got up and again thanked her for receiving
his visit. As Jackie was opening the door, he turned back to her. Sue was standing
by the window in a white robe. Her hair was in a single French braid, swooping
to the side. Standing by that window, barefoot and arms crossed, hugging
herself, looking so forlorn, he felt sorry for her somehow.

“Will you join me
for a drink?” Jackie asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Will you join me
for a drink?” Jackie repeated.

Sue hesitated for
a second before answering, “Sure.” She was feeling crummy anyway, maybe she
would get drunk.

“Great,” he said
cheerfully.

Twenty minutes
later, Sue was dressed and sitting with Jackie at the bar of the Lucky #2 Bar
and Lounge about a block from the townhouse. It was Friday night and there was
live music. The place was dim and in some areas, dark. Some patrons were
dancing and some were sitting at the bar with them. As she had made her way to
the bar, she thought about what to order. She should get something strong, but
then again, just something with alcohol would get her drunk. By the time she
reached the bar, she remembered why she hated alcohol in the first place. She
ordered a soda and was sipping it as she thought of what to ask first.

“How is he?” Sue
asked.

“Miserable,”
Jackie said.

Sue chuckled.
“Good.”

“Do you love
him?”

“Very much,” she
answered simply. Sue wasn’t looking at Jackie and so she didn’t see the way
Jackie was looking at her. She didn’t blush when she answered him. She didn’t
even falter. She answered so simply and with so much assurance that Jackie just
watched her with wonder.

“I have not met a
woman to deny him, let alone attack him. Please don’t misunderstand, but I am
very curious. Most women, well, I’ve met many gorgeous, beautiful, the rarest
of beauties—”

“I get the
point,” Sue said.

Jackie grinned
and continued, “As I was saying, beautiful, the most beautiful of women who are
attracted to Khyba
Hyung
like…er,” Jackie snapped his fingers thinking
of a word, suppressing a laugh when Sue rolled her eyes heavenward.

“Magnets? Sharks?
Leeches?” Sue provided.

“Ah, like
magnets. Yes, women are attracted to Khyba
Hyung
like magnets. When he
is around, women come to him. Most of the time he pays little attention to them
but if he so much as looks at them, they faint away.”

“Are you telling
me he’s gay?”

“Excuse me?”

“You just told me
he pays little attention to the most beautiful women, rarest of the rare of
beauties. Are you trying to tell me he’s gay?”

“Gay? As in he
likes men?”

“Yep.”

“No!” Jackie said
as if the question was most bizarre. “He is the exact opposite of that word. He
loves women. What I mean to say is he often does not pay attention to some
beautiful women that have come his way. In fact, I find him quite selective in
his females. Any woman would be flattered to be courted by him and most honored
to be his wife. Why do you, for lack of a better word, deny him, Plain Sue? Why
do you fight him?”

“I have a pretty
strong stomach for bullshit, I suppose. I’ll not
faint away
and if I
did, it would be of illness, not intimidation.” She paused because Jackie was
grinning. “You speak of him as if he is some god, some deity, put on earth for
women to
faint away
at the mere sight of him. Well, I can tell you
Jackie, he is a mere mortal. Behind that pretty face lies a very mortal man who
is just too full of himself.”

“I’ll say you are
jealous,” Jackie said teasingly.

Sue laughed. A
man sitting three seats from Jackie turned briefly to look at her then returned
to his business. Sue placed her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter.
Maybe it was the soft music in the background, maybe it was the thought that
she would never see this man again, or maybe it was the need to just spill her
gut to someone who knew Jae. Whatever the reason, she decided to be honest with
this man.

“Jealous? Well,
let’s see,” she said in between laughter. “I’ve just been informed that the man
I love attracts rare, beautiful, gorgeous women like magnets and the mere look
from him will make them
faint away
. Am I jealous? Why Jackie, not at
all. Why would you think such a thing?”

“Of course. What
was I thinking?” Jackie said, grinning. “The man you love? Just so I don’t get
confuse, the man you love is Khyba?”

“Jae. I love Jun
Jae Park, not Khyba.”

“They are one.”

“Maybe to you.”

“I don’t
understand.”

Sue took a sip of
her drink. Mindlessly stirring her drink, she pensively answered, “Jae was this
lonely, tall, wonderful guy I fell in love with when I was young and too naïve
to believe he could ever hurt me. And Khyba…Khyba is this cocky, tall, handsome
man who…who breaks hearts.”

“I see.” Jackie
took a sip of his drink, thinking about what Sue said.

“Michael told me
I suffer from chronic lying,” Sue said, still stirring her drink with the thin,
long, black straw the bartender had placed in her drink. “In many ways, he’s
right. I can lie at the snap of a finger, but when it comes to Jae…I…well,
there is something about him that makes me want to be honest. When I first met
him, we were two lonely individuals who could use each other’s company. He
listened, he was patient and most of all, he was…my friend. Even then, girls
seemed to flock toward him like
magnets
as you say.”

“Were you…”
Jackie cleared his throat, “one of them?”

“Lord no. Well,
maybe I was and just didn’t know it or too prideful to admit it. He was
impressive, yes. Very. But I think…come to think of it, I liked his Gibson
more.”

Jackie laughed.
She was indeed candid but behind that bravado she was putting on, he could tell
there was genuine love. There was something about the way she said “Jae” and
the way she spoke of him. Longing? Yes, it was longing Jackie decided. “So you
fell in love with his Gibson? It is a beautiful instrument.”

“I fell head over
heels for his Gibson,” Sue said, grinning. “Shhh, don’t tell him.” She placed
an index finger to her lips. “He might think I used him just to get to his
Gibson.”

“And did you?”

“I think he used
his Gibson to get to me!”

“And how would
you know that?” Jackie asked nonchalantly, hiding his surprise that she knew.
Khyba carried that instrument with him where ever he went, but he never took it
out.  Jackie only saw him take it out once and that was the night Jae met Sue
again.

“Women’s
intuition? ESP…N?” 

“What is ESP…N?”
Jackie asked confused, not getting her attempt at the joke.

“Extrasensory perception?
ESPN is a sport--oh never mind,” she said, waving her hand in dismissal. Then
she decided to tease him. Today had been a crummy day and she was angry at Jae.
She missed him dearly, and the fact that Jae was not here but sent his
assistant instead, hurt. Narrowing her eyes, she turned to look at Jackie and
asked seriously, “Jackie, sir, when you told me about the gorgeous women in
Jae’s life, did you mean to tell me that I am, well, plain? Is that why Jae
treats me the way he does, because I’m plain Sue?”

“I beg your
pardon?” He almost choked on his drink. “Not at all! Why, he loves you because
you are a…a....”

“Bimbo?”

“Yeh. He loves
you because you are a…no!” Jackie gasped.

“Bimbo? First I’m
plain and now I’m a bimbo?” She brought a hand to her chest.

To Jackie’s
horror, Sue threw her elbow on the counter, put her head down, then her
shoulders began to shake. Great, now he had done it, he thought. She was
crying. He meant to impress her, give her a damn compliment, not make her cry.
He was about to soothe her. He was going to tell her that was not what he meant
when suddenly, Sue threw her head back in laughter. Several heads turned their
way and she covered her mouth to muffle her laughter.

“Don’t look so
stricken! I was just kidding,” she said, in between bursts of laughter, hitting
him on the shoulder.

Jackie blushed
and he turned away from her. He looked forward, refusing to look at her.

Now she felt bad
for teasing him. Sue stopped laughing and placed her hand on his arm to get his
attention. The gesture caught him by surprise and he immediately turned to look
at her. When he did, she softly said, “I’m sorry. I’m afraid my years of
recluse have deprived me of a sense of humor. I didn’t mean to hurt your
feelings.”

“I thought you
were crying.”

“Lord no. Though
tears seem to come easily lately, I’ll not shed tears for something so trivial.
Thanks for the laugh by the way.”

“Always a
pleasure to please a female.”

She smiled then
took a sip of her drink. Jackie finished his drink in one gulp then motioned
for the bartender for a refill.

“Jae’s passion is
in dancing,” Sue said, answering his question. “He’s a brilliant dancer and he
would probably dance even without the music.”

“So how
did
you know he used the Gibson to get to you?” Jackie asked, rubbing his shoulder.
For a small woman, she sure can hit.

“He didn’t know
how to play it when I met him. He tried to learn it, but he was more interested
in dancing.”

“How did you know
that?” He took a sip of the drink the bartender placed in front of him.

“He’s brilliant
on the piano, and he could dance like no other, but he has no patience with the
guitar.”

“Did you ever
hear him play the piano?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

There was a
moment of silence for them as they listened to the music. Sue didn’t realize it
was not just jazz the band was playing. They were playing other kinds of music
as well. The music playing now was Beethoven’s
Moonlight Sonata
. She
looked around the room. No wonder it was sparsely occupied on a Friday night.
The way they played the piece was bland.

“Why are you
frowning?” Jackie asked.

“The music… I
just realized its Beethoven’s
Moonlight Sonata
, but, well, the way it’s
being played is somewhat bland, don’t you agree?”