She left without leaving a number

Said she needed to clear her mind

He figured she'd gone back to Austin

'Cause she talked about it all the time

Tammy was moving to America now that her training was complete. She was only seventeen at the time. She was heading to Austin. She heard it was nice there. Anna hugged her , told her to keep in touch and that they would always be sisters. She'd hugged everybody , except the ghosts of course. They said goodbye to her as well. They were worried about her, but Tammy reassured them that she'd be fine, that if anything happened she would go stay with Jocho , who lived in Huston.

Ryu had been the last on to say goodbye. She could see it was killing him to have to say it. He was so sweet. She hugged him tightest ,now up to his shoulder. She felt her eyes welling up with tears. It had never dawned on her how hard it would be to leave him. The others ,sensing that this was a private moment , had walked away.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear.

Tammy was shocked by the confession. Before she had time to ask him if he meant it, Ryu gave her one last squeeze and ,with extreme delicacy, walked away. She tried to call out to him but he flight was called at that moment. She boarded the plan ,feeling like she would never know.

It was almost a year before she called him up

But she heard three rings and an answering machine is what she got

Tammy was eighteen now, she had a good job and a nice apartment. She kept her promise to Anna and kept in touch. Anna and Yoh had a child now , a boy named Mathias. She kept in touch with Pilika and HoroHoro through letters, she and Jocho talk online everyday, and she called Faust and Eliza every Friday.

She hadn't called Ryu yet. Not once in a year. What would she say to him? She'd asked Anna about him last time she called. The blonde had said that not long after Tammy had left, and with his gang firmly settled in as resident and workers at the inn, Ryu had moved to Osaka. Anna gave her the number but Tammy hadn't called. Finally , she worked up her courage and dialed her number.

If you're calling 'bout the car I sold it

If this is Tuesday night I'm bowling

If you got something to sell your wasting your time, I'm not buying

If it's anybody else, wait for the tone, you know what to do

And P.S. If this is Austin ,I still love you

To hear those words in that familiar accent sent shock waves through her. Her voice caught in her throat, and she couldn't speak.

The telephone fell to the counter

She heard but she couldn't believe

What kind of man would hang on that long?

What kind of love must be

The phone slipped out of her hand and hit the counter, startling her out of her stupor. She hanged the phone back up with a shaking hand. Tammy couldn't believe her ears. Ryu was such a sweet-hearted person. How could he still love her? Couldn't he have found someone else?

She waited three days and the she tried again

She didn't know what she'd say

But she heard three rings and then

She diecided to call again after she'd gotten of the phone with Faust and Eliza. She still didn't know what she'd say. She dialed his number and listened. She heard it ring three times.

If it's Friday night I'm at the ball game

And first thing Saturday, if it don't ring, I'm heading out to the lake

And I'll be gone all weekend long

But I'll call you back when I get home on Sunday afternoon

And P.S ,if this is Austin ,I still love you

She took a deep breathe, trying to calm herself down. She was scared to death. This was twice she'd missed him. Twice! She was so frustrated. Tammy really wanted to talk to the tall man but she was scared to death too. So she did the only thing she could think of. She left her number.

This time she left her number but not another word

Then she waited by the phone on Sunday evening

And this is what he heard

Tammy paced by the phone. She'd come to Austin to find where she belonged. She was nervous as hell. Would Ryu even call back? Would he check the messages? Did he still care? Then the phone started ringing. She picked it up with a shaking hand.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" came the familiar accent.

Tammy smiled and knew exactly what to say.

If you're calling 'bout my heart it's still yours

I should listen to it a little more

Then it wouldn't have taken me so long to know where I belong

And by the way boy , this is no machine you're talking to

Can't you tell, this is Austin

And I still love you

I still love you

There were butterflies in her stomach as she stepped off the plane. Tammy looked around for Ryu , then she saw him .Standing tall , with that same hairdo , Ryu smiled at her, a bouquet under his arm. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I missed you so much," he said.

"I missed you too love."

Their lips met and the rest of the world melted around them.

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