CHAPTER 10: Unexpectedly
Many days later...
Happy Clinic operated like normal and was heavily under construction. Generous as always, Dr. Martin had the clinic repaired extensively for his young patients. Every day he worked hard in the clinic taking care of his patients just like before.
Today had been raining all day and few patients came. When Candy's last patient left, it was still early. To fill time, Candy pulled letters from her bag. She started with the letter from Albert which just arrived today.
"Hi Candy,
My assistant said you called. Sorry, I was on the road. Is there something urgent?
Things were fine, nothing unusual. I'll write you more later.
Best wishes,
Albert.
"
It wasn't a long letter. Candy devoured the few sentences in that letter again and again including possible meaning that might be left hidden between the lines. It felt too short! She wanted more. Unfortunately, for the next one month, she had to be content with it. She folded the paper and laughed thinking what Albert might say if he knew that Neal had taken care of Happy Clinic problems.
Then Candy looked at the thick envelope from Neo and slit it open. He didn't disappoint her, six pages of small neat handwriting in an A4 size paper! Candy giggled and spread it out on her desk and started to read.
"Dear Alden,
How are you today?"
Fine, Neo. Candy smiled to herself. And you? She kept on reading until one part that tickled her stomach.
"About your question regarding your man, let me reiterate my answer. Yes, you did the right thing in kissing him. You said you've been 'friends' for four years? He might be a great chef (I can't cook) but he must be an exceptionally patient man. Can't be because you're ugly. The delicate dry flowers you sent me are all pretty. Someone who makes such beauty must be a beauty itself."
Candy chuckled. Wow Neo! She continued reading…
"Let me be blunt. Since kissing doesn't give you the answer, when he comes back from his trip, take off your clothes in front of him and see his reaction. Just settle it once and for all!"
"What?" Candy screamed and burst into spontaneous giggle.
"I heard that." Natalie just entered the room and sat on her desk. "Albert wrote you a letter?"
"Hi Natalie… He did but it's Neo's that I am reading now."
"So you're blushing because of Albert's or Neo's letter?" teased Natalie.
Candy stared at Natalie and her giggle increased.
"Oh it's too quiet today. The rain sent our patients away. And Dr. Martin had left to a conference." Judy also entered the room. "Do you know that Dr. Martin is planning to add a second floor?" informed Judy enthusiastically.
"I saw the plan. Yes!" said Natalie.
"The contractor showed me the new lay out. A patio will be added in the backyard and..."
Candy quietly slipped back to Neo's letter ignoring her two friends. Everything was pale compared to Neo's letter. She didn't even know that Judy and Natalie had stopped talking and were looking at her.
"Candy seemed busy," Judy said. Candy hardly heard that, totally absorbed in Neo's words.
"EH CANDY!" Judy called out loudly. Reluctantly, Candy stopped reading and lifted up her head from the page.
"Share with us what he wrote, will you? We have nothing to do here!"
"I told Neo about Happy Clinic, anonymously of course. He said he's willing to help."
"How? He would have to reveal his identity wouldn't he?" Natalie responded.
"He said he had a way. He seems smart, you know. He always got A's in exams." Candy beamed.
"He might be bluffing," mocked Judy.
"Could be, but why should he? We don't know each other," defended Candy.
"What else?"
"I told Neo about my lunch and he told me his opinion." Candy waved page three of the letter to them. Glancing at that, they whistled in awe. Candy felt her face hot.
"The whole page just to talk about lunch!" said Judy, stunt.
"You wrote such a thing to Neo?" asked Natalie.
"We write about anything." Candy chuckled.
Natalie and Liza looked at one another and laughed.
"Awww... that's so cute! Do you think you two will meet and get together one day?" Judy asked.
"No... no no no! Of course no!" Candy rejected quickly. She could feel her face flushed even hotter. "We will never meet. That's the agreement!"
"Rules went out the window when it comes to look for a soul mate, dear," snapped Judy. "I met my boyfriend everyday and we broke up."
Candy and Natalie voiced their sympathy.
"Thanks, but that's alright. We were just not connected. When we're together the room fell dead silence. We just didn't know what to talk about to each other." Judy shrugged. "I hope I have someone like your Neo."
Candy paused and looked at Neo's beautiful manly signature at the bottom of the last page. She felt lucky too to meet Neo. But, she's not an unfaithful girl or someone who's wishy-washy with her promises.
"We promise we will forever be anonymous and never go beyond letters," Candy said firmly.
"She has only Albert, Judy," added Natalie, nudged Judy's elbow.
Judy shrugged again. "Okay, I believe you."
Candy didn't answer. Neo was indeed special. Maybe because it's anonymous, or maybe because of his unreserved character. But to Neo, she felt she could tell him anything which she couldn't to others even her prince, ex's… anyone but Neo.
Ooo
Neal just came back from accompanying his mother doing another round of shopping for Eliza's incoming new baby. Boxes filled the back of the car, army of servants came to unload them. Sarah looked really happy, radiantly talking and laughing with his son about her coming first grandchild.
"A boy! Must be! It's in the blood. I and my sisters all have a son for the first child." Sarah beamed. "Just like you, dear." She kissed her son's cheek.
Neal grinned.
"It was a lovely trip. Now I am in a rush. I and your dad will go to a wedding party. It's Mr. and Mrs. Jacob's daughter. You remember them?"
"No." Neal shook his head, walking behind his mother who seemed happy and excited.
Sarah continued, "Oh, when you and Eliza were little, they often invited us to a picnic in their mansion." At the living room they bumped into Henri. "Ah Henri-"
"I'm going out," snapped Henri to his wife without looking at her.
Sarah radiant face faded abruptly. "Where are you going?"
"Office," quipped Henri. "Neal, you're late! What were you doing?"
"Neal took me to do things because you never do," replied Sarah sternly.
"You didn't ask me," Henri responded.
"Didn't I? You know what date is today?"
"The fifteenth."
"What day is it?"
"Why?" Henri frowned. His mother face was as calm as the spring but Neal knew that she was upset.
"Dad, you're supposed to attend a wedding with mom," Neal murmured carefully in a low voice.
"Why don't you just say it?" Henri turned to Sarah
"Nothing. I don't want you to feel obligated to come." Sarah smiled sardonically.
"I can go."
"Please go away Henri, I don't want to interrupt your busy schedule and I'd rather go with someone else."
"Who?" Henri's voice tightened.
"Someone better than you. Someone who treats his words to me more attentively."
"His? Is that why you didn't come home last week?"
"You notice? I'm surprised!"
"What is this, Sarah? What are you trying to say?" Henri growled.
"Why telling you? You will forget." Sarah walked to her room. "I'll be busy today, I'm afraid I won't see you tonight. And I'll see if I'll be here tomorrow!"
"Sarah," Henri warned. "Get back here!" His wife slammed the door in his face. Henri stormed after his wife then stopped, looking at his watch. "Neal, you go first."
From his father's intense air, he knew they would start another round of heated row. Dad forgot things and then mom threw harsh words at him, always. Neal saw his father entered the room and slammed it hard followed by the sound of them shouting as usual. Neal turned and left quietly. He and Eliza always thought they would split after the children grew up but clearly no one walked out of the door yet.
Neal entered his car, kept thinking. Unexpectedly, the image of Candy's blonde hair and green eyes began to pop into his head. She's beautiful, that's for sure! But truly, except the last one minute of their last meeting, they were fighting like dog and cat just like his parents were doing...
Neal felt Alden's letter in his pocket and pulled it out. Instantly, he's washed by peace. This time, the image of a no-face girl with friendly face and gentle voice played in his mind. Carefully, to not break any dry flowers, Neal jammed his pen under the lid of the envelope to work it open. He read the letter.
"…
You seem very fond of your parents! I bet I would have loved my parents very much too!
I don't have parents, though. To me, the charity workers who took care of me since I was a baby are my parents. What I feel to them is just like how you described how you feel about your parents. Perhaps that's why I care so much about the charity center I volunteer in. Volunteer workers could make a huge impact to the people they take 'good' care of. That's what I believe, taken from my own experience!
Fortunately… the butthead who closed the charity center I volunteered in had it reopened. That's life, I guess. Despite all the hoopla, even the roughest edges will recede."
.
No parents… Reopen charity center… Neal's sharp intuition felt a goose bump at the similarity with Candy and Happy Clinic. For awhile he was entertaining the idea of Candy and Alden were the same person before he laughed. Shaking his head, he dismissed the idea as a mere coincidence.
Alden has no parents... Neal thought as he got off his car. Oops! Suddenly, he could feel why Candy was so angry whenever he said bad things about Pony's home and whoever raised her there. She must care about them just like Alden was to her "parents" or him to his parents.
Neal entered his office. He sat down at his desk to continue reading Alden's letter when the phone rang.
Must be dad. Neal sighed at his father's extreme time precision. He picked up the phone and pushed Alden's letter in his drawer at the same time.
"Hullo," Neal said.
It was his father. "Neal, Eliza is in early labor. Your mom had left for the hospital. I'll go soon, too. You go to the meeting without me. Tell me about it tonight," Henri said.
"Me! By myself?" asked Neal reluctantly.
"You will hardly be by yourself! You have a dozen of people assisting you!"
"But someone needs to lead and make decisions."
"That's your job! What else is the use of a president in a company?" His father's voice started to sound impatient.
"We can reschedule the meeting," pushed Neal.
"No! Time is the key. We're not the only one who's bidding for this ailing company!" rejected Henri. "The only thing you need to pay attention is the legal battle with DOJ. You read my memos didn't you? Which of the legal acquisition path will you take?"
"D - O - What?" Neal hadn't read the memos.
"DOJ! Department of Justice!" Henry howled. Neal could imagine his father banged his desk. "You are my son Neal, you can't be that stupid! No, I don't think you do! You just rely on me too much! The legal concept-"
There's a loud thud sound then silence.
"Hello… Dad?" Neal waited. "Dad… Hello…" Silence. What the hell?
Grouchily Neal slammed the phone down. He got up to the book shelf and pulled one of his father's thick memos. Lazily, he browsed through DOJ legal concepts his father was talking about.
It's impossible, Neal thought as he read them, quite lost his head. He would rather read Alden's letter than these legal stuffs!
Neal picked up the phone to have Dayna tell everyone that the meeting was canceled and then continued reading Alden's letter when the phone rang again.
Sighing, Neal picked up the phone. "Yeah, dad."
"Master Neal?" That's not his father's voice. Neal's heart missed a beat. "This is Paul the butler. Mr. Leagan has an asthma attack. You have to go to the hospital."
It took a long moment before Neal could talk. "A-asthma attack? B-but I just talked to him minutes ago."
"He was talking to you when he suddenly collapsed."
Neal sank into his chair in disbelief.
.
-To Be Continued-
DOJ: Merger of companies in the USA required the approval of Department of Justice. The process could be really difficult for big companies.
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Thanks for reading.
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