He expected her to ask him what he thought. Or if he even wanted her to stay.
Susan showed her the ring, that he understood. She spent the rest of the day
muttering under her breath, her face plastered with a fake smile.
She didn't even blink.
Carter watched as she pulled Romano aside, whispered something seriously, her
face stern. She walked away, towards the lounge, not even looking over her shoulder.
"Nothing to see here, folks! Show's over!" Romano yelled, slamming the door to his
office. That was the last time anyone saw Jing Mei.
*********************
*********************
"Mummy! Listen! No really, listen" she sat down in the middle of a huge circle of
boxes overflowing with her things."I'll pay Ba-Ba back. I know, but I really have
to leave."
Jing Mei lay the phone on top of the stack of magazines, letting her mother's yells
pollute the pages, and crept down the hall, checking each room.
She had told everyone different things. She didn't expect anyone to really understand
the reason she was running.
It shouldn't have been that easy to run away.
*************************
*************************
He sat down at the table, staring at his food.
"..Said she got a job at UCLA" Abby called from the couch,"Didn't she at least
say goodbye to you?"
Carter got up slowly, pushing the table away from him."Abby..."
"Guess you guys weren't that good of friends" her feet appeared from behing the
couch. When she sat up, he was gone, the front door wide open."Carter?"
**************************
**************************
One of the blessings of living his whole life in Chicago, was that, no matter
what the weather, he could brace himself against it.
"John Carter?" Mrs.Chen's mouth dropped open, her robe around her small frame tightly.
"Why'd she leave?" his voice came out shakier than he had wanted. His eyes shifted, and he
felt so young and inferior all over again."I need to know where she is".
She closed the door, and the lights in the front of the house went out.
"Is it my fault?" Carter yelled.
******************************
******************************
She didn't play any music as she turned her small car onto the freeway. Nothing to
distract her thoughts as Jing Mei headed straight ahead.
After all she had been through, it seemed fitting to finally say goodbye to
everything. Leave no mark, no roots behind.
"H-hello?" Jing Mei cleared her throat as she lost the reception on her cell
phone to a sea of static.She wiped away her absentminded tears with her sleeve.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end kept talking. Fast, with an accent. She pulled over
and closed her eyes.
"I'm coming from Chicago" Jing Mei said weakly,"I'll be there in a day, or two"
she opened her eyes slowly,"Santa Monica, right?"
As far away as she could stand from her family, from the hospital, from Pratt,
from Linda, and Michael, from ....the wedding prepartions.
******************************
******************************
"I can't, Abby"
With the light in the bathroom on, they were just shadows against the wall.
"You..You tell me to change for you. I'm...I don't even know who I am anymore.
Just so..."
"I just can't" he buried his head in his hands.
"This is because of Chen, isn't it?"
"I don't have to tell you"
"Wrong, Carter" she hissed, voice almost toxic sounding."You owe me an
explanation".
He threw his keys on the couch."You don't seem to understand this. I lost my best
friend. I LOST MY BEST FRIEND, and she didn't even say goodbye to me, Abby"
"Carter...."
"I had to do something to hurt her." he emptied his pockets, throwing his things on
the couch."I hurt her..oh god".
Tucking her knees to her chest, Abby watched him walk out of the apartment.
"Where are you going? Carter!! Carter!" she yelled down the hall until he disappeared
from eye-sight.
Susan showed her the ring, that he understood. She spent the rest of the day
muttering under her breath, her face plastered with a fake smile.
She didn't even blink.
Carter watched as she pulled Romano aside, whispered something seriously, her
face stern. She walked away, towards the lounge, not even looking over her shoulder.
"Nothing to see here, folks! Show's over!" Romano yelled, slamming the door to his
office. That was the last time anyone saw Jing Mei.
*********************
*********************
"Mummy! Listen! No really, listen" she sat down in the middle of a huge circle of
boxes overflowing with her things."I'll pay Ba-Ba back. I know, but I really have
to leave."
Jing Mei lay the phone on top of the stack of magazines, letting her mother's yells
pollute the pages, and crept down the hall, checking each room.
She had told everyone different things. She didn't expect anyone to really understand
the reason she was running.
It shouldn't have been that easy to run away.
*************************
*************************
He sat down at the table, staring at his food.
"..Said she got a job at UCLA" Abby called from the couch,"Didn't she at least
say goodbye to you?"
Carter got up slowly, pushing the table away from him."Abby..."
"Guess you guys weren't that good of friends" her feet appeared from behing the
couch. When she sat up, he was gone, the front door wide open."Carter?"
**************************
**************************
One of the blessings of living his whole life in Chicago, was that, no matter
what the weather, he could brace himself against it.
"John Carter?" Mrs.Chen's mouth dropped open, her robe around her small frame tightly.
"Why'd she leave?" his voice came out shakier than he had wanted. His eyes shifted, and he
felt so young and inferior all over again."I need to know where she is".
She closed the door, and the lights in the front of the house went out.
"Is it my fault?" Carter yelled.
******************************
******************************
She didn't play any music as she turned her small car onto the freeway. Nothing to
distract her thoughts as Jing Mei headed straight ahead.
After all she had been through, it seemed fitting to finally say goodbye to
everything. Leave no mark, no roots behind.
"H-hello?" Jing Mei cleared her throat as she lost the reception on her cell
phone to a sea of static.She wiped away her absentminded tears with her sleeve.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end kept talking. Fast, with an accent. She pulled over
and closed her eyes.
"I'm coming from Chicago" Jing Mei said weakly,"I'll be there in a day, or two"
she opened her eyes slowly,"Santa Monica, right?"
As far away as she could stand from her family, from the hospital, from Pratt,
from Linda, and Michael, from ....the wedding prepartions.
******************************
******************************
"I can't, Abby"
With the light in the bathroom on, they were just shadows against the wall.
"You..You tell me to change for you. I'm...I don't even know who I am anymore.
Just so..."
"I just can't" he buried his head in his hands.
"This is because of Chen, isn't it?"
"I don't have to tell you"
"Wrong, Carter" she hissed, voice almost toxic sounding."You owe me an
explanation".
He threw his keys on the couch."You don't seem to understand this. I lost my best
friend. I LOST MY BEST FRIEND, and she didn't even say goodbye to me, Abby"
"Carter...."
"I had to do something to hurt her." he emptied his pockets, throwing his things on
the couch."I hurt her..oh god".
Tucking her knees to her chest, Abby watched him walk out of the apartment.
"Where are you going? Carter!! Carter!" she yelled down the hall until he disappeared
from eye-sight.