(Ok here is the conclusion. I think all in all, the story turned out well.
I think that the last paragraph feels a bit rushed but I was having a hard
time ending it. The typical disclaimer from the other chapters applies here
as well. PS I also wanted to wait for more rating but seeing it looks like
that is it for now I'll go ahead and post.)
*-*-*-*-*
I stood there holding the vial with the medallion around it in shock. In an instant I realized what Anthony was about to do. "No," I screamed and he fell to the floor with a dull thud. Mingmei went down right after him. Anthony had just killed himself to save the rest of us. Sun-Yu of all people turned to us and said, "Hurry; there is another exit this way." He repeated it in Chinese for his friends. Everyone started to run past me.
"Anthony," I yelled. "Anthony!" but Nat and Alex were dragging me away.
"Come on, Dylan," said Nat. "Once the police get here they will try to help him." I knew she was trying to make me feel better but I had the only cure in my hand. I just stood there unmoving watching Anthony die again. Another BIG NOTE TO SELF: If Anthony survives this don't kiss him again. It leads him to being killed or almost killed every time. Nat then proceeded to pick me up and toss me over her shoulder.
"Put me down. I'll go." I told her and she did. We ran up the stairway in the back and came out behind the dumpsters in the alley behind the restaurant. As we came out we noticed cops everywhere. Two men and HAZMAT uniforms helped us out of the hole in the ground. One said, "Alex Munday, Natalie Cook, and Dylan Sanders?" We told them yes that was us. "You ladies are under quarantine until we know exactly what was released in there."
I looked at the vial in my hand and thought about Anthony. "Officer?" He turned towards me. "This is supposed to be the cure to what ever the virus was." He reached out and took it from me with his gloved hand.
"Thanks Miss, we will put this in a safe place. Please follow your friends over to the left ambulance and they will take you to the quarantine house."
I went and joined Nat and Alex. They each placed an arm around me and didn't say a word. I took the medallion by the broken gold chain and held it up. It twirled and glimmered in the sunlight. "I said I would get this back one way or another and I did. Too bad it wasn't worth it." My friends just sat there not knowing what to say, "It was Mingmei."
"What was Mingmei," asked Alex.
"All of it. She told Anthony that I didn't love him and never wanted to see him again. She told me that he was dead. She played us against each other back there."
"I heard most of it but your mike must have gone out when you got hit in the face," said Nat.
"I guess he wasn't such a bad guy?"
"No, Alex, he wasn't. He might have wanted to be after what Mingmei told him but he wasn't. I attacked him; he defended himself the whole time. He saved us. He made sure we had the cure."
"We can only hope that she wasn't bluffing, that it really is the cure," said Nat. Then we saw Bosley in the distance. He waved and yelled, "I hope you girls are home soon and all better."
"Us too Bos," we called back in unison.
"Ladies," said the HAZMAT officer, "please get in the ambulance we are going now."
"Excuse me," I said tapping the man on the shoulder of his heavy plastic suit.
"Yes?"
"There were two other people who were at .I guess you could call it ground zero when the vial of the virus broke. What about them," I asked.
"I don't know about that ma'am," he said shutting the ambulance door and leaving us alone.
"Dylan, are you sure you are okay," asked Nat.
"No, I'm not okay but I can't help that. I mean how would you feel if Pete, or Jason," I said looking at Alex, "died saving our lives?"
"Okay I guess I see your point," said Nat and we rode to the quarantine house in silence.
Once at the quarantine house we were directed to our separate sterile rooms. At least they were more colorful than the rooms of the facility in Wong's restaurant's basement. The walls of mine were a cool blue, which reminded me of Anthony's eyes. The furniture was the color of driftwood and the bedding a shade of blue green. All in all it was very soothing like being near the ocean. I sat on the bed and before I knew it I was unconscious; the exhaustion after the last few days had finally gotten the better of me.
I awoke to a nurse in a protective suit setting up a hypodermic needle. "Oh you are awake. How are you feeling," she asked in a cheery tone. Through the visor I could see she was an older woman in her early fifties with graying hair and a kind face.
"Fine I guess."
"You and your friends were brave to go in like that and take on Ms.Wong like that. You probably saved LA and I heard that thanks you they also caught that terrorist Fahid Mahubabi."
"Thanks for telling me."
"You don't seem happy about it."
"I'm still tired I guess. How many people are here?"
"Well there is you and your two friends," she began counting on her fingers, "Sun-Yu Wong and six employees of Wong's Chinese Palace restaurant, and about twenty restaurant guests. So approximately thirty. There could have been more if you hadn't stopped her. Hold out your arm please."
I held it out and she injected me with the antidote. "Is this going to work?"
"Well our doctors have run tests on it and see no reason for it not to. I've got to go now but I'll be bringing you your dinner in a little bit," she said collecting her things to leave the room.
"Before you go can I ask you something?"
"Sure sweetie."
"Well there were two people who were right next to where the vial was dropped. Are they alive?"
She looked me up and down. "One was Mingmei Wong, the other was a good friend of mine who saved us," I said fingering the amulet that laid on the night table next to my bed.
"I'm sorry. I don't know about that. I can check if you want and let you know when I bring your dinner. Is that alright?"
I agreed that it would be fine and lay back down and covered up with the soft comforter and slept some more. In my dream I stood in an empty field. The wind was picking up, making the amber grain wave and blowing storm clouds in. I looked for shelter but there was none, suddenly Anthony appeared. He was wearing the same type of dark suit he always wore. He walked towards me and I towards him as the rain started to fall. He reached out and touched my cheek running his finger down my neck and stopping on the medallion. He cleared his throat and whispered, "My love," and kissed me on the top of my heard. There was a burst of thunder and when I looked up he was gone.
I awoke from my dream with tears streaming down my face. Another crash of thunder and I looked at window. It was dark and stormy. I wondered how long I had slept. I didn't have to wonder too long because the nurse from earlier arrived with my dinner.
"Can I see my friends?"
"In due time, sweetie," she said kindly and stroked my head.
"Did you hear anything about my friend, the one I asked about earlier?"
"There were two bodies found neither was alive." At that I cried silent gulping sobs. The nurse sat down on the bed and put her plastic coated arm around me. "I know I'm probably not much help but the pain will ease with time. You must have really cared for him."
"I did."
"Do you want to tell me about him?"
"Maybe later."
"Ok try to eat something. I'll be back with the second dose of the vaccine later." I looked at the food, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a green salad. It looked really delicious but I hadn't the stomach to eat. All I could think of was once again I had lost someone who meant the world to me.
*-*-*-*-*
I awoke in a hotel room. It couldn't have been anything else. It was drab and dreary with a picture of dogs playing poker on the wall across from the bed above the TV and an Elvis the later years painted on black velvet above the bed. My shirt was off and from the look of my chest someone had changed the stitches. My arm was bound in a new cast as well. I heard someone in the bathroom and sat up quickly, too quickly and had a bad case of vertigo.
"Good you up!" It was Dr. Wong. Before I could look for a pad of cheep hotel stationery he handed me a small memo pad and a pen.
"What happened?"
"My deceitful daughter is what happened. I cannot believe that I took her in hoping that she changed. No she no changed she just as bad as ever."
"Dylan?" I wrote.
"Your little friend? Pretty thing she is. Well she and my son, good for nothing children I raise, good for nothing law breakers. How do you suppose that happened?"
I tapped the page with Dylan's name on it. "Oh yes, your little friend. She was in quarantine. Other girls too and my good for nothing son. You no worry they never sick and girls at home, my son's in jail. What did I do to raise bad kids?"
I then wrote, "Am I sick?"
"Were sick. Very sick unconscious a week. You much better now. Mingmei wasn't only Wong who knows about viruses. I been working hard and developed a cure. You fine."
"And Mingmei," I scribbled quickly.
"If universe works well she is being tormented by her ancestors for her dishonoring the family."
I sat up again, this time not as quickly and looked for my clothes. "Not so fast buster," said Wong. "You not going anywhere." I stood and continued looking for my clothing. "You leave now you still infected you make your friend Dylan sick. Stay in bed, rest. She will still be there for you later. I sit here in chair and watch you, second son Fu watch you too. He stand guard outside door."
Then I scratched out "I want my jacket."
"Ok but then you rest." Dr. Wong brought me my jacket and I reached into the pocket and found what I was looking for, the lock of Dylan's hair I had cut before we left the conference room. Wong took the jacket from me and pushed on my shoulders, "Rest, get better or you no good to the pretty girl," and I lay back down and stared at the ceiling wishing I could go to my angel.
*-*-*-*-*
After a week in quarantine they let us go. Bosley was glad to see us and we were glad to see him. I never realized how much I loved Bosley, Charlie, Alex and Nat until we were all sitting, with the exception of Charlie of course, in the office drinking coffee laughing and having a good time. I had done everything I could to put Anthony out of my mind until Charlie mentioned we should tell the nuns. I kept my cool though; I didn't cry I simply volunteered to tell them about their former orphan.
I went home to make the phone call; I wanted to be some place that Anthony had been. Too bad it took me two days before I actually phoned. The call went well. Mother Superior's voice cracked a few times and I'm sure mine did too. I explained that there wasn't a body because due the nature of the virus it had to be cremated and the ashes were disposed of before they could be claimed. She said she understood and would speak to the groundskeeper of the orphanage about arranging for the marker. The only thing I asked of her was if it could have an angel on it which she readily agreed to. "Ms. Sanders, Anthony was lucky to have had a friend like you," said the Mother Superior before she hung up.
Natalie called and asked if I wanted to go out with her, Pete, Alex and Jason. I declined. I love them but after awhile even I get tired of feeling like a fifth wheel. I wandered around the apartment and turned on the radio. I had to try not to laugh as it was on an oldies station and Mel Torme was singing, in the back ground. I thought how Anthony would like it, it seemed like a song that would suit him but I changed the station. I needed something louder more up beat but I didn't find anything. It seemed like it was a weekend for lovers, "all love songs for the next twelve hours", is what every station seemed to be proclaiming so I decided to, order Indian and watch a DVD. I would have ordered Chinese but after the whole thing with Mingmei it just didn't appeal to me.
I ordered Tandoori Chicken, papadams, and waited for the delivery. The girl on the other end said it would take thirty minutes. I kept myself busy waiting for the food, I washed my sheets, vacuumed; I hate cleaning but had to do something to kill the time. Fifty minutes later the door bell rang. I buzzed the deliveryman inside. The light in the hall was burnt out, "You're late," I called to him. The deliveryman was just a dark silhouette until he reached the landing. "Dr. Wong," I said in surprise.
He smiled and said, "Had to get a new job after bitchy daughter ruined my restaurant. You sure you want to eat this food here? I know better place. Come."
I looked at him skeptically. "I don't trust you."
"Maybe you should. Get your purse. I think you'll like."
I figured what the hell and did what he said. It wasn't like I had a lot to lose. So I grabbed a light jacket and my purse and went out and joined him in his old beat up Escort. "I know I need new car, we see what happens in future." As we drove along he hummed along to the Frank Sinatra song on the radio called "And Then You Kissed Me". I tried to ignore it the best I could.
"Can we change the station?"
"If you want." He said signaling to the radio. I flipped through the dial, just as I suspected nothing but sappy love songs so I turned it back to where we were originally.
"So where are we going?"
"I fly you to the moon," he said cryptically and laughed. Soon we pulled into a sleazy motel in a bad area of town. The half burnt out neon sign said it was the Galaxy Motel, all the vowels were burnt out and a vacancy sign flashed on and off like a beacon. The motel was two stories tall and covered by grey peeling paint. The second floor was surrounded by a wrought iron railing. Against one of the doors at the far end of the first floor a man laid sprawled out as though he was too drunk to unlock the door and go inside. "You get out. Room 210, he said handing me the key and a box of Indian food. It was then I realized that there was more food there than what I had ordered.
"Dr. Wong." I started but he had already driven off. So I stood in the dimly lit motel parking lot and looked around. I saw a set of rusty metal stairs and went up them in search of room 210. "I can't believe this," I said to myself aloud. "I must be out of my mind." I passed room 220, 218, 216. each step taking me closer to who knew what and each step making me feel more and more foolish. At room 210 I knocked. There was no answer but I could hear the TV on inside. I knocked again and the door opened. It was a young Chinese man that I recognized as Wong's second son. He smiled warmly at me. I was really confused now. What was going on?
"Hi Dylan, we were waiting for you. Now you are here I can go," he said placing a baseball cap on his head and slipping passed me out the door. I entered the room and looked around the TV was still on and no one was to be seen, but I heard water running in the bathroom. I sat the food on the battered Formica table and got into fight position. What a great Saturday night, I knew I should have gone for Pizza with Nat, Alex and the guys.
Then the bathroom door opened to reveal a man in black jeans and a black t- shirt. He was looking downwards, drying his hands on an old motel towel. He must have heard me gasp and looked up. We just stood there staring at each other. He made the first step forward and hesitated as though he wasn't sure if I were real. I ran up and threw my arms around his neck, "Anthony," I cried. He ran his fingers though my hair and kissed me. He looked at the fading bruise on my cheek where he had hit me during our fight in the conference room. He then fingered the medallion that I wore around my neck. I made a move to take it off and give it back to him but he clasped both of my hands in his. Then kissed me again, this time slowly and passionately savoring it. We broke away and he smiled a real smile. It was kind of goofy but cute. I couldn't believe I was there. I couldn't believe he was there. Wong was right he did fly me to the moon or at least the nearest thing to heaven there was for this angel.
*-*-*-*-*
I stood there holding the vial with the medallion around it in shock. In an instant I realized what Anthony was about to do. "No," I screamed and he fell to the floor with a dull thud. Mingmei went down right after him. Anthony had just killed himself to save the rest of us. Sun-Yu of all people turned to us and said, "Hurry; there is another exit this way." He repeated it in Chinese for his friends. Everyone started to run past me.
"Anthony," I yelled. "Anthony!" but Nat and Alex were dragging me away.
"Come on, Dylan," said Nat. "Once the police get here they will try to help him." I knew she was trying to make me feel better but I had the only cure in my hand. I just stood there unmoving watching Anthony die again. Another BIG NOTE TO SELF: If Anthony survives this don't kiss him again. It leads him to being killed or almost killed every time. Nat then proceeded to pick me up and toss me over her shoulder.
"Put me down. I'll go." I told her and she did. We ran up the stairway in the back and came out behind the dumpsters in the alley behind the restaurant. As we came out we noticed cops everywhere. Two men and HAZMAT uniforms helped us out of the hole in the ground. One said, "Alex Munday, Natalie Cook, and Dylan Sanders?" We told them yes that was us. "You ladies are under quarantine until we know exactly what was released in there."
I looked at the vial in my hand and thought about Anthony. "Officer?" He turned towards me. "This is supposed to be the cure to what ever the virus was." He reached out and took it from me with his gloved hand.
"Thanks Miss, we will put this in a safe place. Please follow your friends over to the left ambulance and they will take you to the quarantine house."
I went and joined Nat and Alex. They each placed an arm around me and didn't say a word. I took the medallion by the broken gold chain and held it up. It twirled and glimmered in the sunlight. "I said I would get this back one way or another and I did. Too bad it wasn't worth it." My friends just sat there not knowing what to say, "It was Mingmei."
"What was Mingmei," asked Alex.
"All of it. She told Anthony that I didn't love him and never wanted to see him again. She told me that he was dead. She played us against each other back there."
"I heard most of it but your mike must have gone out when you got hit in the face," said Nat.
"I guess he wasn't such a bad guy?"
"No, Alex, he wasn't. He might have wanted to be after what Mingmei told him but he wasn't. I attacked him; he defended himself the whole time. He saved us. He made sure we had the cure."
"We can only hope that she wasn't bluffing, that it really is the cure," said Nat. Then we saw Bosley in the distance. He waved and yelled, "I hope you girls are home soon and all better."
"Us too Bos," we called back in unison.
"Ladies," said the HAZMAT officer, "please get in the ambulance we are going now."
"Excuse me," I said tapping the man on the shoulder of his heavy plastic suit.
"Yes?"
"There were two other people who were at .I guess you could call it ground zero when the vial of the virus broke. What about them," I asked.
"I don't know about that ma'am," he said shutting the ambulance door and leaving us alone.
"Dylan, are you sure you are okay," asked Nat.
"No, I'm not okay but I can't help that. I mean how would you feel if Pete, or Jason," I said looking at Alex, "died saving our lives?"
"Okay I guess I see your point," said Nat and we rode to the quarantine house in silence.
Once at the quarantine house we were directed to our separate sterile rooms. At least they were more colorful than the rooms of the facility in Wong's restaurant's basement. The walls of mine were a cool blue, which reminded me of Anthony's eyes. The furniture was the color of driftwood and the bedding a shade of blue green. All in all it was very soothing like being near the ocean. I sat on the bed and before I knew it I was unconscious; the exhaustion after the last few days had finally gotten the better of me.
I awoke to a nurse in a protective suit setting up a hypodermic needle. "Oh you are awake. How are you feeling," she asked in a cheery tone. Through the visor I could see she was an older woman in her early fifties with graying hair and a kind face.
"Fine I guess."
"You and your friends were brave to go in like that and take on Ms.Wong like that. You probably saved LA and I heard that thanks you they also caught that terrorist Fahid Mahubabi."
"Thanks for telling me."
"You don't seem happy about it."
"I'm still tired I guess. How many people are here?"
"Well there is you and your two friends," she began counting on her fingers, "Sun-Yu Wong and six employees of Wong's Chinese Palace restaurant, and about twenty restaurant guests. So approximately thirty. There could have been more if you hadn't stopped her. Hold out your arm please."
I held it out and she injected me with the antidote. "Is this going to work?"
"Well our doctors have run tests on it and see no reason for it not to. I've got to go now but I'll be bringing you your dinner in a little bit," she said collecting her things to leave the room.
"Before you go can I ask you something?"
"Sure sweetie."
"Well there were two people who were right next to where the vial was dropped. Are they alive?"
She looked me up and down. "One was Mingmei Wong, the other was a good friend of mine who saved us," I said fingering the amulet that laid on the night table next to my bed.
"I'm sorry. I don't know about that. I can check if you want and let you know when I bring your dinner. Is that alright?"
I agreed that it would be fine and lay back down and covered up with the soft comforter and slept some more. In my dream I stood in an empty field. The wind was picking up, making the amber grain wave and blowing storm clouds in. I looked for shelter but there was none, suddenly Anthony appeared. He was wearing the same type of dark suit he always wore. He walked towards me and I towards him as the rain started to fall. He reached out and touched my cheek running his finger down my neck and stopping on the medallion. He cleared his throat and whispered, "My love," and kissed me on the top of my heard. There was a burst of thunder and when I looked up he was gone.
I awoke from my dream with tears streaming down my face. Another crash of thunder and I looked at window. It was dark and stormy. I wondered how long I had slept. I didn't have to wonder too long because the nurse from earlier arrived with my dinner.
"Can I see my friends?"
"In due time, sweetie," she said kindly and stroked my head.
"Did you hear anything about my friend, the one I asked about earlier?"
"There were two bodies found neither was alive." At that I cried silent gulping sobs. The nurse sat down on the bed and put her plastic coated arm around me. "I know I'm probably not much help but the pain will ease with time. You must have really cared for him."
"I did."
"Do you want to tell me about him?"
"Maybe later."
"Ok try to eat something. I'll be back with the second dose of the vaccine later." I looked at the food, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a green salad. It looked really delicious but I hadn't the stomach to eat. All I could think of was once again I had lost someone who meant the world to me.
*-*-*-*-*
I awoke in a hotel room. It couldn't have been anything else. It was drab and dreary with a picture of dogs playing poker on the wall across from the bed above the TV and an Elvis the later years painted on black velvet above the bed. My shirt was off and from the look of my chest someone had changed the stitches. My arm was bound in a new cast as well. I heard someone in the bathroom and sat up quickly, too quickly and had a bad case of vertigo.
"Good you up!" It was Dr. Wong. Before I could look for a pad of cheep hotel stationery he handed me a small memo pad and a pen.
"What happened?"
"My deceitful daughter is what happened. I cannot believe that I took her in hoping that she changed. No she no changed she just as bad as ever."
"Dylan?" I wrote.
"Your little friend? Pretty thing she is. Well she and my son, good for nothing children I raise, good for nothing law breakers. How do you suppose that happened?"
I tapped the page with Dylan's name on it. "Oh yes, your little friend. She was in quarantine. Other girls too and my good for nothing son. You no worry they never sick and girls at home, my son's in jail. What did I do to raise bad kids?"
I then wrote, "Am I sick?"
"Were sick. Very sick unconscious a week. You much better now. Mingmei wasn't only Wong who knows about viruses. I been working hard and developed a cure. You fine."
"And Mingmei," I scribbled quickly.
"If universe works well she is being tormented by her ancestors for her dishonoring the family."
I sat up again, this time not as quickly and looked for my clothes. "Not so fast buster," said Wong. "You not going anywhere." I stood and continued looking for my clothing. "You leave now you still infected you make your friend Dylan sick. Stay in bed, rest. She will still be there for you later. I sit here in chair and watch you, second son Fu watch you too. He stand guard outside door."
Then I scratched out "I want my jacket."
"Ok but then you rest." Dr. Wong brought me my jacket and I reached into the pocket and found what I was looking for, the lock of Dylan's hair I had cut before we left the conference room. Wong took the jacket from me and pushed on my shoulders, "Rest, get better or you no good to the pretty girl," and I lay back down and stared at the ceiling wishing I could go to my angel.
*-*-*-*-*
After a week in quarantine they let us go. Bosley was glad to see us and we were glad to see him. I never realized how much I loved Bosley, Charlie, Alex and Nat until we were all sitting, with the exception of Charlie of course, in the office drinking coffee laughing and having a good time. I had done everything I could to put Anthony out of my mind until Charlie mentioned we should tell the nuns. I kept my cool though; I didn't cry I simply volunteered to tell them about their former orphan.
I went home to make the phone call; I wanted to be some place that Anthony had been. Too bad it took me two days before I actually phoned. The call went well. Mother Superior's voice cracked a few times and I'm sure mine did too. I explained that there wasn't a body because due the nature of the virus it had to be cremated and the ashes were disposed of before they could be claimed. She said she understood and would speak to the groundskeeper of the orphanage about arranging for the marker. The only thing I asked of her was if it could have an angel on it which she readily agreed to. "Ms. Sanders, Anthony was lucky to have had a friend like you," said the Mother Superior before she hung up.
Natalie called and asked if I wanted to go out with her, Pete, Alex and Jason. I declined. I love them but after awhile even I get tired of feeling like a fifth wheel. I wandered around the apartment and turned on the radio. I had to try not to laugh as it was on an oldies station and Mel Torme was singing, in the back ground. I thought how Anthony would like it, it seemed like a song that would suit him but I changed the station. I needed something louder more up beat but I didn't find anything. It seemed like it was a weekend for lovers, "all love songs for the next twelve hours", is what every station seemed to be proclaiming so I decided to, order Indian and watch a DVD. I would have ordered Chinese but after the whole thing with Mingmei it just didn't appeal to me.
I ordered Tandoori Chicken, papadams, and waited for the delivery. The girl on the other end said it would take thirty minutes. I kept myself busy waiting for the food, I washed my sheets, vacuumed; I hate cleaning but had to do something to kill the time. Fifty minutes later the door bell rang. I buzzed the deliveryman inside. The light in the hall was burnt out, "You're late," I called to him. The deliveryman was just a dark silhouette until he reached the landing. "Dr. Wong," I said in surprise.
He smiled and said, "Had to get a new job after bitchy daughter ruined my restaurant. You sure you want to eat this food here? I know better place. Come."
I looked at him skeptically. "I don't trust you."
"Maybe you should. Get your purse. I think you'll like."
I figured what the hell and did what he said. It wasn't like I had a lot to lose. So I grabbed a light jacket and my purse and went out and joined him in his old beat up Escort. "I know I need new car, we see what happens in future." As we drove along he hummed along to the Frank Sinatra song on the radio called "And Then You Kissed Me". I tried to ignore it the best I could.
"Can we change the station?"
"If you want." He said signaling to the radio. I flipped through the dial, just as I suspected nothing but sappy love songs so I turned it back to where we were originally.
"So where are we going?"
"I fly you to the moon," he said cryptically and laughed. Soon we pulled into a sleazy motel in a bad area of town. The half burnt out neon sign said it was the Galaxy Motel, all the vowels were burnt out and a vacancy sign flashed on and off like a beacon. The motel was two stories tall and covered by grey peeling paint. The second floor was surrounded by a wrought iron railing. Against one of the doors at the far end of the first floor a man laid sprawled out as though he was too drunk to unlock the door and go inside. "You get out. Room 210, he said handing me the key and a box of Indian food. It was then I realized that there was more food there than what I had ordered.
"Dr. Wong." I started but he had already driven off. So I stood in the dimly lit motel parking lot and looked around. I saw a set of rusty metal stairs and went up them in search of room 210. "I can't believe this," I said to myself aloud. "I must be out of my mind." I passed room 220, 218, 216. each step taking me closer to who knew what and each step making me feel more and more foolish. At room 210 I knocked. There was no answer but I could hear the TV on inside. I knocked again and the door opened. It was a young Chinese man that I recognized as Wong's second son. He smiled warmly at me. I was really confused now. What was going on?
"Hi Dylan, we were waiting for you. Now you are here I can go," he said placing a baseball cap on his head and slipping passed me out the door. I entered the room and looked around the TV was still on and no one was to be seen, but I heard water running in the bathroom. I sat the food on the battered Formica table and got into fight position. What a great Saturday night, I knew I should have gone for Pizza with Nat, Alex and the guys.
Then the bathroom door opened to reveal a man in black jeans and a black t- shirt. He was looking downwards, drying his hands on an old motel towel. He must have heard me gasp and looked up. We just stood there staring at each other. He made the first step forward and hesitated as though he wasn't sure if I were real. I ran up and threw my arms around his neck, "Anthony," I cried. He ran his fingers though my hair and kissed me. He looked at the fading bruise on my cheek where he had hit me during our fight in the conference room. He then fingered the medallion that I wore around my neck. I made a move to take it off and give it back to him but he clasped both of my hands in his. Then kissed me again, this time slowly and passionately savoring it. We broke away and he smiled a real smile. It was kind of goofy but cute. I couldn't believe I was there. I couldn't believe he was there. Wong was right he did fly me to the moon or at least the nearest thing to heaven there was for this angel.