Track #14: One More Chance

Super Junior

It is raining.

The rainy season has officially started three days ago according to the weather forecast and cafés just like where Rivalz works are in such popularity for people who seek warmth and security in this wet weather.

Added to that fact that the Ashford Café serves one of the best coffees, the place is filled with people from all ages, giving life to the rather gloomy weather. Rivalz, a young man who does part-time work in the café, is pleased with his surroundings. It gives him joy to serve coffees and teas to their customers and witness them smile as they take their first sip of the warmth goodness.

"Rivalz! Table 4 is calling you!"

The young man shakes his head upon realizing that he had been standing in the middle of the room for a few moments, daydreaming of how simple life could be. Apologizing, he gladly takes the order of the family, amused by the whims of the young girl.

"Mama, I want an ice cream!"

"No, honey. The dentist said to stop eating cold foods. Your tooth will ache again."

"But! If they put it on top of the coffee, it will get hot and my tooth won't ache when I eat it. Right, mister?" Suddenly bright purple eyes are looking up at Rivalz, convincing him to say yes.

But he can only shake his head. "I'm sorry. But we don't have ice cream here. But you can order hot chocolate with marshmallows on top. Is that alright?" he asks the mother.

The child's face immediately lights up as she waits for her mother's reply. "Yes, that is okay. And one cappuccino for me please."

"One hot chocolate with marshmallows on top and one cappuccino coming up!"

In the afternoon, the rain gets harder while the customers get lesser. The security and warmth of their homes had overpowered the appeal of the cozy little café and Rivalz cannot blame them in this weather. There are even thunders and lightning, he even worries how he will get back to his dorm later.

He is returning to the counter from taking an order when he notices him.

The man, tall and lean, wearing a long brown coat, is standing infront of the window. With his back on Rivalz, the latter could only assume that he is waiting for someone. Well, there's nothing new about that. People wait outside the café all the time. But in this kind of weather, Rivalz doubts that whoever the man is waiting for would come. Shrugging off, he resumes walking and forgets about the man all along.

But the man doesn't leave until it is almost time to close the café. Rivalz, who is tasked to lock the doors and windows notices his presence again when he is about to pull down the window blinds. Has he really been standing there for four hours? It had been raining nonstop and he must have felt cold. His back is hunched and his hands are deep down in his pockets.

The sound of the bell on the door catches the man's attention as the server goes outside.

"Good evening, sir. I hope I am not intruding but I noticed that you've been standing here for hours. Are you waiting for someone?"

The man looks at him for a moment before answering. "Yes, I am waiting for someone."

Rivalz is surprised by how smooth but deep the man's voice is. "Well, you've been waiting for so long, would you like to go inside and have a cup of coffee?"

The man contemplates, then nods. "That would be nice."

Rivalz cannot help but steal glances at the man as he brews coffee. He could feel an aura of mystery and solitude from his guest. When he took off his coat a while ago, he revealed a coat and tie attire underneath that only made Rivalz think of CEOs or anyone who holds a high position in a company. Plus his facial features exude elitism with his high cheekbones and prominent nose. Piercing purple eyes completed his intimidating visuals.

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

Rivalz stands infront of him for a while, waiting if the guest would say another word, but he remains silent, mind already occupied with something Rivalz couldn't see so the server could only utter, "Just call me if you need anything. I'll be around cleaning the place."

Well, at least the guest said 'thank you'.

The next day, the man is outside again.

He is waiting again.

For more than two hours now.

Not that Rivalz is counting but it puzzles him why would he wait that long for someone who seems to be not coming. He hasn't seen the man take out his phone and make a call. That would make the situation easier for both parties. The café is busier than yesterday and Rivalz could only spare a glance at the mysterious man outside.

"Are you still open?"

Anya gives Rivalz a reassuring pat on the back and whispers 'see you tomorrow' before leaving him to close the café.

The man from last night stands by the door looking apologetic and hesitant.

Rivalz sigh. "I can make you a coffee. Sit anywhere you want, sir."

"Thank you."

When he places the coffee infront of the guest, the server is surprised when the man asks him to sit down.

"That is, if it wouldn't be a bother."

"Well," Rivalz looks around the café. He already finished cleaning the place with Anya a while ago and all the tables and chairs are in their proper places. "I have time."

"Rivalz, right?"

When he gives him a confused look, the man nods, "The nameplate says your name is 'Rivalz'."

"Oh, oh right! I'm Rivalz."

"My name's Lelouch. I am sorry if I've been holding you longer than usual the past two days."

Rivalz waits for an explanation but it never came, so he asks, "It's fine. But I'm curious on who you are waiting for," he chuckles, "You were waiting for hours outside while the rain was pouring hard."

Lelouch only smiles as he takes a sip of his coffee.

"Er, is it a very important client?" tries Rivalz.

"Client? Why would you think of that?"

"Well, you look like a CEO of a company or someone who closes deals or – "

"Or someone who just works an ordinary eight-to-five job."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, a lot of people assume like that when they first met me. It's because of my genes. My ancestors were once part of the royal family in Britain and the royal genes is still holding strong until now. And no, I am not kidding."

"So I am talking to a royalty?" Rivalz says, dumbfounded.

Lelouch just shrugs. "You can say that but I'm just an ordinary accountant."

"Then why are you spending your time outside?"

This time, the sigh that his companion releases is tired and helpless. "My wife and I got in a real big fight last week that I have to leave the house for the both of us to cool down and realize our actions. This is where we first met."

"You are waiting for your wife?"

Lelouch nods. "This is our special place. Everytime we have something to celebrate, to discuss, or just to stay in, we go here. There is a great sense of comfort and safety inside this café. And I am hoping to see her here."

"Why don't you just go home and talk to her?"

"That is rather complicated."

"But it's been a week! The longer you are fighting and not talking, the harder it is to address the issue!" Realizing his sudden outburst, Rivalz immediately apologizes.

"I still love her and will always do. But sometimes we need time apart to sort out ourselves. Hopefully, we will come out of this as better persons. How about you Rivalz? How long have you been working here?"

"Just six months. This is actually a part-time job to pay for my student loans."

"I see. That's why I've never seen you here before. Anyway, thank you for the coffee. I'll be going back and wait again tomorrow."

Lelouch puts a bill on Rivalz's hand and smoothens his coat.

"I hope you'll fix your problems soon, Mr. Lelouch."

The man smiles tightly. "I hope so, too, Rivalz. I hope so, too."

"We were in college when we first met. I was with my girlfriend back then drinking lattes while she was alone studying for the exams. She was sitting at that exact same spot."

Lelouch points to the seat that is directly in line with where the man always waits outside. "She had her nose buried in a book and was wearing these ugly eyeglasses that were too large for her face." A laugh. "She was in the same class as my girlfriend so when Kallen saw her, we went together to greet her. I'm telling you, if glares could kill, she would have killed us just because we disturbed her study time."

Lelouch is a talkative man, Rivalz concludes. His mysterious aura is such a misleading cover that people who doesn't know him would immediately assume that he is an intimidating man. But no, in the past four nights that they've been talking, he finds out that Lelouch is such an easy-going, approachable man who loves to talk about his wife. All. The. Time.

"How did the two of you end up together if you had a girlfriend back then?"

"Well, at that time, my relationship with Kallen was already not going well and three days after that day, we broke up. It was a mutual decision so there was no really hard feelings between us." He shrugs. "Then I found myself spending more time in the café, and Cecilia was almost here everyday to study. The time when I got to talk to her was because I accidentally spilled my coffee on her books."

"That must be embarrassing and troublesome!" Rivalz gasps.

"Believe me when I say that I wanted to be buried six-feet underground back then. But Cecilia didn't kill me with her glare instead she asked to borrow my books since we had the same subjects. That's how we got closer."

"But still, that's not a nice way to make a first impression."

"Right. Right. I still get nightmares about it. Rivalz, do you have a girlfriend?"

The younger man shakes his head sadly. "None. No one will like someone like me."

Lelouch leans back and raises a brow. "Someone like you? Can you elaborate on that?"

"Well, me… I am clumsy, average and… there's nothing really special about me."

"Hmmm. For me, I see a hardworking young man who loves his job and has a helpful heart kind enough to invite a pathetic man like me inside their café."

"Tha-Thank you. Have you talked to your wife?"

Leouch shakes his head.

"Where are you staying?"

"I am renting an apartment downtown that is close to our home."

"I really hope that you get to fix your problem soon."

Lelouch smiles at him. "I'm a patient man, Rivalz. I can wait for her even if it takes a century."

"Do you have a child, Mr. Lelouch?"

The man's face instantly beams as soon as he hears the word child. He retrieves a wallet from his pocket and gets out a photograph of a baby girl.

"I have. Her name's 'Lucille'. She is three years old now. Isn't she the cutest baby?"

"She is." The baby clearly got her amethyst eyes from her father. The hair is in a darker shade of green that is oddly familiar to him. "Then you cannot see her right now?"

"Oh, I do see her. Cecilia and I have made a schedule."

Looking up, Rivalz gazes at the man seriously. "What are you fighting about that you can stomach to leave your daughter?"

Lelouch immediately takes the photo away and the anger in his voice brings chills to Rivalz bone. "I did not leave my daughter. I cannot do that to her and to her mother. They are my life. But distance is necessary right now."

"Why? What happened?" Rivals has no idea why he is so insisting on this topic. Perhaps it's the frustration of hearing Lelouch's longing voice as he shares stories that did it. Or the faraway look on his face whenever he sips his coffee. Or maybe it's the pity that he feels from watching the man wait for hours and hours everyday for someone who seems to be not coming.

"I was relapsing to my alcohol problem."

"You're an alcoholic?"

"I was for a few years and it was terrible that I need to consult a therapist. I do bad things when I get so drunk like neglecting my family, shouting unpleasant things and breaking things. The worst part was I would not remember any of it and the only evidence that I hurt her were her tear-stained cheeks. But we got through it."

"Then why are you relapsing?"

Lelouch sighs. "Pressure from work. Expectation from my parents. And the need to provide a good life to my family. I… The first night that I went home drunk after my long time of being able to control it, I broke a vase and made our daughter cry."

"So now…"

"Now, I am trying to be a better person and face my demons. I am seeing a therapist right now."

"If you ever have the urge to drink alcohol, just go here and have some coffee."

Surprised by Rivalz determined declaration, Lelouch shakes his head with a good-natured smile on his face. "See, you are a good man, Rivalz. There's something special in you."

"Your eye bags are getting bigger and darker, what have you been doing late at night?"

Rivalz checks his reflection on the storage room's mirror and finds that Anya is indeed correct. "There has been a regular customer who comes in whenever I am about to close the café."

"Why not just tell them to come earlier then?"

Putting the towels on the shelf, Rivalz answers, "Technically, he arrives in the afternoon but he only enters the place at night."

"Huh, weird. Just tell him that some people need eight hours of sleep."

But does Mr. Lelouch get eight hours of sleep nowadays? Rivalz thinks. Can he even close his eyes peacefully knowing that he is sleeping alone in his bed? Rivalz couldn't fathom the loneliness that his new friend must have been experiencing. All he could do is to offer him coffee to take him away from the demon of alcohol.

"Earth to Rivalz, you're daydreaming again. You really need to catch up with your sleep."

That night, the two spend it just like before, with hot coffee in between their hands and stories of a happy family and true love floating in the air.

"Cecilia loves pizza so much she can eat a whole box all by herself. So when our first anniversary came, I made an appointment with this famous pizza chef to give us some cooking lessons and of course to make the most delicious pizza that Cecilia could ever taste. I think Lucille is getting that trait of her mother. At a young age she can eat two whole slices and Cecilia could never be much prouder."

"Sounds like you are the helpless one in the situation," Rivalz say with a chuckle.

"Tell me about it. I'm the cook of the house and I cannot say 'no' when they both beg me to make a pizza. But… When we are together again, I'm going to make whatever they would request. I'm going to spoil them endlessly."

"How's it going?"

"I think, we're going to meet soon. This may sound too cheezy and hopeless romantic but if you have met your other half and if circumstances take you away from each other, you can feel your beloved's emotions as if they are your own. And I am feeling that she is being contemplative now. Plus, Lucille told me that her mama has been talking nicely about me, too. That's a good sign, right?"

Lelouch looks so hopeful and positive that all Rivalz could do is nod. How can someone doubt the affection of this man to his wife? How can Cecilia let this much time pass by and not see the sincerity in Lelouch's eyes?

But the next night, Lelouch comes in drunk. Rivalz has to assist him to a nearby chair where he instantly slumps, eyes closed.

"Mr. Lelouch, what happened?" he asks worriedly.

"No…thing. I just… missed them… I missed them so bad…"

Immediately, Rivalz makes black coffee for his friend. "Here drink this. You said that you won't do this again."

"I just… want to be with them again… It's painful. I want to numb the pain… Cecilia… give me another… chance... I will stop drinking… I… I… promise."

The pathetic figure of the older man tugs at Rivalz's chest. Lelouch looks so miserable and hopeless. From what he knew of him in the past week that they've been talking, Lelouch is a good man who genuinely cares for his loved ones. How can Cecilia not see it? Not understand him? There must be other reasons but good grief get the man out of his misery.

A piece paper falls down on the floor and when Rivalz retrieves it, it turns out to be a photo.

A photograph of a woman with long emerald hair and golden eyes.

A photograph of a woman who is vaguely familiar to him.

Rivalz let Lelouch sleep the night away inside the café which meant that he had to stay in the place too to wake his friend up before the place opens. But Lelouch was long gone when he woke up and Rivalz forgot to return to him the image of who could possibly be his wife. Putting it inside his pocket, the young man promised to give it to him later.

So he is more than surprised when the woman in the photograph walks inside the café with a young girl in hand. He moves to retrieve the photo from his pocket but it is suddenly gone. Shit, where did it go? Lelouch will get mad at him.

From his corner, he watches as the woman and child sit on the place where Lelouch told him Cecilia always sit. There is no doubt that it is her. And that they are the mother and daughter who he had served coffee and hot chocolate days ago.

Suddenly, another woman arrives and takes a seat across the pair. He hears Cecilia tell the child, "Lucille, go greet Aunt Shirley."

From his corner, Rivalz wonders how that older girl be Lucille, watches as a server takes there order and when she is gone, Cecilia and Shirley proceed to have a very much happy and carefree chat.

From his corner, Rivalz is getting angry.

How?

How can she look like that when her husband is in the very opposite state? How can she be so bright and animated in this gloomy weather? There's no trace of regret, sorrow or misery in her eyes. Instead she looks so vibrant as if she doesn't have a husband who is dying to see his family again.

From his corner, Rivalz marches to their seat with a mission. He might get fired for what he is about to do, but just by thinking of Mr. Lelouch's appearance last night makes him madder.

As soon as he reaches their place, he plasters a pleasant smile. "Ms. Cecilia?"

The woman looks up at him. "Yes?"

"Can I have a minute of your time? I have an important thing to tell you."

"Can't you say it here?" she asks. Rivalz could feel Shirley's eyes on his side.

"This is about your husband," he says meaningfully.

The woman instantly stiffens. Bingo, now he has her attention.

"Shirley please look after Lucille for a while. I'll be back."

Rivalz leads them outside the café, right at the exact spot where Lelouch often waits. He still not there. Perhaps, he's still at work since it is morning.

"Who are you? What do you know about my husband?" Cecilia asks, her arms wrapped around her body as if she's afraid of what he would possibly say.

"I am his friend and he has been waiting for you in the past few days hoping that you'll come here so he can finally talk to you. He has been waiting here for hours and hours and…"

"Wait. Stop."

But Rivalz won't stop. He won't let this opportunity to help Lelouch go. He will try his best to let this woman know what Lelouch has been going through and that the man is willing to change for her.

"He is miserable and misses you very much. He told me that you got into a big fight but he willing to change…"

"You're not making any sense. What are you talking about?"

When Rivalz looks down, there are tears that are already flowing on Cecilia's cheeks and her face is an image of grief.

"I'm talking about Lelouch," he says slowly.

She chokes up her sobs.

"How? He is already dead."

Rivalz feels like he is walking in a dream – an unbelievably terrible dream.

Five years.

Lelouch has been dead for five years.

That's what Cecilia told him through her tears.

After her revelation, the woman asked her friend to take Lucille home while Rivalz asked for a break from his manager.

They sat on an empty table and there, Cecilia told him everything.

"That day earlier this week was his fifth death anniversary," she said while nursing a warm cup of cappuccino in her hands. Rivalz couldn't help but compare the mildness of her drink to the black coffee that Lelouch loved so much.

"We just moved back here last week. After what happened… I… I just couldn't stay."

"What really happened? All Lelouch said was that you had a fight because of his drinking problem and that both of you needed some time apart."

Cecilia smiled at him sadly. "He told you that? He really did talk to you?" She cleared her throat. "It was all true. Even before we got married, we encountered the same problem but thankfully, we managed to get through it. But a year after Lucille was borne, he relapsed. I… I tried to help him… But I couldn't risk the safety of our daughter so I asked for a time apart."

"He waits… waited for you for hours everyday. Hoping that you'd come here so he could talk to you."

"That's what Mr. Ashford told me after the accident. He would wait there," she pointed at the spot where Rivalz first saw his dead friend, "From mid-afternoon until evening then drink some coffee before leaving. That man… That stupidly stubborn and impatient man, he should have just stayed in his apartment and waited for my call. He should have just… I'm sorry… I'm sorry."

He lets Cecilia cry silently before asking, "What happened to him?"

Wiping her tears away, the woman takes a sip of her cappuccino before answering. "The night that he died was the night that I would be meeting him to tell him that he could go home. But when I got here, there where police lines everywhere. Police cars and ambulance were parked on the streets, and people crowding the sidewalk. I made my way to the center and there I found him lying on the ground." Her voice broke. "Stabbed by a thief when he refused to give him his wallet. Just like that, he was gone forever." Opening and closing her hands, Cecilia seemed to be grasping for something she could never hold.

"He should have just given it to the thief. Why…" But Rivalz remembered the photograph of a young Lucille that he was keeping in his wallet. And maybe, Cecilia's photo was kept in there, too. "I am so sorry, Cecilia. I'm really, really sorry." His heart was breaking. He could literally hear it breaking. For the two of them who just wanted to be better persons for each other. For the young girl that would grow up without a father. Ah, he was going to cry.

"I loved him. I still love him and will love him forever," Cecilia uttered as she stared past the window.

"He said the same thing about you, too."

She gave him a wobbly smile. "Yeah? What else did he tell you?"

And Rivalz told her everything. Everything that Lelouch said in that week of late night talks. He told her about his regrets, his wishes, his hopes, and his plans when he returned home.

He told Cecilia who was crying hard by then that Lelouch wanted another chance to make up to her and their daughter.

"I would have given him every chance available. All of it, it would have been his. But now, I can't even give him one."

That afternoon, the wife sits outside the café, just a few steps away from where she last saw her husband. Rain gently pelting on the road, a red rose on her lap. She stares out the road and imagines Lelouch walking towards her with a big smile on his face. He would ask her what's wrong and she would say sorry.

Sorry for leaving.

Sorry that it took her five years to come back here.

Sorry for making him wait.

Then she would tell him about Lucille, about her pizza addiction and her first trip to the dentist.

She would tell him that they miss him so damn much it hurts every night.

She would tell him that she never stops loving him even during those times that they were apart.

But for now… For now, she tells Lelouch that he had been forgiven. For a very long time and he can finally stop waiting.

Rivalz never takes his eyes off the slender woman sitting outside the café, worried that she might need some support. He watches as she bows her head down as if saying a silent prayer. He watches as her back starts to heave but notices how hard she is trying to control it. He watches as she puts her hand on her mouth – shoulders shaking – and starts sobbing.

Then, Rivalz witnesses as a shape of a man begins forming beside her – translucent, almost invisible. And it squats beside Cecilia, puts its hand on her cheek, a ghost of a sad smile on its ghostly lips.

It stays with her until the sky finally clears up after a week worth of nonstop rain.

That night, Rivalz drinks his coffee alone in the café.