Family Repair
Chapter 2: Fateful Encounter
Manhattan Beach in New York
Maya and Lauren went to the beach. As they were setting up their towels and lunch cooler, Maya saw a young man right in front of her, resting in his multi-colored trunks, shirtless, white shade and sunglasses. He has brown in a buzzcut, and not as muscular as the men Maya knew personally. He was on his tablet, possibly reading Fanfiction, or working on a story himself.
"Mom, you see a lot of good looking guys here?" asked Lauren.
"I do, but this guy with a tablet..."
"What about him?"
"A Fanfiction author? He must have written like hundreds of stories..."
"You are correct," the man said, overhearing their conversation.
"How are you doing? I'm Maya and this is my daughter, Lauren."
"Chris. What brings you girls here?"
"We wanted to enjoy the sun. Are you writing Fanfiction?"
"Yes, a story of yours truly who is seeking to fill an empty void in his heart."
"Love?"
"Yes."
"I had forgotten what love was."
"What do you mean?"
Maya explained, "I'm actually married... but my husband had been missing for 6 months..."
"Missing?"
"Mom and I were worried that he was either missing or dead," said Lauren.
"I'm so sorry. My girlfriend recently left me last week."
"Why?"
"She found someone else... she said I wasn't good enough. I later found out she's a gold digger, and I didn't have any gold, like necklaces and things of that nature. She said I'll never find real love."
Maya held Chris close. "What if you did now?"
"But your husband..."
Maya kisses him. "For all I know, he could be dead. I'll never get a chance to mourn him if so, but for now, let's enjoy our time together."
Chris held her close. "Of course."