She walked over to him, slowly, as though she were in some sort of trance. He simply stood there, unable to believe his own eyes.
"You," she said, reaching over to touch his face. "It's really you."
Jake took Rose's hand. "You remember me."
And in the middle of the crowded hall, the two embraced each other tightly.
"It's real," she whispered. "I can't believe it was real."
Lao sat in his room, quietly meditating as the sun went down. The large window in his hotel room had let in a stream of sunlight. All was silent but for the steady ticking of the clock above the television. The old man was at peace – for now. Soon the doors would fling open and Jake would be bouncing around his room, trying and most likely failing his training. Lao sighed. He loved his grandson, but he sometimes felt like tearing off his beard in frustration whenever Jake would choose to listen to music instead of fly through flaming hoops, or speak in annoying slang that even Lao could not understand. "Ah, well," he said, gingerly getting to his feet, "I was young once."
He walked over to the window. By now the sky had gone light blue and city lights were flickering on. This view, above all things, reminded him of such a time. A time when he had the energy to bounce around excitedly, a time when he, too, made idiotic mistakes. Lao smiled. What he wouldn't give to go back . . .
The clock struck 6:00. He and Jake had agreed to meet at six, but it would have been understandable if he was running a little late. This was Jake's first time in Hong Kong. He still had places to see, things to explore. Lao could wait. He sat on his bed and turned on the television to the local news.
Time flew by, and soon it was 6:15. Then 6:30. And before he knew it, it was 7:00. Where could his grandson be?
Lao frowned. How disrespectful. Jake had stood him up for an entire hour! New to the city or not, this was not acceptable. He picked up the phone and dialed Susan and Jonathan's hotel room number.
"Hello?"
"Susan, my dear. It is me."
"Hi, dad, is everything alright?"
Lao grunted in annoyance. "Jake is late! Is he with you? I want to have a word with him!"
"What? I thought he was with you?"
He let out a string of Cantonese swearwords. "Oh, I am going to give that boy a lecture! Where was he last?"
"The mall . . Dad, relax, I think –"
"No, you relax. I will look for him."
He slammed down the phone and stormed out of his room. "Oh, I am REALLY going to let him have it . . . " he grumbled.
So, I know it's been a really long time since my last chapter, and I'd hate to be one of those people who always apologizes for not keeping to their schedules, but really, sorry for the late update! I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway. Please let me know by reviewing! :)