SERENDIPITY
Chapter 2
"Life goes on?"
A few years later, Terrence Grandchester was with his fiancée, Susanna Marlowe whom he was supposed to marry in a few days. She had long blond hair with blue eyes. It had taken him some time to finally decide to marry her.
- Honey, I was able to book the Waldorf-Astoria! Can you imagine? They had a last minute cancellation! She had told him while they were preparing the wedding.
- The Waldorf? Said Terrence.
All his thoughts were all of a sudden back to that evening when he had met Candy… and their last attempt to be together in the elevators… but why was he thinking about Candy? He had spent the last years searching second hand book stores looking for "Romeo and Juliet", but none of them had Candy's information in them… Maybe she didn't do it? No, Candy had seem to be an honourable person who kept her word… Since the elevator thingy hadn't worked, she had probably dropped the book to the second hand bookstore like she had promised. Anyway, he had moved on with his life, it wasn't important, Candy had probably moved on with her life too, unless a miracle happens…
- Yes, the Waldorf-Astoria, said Susanna, isn't that classy? We have the rehearsal dinner tonight. Isn't that great?
- Euh, yes, honey, said Terry smiling, that's great.
But he was thinking that if that wasn't a sign, that was taking him back to Candy… No, it had been too long…but didn't he continued looking for the book? He kissed Susanna to try to erase the image of Candy, without really succeeding… and the wedding was now for very soon.
HE went to the Waldorf –Astoria with Susanna. He met Charlie Sanders, his childhood friend who was there with his sweetheart, Sandra. His parents were there too, so were Susanna's and those who were in the wedding party, girls and boys of honour.
His friend Charlie practice his speech and Terrence was smiling, but his head was elsewhere. He kept kissing Susanna to try to forget about Candy. When the rehearsal was over, they all had to meet to have a drink, but Terrence wasn't feeling like it…
- Mum, dad, I can't stay, he said, I have a lot of work to do.
- Oh Terry, said his mother, can't you not work just for tonight?
- No, mum, other wise, I would. I don't have the choice.
- All right son, said his father, but don't worry… you're getting married soon.
- Exactly, I have to finish everything before I leave for my honeymoon, said Terrence
Susanna approached him.
- You're going to be thinking about me?
"Even if I'm thinking about another woman at this moment…" He said in his mind.
He kissed Susanna for a long time on the lips.
- Work well, honey, don't over do it.
- Goodbye honey, said Terry leaving.
Susanna got inside the Waldorf to join the others.
Terry was walking to go get his car and he passed in front of a booth selling books.
- A little book to read? Said the vendor who was the Jamaican type with a big woollen hat on the head.
Terrence looked on the table and he saw "Romeo and Juliet". He took the book and opened it… Nothing. He put it back. The seller asked him:
- You don't like the book?
- I already read it, said Terry.
- I can propose to you something else? "The Bridges of Madison County"?
- I've seen the movie, thank you, said Terrence leaving.
He walked to the parking where he had left his car, he took it and went back home to "work"
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In another city of the Unites States, in Chicago, more exactly, Candice White, was going to work. She was a doctor at the hospital, but she also worked for a free clinic, to help those who couldn't afford to pay for their medical care. She did her rounds and she couldn't wait to go back home. She had a young man who had hurt his leg. He was also a little disappointed…
- I was in a party with her and I let her go without telling her! Can you believe that? She's my soul mate! My destiny… what do you think doctor?
Candy started thinking about that evening she has spent with Terrence in New York… Why was she thinking about him all of a sudden?
- Well, I think that everything happens for a reason. If you're destined to be together, you're going to end up together…
- Thank you doctor, for cheering me up, but I know you're a scientist… you believe in serendipity?
She looked at him smiling.
- Good luck Jason, she said.
- Thank you doctor…
She continued her rounds thinking about Terrence, but she decided that she should get him out of her thoughts… At the end of the day, she went back home. She had an apartment not too far from where she worked. She opened the door and she saw the floor was full of white rose petals. She smiled. There was a big box gift wrapped in white silk paper on the living room table. She put her bag on the couch and she opened the box. She found another box inside and she smiled and she found another box and another one and another one, and finally a little blue velvet box and she opened it, but the box was empty!
- You haven't said "yes" yet, said a man's voice.
She raised her head to looke at him smiling. He approached her and with the ring, he was making the sound of an airplane…
- Yes, she said smiling
He approached her and kissed her on the lips. Then he took her left hand and put the engagement ring… but… it looked like something was blocking it! He tried insisting…
- It's ok, she said, we'll take it to the jeweller to adjust it.
- All right, he said, but don't go and read some sort of sign, all right? It's an accident! That's all.
- No, oh Lord , said Candy, don't worry, it's beautiful.
She looked at the ring, half way to her ring finger…
- I like it a lot!
But the incident was still in her mind.
- Great! He said, I'm going to call Archie and the others to tell them you said "yes"! Get ready to go out!
- What? She said surprised, they were worried?
- Not about your answer, but because of our tour… they were hoping they would be able to program our honeymoon in our schedule… Bora-Bora? What do you think?
- Yes! I can't wait! She said smiling.
He got out of the room to make his phone call. Candy stayed in the living room and looked at the ring which was half way through her finger… It was like destiny was telling her not to get married… she had refused to give her phone number to Terrence, because a truck went by just at that moment to make her piece of paper fly… then there was the elevators… but when she went back home that night, she had decided to drop the book to a second hand store… and since that night, every time she would get some change , she would check the 5$ notes to see if Terrence's name and number was on it… She thought she had forgotten about that story, since it had been years… First her patient and now the engagement ring that's refusing to slide… What was destiny trying to tell her?
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Terrence often went to exercise on the golf club during lunch time to discuss business while eating and playing golf. He was with Charlie who was talking business on the phone. He was sitting on a chair looking at men exercising. Charlie was done talking on the phone and he came near him.
- I've sealed the deal! You're ready, buddy?
At the same moment, he heard a woman's voice.
- I'm Candy Lawson…, she said
- Yes, come with me, said a man taking her away
Charlie realised Terry wasn't listening to him.
- Buddy! Earth to Terrence! Are you with me?
- Oh… yes! Let's go! I need to go to the hairdresser…
- I'll drop you off, said Charlie
His friend noticed he worried face.
- What are you thinking about?
- Nothing…
- All right, when you're ready to talk, you know where to find me.
Terrence didn't say anything. They arrived at the hairdresser and he got out of the car. He got in the hair salon and he was waiting for his usual hairdresser, he was alreay wearing the protection cape. But the one who ended up approaching him wasn't his hairdresser…
- Hello, the groom to be! I'm going to take care of you…
- What? But where is Lauren? He asked surprised
- She to step out for an emergency. My name is Candy and I can take care of you…
She put her hand in his hair… he couldn't believe it!
- You know what? He said taking his cape off, I don't really want to have a new haircut for my own wedding on the pictures!
- But, it's not going to take lon…, I can cut your hair, just a trim.
- No, I would have to live with the pictures for the rest of my life… thank you, but I'm leaving!
- Just a little trim…,she tried again
But Terry was already gone. Since he didn't have his car, he decided to take a cab. He didn't want to think too much about what was going on… whey was he hearing Candy's name everywhere? In his cab, which was going very slow because of the traffic jam at peak hours… there was a man in a motorcycle who was singing. He was wearing earphones listening to songs, and that meant he was singing bad and off key and loud, like all those who have earphones on…
I want Candy! I want Candy! I want Candy!
Terry looked out the window and he saw a young man with head set singing… when he went back to the office, he went to see Charlie in his office.
- You're back alreay? It doesn't look like you've had a hair cut…
- I cancelled!
- You cancelled? But why?
- Something really weird is happening to me… at the golf club, she was there, she had gained weight… then at the hair salon, my hairdresser wasn't there and she was supposed to cut my hair… then in the cab, a guy on a motorcycle was serenading me with her name…
- But what are you talking about?
- Candy! It's like the universe is trying to tell me to go and find her…it's playing with my head!
- You're getting married in three days!
- I know…
- It's completely nuts! Why would you want to risk your relationship with Susanne for an impossible dream?
- Listen to me for a second… I'm sure I'm in love with Susanna. When you fall in love with someone, it's always different because it wouldn't be fair to compare them,,, but,,, it's like Susanna is the movie "The Godfather part II"…
- She's what?
- The Godfather part II, it was an incredible movie, maybe even better than the original, but whatever the love we feel about the godfather part II , you absolutely have to see the original, to understand and appreciate the sequel, right?
Charlie looked at her dumbfounded.
- Come on! Is it really asking too much to my best friend? You already have your dream wedding!
- I'm your best man!
- You can help me find her…
- You don't have her last name. The proof, you just met two other Candy…
- Or find the book!
- We've tried for years, and we didn't find anything, remember?
- Maybe I missed a store… or someone was there just before me…
- You know what? Keep me out of all this! Said Candy firmly
But a few moments later, he was with Terry in a second hand bookstore looking for "Romeo and Juliet", the found some but none of them had Candy's information… Then they went to another one…
In the end, they were in a pub having a drink.
- You know what? Said Terry, maybe I'm giving up…
- Maybe she got old bad, said Charlie.
- Shut up! Said Terry smiling, Thanks for your help buddy… I'm going to go back home. Susanna must be waiting for me.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Susanna was waiting for Terry to have dinner with him. She greeted him with a kiss at the door.
- Good evening honey, did you have a good day?
"A good day? I was haunted by Candy…" said Terry to himself.
- Very nice! HE said out loud
- You didn't get a haircut?
- I didn't have the time.
- Honey… oh well, you're handsome and that's all that counts… tell me you love me…
- I lover you, he repeated mechanically.
- Tell me something romantic.
- Like what?
- I don't know… like that I'm the only woman in the universe that's destined to be with you…
Terry looked at her. He was about to open his mouth, when the smoke alarm went off…
- Oh my God! The dinner! She said running to the kitchen. By the way I emptied your closed, we have to pack for our honeymoon…
Terrence was wondering if it wasn't a signg for him not to get married, Interrupted before he was about to make his declaration… it was like destiny didn't want him to make that declaration…
He went to the bedroom and looked at what Susanna he done with his things. He had a sigh and sat on the bed. He felt something and he looked, it was the little bag from Bloomingdale's that Candy had thrown at him with the glove inside. He smiled,…another sign? He put the glove on his right hand and he felt something inside and he got it out… it was the receipt…, she had used her credit card… he could try to track her down at the store…
The alarm had stopped…
- Are you coming honey, to see what we can eat?
- I'm coming, said Terry
He kept the receipt preciously… he was going to go to Bloomingdale's to try to get Candy's information.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Candy was listening to her fiancé's band, which was playing in a bar. There were a lot of people and the music was good. There was a lot of clapping; The manager of the band came to tell them a good news.
- Good job! The tickets for the concert of Stockholm are sold out! We will have to add some more representation… so were going to skip Paris.
- I'm sorry, said Candy, last night we picked a wedding date and the honey moon and I've already made arrangements at my work for my patients…
- Candy, said her fiancé, your patients can do without you for a little while longer.
- Come on, Candy, said her friend Annie, two little weeks more in Europe is not going to you're your patients…
When she found herself alone with her fiancé, he looked at her.
- Is something wrong, honey?
- It's just that I like to be organised… I had already planed with my patients, I really don't fee like changing my appointment s at the last minutes…
An African-American woman came to interrupt them.
- Excuse me, you have to approve the Australian t-shirts…
- All right. Can we talk later? He asked Candy.
- Of course, said Candy smiling.
- It doesn't bother her, said her fiancée leaving with the young woman.
Candy stayed alone and she started thinking. All of a sudden, she had to get out of there breathe some fresh air. She found herself outside and it was raining. She walked under the rain breathing… she stopped in front of a wall on which there were lots of poster of old movies, there was a poster odf "The Hustler" with Paul Newman. She opened her mouth, surprised… Terrence's favourite movie…
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