Stranger's In Love
22|FLASHBACKS
Kim scratched the back of his head that did not itch, he dizzy digesting the story of Gerald and Irene.
“So, you guys are brothers?” kim asked to convince.
Irene and Gerald nodded simultaneously.
“Irene is Caroline, my sister who went missing that night” Gerald said for the umpteenth time.
Gerald and Irene took turns recounting the events of that night, exactly seven years ago when she was twenty and Irene was only fifteen years old.
#flashbackon
Boston, USA 05.35 pm.
Seven years ago, though,
A fifteen-year-old girl was engrossed in playing roller skates while holding hands with a woman who also wore roller skates. They enjoyed the beautiful twilight sky in the garden that afternoon.
“Mom, I want to try walking alone but I'm afraid of falling” said the girl, she always joined hands using roller skates with the woman who was none other than her mother.
They stopped her steps, the woman looked at her son gently.
“Caroline” call the woman while gently touching her son's face.
“Why, mom?” ask Caroline.
“Fall does not hurt” said the woman.
Caroline knitted her brow in confusion, the most painful thing was to fall down let alone bleed it would cause pain.
“Fall it hurts, mom. Caroline once fell down on a bike with Gerald, Caroline's knee hurt and it hurt a lot. Caroline doesn't want to bike anymore” sergeant Caroline who disagrees with her mother's opinion if the fall is not painful.
The woman smiled at this innocent child.
“When you grow up to be a grown-up girl, you will know that there are more painful things than falling”.
“What is more painful than a fall, mom?” caroline asked curiously.
“You must grow up first, then you can know” replied the woman while scrambling Caroline's hair.
Caroline pouted, her mother always managed to get her exposed to an acute curious illness.
“Do not frown, you look ugly!” seduce the woman.
Caroline just silently looked down at her two feet that were using the roller skates.
“Come, mom will teach you to rollerblade yourself. If one day mom can not accompany you, you can play roller skates by yourself” said the woman.
“No, mom. Caroline is afraid of falling” reject Caroline.
The woman looked back at Caroline trying to convince her son to learn to shoe his own wheels.
“Do not be afraid, there is a mom here. If you fall and get hurt mom will treat you” that woman tries to convince her son.
Caroline seemed to think, seconds later she nodded obediently.
“Let's try, mom” said Caroline.
The woman helped Caroline by holding her hand and then slowly she took off her armband and Caroline succeeded, the girl was able to walk on her own with her shoes.
“Look at me, mom. I can do this” exclaimed Caroline while shoveling, running, circling, she was very happy to be able to do it herself without having to join hands with her mother again.
“Yay, Caroline!” the woman shouted encouraging her son.
Caroline engrossed in playing roller skates, suddenly “BRRUKK..!”
Caroline fell from a rock in front of her, her knees bleeding and she cried. His mother immediately ran towards Caroline.
"I'm falling, sick, mom" whined Caroline.
“Nothing, you are great, don't cry my little daughter” said the woman, hugging Caroline while blowing a small wound on her son's knee.
Caroline grimaced in her mother's arms. “Sick, mom”
“Let's go home and treat your wounds” the woman went to try to get Caroline.
Caroline tried to stand up, she averted her gaze when she felt something small and cold hitting her face. He looked up at the sky, a lot of small white grains were falling, yes it was snow.
“See, mom!” Caroline pointed at the sky, then her mother turned her gaze to look at the sky.
“The first snow came down today. Beautiful, I love it, mom” Caroline still looks up at the sky, she smiles feeling very happy to see the first snow that falls.
“Mom, this is the first time Caroline has seen the first snowfall in winter. What's mom too?” ask Caroline.
“No. Mom first saw the first snow that fell in the winter was when mom was on duty in Korea” the woman replied.
“Really? What's this beautiful?” Caroline curious.
The woman smiled at her son who was so antusian, just now the woman would answer Caroline had spoken first.
“Mom, I also want to see the first snow in Korea” Caroline said with her puppy eyes.
“Get up and meet mom in Korea” said the woman, but there was a change in facial expression on her mother Caroline.
Caroline was confused, she could see the change in the look of her mother's face that looked sad.
“Why not go together? Will mom not be back home?” ask Caroline plain.
Yes, because he knew for almost three months his mother had not returned home. Caroline knew that her mother often traveled abroad but would definitely return home and live with Gerald and father. Honestly, Caroline was increasingly clueless because there was a woman who often came to her house and claimed I would be Caroline's new mother.
Caroline's mother smiled as she stroked Caroline's head. “There are things you couldn't understand when you were my little princess like you are now. Promise to grow into an adult girl and meet mom to see the first snow in Korea”
Caroline pouting.
“What is all this because auntie who often comes home?” ask Caroline who seems to understand if the relationship mom and dad is not harmonious anymore.
Caroline's mother sighed slowly. “Come home soon dark”
🍂🍂🍂
Caroline glanced at the wall clock in her room, already at 11:00 pm. She was driven home by her mother and arrived home at about 07:25 pm. His mother promised to come back to stay the night before tomorrow his mother had to go to Prague, but it was late and his mother did not come. Caroline kept calling her mother but her number was off and she tried to call Gerald but her brother said she was busy overtime. Suddenly the door of her room opened, a sexyly dressed woman walked into Caroline's room.
“Hai, my son-in-law” greet the woman. Her name is Carla Darbost–this woman is the future wife of Daniel Ricardo–her father Caroline and Geraldine.
“Caroline is not aunty” child denied Caroline.
Carla gave a small chuckle as she shook her head now looking at Caroline with her sharp gaze.
“Listen, boy! Your mother the bitch is not coming because she has left you all-ma-” Carla said emphasis at the end.
Hearing that, Caroline became sad, her heart ached. His eyes began to heat up and seconds later a puff of water dripped down the girl's chubby cheeks.
“Tante lied, mom will come later”
“You don't believe it?” ask Carla.
Caroline shook her head strongly. “Caroline hates auntie, Caroline can't believe!”
Carla smiled at the fire of anger that began to burn at this girl before her.
“Just go to the airport and meet your mother before it's too late” Carla said.
Caroline became panicked, her mind was empty, she did not want to lose her mother. During this time his mother always duty abroad but his mother never reneged on the promise as it is now, even his mother disappeared without news. Caroline ran out of the house following footsteps that went nowhere. In his current mind was that he had to meet his mother, he wanted to come with mother.
#flashbackoff
Irene also recounts the shooting incident she experienced and Alice's kindness that helped her.
“I'm sorry, Caroline. I am a bad sister” said Gerald hugged his sister.
“Don't call me Caroline. I've decided I won't go back to being Caroline Ricardo, which is why I pretended to lose my memory so I could go with Alice. Caroline Ricardo was dead seven years ago” Irene said.
Kim nodded increasingly understanding of the problems that occurred.
“So can I guess your reason for going to Korea is to see your mother?” ask Kim.
Irene smiled, then nodded. “Nee” said (in Korean means yes)
“You won't find it” said Gerald suddenly.
Irene pouted at Gerald. “Why?”
“She is not a mother. It's not even appropriate to call mom after she left us without news and let dad marry that bitch Carla”.
Irene was shocked, so her mother actually left her children? But, Why? Why is mom like this? Doesn't her mother love her children?
“Even I live only as a puppet to a Daniel Ricardo. I'm just someone who was born to be the successor to the Ricardo Family business. Without knowing the meaning of the real family” continued Gerald.
Irene squeezed, her chest tightened, her eyes heated up. Why do you and your mom love you so much? Did something really happen to the Ricardo family?