Going Solo

Part 3

"Finally alone." he sighed.

Jin Dong sat down, quite content, in the comfort of the silence that surrounded him in his office. He continued typing away at the desktop computer that sat atop his large "L" shaped glass desk.

He grabbed for his cup of Jasmine tea that he'd bought from the bakery downstairs. He paused before the cup met his lips. Jasmine tea. He knew he'd regret it, but he couldn't resist. It was his favorite, and yet it repulsed him. It had been her favorite too. She'd poured herself a cup every morning. He pulled the steaming cup to his lips. It burned him as usual, almost as much as she had, still he drank the rich, sweet tea, taking in the aroma that smelled just like her perfume.

Suddenly, the door was flung open and slammed closed, without the slightest care in the world.

"It's time." he said as he slouched down in the armchair in front of Jin's desk.

"You don't seem like you're in much of a hurry."

"I'm not, but you should be, you have to do the speech for these people."

"Was that today?"

"It's actually in like 10 minutes." he said glancing at his wristwatch.

"It's right downstairs."

"You should be there right now. Knowing you, if I don't stay here and bother you until you move, you'll be late."

Hugh Nahm, co-worker and life-long friend, of Jin was the only person with whom he could truly not be easily perturbed. His mother and Jin's, had been friends since they were children as well. Naturally Hugh and Jin had been bound for the same fate.

He took another sip of tea and couldn't help but conjure up memories of the two of them by the sea, when they were younger, after she'd left. He'd been there for Jin like no one else could. They'd spent days by that shore watching the ocean and sighing. Hugh had let him cry, and hadn't said a word. By the end of that week, Jin had taken a resolution to never let any woman destroy him that way again.

Jin finished the last of his tea, and tossed the disposable Styrofoam cup into the trash bin.

He stood up and they exited the room, passing the picture of them that Jin kept on his wall beside the door. That picture of them at the seashore, on their last day there. The day he let her go.

"Let's get this over with." he sighed.