Towards Redemption [HIATUS]

2.|Lovers Across The Road|

Yesterday, Esmae learnt a valuable lesson, if she had thought through it correctly, she wouldn't have been slammed to the wall with brute force and almost choked to death. The moral of the story was: always ask for a stranger's permission before you take his picture OR don't run away after you have.

In some ways, Esmae had found the whole incident comical, she was rather lucky to have escaped unscathed and unharmed, because that man, despite how good looking he was, there was something very dangerous about him. If her Papa were here, he'd ask her to stay away from him and where she'd met him. But Esmae simply couldn't do it. Yet.

The ticket to completing the next wish on her list lies on that place: the old lady's flower shop.

Early morning, Esmae had made her way to the flower shop, exactly at opening time. Her faithful Polaroid and brown bag equipped with all essentials by her side. This time, she was dressed in a wife beater with a flannel shirt that belonged to her brother and some jeans she had pulled out and her favourite pair of light pink sneakers. She had gone lengths to braid her hair but even she knew it was poorly done.

The owner of the shop, Janice Felton was already inside the stop, watering the flowers as she went about her daily routine. She looked up from the sound of the bell ringing, alerting her to the arrival of a customer.

"Welcome!" She stand up and wipes her hands on her apron, and keeps the watering can on the stool next to her before turning around. "How may I help...?" She stopped when she came face to face with her customer, a grinning and slightly sleepy Esmae. "Esmae darling, what are you doing here this early morning?" She asks in surprise.

Esmae knew Janice since she was little, her Papa used to be a regular here when Mama was still alive and well, every day from work, he'd stop by to buy her a flower.

"Oh nothing Janice." Esmae grins as she keeps her bag somewhere behind the counter, "I just wanted to stop by." She smiles and Janice's eyes narrow. "I know that look Esmae, you're up to something. Better tell me what." She says and Esmae smiles warmly.

"It's about Jacob isn't it?" She asks. And Esmae moves towards the old lady, gently grabbing her hands she leads her to a chair. "It's been more than 42 years, Janice. He lives just across the road! You can just go talk to him. You won't find out anything if you don't go talk to him." Esmae says and Janice shakes her head.

"I'm sorry dear, I am convinced he hates me. I can't bear to see hate in his eyes for me." Janice says and moves back to watering flowers. "See you soon then Janice." Esmae calls as she makes her way out of the shop, determination shone in her eyes.

She wasn't giving up just yet.

Sighing, she flopped down on a bench in the park a minute's walk away from the flower shop. The same park with the fountain.

After a few minutes of holding her head in her palms, Esmae pulled out her book again. She flipped the pages until she reached the one she was looking for.

In the same writing as the one on the first page, but with a different design are the words reunite two lovers. Below it, there is an old dead daisy and an old high school picture.

There are two faces circled with a red sharpie on it along with cut outs from the school year book. She had asked both Janice and Jacob for their picture from their old high school year book and neither could say no.

Janice and Jacob were high school sweethearts, they were in love with each other and were even engaged. But somehow, they got into a big fight and parted ways, they haven't spoken to each other for 42 years and live across the road from each other. Janice runs a flower shop and Jacob owns a restaurant that sells the best Chinese noodles in the city.