The Red Bow [Chaelisa]

41. The truth about the past

All the peaceful, loving side that Chaeyoung carried with her was pushed aside in the next push she gave to the man. Logan staggered and slammed his back on the car door, when he recovered he turned to the blonde ready to hit her.

"Are you going to hit a woman? Is this how you intend to have Lisa?“ Chaeyoung face him and the man seems to have come to his senses, then he lowered his fists and fixed his shirt collar. “Do yourself a favor and don’t waste your time with me, I’m not yours to choose whether or not to stay in Lisa’s life.“ the blonde turned her back on the lawyer and walked back to the balcony, but not before turning her body around and completing: “If you get in the way I swear I will top you, Logan. I love Lisa to the point of destroying what we call the stupid world."

Logan had tears in his eyes. He was ashamed of what he had done and even more furious at what was happening in his life. He knew he couldn’t stand in the way between Lisa and Chaeyoung, he knew he was being the stumbling block for both of them, yes, he knew all that and yet he couldn’t break free of this love that imprisoned him to selfishness. That same selfishness that kept him from letting his fiance go.

***
6:34pm.

(Play Music: Chet Baker – Almost Blue)

Meanwhile, across town, Lisa was facing herself in a battle for choices. Choices that would affect the rest of her life if not made with awareness and wisdom. Using The Village as an office break was a great way to get involved with the old Lisa. The band played a quiet Chet Baker tune and the café was empty except for a table occupied by a couple. The man was gesturing as tears streamed down the woman’s face, smudging her makeup. Probably a breakup. How many more heartbroken people? That woman had just joined the stat of 68% of people left with their hearts in pieces.

Statistics.

That’s what the world is all about, right?

It was a little late and dusk was approaching, Chaeyoung still hadn’t called or left any messages. This was weird. In the same way that Logan was strange when he arrived last night, the Thai had already returned from her walk with Chaeyoung and was sitting on the bed reading the book One Hundred Years of Solitude after playing with Ethan and putting him to bed. Logan barely bothered to ask how his day was like usual, he just took a long shower and got into bed saying he was tired and needed sleep.

She didn’t blame him, she was being distant and cold days before the wedding, obviously it affected him, but Lisa also knew Logan didn’t ask what was going on for fear of being left. Everyone who knew the man knew how insecure he could be. That was one of the points that connected them, two extremely insecure people, raised by strict families, and well, for some open-minded people like Somi, Jennie and Jisoo it might be easy to just leave the family and be with the one you really love, but for people like Lisa and Logan it’s almost impossible to go against everything that has been taught over time. Just as it is difficult for old people to accept the changes in the modern world.

And here she was, with an almost cruel doubt with only a few days to go before the wedding. She was determined to leave Logan, that was a fact, there was no doubt after a wonderful night of love with Chaeyoung. But how? How to tell all the guests that everything was canceled, how to tell Logan that she was leaving him for another? How to tell Ethan that Uncle Logan would no longer be around and that Chaeyoung would be in his place? That she would be his new mother if he let her? How to face the damn fear society and walking around hand in hand with a woman and a child? How to face your co-workers and how would your customers react to this information?

How?

“Here again, Lisa? I’m starting to think you’re in love with someone from this place.“ Eli’s voice cut the Thai’s thoughts bringing her to the real world. The man, who now looked much older and tired, was smiling sweetly and holding his apron in his hands.