Letters to Hae

Chapter 25

As Hae cleared away the sadness from his mind, he looked again down the corridor but that same blonde woman now appeared to be heading towards him. On closer inspection, glasses back on his face, he saw the woman was wearing glasses and had slowed down in her steps until she reached her door. They both realised who the other person was.

Hae slowly took a step back and turned his face to the side to catch his tears with his fingers. He let out a little laugh that was more shock than anything else. After a minute or so, he turned to face Rachel and waited for her say something.

Rachel looked him in the eye, but he noticed that her eyes were glazed over. "Hey..." she said in a monotone voice. "I guess you'd like to come in... one sec" and she turned to open the door to her apartment.

Something was off. His anticipation turned to sorrow. It wasn't so much her hair colour but more her tone, the look in her eye that showed the massive wall she had put around herself to stop anyone getting too close. He waited until she entered and turned the lights on, then followed her in, closing the door behind them.

The unit she lived in, was furnished in simple tones of light wood, grey and pink. Some plants needed watering but overall the little home she had here was very clean and modern. He saw her box of movies over by the corner and wine bottles lay on their belly on the small shelf by the kitchen bench.

Rachel had disappeared around the corner to her room he guessed and he saw the flickering light of lamps being switched on, and the music which seemed to come from her room, was now being turned down to a low level. Rachel came out to the living room, bare feet and unbuttoning the last few buttons on her coat. She left the coat hanging on her shoulders and ran her fingers through her hair. She turned on the lamp by the living room window and walked back to the kitchen and turned the kettle on. Hae hadn't moved from his spot in the hallway. "Please, have a seat... would you like a cuppa?" Again, he heard those words being said with no emotion. "Thank you, I'd love one" he replied and made his way to the small couch. He didn't know the etiquette in Rachel's home, so he had made sure to take off and leave his shoes by the door. He still had his backpack on his shoulders and removed that slowly while waiting with baited breath for Rachel to say something next.

The two cups of tea were placed on a tray and brought over to where Hae was sitting. She put the tray on the table in front of him and asked him if he wanted any biscuits or food. Hae took a sip of his tea, and quietly responded with 'no thank you'. The room started to feel warm and Hae sensed that Rachel must have put the central heating on before sitting down. When Rachel sat on the couch next to him, he saw that she kept her distance. Curled up in the corner of the couch, she placed her coat over her legs to shield her from the cold and from what, he guessed, was going to possibly unfold next. He, himself, was still perched on the edge of the couch unable to move position.

"How was your flight?" Rachel asked

"Good, not a full flight so a very quiet ride..." Hae answered

"How long are in Sydney for?" she asked, her tone unchanged

"A few days I think. Depends what happens..." Hae's voice trailed off

"Well, its nice that you came by to say hi, I can drive you to your hotel once you're finished here..." he heard no emotion in her words. Hae was starting to break down at hearing her cold voice but stopped himself before he lost control. A single tear betrayed him.

"I'm about to head out to get some dinner, you can join me if you like. It's just a short walk down the road... and I usually walk back to have dinner sitting on the floor eating from my coffee table... would that be ok?" Rachel spoke to her tea cup. "Sure, that would be nice" Hae answered as he watched her.

They finished their tea in silence and as Rachel got up to pass Hae to clear the tray and cups, Hae grabbed her hand gently and waited for her reaction. He didn't move from the couch however he turned slightly to face Rachel. With pleading eyes, he asked her to sit down for a little bit. She sat on the floor facing him, her feet curled up beside her and her arm leaning on the couch as their fingers remained intertwined and hanging from the couch.

He fell to the floor and faced her directly "I'm... sorry Rachel. So very, deeply sorry for doing this to you. I never imagined that it would be this hard and take this long to come see you. I... I... have no words..." and with his free hand he covered his eyes to stop Rachel from seeing the wave of tears falling. His heart ached and he reached for his chest and then he broke down completely in front of her.

"It's perfectly fine... these things happen. Misunderstandings happen to everyone. I'm fine now... and I'm sorry you feel so sad but give it some time and you will be ok too. You will heal slowly. It's actually very nice to see you again. I'm glad we had the chance to talk..." a little silence then she continued "let's go get some food, the air will be good for both of us... you can leave your stuff here, we won't be long. Let's go!" Hae saw Rachel force a smile as she finished talking. He asked to use the bathroom and once done, they headed out to buy some dinner.