Everybody stared to the person who darted wildly down the narrow gravel road. Some of the children ran themselves to their mother; frightened with the sight. Even everyone along the street quickly emptied the path as the stranger went through it. For some reason, the slum area suddenly turned quiet that morning; the thud of the stranger's footsteps crunched ferociously, filling the silence around the area with a slight tremor. No one ever dared to ask neither stop the stranger from entering their region. One thing that they sure, the stranger came to find somebody.
"Open the door!" The people watched the person knocked on the door of one of the houses. The force was too much where everybody started to worry that the shabby house might broke down to pieces.
"Hongyok open the door!"
After awhile, the door flung open in a sudden gush. The owner was in complete shock with the unwelcomed visit. Everybody saw the teenage girl panted in startled as she stepped right at the door.
"P'Kim..." The girl looked dumbfounded. She scanned her gaze to the tom from the head to toe. Kim looked exactly like a gangster in her black outfit. The black leather jacket hung on her skinny frame perfectly yet the full - faced helmet covered up her face in mystery. However, her figure was not a complete bizarre to the teenage girl. Hongyok seemed to know every inch of Kim's figure very well.
"Where is Pie?" Kim rushed to get into the small house making Hongyok stumbled backward for the sudden move. The girl got a long scratch on her arms as Kim accidently pushed her to the old wooden door.
"P'Pie is not here." The girl answered, staring to Kim bewilderedly as the tom wandered around their house, trying to look for her sister.
"Don't lie to me. Where is she?" Kim turned around to the teenage girl.
"She is not here. Don't you see it's only me in the house?" Hongyok shrugged. The burning anger of the tom hinted her that something has gone wrong between her sister and also her employer. Kim would never come there for such unimportant purpose.
"Pie, come out. Don't hide yourself." Kim said losing every bit of her patience. The tom went back and forth around the small area indignantly.
"P'Kim, my sister is not here. The last time I met her was when I came to your house the other day." The teenage girl informed.
"Where did she go?" Kim dropped herself to the old couch, sighing hard in frustration.
"What's wrong?" Hongyok took a place opposite to the tom.
"Pie left the house. She is missing." Kim shed every word carefully to the girl's hearing. Later, she caught the teenage girl gasped in shock.
"Are you sure she is missing?" Hongyok queried, lines of worries drawn all over her innocent face.
"She left me a note with 'GOODBYE' message on it." Kim sighed. Her heart sank at the thought of being betrayed by the girl she valued the most.
"P'Kim, what is really happening between both of you?" It was such amazement to the tom when the teenage girl could be so calm in the chaos. How could Hongyok possibly not to fret with her sister sudden missing?
Indecision wrapped Kim as she had to choose between keeping her promises to Pie of not exposing their secret to anyone and being honest with the girl's sister by blood about their relationship. Sooner or later, they could never hold the secret anymore from the teenage girl. Hongyok would figure things out someday; perhaps not too soon but when it came to her knowledge, Kim and Pie might never been exist any longer - separated.
"We are engaged. She's my fiancée." Kim told the girl before she saw Hongyok nodded her understands. Surprisingly, it was not the expected reaction the tom would anticipate to see. The confession didn't affect that girl that much. She was so calm that nothing has gone wrong with the engagement where she had not been told for the occasion on the first place.
"I knew it. My sister is never too good in lying." Hongyok said with a smile. "Please take care of her." The teenage girl bowed down her head in respect gesture. She was as polite as ever; the thing that always pleased Kim whenever she met the girl.
"Don't you feel mad or object this relationship? Don't you feel upset because Pie kept it off from your knowledge?" Kim asked bewildered with the easy response that the girl showed.
"I'm glad that P'Pie finally found someone who cares a lot about her. Thank you so much for taking care of my sister." The girl's eyes shone with a bright sense of relief.
"Alright. I'm glad you happy for us but now, you have to help me to look for your sister. She is missing." Kim started to become panic again. Pie left without a concrete reason and that puzzled her to the worse mess.
"Well, perhaps you can look for her at Aunty Inn's place. Who knows she is there." Hongyok suggested, tapping a finger to her chin as she spoke.
"Aunty Inn's place?"
"Yes. P'Yam is her best friend." The girl nodded.
***************************************************************************************
Meanwhile at the bungalow...
"Kim! You have to help me." Pie bellowed from distance. She hurriedly made her steps into the house again from the backyard. She directed her move to the kitchen, anticipating that she could see the tom eating her breakfast at the very moment. She needed the tom's help for an urgent matter.
"Kim, please help me." Pie said catching her breath as soon as she reached the targeted place.
"There's...."
"Kim?" She stared to the empty air, disturbed by the tom's absence. The breakfast which she prepared earlier was left untouched. Shifting her gaze to the spot where Kim always took, she saw Kim's belongings were there, setting carefully on the empty chair. However, the tom was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is she?" Pie brought herself to the wide window overlooking the yard. The white Lamborghini was still there, telling her that the tom was not yet left the house.
"Kimhan Jittaleela, aren't you going to work?" Pie bellowed from downstairs. She quickly changed her direction to upstairs; she had been taking care of almost everything about Kim. One of them most probably been said as the human alarm clock to the tom. The daily Pie was sort of a giant siren rang to every edge of the house to remind the tom of what time it was and then.
"Kimhan?" Pie craned her neck through the slightly ajar door. Sadly, Kim was not in the room. Later, she turned around to look for the tom at the other places in the house. Not before she arranged her steps once again, Pie realized that her room was widely open. No; she didn't leave it that way earlier.
"Kimhan? Are you in here?" Pie entered her room with the hope to see the tom in there. Again she was disappointed that Kim was still nowhere to be found.
"Kim, don't play around. You need to go to the office." Pie growled when the thought of Kim purposely wanted to tease her came to her mind.
"Show yourself. I need your help." Pie said again.
Pie was about to leave the room when her attention was drawn to a piece of paper on the floor. A sudden rush of fear flew through her veins as she quickly picked it up and read the content. At the very moment, she felt that her world had stop spinning and everything seemed to cease from exist.
"GOODBYE KIM." The note was a terrible mistake she has ever done and to her worse, Kim had found it before she destroyed the message.
"God! Kim must have misunderstood this." Pie cursed herself for such careless deed.
"Where have she been?" Fright started to envelope her. The cell phone on the table called Pie that the only way to reach the tom was through a phone call. Not to waste her time, she hurriedly grabbed the phone. Again, universe seemed to joke her around when the battery was dead. It was plugged to the charger but to her careless, she didn't switch it on.
Once the cell phone was connected to its life, it didn't stop vibrating indicating a lot of notifications were received. "God, Kim must be really mad with me." Pie felt her life on the hook when it showed 25 missed calls from the tom. Kim must have been worried sick because her own silliness. The tom should have known that she would not leave the house without any concrete reason.
**********************************************************************************
Back to the slum area...
"Have you tried to call her?" Yam asked, shooting a look to the tom as if she was a detective in charge. Kim was being surrounded by the people; Aunty Inn, Hongyok and also P'Boy seated to the chair as if she was a criminal in investigation.
"It's only the fucking operator who answers me. Pie switched off her phone." Kim said impatient. She threw the cell phone to the table and Hongyok quickly caught it before it slid down to the floor.
"What have you done to her? Pie won't run anywhere if you didn't do something wrong to her." It's P'Boy who came to investigate. From the first time Kim ever met him, he has never changed a bit. Even in his serious condition, he still kept his squid gesture.
"I didn't do anything." Kim mused. The argument they had the night before flashed through her mind. Was it the cause for Pie to run away?
"Kim, we know you have something with Pie. You better tell us the truth. What have you done to her?" It's Yam who questioned. Everybody seemed to put the blame on her. Kim was trapped for things she was unsure in which part of it she was utterly wrong. Pie just simply left her without words.
"I swear I didn't do anything." The tom shrugged but then she caught Yam glared to her with a warning look. "Fine, we did have a little fight last night but I don't think it was the reason for her to leave."
"You hurt my sister." P'Boy landed a smack to the back of Kim's head. Kim turned a startled look to the guy. No one has ever done it to her.
"It was complicated." Kim sighed, losing her way to explain every complicated sequence that ever happened between them. How supposed she told them about the engagement and also the arranged marriage which will soon to occur? No one has ever understood the matter except both of them.
"It's doesn't change the fact that you hurt her." Another smack landed on the tom's head again. Kim pouted with sour expression all over her face. There's no chance for her to win this matter when everybody had already put the blame on her.
"P'Boy, enough with it." Hongyok came to rescue. She placed herself in between Kim and P'Boy, separating the two persons apart.
"P'Kim, why don't you try to call her again?" Hongyok suggested, handing the phone to the tom. Kim nodded as she took the phone from the girl. Yam beckoned her with the mouth, asking to put the phone to a loud speaker. Obviously, they wanted to listen to the conversation too if Pie ever happened to pick up the call.
The call rang a few times not as the same as the first 25 trials Kim did earlier. The tom believed that there was a chance Pie would answer the call. Everybody waited patiently for the call to be answered but then it disappointed them because Pie still refused to pick up the phone. Not to give up, Kim dialled the number again. Pie's picture appeared on the screen as the rings continue. It was the picture on their engagement day. Pie was so beautiful in her dress.
Knowing that the call would not be answered by the girl, Kim decided to put an end to it but so suddenly it stopped ringing. Pie did pick up the call.
"Hello?" Kim greeted, uncertain if it was the right say to start the conversation. Everybody waited anxiously to hear Pie.
"KIM, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? GET BACK TO OUR HOME, NOW!" Pie's voice sprang through the line with everybody listening to it. Yam exchanged her gaze to her mother while Aunty Inn returned it to P'Boy. Later P'Boy averted his startled face to Hongyok and the teenage girl shook her head in disbelief. Kim gradually covered her face with her hands, embarrassed.
"Pie, where are you?" Kim faltered.
"I'm not going anywhere you idiot! Wherever you are, get back to home now." Pie warned. An instant later, the call ended, leaving the surrounding in an awkward silence.
Everybody stood there in confusion. It seemed like none of them could register of what really happening back then. Kim told them Pie went missing but just now, the girl told the tom she was home and everybody was listening to it.
"I'll get back to the kitchen." Aunty Inn was the first one who excused herself. Kim noticed the woman rubbed her head in astonishment sort of way. She must be as puzzled as her too.
"I'll help my Mum." Yam followed after the woman. It's getting more awkward as the lady left.
"Ah, I heard Aunty Inn call me." P'Boy said. Sooner the man gone from their sight too and the only person left was Hongyok.
"You better go now, P'Kim." The teenage girl said, breaking the awkward moment. "Take yours." She handed the helmet together with Kim's jacket.
"Do you think I am the one who was so wrong?" The tom asked to the girl. Hongyok returned a shrug as a response before she broke into a pearly white amusement smile.
"Take care of my sister." Hongyok requested again.
"It's my responsibility." Kim assured it to the girl. "Hongyok, please keep this secret for us." She whispered.
"Everything is safe with me." Hongyok promised, making a gesture of sealing her lips at the same time.
Kim could smile in relief for it. "Good girl. That's my honey." She patted the girl's head. "Call me if you needed anything. I will help you."
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
*************************************************************************************
The Bungalow
Pie saw the black beast entering the yard at its fast speed. It's no wonder that the luxurious car was still there in the garage. Kim took her motorbike. Pie watched the tom reached the house with her long strides. Just before the tom appeared at the door, Pie quickly took her seat on the couch as if she has long ago waited for the tom at the living room. An instant later, Kim's figure showed up. They exchanged their gazes for a brief second before Kim darted to her direction. There was a slight feel of relief implied on her face. It was delighted with a perfect bright smile.
"Thank God you are still here." Kim knelt down to her height of sitting position. The tom levelled her gaze to her and those beautiful brown eyes found hers. The eyes lit up with excitement as if they have seen a great joy to their view. Pie knew, Kim was just so relieved to the fact that she didn't leave.
"I thought you'd left." Kim said, taking the girl's hand to her face as if she wanted to feel whether the girl right in front of her eyes was real.
"You're stupid. Don't you know that this house is big? Why don't you check for me at the backyard?" Pie scowled, pulling away her gaze from the tom.
"I found the note. You were saying goodbye to me." Kim fussed. The smiling face was being replaced by a big frown.
"I've told you, I won't go anywhere. Why don't you just try to believe me? Promises are made not to be broken. I will stay with you until the agreement is over. Don't you get it?" Pie returned a look. Kim was trapped momentarily. It was not only her who used the psychological approaches in this relationship. Day by day, Pie started to learn it too and to her surprise Pie got along so well with it.
"I'm afraid you leave me for real." Kim said, always being honest with her say. She hung her head low when the girl's eyes penetrated hers in threatening sort of look. It was just too painful to think that she was losing the girl just now - the moment where she thought Pie had left.
"Look at me." Pie tipped the tom's chin and made the latter to look at her. "Believe me I'll stay with you until the time we shall separate." The girl said receiving a painful grimace from the tom in return. She knew it well; Kim had never favour the time whenever they talked about the matter. The sense was getting stronger with each increasing day where Kim didn't want her to leave at all. The tom was too head over heels with her that she was blinded by the unrequited love she had.
"I'm sorry." Kim apologized as she took the girl's hand for a kiss. If Pie could ever describe the feeling a girl would feel, ones must have been flattered or in other words melted with the act. Kim was very gentlewoman in every sort of way. Every girl would daydream to have such passionate lover as the tom. Kim stood in between the line of being perfect and beyond it when it comes to love matter. Her love and care was as warm as her heart. It put anyone under a magical spell if it happened to shoot you right to the soft spot of your heart.
"Where have you been?" Pie queried as the curiosity hit her right at the point. Kim made her wonder where the tom had gone to in order to look for her.
"Check on you at your home." Kim answered; entwining their fingers together as if she afraid Pie would run somewhere.
"You went to the slum area?" Pie responded in her utmost astonishment sort of way.
"That's the only place I know." Kim shrugged.
"What were you doing at the backyard?" Kim held a puzzled look upon asking it to the girl. First, she admitted that it was her silly mistake of not looking for Pie thoroughly around the house. Second, Pie has never been out of the house to the backyard early in the morning. She usually busied herself with the tasks in the kitchen.
"The glasshouse - I went there to check on the plant." Pie faltered. Kim shot a suspicious look to the girl when she heard the latter elaborated the details of her sudden missing, "It's just I want to have a fresh morning breeze and it happened that I found a baby bird fall from its nest. I was trying to help it to get back to its nest but I couldn't make it." Pie scowled.
"I see." Kim crossed her arms on her chest as she digested the details but the expression on the face seemed not to sincerely believe the explanation.
"Kim, I tell you the truth!" Pie caught the reaction and became slightly annoyed by the gesture. "I'll show you." In any instance, Pie grabbed the Kim's hand, dragging the tom along with her to the backyard again. Kim needed the proof and she would show it to her.
**********************************************************************************
Backyard
"Oh my God, watch your steps Pie. We might stumbled over something and fall to the ground." Kim complained as Pie kept forcing her to walk in hasty stride. The tom had been struck by an acute heart attack for several times when she did trap by her own steps. Pie ruined her balance moves.
"We need to hurry. I'm afraid that the baby bird would die." Pie said without even taking any glance to the tom.
"Come on, we are not an animal rescue team." Kim muttered.
"What did you say?" Pie stopped abruptly and turned a glare to the tom. "Now you want to say that you don't want to help me?" Pie put her hands on her waist with her impatient gesture.
Kim stared to the girl in disbelief. Pie's mood swung so easily this morning and it didn't indicate any good sign to her. "I didn't say that." Kim waved her hand frantically, frightened that a huge war was soon to be occurred. It would be so difficult to make up with Pie again if they happen to fight over the small matter.
"I'll help you. Let's go." Kim held out her hand to the girl again, hinting the girl for a lead.
Instead of taking the hand, Pie spun on her heel and walked away without the tom. She was heading somewhere and Kim had to run after the girl to catch her pace. Soon, they entered the glasshouse. Pie put the baby bird with a good care in a box.
"It is here." Pie thrust the box to Kim and the tom took it quickly, worried it might slip from her hands.
"The nest is there." Pie pointed her finger to a tall tree outside the glasshouse. After a brief scan on it, Kim saw the nest at one of the branches. It was so high from the ground. Well, it wasn't that high for her height but for Pie, it was a bit challenging when she was by nature a petite short girl.
"What should I do with it?" Kim found herself asking the silliest question ever.
"Go and put it back to its home." Pie directed. Kim noticed Pie's lips curled up into a daring smile. Pie was trying to challenge her.
"Why don't you get the ladder? We have one in the garage." Kim shook her head, amused by the thought.
"No. I want you to do it." Pie pressed her arms on her chest stubbornly.
Kim returned an amusement look to Pie and it invited a repeated hit on her arm from the girl. Pie was clearly annoyed by her reaction and it entertained her so much when she could see the old Pie again.
"Now could you please stop hitting me? It's getting hurt." Kim complained, protecting herself with her hands. "I'll help you. I'll do it." Kim assured it.
"You better do it or I'll hate you." Pie pulled a long face before she left the glasshouse to the tree.
....
"I can't reach it." Kim said to the girl. "I thought my height is sufficient that I don't need any assistance for this." The tom rubbed her neck while flashing her toothy grin.
"I know it. You're such an arrogant tom." Pie smirked.
"Come here Pie. Help me." Kim beckoned the girl to come closer. "I'll lift you up and you'll put the baby bird to the nest again." Kim said. Later, Pie saw Kim knelt down to the ground and told her with the look to sit on her shoulders. Pie was hesitated at first but then Kim made a gesture like a muscle man to her, bragging on how strong she could be to carry her.
"Don't complain anything." Pie warned as she got up to Kim's strong shoulders. Kim fixed herself to her comfortable state and let Pie to balance herself for awhile. An instant later, Kim hoisted her up to a different height. Pie yelped a little for the sudden move but then she broke into a gleeful laughter when she found they have not fallen to the ground yet. Kim held her safely by the legs that she could actually clutch both of her short legs around the tom's neck. Never underestimate Kimhan Jittaleela, even though she looked that skinny, she was utterly the muscles in their relationship.
"You're heavier than last night. Did you gain more weight every time you wake up in the morning?" Kim teased.
"I told you don't complain anything." Pie pulled Kim's ears until they reddened.
"Pie, it's painful." Kim scowled, rubbing the burning gently.
"Now you look like a monkey." Pie giggled.
"And you're a monkey's girl friend." Kim said.
"No. I'm not." Pie shook her head in denial. "I'm a princess." The girl giggled heartily again.
"Alright, whatever you're Snow White. Let's get this thing done." Kim moved slowly to the tree so that Pie could place the baby bird back to its nest.
"Kim, could you please lift me up a bit higher?" Pie requested. Her short hand couldn't reach the nest yet.
"Hurry up. I don't think I can carry you any longer. You're such a baby hippo." Kim complained again but Pie was too busy to notice it.
"Just a bit higher." Pie said.
"One last push and I can't do it anymore." Kim informed before she put a force to lengthen her legs to their maximum stretch.
"Got it!" Pie exclaimed excitedly. However before she could savour the joy of rescuing the baby bird, it was being disturbed by a sudden stumbled. She was in a great shock when Kim dropped on her knees to the ground together with her. Lucky Pie that Kim held her tight that she was still seated on the tom's shoulder. Kim protected her from falling.
"Oh my God, are you alright?" Pie quickly removed herself from the tom's held, placing herself in front of the tom for a look.
"I'm fine. You need to lose some weight." Kim said casually as if it was so innocent after all.
"You're trying to say I am fat." Pie pouted.
"No I'm not. Just so you know, no matter how much you weighed, I will carry you as long as I am capable of doing so. It's my promise." Kim said again before she brought herself to an appropriate sitting position. Pie let herself to soak in the tingling warmth of Kim's words. Kim always knew how to win a girl's heart.
"Let me give you a massage." Pie offered, turning around to Kim's back. Lightly, she brought her hands to Kim's shoulders and pressed them with an ample force in order to lessen the tense.
"It's so good." Kim complimented. "I took it as your THANK YOU to me for my help." The tom said, turning her head slightly to the girl for a look. Then, she saw Pie nodded with a smile. It was always pleasant to have that kind of sincere smile. Pie's smile was sort of heavenly gift which would brighten your days with an endless happiness. It was so warm and calming at the same time.
"Aren't you going to work?" Pie queried out of sudden. The girl watched the tom drown in her own muse before she smiled mischievously. Kim must have something in her mind.
"What?" Pie unintentionally put an extra force upon her massage, causing Kim to flinch.
"I was thinking that we had a hard time these past few weeks added with so much internal conflicts between us and many more." Kim began.
"Oh please Kim. Just tell me straight to the point." Pie cut the tom before she arranged her words.
Kim quickly turned her body around to face the girl. She reached out her hands to both of Pie's shoulder while smiling like lunatic to the girl. Pie shot her suspicious look to the tom; Kim scared her with that kind of stare.
"We are going for a vacation!" Kim told her. Pie couldn't handle the joy of listening to the great news when she suddenly peck Kim's on the lips, excited with the thought that they would finally left the house for something fun.
"Are you serious?" Pie cupped the tom's cheeks in excitement. Kim stoned there, dumbfounded with the quick kiss on the lips earlier. Pie seemed not to notice her act at all.
"Kim, are you serious?" The girl queried again more to demanding the conformation.
Because Pie did cup her cheeks until she looked like a chubby toddler, Kim was unable to speak clearly. "YOSSS..." She nodded with all difficulty before she watched Pie laughed happily with the assurance.