In a dark apartment
"Happy birthday to you..Happy birthday to you..Happy birthday to my girl..Happy birthday to you..."
"Blow the candles, princess."
The birthday girl blows the candles.
"Yeayyy!!!" She claps her hands in joy.
"Now make a wish."
The birthday girl closes her eyes and clasps her hands as if she is praying.
"Let's eat the cake first okay?" She places the cake on the table and drags the chair for the birthday girl to sit.
"Nah, a big slice for you." She slices a large piece of the cake for the birthday girl.
"You have to eat a lot. So you can grow taller." She pinches the birthday girl's cheeks because the girl pouts and complains that she can't finish the cake.
"Let me feed you. Say AAAA." She tries to enlighten the birthday girl's mood.
"Is it delicious? I baked it special for you." They are done with the cake.
"Are you ready for the BIG SURPRISE?" She asks to the birthday girl.
The birthday girl nods happily.
"Tadaaa!" She takes out a small box, somewhat looks like a switch.
"Push this green button. You'll see it." She orders the birthday girl to do so.
"Do you like it?" She hugs the birthday girl when she saw her reaction. A back hug.
"This is for you." She kisses the birthday girl's cheeks.
"May I know what is your wish just now?" She peeks to the birthday girl's face from behind.
"I WISH I NEVER MET KIMHAN JITTALEELA." The voice echoed in her ears. Replayed like a recorded tape.
The ILLUSIONS gone!
"NO! This is not true! THIS IS NOT TRUE!" She messes her short hair, loosen her tie and throws it to the floor. The shirt left unbutton, no neatly tuck in — so untidy. It is the same shirt from last night. She haven't get a change. Last night it was drenched with rain water but now it's dry.
"Pie? Come out, princess." Frantically Kim search for Pie, in the dark apartment. No lights. All dark.
"Pie, I don't want to play hide and seek. Come out please." Kim starts to take her steps. Walking in the dark.
"Pie...? GEDEBUKK!" Kim stumbles over something. Her head hits the floor with a sickening thud.
"Pie.." Kim doesn't make any efforts to reposition herself. Her face touches the floor.
"Pie.." Kim calls the name again. Her love of life.
"Pie..This is not true right?" Tears cascade down her cheeks, leaving glistening trails mapping the full extent of her sadness.
"Pie, don't leave me..."
Pie's House
The air inside the living room is stiff with tension. The evening seems to be longer than usual in that condition. There is something tugging at Fern's heart as if a terrible thing had happened. Alice, Mr. and Mrs.Manaying sit across her in proportion of three to one, eye to eye. Serious. Mr.Manaying and Alice are still neat in their formal attire, more than enough to let Fern knows that they were just came back from work.
"Uncle and Aunty, what's the matter of you calling me here?" Fern starts the conversation. Alice is the one who called her to come to their house earlier.
Mr and Mrs.Manaying didn't answer right away, instead they change their gaze and release a deep heavy sighs.
"Fern, Pie has been crying since last night." Fern can hear the worry in Mrs.Manaying's voice.
"She doesn't want to eat, never come out from her room neither get change of her clothes too." Mrs.Manaying massages her temple as if Pie's behaviour burdened her thought very much.
"What happened to her?" Fern frowns. Without her notice, she slams her hands on the coffee table.
"We don't know too. She doesn't want to talk with us." Alice takes the turn to answer Fern.
"If Kim did something bad to her,I swear I'll kill that kid." Mr.Manaying grabs his rifle at the edge of the sofa. Fern doesn't notice that it was there when she came to this house earlier. She gulps to see Mr.Manaying's fierce expression.
"Darling.." Mrs.Manaying holds Mr.Manaying's hands, trying to calm down her husband. Mr.Manaying puts down the rifle back. Fern diverts her gaze to Alice, seeking for an explanation.
"Last night, Kim took P'Pie for a dinner date. You know it, yesterday was her birthday." Alice pauses.
"But..surprisingly, she went home alone, by taxi, crying hardly, dashed to our room without words and as Mom told you earlier, she never come out until now." Alice tells Fern the details but it seems so hard for her to utter them to Fern.
"Fern, please help us. Persuade Pie and ask her the matter." Mrs.Manaying grasps Fern's hands and squeezes them lightly. Like any mother on the world, who's not gonna worry if their children behave in such way. Fern can feels that.
"I'll try." Fern nods like a toddler who just get an order from her mother.
"Where is Pie?" Fern looks to Alice.
"Upstairs." Alice stands up and Fern follows her.
Fern climbs up the stairs guided by Alice. They stop right in front of the room and Fern knows that it is Pie and Alice's room as she reads the sign on the door.
"She's in here." Alice says in her low voice and opens the door for Fern.
"Thank you." Fern thanks Alice and walks into the room.
Fern steps slowly to Pie's bedside. She can't see Pie's face as Pie is back facing her, staring to the wall. By looking to the dress that Pie wear, Fern knows that last night's dinner date supposed to be a special one.
"Pie.." Fern touches Pie's shoulder when she sits on the edge of the bed. Pie is laying on her left side while hugging a big teddy bear tightly.
"Pie?" Fern calls again but Pie doesn't respond anything.
"Pie, what's wrong with you?" Fern doesn't have any choice. She pulls Pie's body until Pie faces her.
Fern sees that Pie's eyes are swollen and she has eye bags as if she hasn't sleep for a night. Then Fern eyes landed on Pie's pillow case. It was damp with tears, more than enough to tell her that Pie has been crying from last night until now.
"Pie, what happened to you?" Fern wipes the flowing tears on Pie's cheeks with her right hand while the other hand brushes a few strands of hair from Pie's face.
Pie doesn't bother to answer Fern. She stares blankly to Fern. No words, no respond. Only a blank stare which arises a terrible worry through Fern's body.
"You know it isn't good for you to crying that much. What if you lose your sight again Pie?" Fern fondles Pie's hair.
"I'd rather be blind than to witness all truths that hurt me." Pie finally speaks something.
"Why did you say that?" Fern frowns.
"Tell me Fern, what's more do you guys hide from me?" Pie locks her blank stare to Fern.
"What do you mean?" Fern is still clueless.
"Tell me more, other than Kim and Yam were once a lover." Pie utters them clearly to Fern which caught Fern off guard.
"Why you are so shocked Fern? Is there anything wrong?" Pie smirks but it's bitter.
"Kim never tell that to you?" Fern recoils.
When Pie heard Fern's response, she cries even more. She bites her lower lip to avoid an outburst crying and she struggles to stop shaking.
"Pie, stop crying. Tell me, what happened to you and Kim?" Fern is so startle to see Pie's reaction.
"Did Kim do something bad to you?" Fern pulls Pie's body, force her to sit down on the bed.
"Tell me! Did Kim do something bad to you?" Fern shakes Pie's body as she repeats the same question.
"No." Pie shakes her head.
"Then?" Fern still doesn't satisfied with it.
"We broke up.." Fern's hands loose her held on Pie's shoulder and drops to the bed. She is shock. Utterly shock to hear that from Pie's mouth.
Kluidom's Mansion
"Good evening Ms.Kim." The maid greets Kim as she enters the mansion.
"Evening." Kim responds weakly and walks straight away to Yam's room.
Yam's Room
"Kim?" Yam sees Kim makes her way to her bedside.
"Hi Yam." Kim gives a faint smile and sit at the edge of the bed.
"Have you taken your meds?" Kim notices that Yam holds a book in her hands. She is reading a novel.
"What are you doing here?" Yam knits her eyebrows as she feel weird of seeing Kim at her place at this hour.
"Aren't you suppose to drive Pie to Aunty Inn's Bistro?" Yam puts the book aside.
"And why are you wearing that shades in house?" Yam reaches out her hands to take off the dark shades from Kim's eyes.
Kim doesn't manage to stop Yam's hands as Yam movement's is faster than hers. The shades uncover Kim's eyes.
"What happened to you?" Yam says stern in her weak voice. She finally knows why Kim used her dark shades. Kim's eyes are swollen and dark eye bag obviously seen around her eyes.
"Aunty Sue told me you had a fight with Pie last night. Is it true?" Yam folds her arms as if she is mad with Kim. Kim went silent and hung her head low.
"She broke up with me." Finally Kim tells that to Yam after a long silence.
"What?" Yam frowns.
"It must be because of me right." Yam covers her face with her hands.
"No. It's not your fault. It's my fault." Kim says in her weak voice.
"I know it's my fault!" Yam raises her voice to Kim and she starts to cry. With each and every sob, Yam holds her stomach. The pain strikes her again.
"Trust me. This is not your fault. It is my fault. Stop crying. You're hurting yourself." Kim come closer to Yam and fixes the pillow Yam used to lean on.
"I know it's my fault Kim. My fault of longing your love and care." Yam has stop crying. She cups Kim's face with her hands, staring to Kim with her sorry gaze.
"Why don't you stop Pie? Why don't you fight for her? Why don't you explain to her?" Yam can see Kim hold too much sorrow in her eyes. She is heartbroken.
"I have tried to but she don't want to listen to me." Kim eyes wells up with tears.
"Kim, you are so stupid!" Yam turns her gaze from Kim and looks away.
"Please Yam. Stop talking about this right now." Kim removes Yam's hands from her face. She lays down and place her head on Yam's lap.
"Yam.." Kim calls Yam.
"Hmm?" Yam responds short as her hands willingly stroke Kim's hair.
"Where is your ex — fiance Mario?" Kim asks to Yam.
"Why you need to know that?" Yam can't get what Kim is trying to say.
"He is Fern's fiance. Am I right?" Kim words caught Yam off guard.
"Mario Maurer is your ex — fiance right?" Kim looks up to Yam who remains speechless.
"Yup." Yam nods her head slowly and looks away, avoiding Kim's eyes.
"Please Kim, don't tell Fern about this." Yam pleads to Kim.
"Yam, you lied to me too right?" Kim locks her eyes to Yam.
"No." Yam gulps.
"Back then, you cancelled the engagement because you know that Mario is Fern's boyfriend right?" Kim utters that confidently.
"It was indeed true that both of you have somebody else but the fact that your fiance want —to —be is your best friend's boyfriend, you decided to cancel off the engagement." Kim pulls Yam's chin so that Yam looks to her.
Slowly Yam nods her head and yet the tears falls again.
"This life is so unfair towards us. If..." "Shhh.." Yam covers Kim's mouth with her palm, shuts Kim from continue her speak.
"Don't blame others or anything for that. This is what we call FATE." Yam tells that to Kim as she slowly removes her hands from Kim's mouth.
"Yam, if we happened to build our marriage life, how many kids do you want to have?" Kim changes their topics as Yam doesn't want her to talk about the past again.
"Hmm..Four!" Yam makes curls her thumb and shows the four fingers to Kim.
"Wow!" Kim says in surprise.
"I want two girls and two boys." Yam put a smile on her face. Kim feels that the smile is alive.
"What about you Kim?" Yam wants to hear Kim's opinion.
"I don't mind. One child per year sounds good." Kim says innocently.
"Oy! Do you think I am children's factory." Yam hits Kim's head lightly.
"Oww..I'm kidding." Kim chuckles.
Silence fills the air again.
"Yam, I really want to know what is your answer if I ask you to marry me seven years ago." Kim peeks up to Yam who also deep in her own thought.
"Silly Kim! Of course I want to." Yam curves her lips into a faint smile. Her face turns gloomy.
Kim brings herself to sit on the bed and sit face to face with Yam.
"Yam, if I ask you the same thing right now, will you say the same answer too?" Kim takes Yam's hand and hold them tight.
"What do you mean Kim? Do you realize what are you talking right now?" Yam frowns.
"I'm serious Yam." Kim squeezes Yam's hand tighter.
"Kim, there's difference between sympathy and love. Can't you differentiate that?" Yam is so startle to hear Kim's intention.
"Let's make our long lost dream comes true Yam." Kim tilts up Yam's chin and their eyes met.
"What about Pie?" Yam drops her sight to the bed.
"I'm not talking about Pie. I am talking about us. You and me." Kim cups Yam's face and pulls it softly until their nose touch.
"Kim, you know it. You won't have the future with me." Another tears roll down Yam's cheeks.
"I won't have a future with Pie either!" Kim cuts Yam first before she could say other things.
" The things that matter is I want to make your dream dream comes true." Kim assures that to Yam.
"Apittha Kluidom, will you marry me?" Finally Yam hears the propose that she supposed to accept seven years ago.
"Yes." She nods her head as the tears of happiness cascade down her sunken cheeks.