Chapter 34
Evidencies In Bag
"Hi" John was hesitant "I am...
"John" the girl seemed excited "Come in. we have been expecting you."
"You know me?' he asked.
"Ayoka' she took her name sadly "she told us about you."
"How do you know Ayoka?" John asked and then faint remembrance hit him "you are her sister Sakura?"
He mentally patted himself for remembering it in such a quick instance; must be Dr. Markle's therapy he thought
"I am sorry for your loss." John said.
"I am sorry for you too" Sakura said honestly "you two weren't married for long Akora was happy when she said she married you. But I am still disappointed that you guys eloped, didn't even inform me, I might have given you blessings."
John knew exactly why Ayoka did not inform her sister or any of the family members but he kept his mouth shut.
"Wait a minute" Sakura said as she left him in the well-lit room "here's something she wanted you to have."
"How did Ayoka?" John asked.
"Road accident" Sakura cried "some reckless truck driver"
"I wasn't there for her" John said trying to put in al the emotions
"She was in Intensive care unit for days. One day she asked me to take this bag form your cupboard and hand it over to you. Same day doctors said she was improving.' When I went to the hospital next morning Doctors said she was no more." She cried bitterly now.
John patted on her shoulders, he found himself grieving at the death of a brave officer.
"Can I go to her room?" he asked. He wanted to go through her stuff, find something that could help him.
"I am afraid there's nothing left in her room. They took it all away." Sakura sniffed "Fortunately I had picked this bag a day before or they would have taken this too.
"who took away her stuff?" he asked
"her company officers" she was still sniffing her tears
"But why didn't you object?" John asked disappointed. He'd spent a lot of money traveling here. It'll all go waste if he didn't get any clue
"We tried " Sakura cried "mom was worried dad had mild stroke and then it was so sudden." She nodded her head "they said it was company's property".
John was not giving up yet "can I spend sometime in the room? I want to remember old days." He requested.
"Mom and dad would have liked you" Sakura said "but they went back to Japan."
"Why did you stay?" John couldn't help but ask.
"Because Ayoka took a promise that I'd personally deliver this to you."
John looked at the bag and then at Sakura "it was her last wish. I had to do it." Sakura stated as she led her to Ayoka's room.
John remembered the room that was decorated with plain wooden wardrobes just like the ones from cheap hotels, a simple teak study table he remembered the presence of a laptop which was missing and few Colorful Japanese lights which were still there and were the only highlight of the dull room.
"Can I get some privacy?" John asked after some time.
"I understand" Sakura said sympathetically and left him alone.
John tried every nook and corner but found nothing.
He immediately went to work looking through her desk,, drawers, cupbaords, under the mattress , at every single place, but he found nothing
Those people cleaned up pretty well' he thought.
But they weren't D because he might have mentioned to him about it especially the pictures of marriage.
However he noticed those glowing Japanese lamp, one looked different from others.
He removed the lamp and separated it from the bulb carefully taking it and holding it.
When Sakura returned john tried to be nonchalant "Can I keep this please"
Sakura nodded.
'''''''''''''''
Once back "are you alright?" Hailey asked "where had you been?'
"At a friend's place" John said. John did not know why he was hiding the fact that he met Ayoka's sister.
He probably did not want to drag the dead girl's family into the mess.
"Don't you know it isn't safe to wonder around alone?" D stated angrily.
"I am alive. Aint I?' John said curtly
"John we were worried about you." Mrs. Hailey said.
John felt guilty all of a sudden for being harsh "I am sorry. I am not feeling good. I have so many things running in my head" Hailey patted his shoulders "its okay. We understand and you should know that you can share everything with us.""
"You are the only family I remember" John said "of course I'd share everything with you."
"Any new visions or reveries you got?" D asked from behind the papers he was working through.
It was in the tip of his tongue to inform that he remembered that he was married but he kept quiet for no specific reasons.
Later John went to Kathie's place again
He couldn't hold himself
He was worried about her since he met her family.
"Hi!" he greeted scratching the back of his neck.
"Hi" she greeted back, same light missing from her face that he used to see earlier.
"Your parents home?" he asked "I was worried about you" his eyes speaking his concern
"No they have gone to someone's funeral" he said "and you need not worry.' The polite girl was harsh for the first time "They are my parents. I have been living them all this while. I am fine, always been."
Yes" John said elated "that's the best thing about you. You are always smiling especially I respect you now when I see how difficult your parents..."
John realized he was crossing his line again "I am sorry" he apologized.
"Coffee?" Kathie asked although she had decided against his but his apology stirred something inside her.
"Sure" John said, as he did not wait any further to make himself comfortable at her place.
Once in the house John started opening the bag Sakura had given him.
Kathie was shocked that John did not volunteer to make the coffee but she let it be.
He had come back after 4 days since he was last here.
Her fingers hovered over her mobile phone multiple times to simply check on him but she retrieved last moment.
She wasn't sure that the kisses that they shared that day meant anything.
"Hola clumsy Kathie" Danny greeted loudly and cheerfully and a huge smile braced John's face.
"What are you doing here?" Danny asked as he side hugged John finishing with a naughty wriggle of his brows.
John chuckled "Good to see you here too." He asked "what brings you here?"
Danny hesitated and looked at Kathie for a clue.
"He met with my parents the other day." Kathie stated across the room feeling ashamed.
Danny simply raised his brows "Things are already brewing up. Oh ho" he relaxed on the huge leather chair that looked like it had seen some better days.
"So you two serious?" Danny asked
"Yes"
"No"
Danny eyed the two with different answers
"What are you doing here?" Kathie finally asked. She was holding herself and when Danny was around she felt a little powerful.
"My Dad was being too much of himself..." Danny shut up when he noticed that the question was directed towards John
"I don't know why I am here" John admitted sheepishly.
"But I have a lot in my head that I thought I could share with you."
"I am no agent or no skillful" Kathie spat "I am a clumsy girl with disturbed family. So I don't think I can help you in any way."
"You are not clumsy" John stood and he was now facing Kathie "okay sometimes you are" he said when Kathie made a disbelieving face "But you are a cute clumsy, I kind of like your innocent and harmless clumsiness."
Danny quietly witnessed the two.
John pushed the stray hair on Kathie's face behind her ear "You are very special and strong. What I saw the other day." When he saw Kathie looking down at her feet he lifted her chin with his fingers "you have nothing to be ashamed of. I have nothing but respect for you." Kathie blinked once, twice and again. She was tongue-tied. She wanted to push him away from the close proximity but the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach shunned her down "I always knew I liked you but.. But since that day I realized I love you"
Kathie gasped at the revelation
But before she could celebrate internally John further spoke "and therefore it means we cannot be together. I am not supposed to love anyone."
Danny chose the moment to speak "You cannot chose whom you can love John. Sorry for interrupting" he apologized "but you two are meant to be. I have seen it in both your eyes since the day you two met."
"I am meant to be with nobody" John shouted harshly and realizing his mistake he softened "I married Ayoka; she died and I didn't even love her. We were working together on something and marriage was a muse"
Both Danny and Kathie gasped at the truth for two different reasons.
Kathie realized that John did not love his dead wife and Danny realized john was married, he wolf whistled "this is new
"There would be lot of new things about my life and my forgotten past that I myself has to learn." John defended himself.
He looked at Kathie fighting the urge to hold her in his arms, he gave in and cupped her face "the other day when we kissed, I kissed you with my heart and soul, it was then I remembered the bridal kiss that Ayoka gave me. It was then I remembered I was married to Ayoka. I did not lie or cheat to you." he paused taking in her facial feature, a strong urge to rub the frown lines on temples but he resisted "nor you, not intentionally"
Kathie took a deep breath of relief.
'That doesn't make me a nice man though.' He said when he knew Kathie had change of heart "Sarah and I dated before me and Ayoka married." He scratched the back of his neck "we were friends with benefits although she loved me."
"Not helping. Not helping!" Danny warned John putting his pointer on his lips gesticulating him to shut up.
He looked at both of them feeling guilty and loss of his good dead friend "She loved me though but I never reciprocated. I couldn't. My life is endangered all the time."
"I understand" Danny seconded John patting him on his shoulders "the other day at the Shelter home when I thought I was dying, I felt glad that I broke up with Nova." He bent his head "although what I did to her was nothing good. But she is a nice girl. I liked her.'
'You did the right thing kiddo" it was John's turn to pat his on his back "you don't have to feel guilty about it."
"But she is hurt, I have hurt so many people." Danny said, "my dad; he hates me"
"No he doesn't." John corrected "Henry is addicted to having things his way with people who love him. So he feels overpowered with you and behaves stupid. Give him space and time" John advised, "Don't give in to his dominant attitude. He'll come around"
"Hope you are right" Danny said with a halfhearted smile.
"I need to apologize to you too Kathie." John addressed the love of his life "Is there anything that I can do for you. I'd love to."
"Just be there" Kathie mumbled with her teary eyes at the honesty in his words "I will be happy even if I have you as a mere friend." But his eyes widened at the adamancy in her tone "But no benefits you are getting from here."
John chuckled looking at her lovingly " I wouldn't dare to"
'What are these?" Danny asked looking at the stuff John brought from Ayoka's place.
"This is my wife's " John coughed "dead wife Ayoka's stuff that she wanted me to have." John said disappointed "but I found nothing that could help. Most of her stuff were already taken away by the authorities of airlines."
"They left only one lamp?" Danny asked skeptically "paper lamp that too Japanese?"
John did not correct Danny that the lamp looked odd from all others in the room so he picked it up and brought along..
He busied himself while Kathie left to get coffee and her perfectly baked cookies that she was stirring the batter before the two men arrived.
John was unboxing all the things, a pen, a dairy that was empty, her wedding band that John realized he had the same picked when he was discharged from the hospital. And a handkerchief that had a cartoon printed over it.'
"Wait Holy F##king shit" Danny shouted, "this lamp is not ordinary, it has different languages printed on it"
Really?" John was intrigued "how do you know?"
"I kind of use these languages in my school project "this is Japanese" he said "this is greek: the fonts are exactly like of Greece,.....
John noted down names of languages that were printed on the Lamp.
"So these are 14 different languages from 14 different countries "John assessed
Danny picked eh notepad "Hell yeah! And strangely these are 14 different countries and coincidence is these were the 14 nations that participated in global games for the first time."
"Global games?" John was confused.
"We had to make a project on international sports in the college. So I know. These are 14 countries" I looked at the handwritten pie of paper thoroughly confirming what he was about to say next "these are exact same 14 countries that participate din the Olympic games for the first time."
'HOLY F##KING SHIT!" John shouted.