Chapter Eleven

Kevin arrived home that day and he went straight to his dad's room to have a conversation with him. Mr. Alfred was sitting on his working chair with different paper works on the table, the bed, and on the ground. The moment Kelvin entered the room, he saw his busy father wearing his reading glasses, he helped pick the paper on the ground. He gathered them together and placed them nicely on the bed with other paper works since the table was filled with papers. "You seem busy, should I come back later?" He asked.

His father turned to look at him, he removed his glasses and placed them nicely on the table. "You came on your own to see me that means you have something to tell me. I am all ears." Said the man.

Kelvin moved closer to his father, he sat at the table and said, "I want to work at the company." His father was shocked.

"I heard when you said the same thing on the phone but hearing you say them to face makes me dumbfounded." Mr. Alfred said. "Why the sudden change of mind?"

"Nothing. I just thought you are getting old and you shouldn't be doing all the work."

"But you told me to get someone else to..."

"Did you?" Kelvin cuts in.

"I was about to before I received your call." His father answered.

Kelvin sighed relief. If his father had gotten someone as he suggested, this would have caused a huge problem but it's a good thing his father hadn't decided to do so. "Thank goodness you didn't," Kelvin said with a smile on his face. "When can I start?"

"You are ready to start?" His shocked father asked wondering what had come over his son.

Kelvin nodded. "The earlier I start, the better it will be for me to get the hang of it."

His father agreed. "I will call my assistant, he will come over and take you to the office. He will teach you everything you need to know."

"I better go get prepared then." Kelvin stood up and was about to leave when his father held his hand.

Kelvin turned to face his father and the man had a grateful expression written all over his face. "Thank you." Mr. Alfred said. Kelvin covered his father's hands with his own.

"Don't mention dad." He was about to leave when he remembered something. "UM...Dad..." His father looked at him with his reading glasses on. "Can I... can I get my assistant?" He asked.

"Your own?" Mr. Alfred asked. Kelvin nodded. "A male or female?"

Kelvin shocked at the question looked at his father and asked, "Does it matter what gender?"

"No it doesn't but..."

"When can I get my P.A?" He cuts in.

"Fine but...he or she has to go through with me." His father answered.

I am sure she can do it. Kelvin thought. He faced his father and said, "No problem. I will take my leave now."

His father nodded. "Let me give him a call so he can get here soon." Kelvin left while his father made the call.

~~~

Nora has been down ever since she got home. She refused to eat and even when Sara tried to convince and advise her it was like every word was going into one ear and coming out from the other ear. "Nora, You need to take it easy on yourself. You don't need to do this to yourself. It's not your fault for falling in love."

"I thought...I thought I had the perfect love life. Even though I couldn't freely do all I wanted with him, I was still satisfied. Even though Michael goes days and weeks even months without calling, I didn't let it bother me. I tried to convince myself that Michael loves and he... he is just busy. I was too naïve to know that he was giving a sin that he was no longer interested and I... I was too blind to see it."

"Are you saying you regret it?" Sara asked.

Nora shook her head. "I won't say I regret but I have learned a great lesson from this. I am not going to let any man toil with my heart ever again." Nora wiped her tears. "A lesson taught is a lesson learned. Michael has taught me a lesson and I have learned from it. I am saying no to love."

"Nora."

Nora went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. "Do you want anything?" She asked Sara who was following her to the kitchen. Sara noticed that Nora has cheered up a bit and she thought to herself. Is it so easy to get over a breakup? Nora noticed the way Sara was staring at her and she knew she had questions to ask. "Say it. those words aren't going to come out themselves if you keep mute."

"Why the sudden mood change?" Sara asked.

"What do you expect me to be doing?" Nora asked. "Spend a month crying over spilled milk or jump over a high building?" Nora smiled. "he broke up with me which means he doesn't want me anymore, so why should I kill myself over a such person?" She shook her head at that idea. "He isn't worth it and he doesn't even worth my tears."

Stunned by her response, Sara had no choice but to applaud her. "So you are serious about not falling in love ever again?"

Nora nodded. "Never."

"You know there's this song that Justin Bieber sang, he said 'Never say Never." Sara sang.

Nora looked at her.

"What? I am just saying it might be too early to make such a decision." Sara defended herself before Nora would join her in the pasta she was making.

"You haven't been in a relationship after the nineteenth one failed and that's how many years now?" Nora thought as she calculated. "Two years. So if my darling friend can do it, so can I."

"Do you think I am happy not having a man in my life?" Sara asked.

Nora studied her friend's features. "You do look happy to me."

"Well, you are wrong." Sara sat on the chair beside her. "I also want a man I can spend my forever with...a man who wouldn't cheat on me...a man who will love me for me and we accept all my flaws. I want a man I can..you know...kiss and...the other stuff."

Nora smiled. "Try acting movies...you will get that exact man there."

"Nora," Sara yelled.

"What? I am just stating the fact. Those kinds of men exist on Tv when they are playing that particular role or in romance novels but in real life..." Nora shook her head. "They do not exist."

"I have seen bad guys turning into good ones," said Sara tasting the Pasta while it was still cooking.

"So?"

"I am just saying that Michael can change."

"Well, if he does...congratulations to him," Nora said nonchalantly.

"What if he comes back professing his love to you, won't you accept him?" Sara asked.

"As what?"

Sara shrugged. "Maybe his wife-to-be?" Nora grabbed the tablespoon and was about to hit it on Sara's head but Sara escape laughing her heart out at Nora's reaction. "Don't worry with my whole heart, I will support the wedding."

"get out of my house!" Nora yelled as she pushed Sara out but Sara wouldn't go when the pasta is almost done.

"I am not leaving without eating that pasta. You didn't allow me to eat the food at the café, so you are giving me a threat for the money you made me lose at the cafe." And with that Nora left her alone as the two of them ate the pasta. "Where is your brother?"

"I don't know. I should probably give him a call, he doesn't like staying home because he can't walk." Nora grabbed her phone and called her brother.

~~~

Andrew in his wheelchair decided to go out and have fun all by himself. He didn't like being at home doing nothing He decided to go to the park and watch the things going on there. As he was staring at the kids and their parents, he had a flashback about his own little family too.

***Flashback***

"Careful Nora!" Erica said as she tried to stop her daughter from running.

"You could hurt yourself." their father, Henry said cautioning her daughter.

Nora stopped running and took a sit next to her brother.

Andrew was eight while Nora was four. He carried his sister on his lap and tickled her, Nora giggled. "Should we play a safe game?"

Nora looked at her brother and nodded. "OK. It's called singing of rhymes." Andrew said. Nora grinned because she loves when her brother sings. "Are you ready?"

"Ready."

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine..."

***Reality***

Reminiscing those memories brought tears to Andrew's eyes. "I guess I can never have such a perfect family again," he said looking at those kids once again.

"Isn't that Nora's brother?"

Andrew heard someone ask so he turned his wheel to look at who knew his sister and there he saw Michael with White and Austin. Annoyed by their presence, Andrew turned to leave only for him to hear Michael's voice saying, "You are just going to leave?" Michael came closer to him with folded arms. "I broke up with your sister...I hurt her feelings...I made her cry and you are just going to see me and walk away?"

Andrew remembered how heartbroken his sister felt and how she went on living without eating, he also remembered the harsh words Michael said to his sister but here he was and he couldn't say anything. "It's surprising seeing you mute all of a sudden especially since you hate me with passion. I was expecting you to talk back at me or maybe even curse at me but here you are not saying anything."

Andrew folded his arms into a fist trying to with-hold himself from getting angry but every word that proceeded out f Michael's mouth seemed to add more fuel to the fire. He unclenched his fist and turned to face Michael with a smile and he said to him, "My sister is a lot stronger than you think. Breaking up with her has always been my dream because I want her to spend her life with someone who appreciates a good virtue when he sees one."

"What?" Michael said not expecting those words.

"I am sure she told you that you are going to regret ever breaking up with her," Andrew said and when Michael grew silent, Andrew knew his sister did tell him that. "That's the sister I know and don't worry...she will definitely make you regret ever breaking up with her." his phone rang and he looked at the caller it was his sister. he received the call and put it on the loudspeaker and he received the call with his eyes fixed on Michael. "yes Nora."

"I just made pasta, where are you?" Nora's voice was sounding very lively, especially for someone who just had her first heartbreak. Michael was surprised to hear the joy in her voice. "Where are you?"

"I will be home soon."

"Just in case you get back and I am not around, Sara is helping me on a job hunt."

"Ok." Andrew hung up the call. "You see...you broke her but she is doing her best to mend herself and in a matter of time, she will heal."

Michael couldn't conceal his shock. He was expecting her to come running to him and beg him but to his surprise, she was working things out on her own.

"if that's all...I'd like to take my leave. Just so you know, she makes the best pasta in the world and I won't want to miss that for anything." Andrew turned his wheel and left.

Austin and White saw how pissed off Michael was so they tried to cheer him up. "It's probably not true," White said.

Austin nudges his side. "Didn't you just hear her voice?" He asked White.

Michael ignored them and left. "Sometimes, I wish you'd set a timer in your mouth or something," Austin told White as they ran to catch up with mike.