Dan woke up early the next day. Eager to have his breakfast where he grabbed a copy of the Straits Times.
Rena couldn’t believe her eyes.
A full page full colour ad with the headlines:
TO MY LOVE
WHO WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR ME
PLEASE FORGIVE THIS IMMATURE MAN
WHO IS WILLING TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING
JUST TO HAVE HIS FAMILY BACK.
Body copy:
I’ve known my mistakes. Please come back to the place that was once called home. To the themed rooms. It isn’t the same without you.
At the bottom of the ad was images of the respective rooms.
I’M SORRY. PLEASE BE BACK. I LOVE YOU.
Rena dropped her cup on the floor, letting the dark coffee stain the carpeted floor.
Bernice too, wept.
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Bernice couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Honestly she did not expect Daniel would do this. Never. She stared at the artwork for a long time.
She could hear her work colleagues talking about the article.
Colleague 1: Wow he’s so romantic. Doing this. I wonder who the lucky girls are.
Colleague 2: He must have done something bad. But he must have loads of money to do this. Let’s see how long he can keep this up.
Colleague 1: Stop eating sour grapes can?
Colleague 2: You! Hey wait it’s your man how?
Colleague 1: Sorry he’s a wood block.
Both laughed and they saw Bernice’s eyes getting red.
Colleague 2: Hey why are you crying? Don’t tell me its you!
Colleague 1: Don’t be silly. Who would fall for you?
Both of them jeered at Bernice but she simply ignored them.
Bernice was at a loss now. Should she go back and see him but wouldn’t it be too easy for her to forgive him?
It took Daniel a long time to see Wyn. He had been waiting outside her mansion for hours until he caught sight of her.
Wyn stared at him as she drove out, not giving him a chance to talk to her. He knew this would happen but he wanted so much to find out where his past loves were gone especially Ting. He knew only Wyn would know where she was.
He left a note on her letterbox as he returned home.
Still the lifeless mansion seemed like a quiet graveyard.
There was no sighs of anyone returning.
He waited till he fell asleep.
The next day, his ad was out again. He had planned to run it for a week.
Same message.
Evans knew of his intentions and she was moved. But again she was hesitant. No one wanted to be hurt again.
Now Daniel had made up his mind to speak to Wyn, no matter how. And he was prepared to wait. He could only think of one way to do it. The really old fashioned way. Hoping that she would be moved by his actions.
He did not drive but took a cab to her mansion.
There, for the first time in his life, he knelt.
He didn’t know how long he would take, but he knew straight he would not falter until he could get an answer and say his deepest sorry to Wyn.
Wyn looked out of her window and was shocked by his actions. But she told herself that it might be just a gimmick to trick her and so she drove away, just avoiding her.
Now that Dan had lost his business shares to Wyn, his time was all his. He kept kneeling and had not moved a single inch, even to the extent of not going to relieve himself.
The headlights of the otherwise familiar car blinded him for a while. Wyn was back. She was surprised that he was still there. She drove in without even looking at him.
Wyn was thinking to herself: Want me to give in? Not that easy!
She bathed and went to bed. She took a quick glance at the window and still he was there, not moving an inch.
In the middle of the night, thunder clashed and a heavy downpour came like a storm where Wyn was awakened by the thunder. She jumped up in fright. Rubbed her eyes and then she looked out of the window.
It was a total blur with the massive rain but she could still see a silhouette.
Dan was still there.
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Bernice was at a loss now but she knew that Daniel was sincere this time. She knew that it was a matter of time before she gave in. It felt weird that night. It seemed as though something drastic was going to happen. Her eyelids were twitching.
Wyn thought: No way. There’s no way that he would kneel there. You mustn’t give in Wyn… you mustn’t.
She forced herself back to sleep but all she did was flip here and there, unable to doze off. Her mind was on Daniel, if he was still in the rain.
The rain had not stopped. It had already been an hour. Wyn walked towards the window. Now she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
Daniel had fainted.
Wyn ran to Daniel who was lying unconsciously on the floor. His health had not been good since he had went on the excessive drinking.
Wyn: Wake up Dan! Wake up! It’s me Wyn! Wake up! Don’t scare me!
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The rain showed no signs of stopping as the unconscious Daniel laid motionless on the floor. Wyn was feeling nervous now. She was starting to regret that prideful side of hers but she knew it was too late to do anything.
The harsh drops hit her white silk nightie to a translucent stage, where the fabric was sticking to her skin like egg whites. Her hair was soaked and flat. The frowns on her face showed how much she cared for him. There she was shouting to her maid.
Wyn: Annia! Annia! Come out!
Annia ran to see what had happened and gasped at the situation. She immediately ran and took out two towels, one for Wyn. Together the both of them dragged Daniel to the living room.
Wasting no time, Wyn quickly unbuttoned Daniels clothes and wiped him dry. Annia too was helping. She went to get some clothes that Daniel had left behind to clothe him.
Annia: Mdm, you better go for a shower. Don’t catch a cold.
Wyn: Ok. Take care of him Annia. You know how much he meant to me. Bring him to the guest room downstairs.
Annia: Yes Mdm.
Wyn dashed to the shower room and took a quick shower. She wasn’t used to having quick baths but she was worried for Daniel.
Daniel was nicely tugged to the guest room’s bed with a warm blanket covering him.
Wyn was moved by his sincerely and she was worried she might not be able to put on that false front. She cared for Daniel too much that she had to protect herself. She had to pretend that she hated him to the core. She didn’t wanted to be hurt.
The rain was still falling, giving the entire scene a blur. You could hardly see much details outside.
She sat beside Daniel, holding his hands.
Wyn: Don’t scare me Dan… please… don’t let anything happen to you.
She was on the verge of tears.
Daniel stood at an unfamiliar ground. He wasn’t able to identify where he was. He only knew that he kept walking. He could hear his own footsteps echoing. Where was he?
He could not figure out at all.
Tap tap tap. His footsteps echoed.
Where was he?
And he continued.
Till he saw someone at the other end.
Beth.
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Wyn was calling out to him. But the unconscious Daniel could not hear her.
Wyn: Daniel! Dear! Please…
Wyn touched his forehead and he was burning badly. She called Annia and they kept sponging him till throughout but in vain.
She had no choice but to call for an ambulance.
Wyn kept mumbling to herself, blaming herself for what had happened.
Daniel was pushed into the A&E.
His pulse was weak. And the fever wasn’t good at all.
Dan: Beth? Is that you? Where am I?
Beth did not reply but she seemed to be drifting away.
Dan: Beth? Please… wait for me… I’ve so many things to say to you.
Wyn buried her face in her sweat covered palms.
Wyn: What shall I do? What shall I do?
She waited.
And waited.
Until Dan was pushed out of the A&E. He was to be hospitalised. He was looking very white.
Nurse: How are you related to him?
Wyn: I’m his girlfriend.
Nurse: I need his relative or family members, can you contact them please.
Wyn: I will try.
Nurse: Thanks.
Her mind was in a total blank. Who was his family members? Where can she find them? But she did remember that he was alone.
She walked to and fro. Thinking hard.
Until she stopped. There was one person. And she doesn’t like to even think of it.
Bernice was his legal wife.
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Wyn stepped into her own shower, letting the warm sprinkles of water calm her down. Surprisingly it was the only thing that she felt comfort with. It has been some time since she was feeling confused over her loved one. Her previous love cheated her of her money and ran away, leaving the helpless her all alone to savage the mess. It took her a long time to become where she was again.
Because of her status now she could flirt all she wanted but she felt different about Daniel. Daniel may have been the flirt but he cares for the ones close to him.
It was indirectly her fault for what happened to Daniel. He should be fine in the hospital but she could not forgive herself.
The prideful her would not bow to Bernice nor seek her.
Bernice tuned in to the radio station. The very programme that talks about true love stories. In the days that she spent with Daniel and her other sisters, they would sit down and listen every single day without fail other than the weekends. They would always wait with excitement for the person to call and tell about their stories. Some were boring, some were sweet, but what she and her sisters would be waiting for the tragic and sad ones. They would weep till their mascaras smudged, some will wail as though they were attending funerals. There was once Daniel was shocked by his 5 wives when he stepped into the house only to hear all of them weeping as though he had died. They paused after seeing him enter and Dan would say: Am I dead?
They would all burst into laughter hearing that.
On this particular day, Bernice, Rena, Evans and Gin was listening together. It felt weird. It feel that their instinct was to switch on the radio.
That day the programme seemed quiet and still.
DJ: Hello, welcome to Love Diaries. Do you have a story to tell?
Unknown: …
DJ: Hi? You there?
Unknown: Yes.
DJ: You seem very quiet. Would you be sharing your story?
Unknown: I met him a while ago. He was sweet and caring. He meant the world to me.
DJ: Wow that sound good, but your voice doesn’t seem to be happy.
Unknown: He lied to me. He was not truthful. He had five wives.
DJ: What? (Astonished) Five?
Unknown: I had the same reaction. I could not take it. I started to think of ways to split them apart so he is rightfully mine.
DJ: That’s an awful thing to do.
Unknown: I loved him. And I wanted him whole. Love cannot be shared.
DJ: What happened next did you succeed?
Unknown: Yes. They left him one by one. And I invested in his company.
DJ: Did he return to you?
Unknown: No. Instead he told me the truth without me asking. He told me how much his 5 wives meant to him. About how they would make him whole. He told me the truth so I would not feel cheated. But I knew it some time back. I hired a private investigator. It was all too late. I threatened him. I threatened that he would lose everything if he decided to leave me. He was shocked. I gave him a day to think about it.
DJ: Isn’t that too harsh a thing to do?
Unknown: He had to choose between me and his other wives. I thought he would change his mind. But he came. He replied that he could not do without his family. They were all he had. I was angry but his eyes were not lying. He was deadly sincere about it.
DJ: What happened after?
Unknown: He was going to be bankrupt. But he used his remaining money he had left to run ads on the papers! It shocked me! I was furious! I was hurt yet I was touched by his sincerity. That night, he came to me. It was a rainy day. He had found out that I was the one who was responsible for his wives leaving. But what he did surprised me. He knelt down on his knees, begging for me to forgive him and tell him where one of his wives were. They meant the world to him.
DJ: I feel your hurt but he too loved his wives. But love is sometimes hard to judge who is right and wrong. And what happened?
Unknown: I was still angry with him. And I ignored his actions. But he had been kneeling for hours with the harsh rain. All the hatred was gone. I was moved by him but my pride wouldn’t allow me to… and and and….
*Starts to cry*
DJ: are you alright? hush hush.
Unknown: He… he… fainted… he was unconscious… I called the ambulance. He looked so weak and pale… only then I discovered what he went through… he kept himself drunk so many times. It hurts me to see that… and…
Sobs.
Unknown: the unconscious him was repeating “I’m sorry… I’m really sorry… I let you down… please… I cannot leave without you… And he repeated their names…
Voice shivers: he was saying in a weak voice. Names that I would never forget. Bernice. Rena. Ting. Gin. Evans. And he said I’m sorry Wyn. I’m really sorry…
Rena’s glass dropped and shattered into pieces. Bernice was covering her mouth with tears. Evans stood still, unable to react. Gin arched her eyebrows.
Unknown: He is in X hospital now. He yearns to see his family. To his family, I send you my best wishes…
Cries.
DJ cries too: I’m at a loss for words… but you have done the right thing. Love can’t be measured. I hope your man would be fine and he is blessed to have met you.
The line went dead.
DJ: Hi?
Line was dead.
DJ: That was an emotional story, quite unbelievable that it was true. But I guess love is blind. Here’s a song that wraps and suits this story.
And to the man, I hope your wives will return and wish you all the best.
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They all knew who the caller was. But they were confused.
Should they go down or was it simply a trap laid by Wyn?
Daniel walked and walked. It seemed like a passage to nowhere. He could only see a white tunnel and nothing else. He was wondering where he was and it just dawned on him. Is he dead?
Daniel was warded in the A class. Wyn had just left, leaving him alone in the room. Her last words to Daniel was: I’m sorry Daniel. I truly am.
There was a knock on the otherwise old door. As she opened the door, she gasped.
Ting: You?
Bernice was the first to arrive at the hospital and she was frantically searching for Daniel’s ward. And she caught a glimpse of Rena too.
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Bernice and Rena held hands as they walked towards Daniel’s ward. He was lying there unconscious with a drip on the side. He had lost a lot of weight. Frail was the word as their eyes blurred with droplets of sorrow.
Bernice: Oh my gosh oh my gosh…
She touched Daniel’s face and she trembled. She shook with regret as she brushed his stray hair aside. The white strands of hair seemed to have multiplied. He was shabby. Dark eye shadows were visible, and he was breathing through the mask.
Rena kissed him on his forehead with trickles of tears dripping.
He did not seem to have any reaction.
Ting: 你说什么？ 为什么会这样？ 天啊！！！ (What? You got to be kidding me!)
Ting grabbed the tickets from the man and she dashed into her room and packed immediately, heading straight to the airport.
Daniel’s heartbeat was on the decline.
The surroundings that he walked changed as through he was on a time machine. He was suddenly transported to the spot where Beth committed suicide. Her desperateness. Her fear. As he walked towards her, shouting for her not to jump, she took a deep breath and plunged down.
Dan: Nooo!!!!
The scene changes to his home with his five wives when he was away on the rendezvous with Wyn. He could see exactly what happened. He wanted so much to shout, but they could not hear him.
He could only watch.
He then saw Beth.
She stretched out her palms, signalling for him to follow.
Daniel smiled to himself as he tried to hold her hand.
The beeping sound of the machine was ringing.
Bernice and Rena was shouting in desperation.
The indicators of the heart machine had stopped.
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Daniel could hear faint voices from afar.
He stopped for a while and waited.
Daniel: Bernice? Rena?
Bernice and Rena was shouting his name, hoping that he could hear them.
Bernice: NOOO! Daniel! Please! Come back! Don’t leave me… Rena is here too! Daniel!
Rena kept pressing the red emergency button and she was trying to shake Daniel up.
Rena: Please… wake up…. dear… please…
Bernice: We will return as a family… please… wake up….
The doctor immediately raised his eyelids and prepared the necessary equipment.
The two of them stayed at the side, with Bernice leaning on Rena’s shoulders. Rena patted her as they both hoped for the best.
Doc: Charge!
Daniel’s body shook up with the impact.
Doc: Charge!
A second impact. No response.
Bernice could not help herself: Hubby, please come back! I love you!
Beth smiled gracefully at Daniel when he held her hand. She was wearing the white dress that Daniel had bought for her.
Beth: Go my dear. They are waiting.
Beth nodded her head as kissed him on his cheek.
Doc: Charge!
The third shock triggered him to open his eyes, gasping for air.
Doc: Yes!
The nurses cheered as his pulse came back.
Evans and Gin were standing outside his ward, both heaving a sigh of relief. Both of them looked at each other and hugged tightly.
Evans: Thank god..
Gin: Yes…
They could not contain their emotions and cried.
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Daniel was too weak to respond. His eyes swept quickly before he closed. He was sure he caught a glimpse of Bernice and Rena. But he was not sure if he was seeing correctly.
Evans and Gin entered and the sisters greeted each other with a smile. None of them talked. Their attention was on Daniel. Bernice was hold to his hand, letting his fingers brush her face.
Bernice: It’s me Daniel.. Bernice… please… don’t ever leave me again.
Rena kissed him on his forehead. Evans and Gin walked over and massaged his legs.
None of them dared to go home in case the same scene happened. Bernice and Rena rested their arms on Daniel’s bed and Evans and Gin slept on the sofa.
It was nearing morning when Bernice heard wheels rolling like that of a luggage. And that familiar voice who was mumbling to herself.
The door opened like a detective who was there to investigate.
Ting: 老公！！！！ (Honey!)
The 65 year old man woke up in shock as his wife stared at Ting, and gave her husband that medusa look.
Ting: 哦对不起。。认错人。。。(Sorry, wrong person)
She stick out her tongue and went out of the door.
When she exited the door, she saw her four sisters standing outside Dan’s door.
Rena: I guess there’s only one person capable of this voice and actions.
They laughed.
Ting: 你们很坏。 笑我。(You all are so bad. Laughing at me like this)
She paused. Then hugged Rena.
Ting: 我好想你们呢。 我以为不能再回来了。 (I missed all of you… I thought I couldn’t see you all again…)
She cried and buried herself in Rena’s embrace.
Rena: It’s alright now… we are back together.
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