SomeHow Someday
The walk down Hans Street wasn't really something Claire could
enjoy. Hans Street was where Claire had hurt Kurt by telling him a
lie. A lie that was somehow not a lie, a lie that Claire wasn't
even sure to label as a lie.
That evening after the December rain, Claire had decided to ell
Kurt to stop seeing each other. The walk was quiet until Claire
finally broke the unpleasant silence.
"I think we have to stop seeing each other," Claire finally
said.
"Why?" Kurt quizzed.
"Because...............anyway, it's my decision, it has nothing to
do with you," replied Claire.
"So tell me, you don't like me anymore?" asked Kurt softly as if
waiting for a very dreaded yet predictable answer.
Claire went speechless, it was so hard to think of a reason. She
didn't want to lie but still she had to.
Somehow Kurt thought the answer was what he had expected, the much
dreaded answer. In a way, Claire had confirmed his question.
"Let's just say that a break would do us good, perhaps you might
find someone new who's better," Claire sprouted out the corny
lines.
After a moment of silence again, Kurt started saying,"All right,
let's then take a last walk down Hans Street, afterwhich I would
never step into Hans Street, never again."
They then walked down the street in silence, the last walk was
unbearable to Claire, it was as if she was walking towards the end
of her life. She had enjoyed Kurt's company but this time, the walk
down Hans Street with Kurt was sad, as if she's walking towards a
lighted tunnel that is gradualy dimming.
Finally, the walk ended with Kurt hailing a cab for her. Since
then, she had not heard from him since. It was through their mutual
friend, Charlotte that she got to know that he had left overseas
for some volunteering work.
Since that day, she sobbed her heart out, nobody knows except
Marsh, her pet puppy. Claire had brought Marsh to the park and it
went missing. Marsh was nearly hit by a car and Kurt helped carry
Marsh safely to the other side of the road and returned it to
Claire. Kurt in a way, was Marsh's benefactor.
A year later, Marsh died in an accident. Claire was carrying her
baby niece and bringing Marsh to the park. Her niece had dropped
her toy while crossing the road and Marsh turned back to bring it
back to her. Claire and her baby niece had reached the other end of
the road and Marsh was in the middle when suddenly a car came along
and hit Marsh. Claired rushed Marsh to the veterinary hospital and
it was instantly pronounced dead. The driver was very sorry for
what he did.
"I'm sorry, here's my name card, I'm willing to compensate for the
loss of your dog," the driver handed Claire his name card.
"What's the use of saying sorry? If saying sorry could help, why
would we need the police for?" said Claire angrily.
"Whatever it is, take my card," he said and left the card in
Claire's hand.
Claire tore up the card angrily and grieved for Marsh. Now with
Marsh gone, there was nothing to hang on, only memories of Kurt in
Hans Street left for her. Marsh knew about why she insisted on not
seeing Kurt.
Before the walk, the hospital had informed Claire that she had
cancer. It was only a month after Kurt's departure that the
hospital informed Claire that it was a mistake. It was too late,
Kurt had left for Africa and it was difficult to reach him because
he's always on the move. Kurt had no family and he was leading a
wanderer's life. Claire decided that if they were to be together,
somehow someday they would be.
After Claire had pulled herself together after Marsh's death,
Claire quit her job and started work in another hospital. She had
had enough of her previous job and she just wanted to have a change
of environment. It was only on the first day of work that she
realised that the driver was her colleague.
"Claire, meet Dave, Dave, Claire will be working in your team and
he will be mentoring you on the ropes of the business," the boss
said. It was only after the boss's introduction that she realised
that Dave was the one who killed her puppy.
"Oh we've met," Dave said.
"That's good," the boss said, not knowing the silent anger slowly
boiling in Claire. The boss then left Claire in Dave's care and
Claire was now using her silence to counterattack.
"Hey, about that dog, I'm sorry about it," Dave said
apologetically.
"There's no need to talk about that and I don't want to talk about
it," Claire said curtly. "Look, I've already said sorry and I guess
the dog must have meant a lot to you," explained Dave.
"Of course and I think I wouldn't want to work with my dog's
murderer!" Claire said angrily.
"These are two different things, look when you are working, you
should put your personal matters aside especially in this line when
you have to work with the dead," Dave said, expecting to bury the
hatchet. "Sure I will, at least the dead won't kill a dog," Claire
said with a straight face.
Somehow as the days went, Claire found that Dave was very
passionate in his job as a pathologist. She realised that since
Dave had faced so many deaths in his job, he had become immune to
the departures of people around him. Still he was willing to bury
the hatchet with Claire.
One day, Claire decided that there was no point holding Marsh's
death against Dave. She no longer felt angry with Dave and they
gradually become a couple.
One day, Dave told Claire the news that would once again have
another impact on her life. Dave had proposed to Claire over dinner
and she had not been able to give a reply and she was to give him a
reply in a week's time.
Within that week, Dave told Claire that a close cousin of his was
coming back and he had wanted Claire to meet him for dinner.
Due to the heavy workload, Claire told Dave that she can only meet
them later. When she turned up at the restaurant, the cousin that
Dave had wanted her to meet turned out to be Kurt.
"Claire, this is my cousin, Kurt," Dave said proudly.
Claire and Kurt went speechless. Kurt had thinned down and had
sandy hair. "Looks like you two are kinda surprised huh?" Dave
said, not knowing. "err...I need to go to the restroom," Claire
rushed to the restroom and splashed her face with water. After
washing up, she went to the table.
"Dave's back shortly and will be leaving for Africa next week, so
I'll be going on leave next week to bring this cousin of mine
around, Claire," Dave said.
At this time, Dave's handphone rang.
"Excuse me, I got to attend to a phone call," said Dave.
After Dave left, Kurt started to talk.
"So how are you all these while?" asked Kurt.
"Been fine," said Claire quietly.
"Heard Dave got to know you through an accident, not Yuki I
hope,"
"It's Yuki."
"Oh, i'm sorry."
"It's ok. Where have you been? I had been trying to reach
you."
"I was leading a wanderer's life, moving around."
The table was suddenly quiet, Claire didn't know what to say
next.
"Heard Dave proposed to you, so have you accepted his proposal?
Dave is a good man, don't let him down like what you did to me last
time," said Dave
"You still can't forgive me for that?"
"I've already forgotten about it, just that I don't want to see my
cousin being hurt by the same woman who hurt me."
"I'm sorry, at that time, I had my own reasons."
"Then why didn't you tell me your reasons?"
"Well at that time, I was informed by the hospital that I have a
few months to live and a month after your departure, the hospital
informed me that it was a mistake."
"You should have told me."
"I just couldn't."
And now you are about to marry my cousin."
"I suppose we aren't meant to be together."
"So do you love him?"
"I don't know."
"What???? To think that you are still as indecisive as before, when
will you ever make up your mind?"
Claire was about to reply when Dave finally came back.
"Sorry people, I have to go, got a murder case for me to check,
Kurt please help me to send Claire home," requested Dave.
After the dinner, they walked back and passed by Hans Street, the
walk along Hans Street was like going down the memory lane to them.
It had somehow rekindled their memories.
"Will you not marry Dave if I ask you not to?" asked Kurt.
"I still like you but it would be unfair to Dave."
"But what about me?"
"Would you rather see me live in guilt?"
"If that's what you choose."
After that day, Claire no longer saw Kurt. He had left again, this
time, he's going off to South America.
Claire had accepted Dave's proposal but as the wedding day
approached, she told Dave because she felt it would be unfair to
him as she had not loved Dave as much as she loved Kurt. She told
Dave the whole story between Kurt and her.
Still she wondered if she were to choose Kurt that day, what would
have happened to her life. She would have felt happy but guilty at
the same time. Now she had broken Dave's heart, she felt bad but at
least she won't feel guilty for being unfair.
5 years passed and now Claire had grown to become fully mature, she
immersed fully into her job, tackling murder cases, working in the
same place as Dave. They had become good friends and Dave had
gotten married to someone else.
One day, out of nostalgia, she came to Hans Street. She sat on a
bench in the park and someone came up to her. She looked up and saw
Kurt. There was happiness in her eyes and tears welled up her eyes.
Kurt had come back after knowing that Dave had gotten married to
someone else.
"Somehow someday we will meet," Claire said with tears streaming
down her cheeks.
"And I have always believed it to be," Kurt replied with a
smile.
