Mai slowly walked into the house, "I'm home," she shouted and went upstairs to her room. She pulled her cell phone and dialed Houa's number. "Houa, this is Mai, I have to talk to you."
"Sure when?"
"ASAP!" she said in a serious voice.
"Mai are you ok?"
"I'll tell you when we see each other. Meet me at starbuck now."
"Ok, Mai,"
Mai hung up and went back downstairs. she went into the kithen and her sister was cooking, "hey Sheng, tell mom and dad that I going to meet Houa. She said she has some news to tell me so yeah."
Sheng nodded, "Aren't you going to eat first?"
"Oh, um..." she bit her lower lips and then shook her head, "I ate a Mcchicken before coming here. I promise to eat it when I come back." and rushed out.
Sheng scratched her head, "Ok? i thought you were hungry that's why you fainted."
Houa walked into Starbuck and saw Mai at the corner. She ran towards her, "What is it?" as she saw the serious expression on Mai.
Mai took a deep breathe, "It returned."
Houa jaw dropped, "What?"
"Remember your promise not to tell anyone, Houa. My heart problem returned."
Houa was shocked, "What I thought it was cure?"
"same here but I don't know what happen."
Houa touched her hand, "What are you going to do?"
She shrugged, as tears started to come down, "I don't know what I should say to my parents. I don't want them to worry about it." She took a deep breath, "Especially when Sheng is getting married. Having them worried about Sheng and her wedding is already stress out enough."
Houa nodded, "Get treatment no matter what."
Mai nodded, "If only they could do their wedding soon enough then I can tell my parents but then I don't want them to worry." Mai looked down at the table and then looked up at Houa, "Houa can I ask you a favor?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Go with me back to school. There I'll get my treatment so that no one has to worry about it."
Houa nodded, "When are you going?"
"Soon, how about tomorrow? Do you think we could get a place so soon?"
Houa nodded, "Cheng and his wife are there so we can ask them if we could take a room."
Mai nodded, "Would you take care of it for me while I talked to parents about letting me go." Mai looked at her watch, "I promise Sheng I'll eat her cooking so I should be heading home, call and let me know what is going on alright."
"alright."
that night, Meng was over at their place. while eating he was looking at Mai. whenever Sheng or her parents looked at him, he would looked somewhere else.
Mai on the other hand, was worried. she didn't feel like eating at all. She took a deep breath, praying to herself, 'God, please help me, i just want to get away from here so I can get the treatment I need.'
"Mai..." said her mother. "Mai..." she touched Mai's arm.
"Huh?"
"Mai, dear what are you thinking about?"
Mai smiled, "Oh, nothing. I was thinking about..." she looked at Sheng and then Meng, "About the news Houa told me."
"What did the doctor said?" asked her father.
"Oh, nothing. I just eat more," she lied.
Just then the phone ring,
Mai stood up, "Got it..." and ran to get it, "hello?"
"Mai?"
"Houa, yes this is Mai."
"good news, I talked to Yer (Cheng's wife) and she said it's fine. Do you want to go tomorrow?"
Mai turned around to see if anyone was there, "Sure, thanks, Houa, you are the best. Let's leave around 5 in the morning."
Later that night, after dinner, Mai said she wanted to go outside and walked around the yard. As she was sitting down on the lawn, Meng walked towards her, "So, what did the doctor really say? Are you pregnant?"
Mai was surprised. She stood up and turned to look at her, "No, why would I be pregnant? Once cannot get me pregnant."
Meng walked in front of her, "I'm marrying Sheng because I was told to, don't think I'll love her."
Mai went in front of him, "You can't do that. You have to love her with all her heart."
"it's going to be different, Mai. It's not you. I loved you already and there is only one person in my heart that person is you." and he walked away.
The next day, at 5, Houa came and picked Mai up. She quickly opened and closed the door, so her parents wouldn't hear her. As she closed the front door, she turned to look at it once and then rushed to Houa's car.
later that morning, when sheng went to wake Mai up, she was gone. On her bed as a letter.