Hiding In His Dreams by Jason W. Chan Page B

around the room frantically,
looking for any sign that her leaving was a joke. Most of her
paintings of landscapes and cherry blossoms had been removed from
their proud places on the walls of the living room. Only a measly
three were left. His living room was a huge concert hall without an
audience.
    When he saw a cherry blossom on the
coffee table, he knew this was no joke.
    He knew that he had not left it there.
It was usually kept in their bedroom, on their nightstand. The
blossom had been put there on purpose.
    Luke walked over to the table, and
picked up the flower. He cradled it in his hand, like he would a
newborn. His own newborn.
    He stared at the cherry blossom that
she had given him on their first date. It was starting to
wither.
    * * * * *

Chapter 9
    Luke wasted no time. He called all her
friends, but they said they had not seen her. Where could she have
gone?
    He called her mother’s place
last.
    “ Hello?” Florence Caldwell’s
scratchy voice said.
    “ Florence, it’s me, Luke. Is
Alyssa there?”
    “ Oh, it’s you.“ She sighed.
“So you tracked her down. Yes, she is. But she doesn’t want to
speak to you.”
    “ Would you please put her
on? This is important.”
    “ This is out of my control.
I’ll have to ask her.”
    In the background, Luke could hear a
laugh track from a sitcom on TV. Then, he heard muffled voices, one
of which sounded urgent and angry.
    He thought he could make out a
‘no.’
    Finally, Florence’s voice came back on
the line.
    “ She’s not interested in
speaking with you. She tells you to stop calling her and let her
move on.”
    “ Move on to where?” Luke’s
voice was demanding, with just a hint of fear.
    “ I don’t know. I have to go
now.”
    “ Wait, don’t hang up,” Luke
said, but it was too late. He heard a click, then the dial
tone.
    He put the phone down, then stared out
the window. The rain was really starting to come down.
    No, he decided. I am not going to lose
her. I am going to win her back. Everything’s different now. I know
what‘s important now.
    He decided that he would go to her
mother’s townhouse and coax her to come home. He grabbed the
diamond engagement ring in his bedroom and went out the
door.
    He drove the half hour to Langley. The
highway was dark and windy. He felt as though he were in the centre
of a tornado.
    He finally arrived at the townhouse in
the countryside. It was still, as though the storm had not even
touched the wilderness of Langley. The rain, if it had been there
at all, had stopped completely.
    Luke parked the car, and perked up when
he saw her Ford Escort parked in front of the house.
    He dashed up to the door and rang the
doorbell. The porch light flashed on, blinding him
momentarily.
    He waited for a while, but there was no
answer. He was not going to give up. He would not leave until
Alyssa was in his car, going back to Vancouver with him.
    He kept ringing the
doorbell.
    Finally, the door opened.
    Florence stood there in her pink
bathrobe, her hair in curls. “Didn’t I tell you that Alyssa doesn’t
want to see you?”
    “ I’m not leaving without
her,” he said defiantly.
    “ Then be prepared to spend
the night in your car,” the lady said, slamming the door in his
face.
    Luke pounded on the door, but no one
answered. He rang the doorbell continuously, but after a few rings,
there was no sound when he pressed the bell.
    Florence must have disabled the
doorbell system, he thought.
    He tried desperately to peek inside the
house, but all the blinds and curtains had been drawn.
    He stood on the porch with his arms
hanging by his side. Then, he turned around, marched back to his
car, and got in.
    Florence had told him to prepare to
spend the night in his car. He was prepared to do just
that.
    As he looked around his surroundings,
he noticed the silence in the countryside. Total
silence.
    He rolled down the window. A refreshing
breeze brushed past him. A fresh scent permeated through the air,
the scent of