1 going home

After the door was closed, Joseph let out a sigh. Joseph disembarked the ship and walked towards the parking lot where he parked his car. He felt sad and thought that had she asked to stay, he would let her stay and will deal with his mother later. He was angry because he was not able to control himself back there on the road, he is angry because she did not hesitate to leave and most of all, he is not able to stop her. What will be his reason to stop and keep her?

He just stayed in the car for almost an hour, so many things going on his mind and one of them was to investigate. Judging from the way Christine responded to his kisses, she is not as experienced as what he was told.

'Just please take care of yourself because when the time comes, I will bring you back to where you belong', he thought to himself and reluctantly drove away.

It was already 2:00 in the afternoon when she woke up after crying a lot. The ship has sailed already and her stomach was rumbling. She has not eaten anything since they left the mansion. Her head hurts. She went off the bed and sat on the dresser, looked at herself in the mirror and she looked a mess. Her hair disheveled, panda eyes due to dark circles around her eyes, its reddish due to crying, and her lips... her lips are swollen. She touched it and a bitter smile formed on her lips. That was her second and will be the last kiss. She shook the negative emotions she was feeling and stood up. She needed to clean herself and go out to find something to eat. She took off her clothes before going inside the bathroom. Once inside, she almost shouted. She saw the pink love bites around her neck and collarbone.

"What the... he is shameless!!", Christine cursed Joseph several times before she took a shower. It was only a quick shower because she was really hungry and her stomach is already protesting. She wrapped herself with the towel provided and hurriedly went out. She chose a black pair of jeans and a blue top. She dried her hair with the towel and combed it hurriedly. She applied a little powder and a lipstick and after a few seconds of checking herself in the mirror, she cursed again.

"Damn! How will I hide these?", she said as she was holding her neck. She hurriedly took her vanity pouch from her luggage and took a concealer. She carefully applied it to the marks on her neck and collarbone. After making sure that they are no longer visible, she gave herself a thumbs up and a smile.

"You are so brilliant!", she praised herself. One thing she learned from her grandfather, to always affirm yourself no matter what the situation is.

"From now on, you stand up on your own and never trust anyone ... except for grandpa", she said with a smile. Her stomach grumbled again so she hurriedly put on her sneakers and went out the door. She did not forget to bring her wallet and the keycard when she went out. The hallway was quiet and based on the signages, the dining area is on the second floor of the ship. She walked past several rooms before she found a stair leading downstairs. Once she got to the second floor, she found the dining area for those who have VIP tickets. It was set up like a restaurant, the ambiance is good and cozy. There are just a few diners, must be because it was already past lunch time. There were a group of elderly women having coffee in one corner and 2 more guests in one table who are in deep conversation with their laptops on the table. There is a lady at the counter wearing a white uniform who smiled at her when she came in. She went to the counter.

"Hi, I just woke up and I wonder if I can have my lunch please", she said to the girl at the counter. She was told that food is already included in her accommodation but she was not sure if they will still serve her food if she missed the schedule.

"Yes mam, may I see your keycard?"

"Here", she showed it to her. The girl smiled back and scanned her card.

"Thank you for choosing to travel with us, welcome aboard and we will take care of you", she returned the card to her and pressed a button which prompted someone to come out.

"Good afternoon Miss, I am Melvin and I will be at your service", he made a courtesy and led her to a table nearby. He handed her a menu before he stepped back a little while waiting for her to decide what to eat.

Christine ordered buttered shrimp, grilled tuna fish, and a pork stew, 2 servings of plain rice, mango shake, and ice cream. She smiled at Melvin and gave the menu back to him but all of a sudden her stomach rumbled again. She felt awkward.

"I did not have anything before I went to sleep", she awkwardly explained.

Melvin smiled. "Don't worry it will only take a few minutes for the food to be ready. Would you like some biscuits while waiting? ", he offered.

"No thank you, just water, please. Thank you."

"Right away Miss", he bowed and left. He was amazed by her beauty and she was the only one who treated him kindly since this morning. Most of the guests are so arrogant, hence it is the VIP area, they are all VIPs. So he instructed the cook to prepare the food quickly knowing that the lady she is serving is really hungry.

As promised, her food was served after a few minutes and she was so happy to see all the food served in front of her. She devoured the food immediately. She was so hungry and was a bit dizzy already, her muscles were getting weak, she was sweating already. The other people inside the diner cannot help but stare at her especially the elderly women. they whispered to themselves and one of them said loudly, the youth of today are so different than before.

Christine ignored them and continued to eat until she was full. She has eaten all of it and she felt satisfied. She eats a lot but she is just lucky because of her metabolism so she doesn't get fat. She rested a few minutes and decided to go up the top deck to rest.

She sat on one of the reclining chairs on the deck. The place is empty. It's almost 4:00 in the afternoon and soon the sun will set again. It will be her first night tonight on the ship, 2 more nights and she will be back at M City. She just stared at the vast ocean in front of her. Somehow she felt at peace. She remembered Joseph was trying to tell her something but she did not quietly hear all of it because of the sirene. She can't help but think back of how it all started which always bring sadness to her heart.

+++++++++++++++

It was 5 years ago, She was just 15 years old. Her father, Jackson, remarried to Celine, a wealthy businesswoman in D City. She owns the biggest plantation of pineapple in D City and is engaged in export business and other businesses which I don't have any interest at.

Jackson and Celine met in a business expo in Hong Kong 6 years ago since her father worked as a marketing manager in a well known import-export company. Since then, they have been traveling together. She was a bit jealous because of the attention he has given Celine. She loves her father so much. He was her first love, her hero and she wished that someday she will meet someone like him. Even though she felt left alone sometimes when they will go on business trips together, She was still happy for him, she thought it would be best for him to move on after her mother died.

Her mother Elize died when she was just 10 years old, on her 4th grade. She knows how her father cherished and loved her mother. He was very hard working and because of that, he was able to give them a comfortable life. However, her mother got sick of cancer.

All of her parent's savings were used for her medication, her Dad even sold their house. They settled in a smaller yet comfortable house. She saw how he struggled during those years when her mother was going in and out of the hospital. Her grandfather already had to help but he didn't have much. He was only relying on his pension from serving in the government for 35 years. Her mother passed away and her dad was so devastated. However, being a responsible and loving father that he is, he still took care of her and never showed any weaknesses in front of Christine.

After that, her Dad worked even harder to support her.

" Ting, I am sorry if I have failed you. You do understand why you had to transfer to a public school right?", he said to her with tears in his eyes as he put his arms on her shoulder and kissed her in the forehead.

She lovingly put her arms around his waist and replied, " I know Dad, you don't have to worry. Public school is not bad and besides, I am smart so regardless of what school I enroll in, I will definitely excel" , looking up at him with a big smile.

He chuckled and hugged her, " that's my girl".

So when he started dating Celine, she knew that he has already moved on and he will be happy again. Her Dad decided to move with Celine and help her run the business.

When she first met Celine, she felt her coldness toward her, especially when her Dad would tease and play with her. Her stares felt like daggers stabbing her body but she would turn friendly when her Dad is looking. It was odd. She even wondered why she would not stay at their house every time she visits when they were still dating. She would always ask her Dad to stay in a hotel and leave her at her grandfather's care. She thought she only needed privacy but after the wedding and after they moved in to her huge mansion, it was already clear to her that she resents her.