Chapter 7

America.

Lester had been there for six months and he was almost mad with sadness. All the things had changed from how he dressed, talked, and most of all his work! The only thing he was grateful for was the kind treatment he received from his uncle's family. Fortunately, Lester was normally sharp, or maybe it was because of his photographic memory. In fact, his elementary and high school grades were very high so he quickly learned a foreign language. After all, he was already familiar with the English language in school. But Lester never went to college because he does not have enough money to study in the city, so he focused himself on planting crops instead. He survived himself and his mother with his planting. However, in order not to question his educational background for working on the company, Lester studied for few weeks the books of Accounting and Business Management at home with a private tutor his uncle paid to teach him. He took a college exam after and successfully answered the questions almost perfectly. He had a high IQ so it was not questionable, he was very qualified to work on the company. After that, he started working for the company. It was after two months of his arrival in America.

'This is your only remembrance that cannot be separated from me,' Lester promised himself and carefully hid the gold necklace inside his shirt and put on a suit, then fixed his necktie.

Lester glanced at the white jar with his name, he put it on the bedside table beside the picture of his family. After that, he got ready to go to work.

In the office.

"Lester, from now on, you'll have a secretary to help you so you won't have a hard time with your job. But I am really grateful for your photographic memory. You don't even need a hard time to understand and learned many things but you still need to master all the things in the company." Mr. Wang handed Lester a folder with a resume.

After Mr. Johnson Wang finished his sentence, a knocked on Lester's office door could be heard. Mr. Wang immediately opened the door and a beautiful young lady appeared in Lester's eyes. She was wearing a simple office dress yet showing her sexy curves. The dress was knee-high and partnered with high heels shoes. Simple yet elegant.

The girl approached them and smiled before saying, "Good morning Mr. Wang. Good morning Mr. Wang Lester."

Lester could not help but mumble silently in amazement, 'She's so beautiful!'

All of a sudden, some of the books from the bookshelf next to the wall fell off. With the loud impact, it was like someone threw it angrily.

All of them were surprised. They looked at the books with questioning eyes. But Lester thought about something else so he stood up and quickly took the books from the floor. While he was looking down, he could not help but smirk. He wanted to prove something if his suspicion was right.

Lester returned all the books on the shelf and cheerfully walked towards the lady and greeted her with extended hand, "And you are...?"

The lady shook Lester's hands while answering, "My name is Aubrey Chavez. I am pleased to meet you, Sir!"

Lester pulled his hand immediately. He felt uneasy.

"Now that you already know each other, I will leave you now. Please take care of Lester Miss Aubrey." Mr. Wang left and closed the door.

Lester chuckled at what his uncle's said, he was not a child to be taken care of. He returned to his swivel chair and looked at Miss Aubrey's resume his uncle gave him, it was on the table and he cheerfully chatted with his secretary.

"So you're a Filipina! Thank heaven for that. I feel my tongue is already twisted of talking every day in a foreign language. Haha."

While smiling widely, Lester thought of himself desperately flirting with his secretary. When he felt a sudden force on his feet like someone stepped on it angrily, Lester's smile widens more.

Aubrey chuckled and answered, "Haha, yes Mr. Wang. However, can I call you Mr. Lester instead so that we won't be confused about you and Mr. Johnson Wang?" Lester nodded and Aubrey continued, "But we still need to communicate in English, you have to get used to it. Also, I'm used to speaking that way."

Lester nodded again and guided Miss Aubrey to her designated table at the other side of the room.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Aubrey. I hope that our relationship as secretary and boss will be good!"

They shook hands again as accepting on their new relationship as employer-employee.

Countless days passed. Lester shows a fondness for his secretary. He thought that nothing was wrong with that but something inside of him felt empty.

"Please bring me a cup of black coffee Miss Aubrey."

An ordinary scene in the office every morning Lester arrived at the office room.

After he instructed his secretary, Lester massaged his temple. He was having a hard time dealing with all the papers Mr. Han left after he suddenly resigned for an unknown reason. His work was given to him. Lester's head hurts with all the amount his brain was processing.

It was almost a week since Mr. Han resigned and Lester cannot do anything but work overtime. He was exhausted every day.

Around six o'clock in the afternoon, Lester asked his secretary again to make him a coffee. He was preparing himself for another overtime ahead.

"Why don't we have dinner outside Mr. Lester? You've been worked out for how many days now. Don't worry, my treat," Miss Aubrey said after she put the cup of coffee on Lester's table then winked at him.

Lester glanced at the lady's beautiful face, he thought, why not? He looked at his wristwatch and said, "Thank you, Miss Aubrey. Then please give me an hour to finish this first."

He needed to give her consideration because she also working overtime.

'Why not give her a chance? I'm not that stupid and numb not to notice that she likes me. She is also very beautiful, I can consider her!' Lester thought while watching the lady walking back to her seat.

When his head suddenly knocked on the papers on the top of the table. He angrily hissed, "Son of a buffalo! Who the f*ck hit me?!"

Lester turned around violently, he was very angry. He saw no one, but when he turned around again, he saw Miss Aubrey's surprised and wondering face while looking at him.

"Are you alright Mr. Lester?"

"Yeah. Never mind me," Lester bit his lower lip, he avoided thinking.

Around seven in the evening, Lester and Miss Aubrey left the office and went to the nearby restaurant to have dinner.

Along the way, Lester could not help looking at the beautiful scenery. He was truly amazed.

"I never imagined that I missed a lot of beautiful things to see in this place. My time revolves around the office and home alone. I never expected such wonders hidden on this place and can only be seen especially during at night."

He shook himself. Lester could not believe what he was seeing.

"Ahhh that means I can show you how beautiful this place is...? Not only tonight but..."

Lester understood what she was implying. He was not blind and stupid. He nodded and smiled at her.

That scenario repeatedly happened. Lester and Miss Aubrey worked at the office the whole day and eating dinner outside almost every night. She was not hard to get along with anyway and she was very cheerful to be with, they don't run out of topics. Lester felt contentment somehow.

But as time went by, Lester could not hide his true emotions anymore. He admitted to himself that such happiness he shows to Miss Aubrey was fake. His desire to prove that Ezekiel was by his side all along, disappeared. Because ever since he became close to Miss Aubrey, Ezekiel's clues that he was there, disappeared as well.

Sadness. Emptiness. Loneliness. But what would he do? Lester missed something deep within him.

"Is the time wasn't right yet?"

What Lester could not understand was the fact that he has a photographic memory, yet he could not remember Ezekiel's existence. It was as if his memories of him were deliberately erased from his mind, leaving him in so many questions. It was impossible to just forget him if he could almost remember all the things in his life since his childhood. Why Ezekiel only appears between his dreams and in his ghostly ways?

"Something was wrong, I am sure of it but what is it?"

The only thing was Lester sure of, if Ezekiel was not human, then he was in love with immortal. He could not remember him but his feeling towards him could not be faked.

Different kinds of thoughts almost drive him crazy.

Time flies quickly.

Lester had been in America for almost a year already. That day, he was out of himself while going to work one morning.

He was very lonely and his mind was somewhere else. Lester's mind was flying on the time he saw Mister Lucas's different appearance in the mirror. He recalled a young very very handsome man sitting on their wooden sofa in the living room. Those beautiful silver hair, silver eyes, long dress...

Ezekiel...

Those beautiful words, "Lester, I love you so much. Now and my whole lifetime."

He repeatedly remembered Ezekiel's voice. He repeatedly remembered his dream. Lester could not forget about him any less. But, should he value such uncertain promises? Was that really true or he was just being played?

He remembered Mister Lucas's story to the kids before...

"Do you believe that on earth, we are interacting on some creatures disguised as human but not human at all?"

"Hahaha, you may never know the possibility that maybe one of your friends is like them."

Lester realized something and thought, 'So you are actually referring to yourself! Tsk tsk.'

"If you are not human, who are you, Ezekiel?" Lester whispered.

Full of thoughts, Lester was not aware of his surroundings.

It happened so fast even before he realized it. Lester's body felt numb and paralyzed as he spins in the air before his head hit so hard on the ground. His eyes were covered with darkness and he almost collapsed. Everything went so fast, he felt helpless and dying.

'Just what happened to me?' Lester thought.

Then a familiar voice appeared...

"Lester! Lester, please wake up!!! Please I begged you Lester don't leave me! I'm sorry I'm late. I could not help you in time. Lester! Lester please!!"

Lester finally heard the voice he longed to hear for a long time. He forced a smile before completely fainted.