Waiting For You

It's been one and a half years.

During Christmas Eve and snowy times. Kim stands behind the light and the cameraman inside the broadcast studio. She looks elegant and classic in a red shimmering short gown and black heels, she let her hair fall across her shoulders.

She was lost in thought, touching the red heart pendant necklace chain on her neck. That chain makes her remember Ben although it's been one and a half years and she hasn't moved on.

"Reports Kim, it's time." A lady said to her, but she did not respond or move. "Reports Kim." She poked at her.

Kim was startled and brought back to the present. "You were saying something?"

"It's time for the news broadcast." She said,

"Thank you, Samantha," Kim replied and rearranged her hair before walking and standing in front of the camera. She was holding a newspaper.

"Ready?" The camera said. She nodded her head. "Action!" The camera and light were on.

"Good morning, Here is the dairy morning news, I'm Kim Wilford." Kim begins abruptly. "The federal government has approved increasing the salary of the workers in the state…"

After the representation, she was sitting inside the office while Samantha fanned her and blended her makeup. "You did well today," Samantha said.

"Thank you." Kim took her back from the table. "I'll be on my way. I'm not feeling too well today, if there's anything else I have to do call me on the phone."

"Ok, ma. Take good care of yourself."

Kim walked out of the building, then to the parking lot she pressed her car remote and it beeped twice. She opened the car door and stuffed herself inside. She took a deep breath as soon as she settled on the chair and looked at herself in the rear mirror.

"You'll be fine." She said to herself.

Start the car and reverse out, then drive out of the gate to the highway. Her phone rang and she pressed the button on her AirPod.

"Hello, Sweetie," Stella said on the other side.

"Hi, how are you doing and how is the little kitty doing inside your stomach?" Kim said smiling.

"Little kitty is kicking, I miss you, when are you coming to spend the weekend with us?"

"I'm swamped with work today, I can't assure you if I will come this week. But your husband is with you, he'll keep you company, why are you complaining?"

"He always goes out in the morning and comes at night. I always feel bored at home. Watching TV all day and eating, I'm getting fat." Stella said.

"I love this life of yours."

"Life that you can't even bend to buckle your shoes."

"Hey, he's doing his best."

"I know." She laughed. "So when are you showing us the lucky guy?"

"I'm single," Kim uttered.

"Don't tell me you're still going to that train station every morning?"

"You guess right."

"Come on, it's been one and a half years already and you're still waiting for him? You're 29 this year he is gone Kim. Find another man for crying out loud. Ben is gone forever, start a new year with something perspective you can't blame yourself forever."

"I know he'll come back, Stella." Kim insisted she doesn't want to talk about it because it hurts more than fire. Tears start to form in her eyes, and she is becoming emotional. She parked her car beside the road and sniffed.

"Are you crying?"

"No." She lied.

"I'm sorry if I made you cry."

"It's okay, I'm fine."

"I won't talk about him again. I added you on a dating site and I'll remove you."

"It's fine Stella." Kim laughed through her tears. "You're unbelievable you've added me to a dating site."

"You need someone to talk to, you're lonely I was just trying to help you."

"I'm not angry, I'll call you when I get home." Kim hung up.

Kim sits at the train station platform and the snow continues to fall on her. She wore a long jacket to reduce the coldness.

"Ma'am the train station has closed, whoever you're waiting for is not coming, come back tomorrow." A man said and passed her by.

She sniffed. "It's true he's not coming."

Kim sat there till nightfall and she was still sitting down, waiting for maybe a miracle to occur and for Ben to show up out of the blue.

She brings her phone out and dials the number she had been calling for almost two years and it wasn't reachable. Ben's number.

'The number you are calling is not reachable at the moment, please leave a message or call back later.' The computer beeps. Kim pressed leaving a message.

"I don't know if this message would get to you if it does, I'm tired of waiting." She starts sobbing. "Don't even come again, just let me know if you're dead or alive so that I won't wait for you again. I'm tired of waiting. If you don't come I would move on. I..I." Her lips trembled with a sob. " I just want to know if you're dead or alive, please I'm tired." She sent the message and got up from the chair walking home.

Someone came out of nowhere, and he stood watching Kim as she was walking off. He wore a black cap and a black turtleneck sweater.

Kim stopped walking and told her someone was watching her behind. She swung her neck to look back but everywhere was empty. She continues walking.

FLASHBACK

It soon dawned. In the early morning, bright and warm shone through the window and cast on Ben's face. He slowly opened his eyes and saw an innocent face with big eyes blinking in front of him.

"Big brother, you wake up." The boy showed two rows of white teeth.

"Who are you?" Ben suddenly sat up, looked at the boy and his surroundings, and found himself in a strange place. "Where do I stay? Why am I here?"