Chapter 4

She wasn't sure herself.

Clare felt guilty. She concluded that maybe, this wasn't the right time to call him and perhaps, she was disturbing him. She thought that he was busy and waiting for someone else's call that's why he seemed so awkward answering her on the phone. 

"Oh no! I'm sorry Mr. Bowe! Are you busy right now? It's okay... if you have other things to attend to, I can just call you some other time. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you."

she said and was about to hang up on him when he quickly responded.

" No! I... *clears throat* I am free right now. You can say what you want to say right now. It's okay. Is there something wrong? "

A sigh of relief escaped from her lips.

Good, or else she might forget to invite him again. 

"Well, I'm opening a small fried chicken place in the building I bought from you. I just thought that it would be nice if you and your family... could come to the opening?" she said with her voice becoming faint at the end. 

The truth was, Clare was contemplating having them all invited. It was because she has been such an inconvenience to them from the start, especially to Mr. Bowe.

He even went too far and assisted her with the requirements needed for the transfer even if it wasn't part of his obligation as the seller. The kind old man helped her go to the agencies needed for getting the certifications, using some of his connections, mainly his friends working in government offices. 

Clare owed him a lot. He was a kind old man who gave her months for her loan. It wasn't in full payment and it took her six months to complete. The location was even good and sometimes she ran short.

What was more unbelievable, was that he started lowering the commercial value of the building! He practically gave her a big discount. She was sure that if he didn't, it would take her another two years to fully pay for its original price. She couldn't help but feel indebted to him. She could only offer free meals in her resto as a sign of her gratitude for all his help. 

Every time Clare thought of Mr. Bowe there was a plaster of "The kindest human alive" next to his name. If she ever succeeded in the future, she would always look back and thank Mr. Bowe sincerely in her heart. 

Mr. Bowe, who was on the other line, grew silent from her sudden invitation. Because of this, the person on the other line wondered if he was still there or if he was cut off from the call. 

"Mr. Bowe? "

"...." 

"Mr. Bowe, are you still there?" 

"... Ahh,Y-Yes!...I-I'm still here." 

"Are you alright? You seem sick. Your voice is a bit shaky." 

"Yes... I—Actually I have a sore throat and I haven't been feeling well these days..." 

"Is that so? I think you should go get a check up as early as possible Mr. Bowe. It might be something serious."

"It's fine. It might just be a simple cough or cold.."

Clare who felt concern for the old man could not help but disagree.

"Oh! That's not a good sign Mr. Bowe, you should be more careful. Old people tend to have frail bodies—." 

*Cough*

Mr. Bowe coughed to interrupt her from babbling any further. 

His lips were in a deep frown and his brows rose in irritation.

How long does he need to keep up with this? He thought that he wouldn't have to deal with this girl again. And mind you! He wasn't even in his 70's yet! How can he be old?! 

Still, he did not refute her words and opted to respond to her with gratefulness. 

"Y-Yes... Why thank you for the advice…" he said and cleared his throat once again.

"Uh... About your arrangement...It looks like I won't be able to attend it...I'm sorry Ms. Clare. I will be going back to the countryside with my family. I'm afraid that we won't be seeing each other again." he said sadly. 

A tinge of sadness passed through Clare's heart. This was different from what she expected.

She didn't even have the chance to thank him.

What a shame...

At least, she could still do it on the phone. 

"Well that's —I'm totally fine with it Mr. Bowe. It's a shame I won't be able to give you a piece of my fried chicken. I really intended on giving you one." she joked. "Have a safe trip then! Thank you so..so..so much for all your help Mr. Bowe!"

" Sure, no problem." said Mr. Bowe. "I hope your business will succeed in the future!"

She couldn't resist the urge to smile.

How kind this old man is!

"Thank you so much, Mr. Bowe! I will never forget the kindness you showed me. I hope to see you again someday. Bye!" 

It was inevitable for them to not see each other because of Mr. Bowe's circumstances. Furthermore, she could not do anything about it. So, it was a waste of feeling sad about the whole thing. She just hoped that Mr. Bowe would be safe on his trip.

As she carefully combed the wet hair that barely reached the bottom of her ears, Clare stared at her own reflection in the mirror. The nervousness as she clipped her long bangs to the side of her face was evident as her lips quivered. She didn't dare to breathe until her hair was done properly.

Striking amber eyes were revealed which made her flinch. A certain resemblance made her bite her lips. A familiar emotion started welling up inside her which she quickly suppressed.

'Those are my eyes. Those are yours, Clare.'

She said it in her mind over and over again.

Diverting her thoughts, she thought deeply about what to do to make her face look better. Clare, who used to have no time to care about her appearance, wanted to look pleasant on the first day of her business. She grew silent for a few seconds till she remembered something.

She fished out a lipstick she bought from a makeup store she happened to pass by the other day. It was in shade that reminded her of pink apples but they were on the lighter side. She wasn't knowledgeable about makeup in general but she had the feeling that this shade will suit her pale complexion.