Raymond turned when he saw Ron waving and when he looked up, he was stunned to see Charmaine standing beside their table. He saw the color drain from her face and immediately stood up. With eyes fixed on her pale face, he softly said, “Hi.”

Charmaine didn’t respond. She stood in place staring stonily down at the table. It was getting difficult to breathe and she took long deep breaths.

Tavia saw the change in Charmaine and took her arms. Searching her face, she asked, “Are you alright Charmaine? You don’t look so well?”

Charmaine turned to Tavia and said, “I’m not feeling too good. I’m going to go now.” She then turned towards Ron, “I’m sorry. Perhaps we could get together another time.” She didn’t bother to acknowledge Raymond and quickly headed for the door.

Tavia followed her and anxiously said, “I’ll take you home.”

Charmaine shook her head, “No, I’ll be fine. Go back to Ron. I’ll call you when I get home.”

Reluctant to let her go, Tavia peered closely at her friend, “Are you sure? You really don’t look too good.”

“Yes, I just have a headache. I’ll be fine when I get home and take a couple of aspirins,” Charmaine said and gave Tavia a brief smile before slipping out the door.

Raymond watched from his seat and felt a pang in his heart. He knew he was the cause of her being sick all of sudden. She couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with him. He could tell that it was going to be tough trying to win her back. Perhaps Ron was right. Maybe he should just let it be. Even though his mind tells him to leave her alone and not disrupt her life anymore, his heart was not willing to let go. He knew that the only way she would be able to forgive and give him another chance was to show her he was different now. The only way he could do that was to have more opportunities with her and he also knew how to arrange that.

Tavia returned to the table and took the seat next to Ron. “I’m sorry. Charmaine has a headache.”

Raymond smiled and poured Tavia a cup of coffee from the urn, “That’s okay. So have you known each other long?”

Ron looked at Raymond with disbelief, knowing what his intentions were. He gave Raymond a look that told him to back off.

Fortunately, Tavia couldn’t see Ron’s face otherwise she’ll be wondering why he was looking so ferocious. She took a sip of her coffee and innocently asked, “Who are you referring to?”

Raymond ignored Ron’s thunderous expression and refilled his cup. In an offhand manner he said, “Your friend Charmaine.”

“About four years, two months and eleven days,” Tavia answered with a beam.

Ron couldn’t help but laugh at Tavia’s childlike behavior, “Why do you remember it so clearly?”

Tavia looked at Ron, then at Raymond. Her expression changed and sadness swept across her face. With a sigh, she said quietly, “I’ll always remember that day because that was the night that Charmaine tried to kill herself. She almost died…”

Raymond’s heart stopped a beat and he felt a shiver course through his body. With his heart pounding loudly, he repeated what Tavia had just said, “She tried to kill herself?”

Tavia nodded not saying any more.

Raymond already knew what drove Charmaine to act out that way. She was trying to escape from the pain that he was responsible for. He could feel the guilt and frustration ready to burst within him. He had never hated himself more. Still, he wanted to hear it said out loud. In a shaky voice, barely audible, he asked, “Why? What would make her take her own life?”

Tavia met Raymond’s eyes then and said, “Because the man that she loved more than anything cheated on her. She felt that her life was over without him.”

Raymond’s throat constricted and he cleared it. Blinking back the unshed tears in his eyes, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Taken back by his apology, Tavia eyed him curiously, “For what?”

Ron cut in, “He’s sorry that you had to relive the memory of your friend’s tragic experience.” He then turned to Raymond, “Am I right?” he asked firmly, silently telling Raymond to go along. Raymond nodded mechanically as images of Charmaine lying alone in a hospital bed flash through his mind.

Tavia giggled, “Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past. Charmaine is over it and has moved on.”

“How is her relationship with Joe,” Ron asked. “They seemed pretty close.”

Tavia smiled, “Joe is very sweet when it comes to Charmaine. And he has a lot of patience too. He waited a long time for her to finally agree to go out with him.”

Ron glanced at Raymond and saw the building fury in his eyes. Still, he went on, “Charmaine must be very happy to find such a devoted man.”

Laughing, Tavia said, “Of course she is! She told me that Joe was everything that she ever wanted in a man.”

Raymond slammed his hand on the table causing the cups to rattle. “Enough!” he said curtly and before Ron could stop him, he was already stalking out the door.