TLAGS (PART 4)

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                Hi, Jessica. Your mom says you’re remember things. “It was the young man who called himself Taeyeon or Tae Yang or something like that. He stood at the end of her hospital bed, his fingers drumming the rail. “Does that mean you remember us?” he pointed at himself then at her.

                She shook her head. “I don’t know you.”

                He came around, pulled up a straight-back chair, and sat down. “That’s okay. They say it’ll take time. I’m just glad you’re starting your memory back. Do you remember anything about Hawaii---about our lives here?”

                She glanced out the window at the palm trees and tropical greenery. “No. I remember Michigan. I’m Jessica Jung, and I live in Michigan.”

                “You’re Kim Jessica now. And you did live in Michigan. Several years ago.”

               “I still do.”

                “Really? How old do you think you are, Sica?”

                 She frowned, struggling to make sense of his question. “I don’t know. Am I twelve? Yes, I’m twelve.”

               “No, honey your twenty-two. Like me. You came to Hawaii when you were nineteen.” He brush a shock of curly brown hair back from his forehead. “You lived here in Kona for three years now.”

                 “Why did I come here?” she was finding it easier to gather her words and form sentence, but what she was hearing left her more confuse than ever. “Why Hawaii so far away?”

                 “You came her to attend the University of the Nations. Remember?”

                  “No.”

                 “It’s a school where they train people to become missionaries. They’re part of YWAM---Youth With A Mission---a cool worldwide mission organization with bases all over the world---in over 160 countries. You know what a missionary is, don’t you?”

                  “Yes.” She knew, but she didn’t know how she knew. “They tell people about God.”

                   “Right. That’s what we want to do, Sica. Tell people that Jesus died to save them. You remember Jesus, don’t you?”

                   She smiled. Of course she knew about Jesus. “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tell me so.”

                    “Yeah, you probably sang that in Sunday school when you were little.”

                    “I don’t remember.”

                    “That’s okay. You remember Jesus. That’s the important thing.”

                    But what did she remember about him? She had no rational memory of Jesus, and yet she sensed an emotional connection with Him just as she had felt with her parents before she knew who they were.

                    “Tell me more,” she said.

                     “What do you want to know?”

                      She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

                      “Well, okay, let see.” He shifted in his chair. “We met as students at the university. I’m majoring in biblical studies. You’re majoring in journalism and ESL--- English as a Second Language. I want to preach. You want to teach people in other countries how to write and publish Christian magazines.”

                      “I want to be a teacher?”

                       “Right, and you going to be a great teacher, too. But we’ve both had to do lots of other things on campus to help pay our way, though most of our support comes from our parents and our churches back home. These days, I do carpentry work and campus maintenance, and you babysit faculty kids. At first, we both worked in the kitchen at U of N. the first time I saw you, you had just dropped a huge bowl of salad on the floor. And you were on your hands and knees scooping up lettuce and tomatoes and carrots and stuff. You looked so flustered and upset. You even got pieces of lettuce and carrots in your hair.”

                           Jessica chuckled. “I’m glad I don’t remember that.”

                          “Anyways you look so funny and cute. I got down and helped you clean up the mess. I guess you were grateful because you agreed to hang out with me.”

                           She gazed down at her hands. “I don’t remember.”

                           “I know.”

                           They were both silent for a long moment.

                           Taeyeon craned his neck then scratched the back of his head.

                           Jessica waited, wishing he would get up and go. It was painful talking with a stranger who knew things about her she didn’t know.

                         He cleared his throat. “I hear they had you up walking today. That’s terrific.”

                          She nodded. “I walked down the hall.”

                         “That’s great! I wish I’d been here. I had to go back to my classes. Since you folks were here with you, I figured you wouldn’t miss me.” He paused, his expression darkening. “I guess, since you don’t remember me, you wouldn’t miss me anyway.”

“                         I’m sorry.”

                          “Don’t be. It not your fault.” He sat back and cross his legs. “Everyone at our church and the university is praying for you. After the accident, they held a prayer meeting just for us.”

                           She stared at him. “You were in the accident, too?”

                           “Yeah. I was driving the car. I swerved to miss a truck and went over the embankment right into a lava bed.”

                            “Were you hurt?”

                           “Just some bumps and bruises and a cracked rib. It’s okay now.”

                           She nodded. It hadn’t occurred to her that anyone else was in the accident.

                           “It nearly killed me to see you hurt so badly,” he said unevenly.

                           “I don’t know what I have done if you. . . . . . .” his words trailed off. He swiped at a tear. “I’m just thankful to God that you’re alive babe.”

                            She recoiled at his words. She wasn’t his babe, and she wasn’t thankful to be alive. Not like this---without a working mind and body. If she even prayed again, it would be to die.

                             “Do you want to hear more?” he asked. “More about our life here in Hawaii?”

                            “I guess so.” She knew already that whatever he said wouldn’t mean anything to her. He might as we be a talking about complete strangers.

                             “Were in our third year at the university, Sica. Our first year, we completed DTS---Discipleship Training School. It’s a twelve-week lecture program, followed by an eight-week overseas field assignment. We were both sent to Cambodia. We worked in a teen center in Battambang. We became good friends. By the time we returned to Kona to start our course work for our degrees, we knew we were in love. We got married last summer. We had our wedding on the beach. It was awesome.”

                            Jessica wanted to protest. Surely if she was married to this man, she would remember. How could anyone forget something like that? Maybe he was making up the entire story. Maybe he had fooled everyone, telling people that he was her husband. He’d know that with her memory loss, she couldn’t contradict him. What kind of man was he---taking advantage of a helpless girl?

                             “Were my parents there. . . .At the wedding?” she asked. They would know the truth.

                             “Yeah, so were mine. We didn’t have money for a honeymoon, but we went on a mission trip to Nigeria last summer. We called that our honeymoon. It was amazing. We had a chance to minister to some really neat people. The ladies loved you. You held prayer meetings with them and had a chance to lead several to Christ. You still get e-mails from them, telling how they’re growing in the Lord.

                             Jessica bit her lower lip. She didn’t want to hear any more about the woman this eager young man----this Teayeon or Tea Yang, whoever---was talking about. For Jessica, that woman didn’t exist.

                             He pulled a folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket, opened it, and handed it to Jessica. “You got an e-mail just this morning from Nigeria---a girl name Ubong Ibe. I thought you might like to read it.”
She glance down at the paper then it back at Taeyeon. “I can’t!”

                               He set the paper on the nightstand. “That’s okay. I’ll leave it here. You can read it another time.”

                               She covered her face with her hands. “No! I can’t read the words! They’re gibberish to me!”

                               He retrieve the paper. “I’m sorry, Sica. I didn’t know.”

                               She looked imploringly at him. “What’s wrong with me? I’m not a real person anymore! I can’t ever read.”

                               He clasped her hand. “Yes, you are, babe. You hang in there. It’ll all come back. You wait and see.”

                               She pulled her hand away. “Go! Please go.”

                              “Not until I’ve read you Ubong’s e-mail. I think it’ll cheer you up. It says, ‘dear Mrs. Kim Jessica, I was very happy to have you as a mentor last summer. We have just come through the most harsh weather of our country---the harmattan season with it dry, cold winds. I read my Bible every day, in good weather or bad. I love you for caring about me. I thank you for helping me know God better. Sorry I don’t write often. It’s different here. We don’t own our own computers. We go to centers away from home. Please write me soon. And remember me in your prayers. Your friend, Ubong Ibe.’”

                             Tears run down Jessica’s cheeks. “How can I help someone like that when I can’t even help myself?”

                             Taeyeon’s eyes glazed with tears. “I know it’s hard, sweetheart. This is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. But you’ll get through it. God is with you every moment, and I’ll be here for you every day.”

                             She shook her head. “No one can be where I am. Inside my head. Feeling what I feel.”

                             “I know, honey. But give us a chance to try.” He folded the paper and tucked it back in his pocket. “Would you like me to send Ubong an e-mail for you?”

                              Jessica flexed her fingers. “I can write. My hand is better. Get me a sandwich.”

                             “A sandwich? Are you hungry?”

                             She scowled. “No, I want to writ. Get me a sandwich. And a pen.”

                             “You mean a tablet? Paper?”

                               “Yes, that’s what I said!”

                              He brought her a pen and tablet from the bureau.

                             She clutched the pen in her hand. It felt foreign, unnatural. She closed her fingers around it and began to write. The pen slid off the paper. She tried again, pursing her lips tightly. Nothing but chicken scratches! She threw the pen across the room. “I can’t write! I can’t do anything!”

                             Taeyeon reached out to embrace her. She pushed him away. “Leave me alone! Let me die! I want to die!”

                             He stared at her for a long moment, looking helpless and baffled. Finally, he left the room and returned with the nurse. “Elena, my wife’s upset,” he explained. “Can you do something to help her?”

                             The nurse approached her bed. “What’s the problem, Mrs. Kim? What do you need?”

                            Jessica held out her hands, fingers slayed. I---I can’t read or write!”

                           “Try to relax, Mrs. Kim. Lie back and breathe slowly.” The nurse picked up Jessica’s water glass from her meal tray. “Take a drink of water. You’ll feel better.”

                 

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jessicajung_taeyeon
#1
Chapter 1: don't give up, jessica, taeng is still yours, tiffany is just an ex
Sy_penia #2
Chapter 35: Can we have epilogue we want more happy moment from taengsic
Idasshi #3
Chapter 34: U just comeback with a new sadness 😭😭 cant wait for next uodate
pieceofpopcorn
#4
Chapter 34: With all that happened now, will Jessica ever returning remembering her past, or remain in the dark of the past if she ever wake up? I hope Jessica can make it through and whether she going to get her past memories now doesn't really matter anymore.

Sorry authornim, I'm a bit confused as they're some foreign names mentioned as tae's and jessica's characters here at some parts like how I noticed Jenny before instead of Sunny? I hope there's more an explanation to this?
DollySweet
#5
Chapter 34: Thank u. Happy new year✌️
zeeroo
#6
Chapter 34: Be strong TaeTae, hope you both will make it through 🙏🙏🙏🙏
pieceofpopcorn
#7
Please don't abandon this story authornim TT
Idasshi #8
Chapter 32: Finally new chapter. Love this so much that i hope jessica can get her memories back.
pieceofpopcorn
#9
Chapter 32: ohhh this is super frustrating... jessica sweetheart, let go of your ego for once & for yourself. I really hope mama jung coming would mean a good news for them. But yeah, maybe there’s good about taeyeon going away to give some space for jessica to think through. I admire Taeyeon of despite everything, he still showing an effort so that he & jessica wouldn’t loss contact during their times away. Maybe it’s really a good decision for jessica to go back to her hometown and try to live her life without taeyeon coexist in everything she’s doing for a while for her to think through and make a proper decision. Thank you for the update authornim, & i’m really looking forward for the next chapter!