Bom looked to her mom and sensed it was a bitter sweet ending and hugged her mom saying, “I’m sorry mommy. It must have been really hard for you.”

Minzy wiped away a tear that was falling down her cheek. She then cleared and squeezed Bom saying, “It was Bom.”

Bom looked up to her mom saying, “Mom we can continue the story later if you want.”

Minzy smiled down at her daughter saying, “No sweetie it’s okay. I can finish the story.”

Bom squealed and reached for her notebook saying, “Yay! Okay mom I’m ready!”

Minzy shook her head laughing and said, “Alright. After John left it was as though my heart had left with him. But that didn’t stop me from finding what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t want to waste my life by waiting for him to come back to me. I wanted to show John that when he came back that I was happy and doing something with my life. So I finally found my passion and what I wanted to do with my life.”

“What was that mommy,” Bom asked.

“I wanted to become a lawyer! Now that is a pretty hard career to pursue, but something in me wanted to try for it,” Minzy said. “I devoted all my time and effort to become a lawyer and in the end I was the top of my class!”

“Wow, good for you mommy,” Bom said. “How long did it take you to finish school to be a lawyer?”

“Four years,” Minzy stated.

Bom scribbled into her notebook and then stopped to look at her mom suspiciously saying, “Hey, wait a minute! Didn't you say that John would be gone for three years? But then you said that law school took four years? I didn’t hear anything about John!”

Minzy gave Bom a half smile saying, “You’re right I did say that. I thought John would have been back in time to see me go through my last year of law school, but I never saw him!”

“WHAT?! So what happened,” Bom asked as she shook her head and scribbled onto her notebook.

“I was hired in one of the most highly respected law firms. I told myself that I had to keep living and that maybe his job just extended his stay outside of the country. I would consume myself in my work and when I had spare time I would drink in the dark by myself holding onto my phone hoping that he would call me. I must sound really dumb,” Minzy sighed looking to Bom.

Bom shook her head saying, “It’s okay mommy! You must have really loved that guy!”

Minzy continued saying, “I liked all my co-workers. They were so friendly to me. Always asking me if I’d want to go out with them but I’d always tell them I was fine and that they could go and enjoy themselves. I just wanted to be home just in case John would call.” Minzy shrugged her shoulders saying, “After the fifth year came and went of waiting for him I didn’t know what to do.”

Bom’s jaw dropped saying, “Five…YEARS! Mom how could you have been so patient?!”

“Well being a lawyer was a hand full in itself. I was promoted and became one of the top lawyers in South Korea! People couldn’t understand why I was beautiful and smart, but not dating or married yet. But my answer was that I loved my work and that’s all I would need. That was the lie that kept me going for the past five years,” Minzy said.

“Did you ever change your mind,” Bom asked.

Minzy nodded her head saying, “Every weekend my co-workers would ask me if I would want to go out with them but I always said no thanks. But one time they asked me and I decided why not. I couldn’t wait all my life for John to come back to me. At first everyone stared at me and didn’t know what to say,” Minzy laughed at the memory of all their shocked faces. “After a couple moments of silence everyone got up cheering and congratulating me. I couldn’t believe how happy they were to take me out. We went to a club and I had so much fun. Everyone including myself was surprised at how good I danced. I hadn’t danced since high school and it felt good to let loose again.”

“Was it like this,” Bom said trying to dance all funny.

Minzy laughed and imitated her saying, “What you know about this? Of course your mommy can dance!” They both laughed and then Minzy said, “After that night I decided to relearn how to live my life again!”

“What do you mean by that mommy,” Bom asked.

“I mean I decided to start over and to not wait for John any more. I started by giving myself a makeover. I went on a shopping spree and changed how I looked. I cut and styled my hair and started to wear makeup. My co-workers were very impressed and surprised with my new look. As I started a new I reopened my heart. Well just a little bit. I still had times when my heart would want John, but I’d always find the strength to get over it. I dated here and there but no one really caught my eye. That was until the next guy came into the picture,” Minzy said.

Bom nodded her head saying, “Oh good. Tell me about it!”

“I went on a speed dating thing with some of my co-workers. It’s where you get certain amount of time to meet and talk with the opposite to see if you guys might be interested in each other. But when they ring the bell you have to switch and have a new partner. Well anyways, most of the guys I met were either weirdos or losers to put it in a nice way. I couldn’t believe how lame the speed date was going. So I decided when the bell rings I would make a run for it. After the sound of the bell the guy left and I got up to leave too,” Minzy laughed.

“What? What’s so funny,” Bom said.

“Well the next guy in line caught me trying to make a run for it and he called after me. I sighed and slowly turned around to see a very handsome and attractive man. I couldn’t believe what I saw. He was just so handsome you don’t even know Bom! So I walked back to where I was sitting before and apologized to him. I lied and told him I was just going to the restroom and he laughed. He then extended his hand to me saying hi my name is…Tyler. When we talked it seemed as if we had hit it off. He was a lawyer just like me and we had so many things in common it was too good to be true. I gave him my number and he texted me on his phone his number. After that we started to text each other all the time. It then got to the point where he finally asked me out on a date. But our first date didn’t go so well,” Minzy said shaking her head.

“What do you mean what happened,” Bom asked.

“Well as we were walking down the street to the restaurant I saw a little kid running down the side walk and she fell flat on her face. I rushed over to help the girl and she had tears streaming down her face. I crouched down to wipe her tears and told her that everything would be okay. As I was doing so I heard some people running up to us and I guessed they were her parents. The woman spoke first apologizing and then I a man spoke thanking me for helping their daughter and I got up to look at the girl’s parents. Billy I said in disbelief. I was shocked to see Billy and my ex best friend standing right before me. After all these years it was them that stood before me. I looked to the girl that held Billy’s hands and then back to them. We stood there in silence not knowing what to say. But then Tyler finally cut in asking if I knew them. I shook my head and apologized to Tyler for not introducing them to him. I told Tyler that I knew them back in high school. I tried not to sound too upset seeing them, but Tyler could tell I wasn’t glad to see them. He reached for my arm and then looked to Billy and my ex best friend saying it was nice to meet them but we had an important date to go on. He put his arm around my waist and nudged me to walk away. We went to the restaurant and ate in silence. After dinner he took me to the bar and I drank the night away. He tried to stop me from drinking but I kept drinking anyways. The last thing I remembered was that I passed out in his arms,” Minzy said shaking her head.

“I feel bad for the guy,” Bom said teasing Minzy to lighten the mood.

Minzy laughed saying, “So did I. I woke up the next morning in his bed! I was a little freaked out and scared that something had happened last night but I saw no sign of him being in the room. I peeked out the room and saw a folded blanket and pillow on his couch. I couldn’t see where he was but I could smell that he was making breakfast. I closed the door again and sat on the bed embarrassed and wondered if I could face him. But then I heard the door knob turning and I quickly acted like I was sleeping. I hear him set something down and he lightly shook me and I acted like I was barely waking up. He smiled down at me and I sat up acting a little lost saying what happened. He placed a tray of breakfast on my lap saying I had a bad night. He then told me that he had to leave to go to his office and to let myself out when I was ready to leave. Before he could leave I reached for his hand and gave him a grateful smile. He smiled back and then left. I ate the breakfast and placed it onto the kitchen counter before leaving. After I had gone home to get ready for work I received a text message from him. He asked if I had liked the breakfast and if it was okay if we could try again on our first date!”

“WHAA…he wanted to still go out with you,” Bom asked.

Minzy nodded her head saying, “Yeah I know. I was shocked that he would still want to go out with me. So I quickly replied and told him that it was the best breakfast I had ever had and that I would love to go on another first date with him.” Minzy laughed saying, “We tried another first date again and it went so well that we planned another. Then another one and another one till we ended up being together officially.” Bom smiled as she watched her mom’s expression glow. “He was everything I had wanted and more. Same interests and same likes, it was as though it was a match made from heaven,” Minzy smiled.

“Wait a minute mommy, did he ever mention the real first date again? Did he ask about the people you ran into that night,” Bom asked.

Minzy sighed saying, “Nope, he never did and that was one of the many reasons I loved him. He never forced me to say or do anything I didn’t want to. He left it up to me and if I wanted to tell him then he would talk about it.”

“Aww cool, he sounds like a neat guy,” Bom said.

Minzy smiled saying, “Yes he is! We dated seriously for a while until he popped the question!”

“The question,” Bom asked.

Minzy nodded her head saying, “We had each other’s keys to our places and he let himself in one morning and made me breakfast. I awoke to a light tap on the door and he came in with a breakfast tray. I smiled as I sat up and saw a beautiful red rose by my breakfast. I picked it up to smell it and in the middle of it was a diamond ring!”

“WHAT,” Bom said jumping to her feet.

Minzy laughed, “Yeah! I looked to Tyler for an explanation and he knelt by the bed and said that he wanted to wake up every morning to my face lying next to his! He then promised that he could make more than just breakfasts. He said that he could make me happy! I was in tears and laughing as he proposed to me. But when he was done I sat the tray on the bed and jumped into his arms. He picked me up and swung me around. I was so happy!”

Bom giggled, “Sounds like it! So what happened after that?!”

“I became his fiancé and he wanted to introduce me to his family and friends. We didn’t tell anyone because we wanted to tell our families first before we announced it to the world. So we went to go and visit his family first. I was so nervous and didn’t know if I could face Tyler’s family. I wondered if they would accept me and how they would take the news that a girl they never met would be marrying their son. I prepared myself for the worst and in all reality I was worried over nothing. They were really great people! His family was so nice to me and I was relieved that they were more welcoming to me than him,” Minzy said smiling at the memory. “He then told me that he wanted me to meet his best friend and I didn’t even know he had a best friend. I agreed and he had me wait at his families’ house while he went to go get his best friend. It seemed like hours that he was gone and I started to worry about him. He finally showed up later on that night with his best friend. His family all ran to the door welcoming them back while I sat in the living room waiting for them to enter. I overheard his family talking to his best friend and to my surprise it was a woman’s voice,” Minzy said.“

A woman’s voice?! His best friend was a girl,” Bom asked.

Minzy nodded saying, “Tyler walked in the living room holding his best friend’s hand and introduced her to me. Her name was CL. She was beautiful! I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous when I saw that he was still holding her hand as he introduced her to me. I guess CL noticed and pushed his hand away to shake my hand. I brushed off the jealousy and shook her hand. She wasn’t just beautiful but she was a down to earth girl. She seemed to have this aura about her that attracted Tyler’s family to her. When it was just me, CL, and Tyler left alone CL started to make a conversation with me. But every time I tried to answer Tyler would answer for me. He would then change the subject to where it would be him and CL talking!”

“Really?! Did you do anything about it,” Bom asked.

“Well at first I just brushed it off because I thought that he was just being polite. But then it got to the point where it was just CL and him having a conversation. While I sat there looking like an idiot as they talked about things only they knew about. The interaction between the two felt very weird, like I was intruding on their time together. I couldn’t take it anymore and lied to him that I was very tired. I told him that wanted to go to sleep and that I would leave them to talk. CL was so nice and she seemed a little bummed that she didn’t get to hear more from me. But Tyler just nodded and went back to talking with CL. I was a little pissed that he did that, but I didn’t want to show that I was angry in front of his best friend so I quickly left the living room. Tyler’s mom guided me to the guest room and before she left I asked her about Tyler and CL’s relationship. She gave an understanding smile and told me that they grew up together and at one point they had dated. But then she told me not to worry it was long ago and they are just friends now. I thanked her for showing me the room and telling me about the two and she left me alone in the room. That night I tossed and turned all night. I could not sleep for some reason. I opened the window and stared at the night sky. As I did so I heard voices outside. It was CL and Tyler. I couldn’t believe they were still talking and it was almost three in the morning,” Minzy stated.

“Three in the morning?! Who talks that long,” Bom said.

“That’s what I thought. I looked to see that they stood by a tree in the dark as they talked. I quietly listened in to what they were talking about and watched their interaction between them. At first they were talking about random childhood memories and then they suddenly went quiet. I then saw him approach CL very close to where CL had to lean her body against the tree. Luckily the lights in the room were off and I stood up to see what he was trying to do. I think I heard her say that he had a fiancé but then he leaned in to kiss her anyways,” Minzy said getting angry.

“Whoa! Mom calm down. What did you do,” Bom said rubbing her mom’s arm to calm her down.

“I put my things in my bag and got the keys to the car. I ran down the stairs and out the door. I the car and started to back out when I saw Tyler running over to the car with CL. But I stepped on the gas and left. I wasn’t having that! No way! That was it. I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore,” Minzy said.

“Good,” Bom said nodding her head as she wrote in her notebook. She then stopped saying, “Wait a minute mom!”

Minzy cut Bom off saying, “I drove away never wanting to ever love again!”