Sandara Park, now known as Sandy, stepped out of her car and headed into the luxurious Acacia Hotel. It was a hot humid day so she’d chosen to wear a sleeveless white linen dress that was light and cool. Strappy sandals adorned her feet. Her long hair was held back with a headband and combed into a neat bun at the back. She could have passed for a school girl rather than a 24 year old woman heading off to meet a client.

The bellman greeted her with a familiar smile. The company Dara worked for often arranged events here at the hotel and many of the staff were used to seeing her. Dara made her way gratefully into the cool lobby area and looked around for the gentleman she was to meet. Hiroshi Takahara. The dossier she held said he represented a Japanese auto company and that was looking to put on a corporate event for a group of about 150 people. Dara reviewed his photo once more before scanning the lobby area. She didn’t see him. A quick glance at her watch showed she was still twenty minutes early. Dara went to the front desk and checked in for the conference room she had booked for her meeting with Mr. Takahara and then headed off to the room to prepare.

She was working as an event planner for a small successful company owned by a kindly older woman, Nene Cruz, and her daughter whom Dara had met three years ago. Dara was one of six event planners that worked for Nene. They were busy year round and Dara enjoyed her work. The environment and work hours were good and she had two assistants that helped her.

In the first two years that she had moved to the Philippines Dara had spent time learning the language. She was fluent enough now to converse comfortably in the local dialect, but it also helped that most people here were fluent in English. She’d also made a few friends who helped her to adjust further. In addition her parents had bought her a small home so that she would not have to worry about renting. They wanted to do more but that was all Dara would accept from them, grateful that they did even that much. But Dara knew she had to learn to stand on her own two feet if she were to live with the decision she’d made.

The Philippines was a far distance from her homeland but her mother, sisters and Teddy visited often, helping her to alleviate the homesickness she felt from time to time. And then of course, there was the main reason she had made the move to the Philippines, the joy in her life and motivation to wake up each morning and push forward in life, her beautiful little girl, Park Eun Mi, or Mimi, as she was called.

There were times when Dara looked at her daughter and wondered if she had done the right thing by hiding Mimi’s existence from Jiyong. But then her thoughts went back to what he’d said to her that day when they discovered she was pregnant, his reaction and then departure that had left her devastated. When Dara thought of those things she felt she had no other choice but to do as she did, despite her parents counsel otherwise. Nonetheless her family had decided to abide by her decision and had tried to support her the best they could. But how long would hiding Mimi's existence work, she wondered? Eunmi started pre-school this year. Sooner or later she would start asking the question Dara dreaded having to answer. Like, ‘Where was her daddy?’

Dara looked at her watch and noticed it was almost time to meet with her client. She was reviewing her notes when there came a knock at the door. Dara stood, a smile on her face. And the next second she felt her legs nearly give out on her when she saw Jiyong walk into the room.

“Jiyong…” Dara stumbled into the nearest seat, speechless.

“Hello Dara,” Jiyong said, his gaze sweeping over her.

“What are you doing here?” Then remembering Mr. Takahara, Dara stopped. “Wait – I have a client coming any minute now.”

“Hiroshi Takahara, I know.” Jiyong entered further into the room, closing the door behind him. “Hiroshi-san is my colleague. I’m here in his place.”

She stared at Jiyong, flabbergasted.

“How are you,” Jiyong asked quietly, advancing carefully. He could see a dozen different thoughts and emotions flitter across Dara’s face, the most prevalent being shock – then panic. Suddenly she started grabbing her laptop and files, ready to bolt.

“Dara please!” Desperately Jiyong dropped down to his knees as she tried to escape, his eyes pleading with her. “Please hear me out, I beg you. Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking…”

Dara hesitated, surprised to see him kneeling. Then she remembered Mimi and began to move again. He mustn’t find out about their daughter.

“I was wrong, Dara!” Jiyong quickly said. “I’m sorry to trick you like this but I’ve been searching for you for so long. You don’t know how I’ve longed to find you, to tell you I’m sorry. To beg you for forgiveness. Please give me just five minutes, Dara. Please?”

She hated seeing him down on his knees but she was afraid too. Dara stood hesitating, eyes wide and wanting to flee. But looking in to Jiyong’s eyes something in her melted. She could at least listen to him, hear what he had to say. The panic ebbed from her eyes and she began to breathe again. She placed her folder back down, and her laptop. “Alright,” Dara conceded, emotions churning. “Five minutes...”

Jiyong remained on his knees, relieved that she was granting him this opportunity. He had hired a private investigator and had been to the Philippines four times in the past three months as he searched for Dara.

“Please, get up. Have a seat,” Dara said, backing away and sitting down. Her legs felt too weak to stand any longer.

Jiyong stood and he moved to a chair, careful not to crowd her in. He’d rehearsed a million times in his head what he would say to Dara when this moment came, but all his carefully planned speeches fled from him. Only one thing stood out for him and he spoke it now.

“I love you, Dara.”

Her eyes widened. Her breath hitched.

How many times had she longed to hear him say that in the past five years?

Her eyes watered. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Dara swiped at her cheeks and tried to harden her resolve. She mustn’t be weak, she chanted in her mind. She must not be weak! But Jiyong wasn’t making it easy.

“I’ve thought of what happened a million times – how stupid I was. And because of it we...,”

Jiyong paused, momentarily unable to go on as the tears came unbidden to his eyes and he had to look away, unable to meet her gaze. Five years of remorse and guilt manifested, finally allowed to surface as he sat before the  woman he loved.

“I’m so ashamed,” he continued, his voice quiet, eyes lowered. “I panicked and I could only think that we were too young. I ran when I should have remained by your side. You must have been afraid as well but you were braver than me. I’ll never be able to forgive myself and the price our child paid. If I could take it all back I would.”

He sighed, full of regret. His eyes closed against the tears he couldn't stop. “I don’t expect you to forgive me but I’ll ask it anyway because I believe you deserve to hear me ask it of you.”

Jiyong lifted his gaze to look at Dara and saw that she sat with her eyes shut tight, pain etched on her face, tears rolling down her face.

“I’m so sorry, Dara,” he whispered. “Please forgive me. I love you more than life.”

A sob broke forth from Dara and in the next moment Jiyong was at her side holding her, clasping her tight. “I’m so sorry,” he cried. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”

Dara shook her head. Her fingers clasped onto the front of his neatly pressed shirt. Suddenly everything came very clear to her, the fears she’d had of what she would tell Mimi when she asked who her father was, the truth she couldn’t keep from Jiyong any longer, the balm to the heartache she’d felt these past five years, and what it was that she needed to do.

Taking a deep shuddering breath she wiped at her eyes and said, “I forgive you.”

The moment she said the words she felt a weight lifted off of her and she leaned against Jiyong and wept.

**

Dara’s car pulled up in front of a two story house and she parked and turned off the ignition. She turned and looked at Jiyong who sat in the passenger seat and she offered him a small smile.

She hadn’t told him about Mimi yet. Mainly because she didn’t know how to break it to him. So she had only requested that he come with her after they had regained their composure and wiped their faces. The ride over from the hotel had been quiet, both of them emotionally drained.

Dara got out of the car and waited for Jiyong. She held her hand out to him. Jiyong grabbed onto it. And when she turned to walk up the sidewalk, he restrained her and pulled her back to him. He still couldn’t believe that he was here with Dara, nor that she had forgiven him. But then again he always knew that she was kind-hearted, even to someone as unworthy as him.

Dara allowed him to hold her and she pat his back reassuringly, comforting him from the guilt she knew still wracked him. It was the reason she brought him here and why she needed to show him the truth now, so that he wouldn’t torment himself any longer. She’d only hidden their daughter’s existence from him because she thought he didn’t want the child. But now that she knew differently hope filled her eyes. She drew back and smiled at Jiyong, then took his hand again and squeezed it.

“I have something to show you,” she said, the excitement building up in her.

Jiyong smiled back at her, grateful that she’d forgiven him. But his heart still felt heavy for the pain he’d caused her, for the time together that they’d lost, and most importantly the child they could have had.

Dara looked up at him and she placed the palm of her other hand against his cheek, her expression tender. “Don’t be sad, Jiyong. All isn’t lost.”

Before she could explain the front door of the house in front of them opened and a little girl burst through the doorway, squealing with delight. “Mommy! Mommy!”

Jiyong looked on in shock as Dara let go of him and turned, a huge smile on her face. She opened her arms and swooped down just as the little girl hurled herself at Dara. He stood, further transfixed as Dara smothered kisses on the little girl’s face and the little girl giggled and squirmed about in Dara’s arms before she hugged Dara back.

“You finish work?” she asked, not noticing the man standing a few feet from them.

“Yes, I’m finished with work, my darling.” Dara grinned as Mimi raised her hands up in the air and shouted. In the back a woman came out of the house and was wiping her hands on her apron as she smiled at Dara.

“Yay! Mommy’s finish work!” the girl shouted.

Dara turned then, laughter and joy in her eyes as she took a step toward Jiyong and then looked at her daughter. “Mimi, I have someone very important that I want you to meet.”

The little girl stared at Jiyong curiously. Jiyong’s heart twisted as he noticed she had his eyes.

Dara looked at Jiyong, a silent pleading look for understanding in her gaze.

“Mimi,” Dara said, “This is your daddy.”

**