Stories  
Scarred for Life

Having to work in a restaurant is not a good thing. Every time I come at work somebody sure does start chasing me around the room. I really hated working there but since Jack came to work there I felt like I was being protected by him, and God had sent him down here to protect me. 

" Hey, Jane. What you doing?" He asked.
" Nothing." I replied.
" What are you doing tonight after work?" 
" I will go home and get some rest, but do you need anything?" 

I knew he didn't have any family. He told me about the accident. His family was killed n a plane crash when the plane landed on the airport. He, eventually survived the crash. I guess he was asking me if I could probably cook dinner for him, since he didn't know how to cook.

" Do you need me to cook dinner for you? Or is it just so you can talk to me about how you feel in this world without your family." I asked.
" I guess that's what I want to talk to you about." He replied.
" Okay then. Why don't you come with me to my apartment, I'll change into my regular clothes then we can go over to you apartment."

After work we did as we had planned. My apartment was a total mess when we got there. I thought I should clean up the mess first. 

" So what do you think of the people living here? Do you think they are nice or just mean? 
I know just how you feel about living in a strange place." I said.
Before I knew he came near me and told me," What if I said that I was a prince looking for the right girl to marry?" He asked.

I didn't reply to his question at first. I thought that he was just kidding with me. So instead of taking that seriously, I pretended to believe him. I knew exactly how he felt when he lost his family. His been acting strange ( I guess so).

" So what castle are you from Jack?" I asked.
" You don't believe me do you?" He asked.
" No, no I do believe you but I have stopped trusting guys since my last boyfriend." 
" What exactly did happen between you two?" He asked.
" We kind of got the whole idea to have you know what."
" What?"

I don't know why he was asking me this kinds of questions. Maybe what if he really was a Prince? I can't tell anyone about me and Andrew. What happened between us stays inside our minds.

" look Jack I don't want people to know about what we did. Is that okay with you?" I asked.
" Yes, yes it is definitely okay with me that you don't wanna tell me about you and Andrew. I just thought A pretty girl like you should be in love already."
" I know." I replied.
"So you still coming to my apartment?" He asked.
" Okay, I will come with you to your apartment. And do you have enough food? Or maybe you would like to have dinner with me over here?" 
" I guess I will eat here if you don't mind."
" No I don't mind at all." I said. 

I thought that Jack was sensitive about asking girls anything. It must be hard for him to ask for help from the girls. 

" So you want to eat at the McDonalds or Taco bell. Or maybe make something at home for dinner by ourselves. " I asked.
" I think we better cook a meal at home. I'm not used to around people much." He replied. 

To think of him getting lonely at home, it is nice to have someone to talk to when you live way far from your parents.

I live away from my parents. They live in North Carolina. And I'm here living in San Francisco, California. To tell you the truth I don' t like living here without my parents. Sometimes it's hard to tell someone what you are used to tell one of your parents, and even talk about things you need to. Some kids don't even have parents. They look for someone who can give them love. And I here am trying to run away from my parents so I can live the life I always wanted to. I think my parents are the best people in my life. They are the ones who brought me into this world. They deserve a little love form me that I've never given them. 

" Hey Jane! Jane you okay." Jack asked.
" Yeah, yeah. I lost in some serious thoughts I guess. I think I better call my parents and tell them that I'm okay and that they don't have to worry about anything happening to me. And tell hem, I love them very much." 

I don't know what happened but it seems like Jack is the answer to my prayers. God has sent him to help me understand that no matter what happens in life you shouldn't forget your parents because they are the one who brought you in this world. Especially the mom who suffered the pain. When the parents are being unfair about things you want to do but they don't think it's right for you, they know it because they were kids once and they made the mistake doing that and now they don't want you to make the same mistake in your life. I think that when your parents are being tough on you that means they care about you more than anything in the world.  

" Ugh, Jane you don't seem like you're okay. You seem a little pale. I think I better go home and just order pizza." Jack said. 
" No, you are not going to leave early. We are going to order pizza and eat that because I don't feel like cooking anymore. I am tired." I said to Jack.
" Um . . . . . . Jane I think I better tell you about how I feel about you." 
" What are you talking about Jack?"
" I want to tell you that . . . . . . that . . . . . I've had a crush on you since the day I saw you. I thought that you would be the one that I would marry you. It was difficult to think you as my wife. I wanted to ask you out, but I chickened out the first time. The kids who work with us, they all know about me having a crush on you. So I was kind of thinking if you would go out with me?" He asked.
" You mean you were lying to me and I thought that you were different from the other guys! I should have know from the beginning. I want you to leave right now Jack. I am not feeling well Anymore."
" I understand Jane. I'll see you at work tomorrow." 

Then he left. I felt pretty bad about asking him to go and leave me alone at home with no one to talk to. I knew that I shouldn't have been that mean to him. After al his whole family died in a plane crash. 

The next day at work I thought he wouldn't come because I broke his heart, but instead he came with a girl. When I saw both of them I knew that was his new girlfriend.

" Hi. Are you Jane?" The girl asked.
" Yes. May I help you?" I asked the girl.
" Yeah, you could help me by telling me about what you said to my brother last night."
" Excuse me but let me tell you that Jack here has no parents or siblings at al. They died in a plane crash." 
" Who told you that?" She asked.
" I believe, your brother Jack told me that." I replied with an angry look on my face.
" You mean Jack told you that I was dead!" She asked.
" You mean you really are his sister. That means, Jack lied to me al along and I thought he was telling me the truth. I thought that he was suffering from what happened o his family when the plane crashed." 
" He told you about the plane crash?" She asked in a powerful tone voice.
" Yes. Why do you ask?" 

She just stood there frozen like a snowman. I thought she was going to faint or collapse on the ground. But instead she went to Jack and smack him on the face then she started crying.

" How could you tell her about the plane crash?"
" But I never told her about what we did to the plane captain."
" Um, Jack what exactly did you two do to the captain?" I asked in a mean voice.
" We don't really know what we did to the pilot. We were little and not be able to know what we were doing. 
" To tell you the truth we are the only ones left from that plane crash. The government is paying the bills for our expanses. They don’t know about it either. You are the first person to know about it. We beg you not to tell anyone about this incident." Jack’s sister left the restaurant and Jack got to work. 
" Jack. Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked.
" Sure. Why not?" 
I set down on the bench beside him. 
" I am really sorry that I ……..
" I know that you probably didn’t have been able to know, that I had done that to my own parents. I never meant to do that. Do you think GOD will ever forgive me for what I did to my parents?" He asked.
" Look, Jack. I know that GOD will forgive you for what you did. You did not do this on purpose. It’s okay to let go the feelings you had about it." 
" Come on lets go and have some lunch. " I said to him. 

After lunch we got back to work. It was so like there was something inside me telling me to talk to Jack. I never had a feeling like that before. My heart was somewhere else rather than on working. I didn’t exactly know if I had feelings for him. There was only one way to find out. The only reason I invited him over to dinner was because I knew that he lived alone and probably didn’t know how to cook. It must be really hard for him to live without his parents. It would be horrible if I lost my parents like that. Sometimes the feelings that you have about your family and the memories can never go away. It would be like a part of you is taken away from you. My life would be a hell if I would have to live without my parents. It would be really difficult. 

I knew just how Jack felt. But he didn’t know that I also had feelings for him. I wish I could tell him that. What if that upsets him????? Then I would never forgive myself. 

"Waitress!!" The man with black suit and a lady on his side called to me. 

– Prakruti Patel
December 1999

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