A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells

When Wendy Chance's father, Josiah, was rendered speechless, I was the only one he wanted to go to speech therapy with. Every time Wendy and I wanted to go out, Josiah would clutch the corner of my shirt. Once again, Wendy would stuff an unused train ticket in my hand and pat my shoulder apologetically. "Treat my dad well, and I'll make it up to you on another trip. Evan can accompany me on this business trip instead. Don’t overthink this." Evan Striker was the secretary she claimed knew his place. I had collected 27 unused tickets over the past three years. They were from unrealized trips to the mountains, historical towns, and the beach. Every ticket turned into a post on Evan's social media accounts. I thought Wendy was just busy with work until one day, I overheard Josiah speaking clearly in the study as I brought him some water. "Did Evan have fun this time?" Wendy laughed. "You're a pretty good actor, Dad. Joel doesn't suspect a thing." Through the crack of the door, I could see Wendy and my best friend, Eli Conway, sitting at the table. Eli was holding up his phone to remind everyone about something. "Joel is supposed to accompany Wendy to the celebration party tomorrow. Remember to follow the plan and be sick tomorrow, Mr. Chance. That should stop him from attending the party and embarrassing Wendy." Everyone laughed, agreeing with the plan, and Josiah even started practising vague hand gestures. I lowered my head to look at the latest ticket in my hand. I had been duped, doing my best to make these schemers’ web of lies come to life. The ticket fell from my hand, and I no longer wanted to wait for Wendy to finally keep her promises. Chapter 1 "Joel, I don't think my dad can be left alone in this condition," Wendy Chance said in a low voice while standing in front of me. I said nothing as I wiped away the water stains on the back of Josiah Chance's hand slowly with a warm towel. He was lying in bed, making gurgling noises from his throat and gripping my sleeve. Wendy looked apologetic. I'm supposed to show you off at the celebration party today, but I'll have to take Evan with me instead since you can't make it anymore. I promise I'll bring you back your favorite dessert later, all right?" I looked at her and was suddenly reminded of that winter three years ago, when she was suffering from a high fever and could hardly stand, yet she forced herself out of bed to feed me hot soup, blowing tenderly on every spoonful to make sure I was not burned. The woman who once could not stand for me to suffer through anything was using the gentlest methods to take everything from me. I pulled my hand away from hers and avoided her touch subtly. "All right." That afternoon, Eli Conway dropped by. He visited regularly, so he knew to change into a pair of house slippers the moment he arrived. Josiah was 'sleeping' deeply in the room when he came by. Eli pulled me over to the sofa, looking upset for my sake. "Listen to me, Joel. Don't lose your temper over what Wendy did. She's at the crucial point of her career, and she's facing a lot of pressure for the family’s sake." I remained silent. Eli sighed and continued advising me, "Evan is her personal secretary. He's young and smart, and he helps her a lot when entertaining clients. He's an asset to her business. You're not earning right now, and you have a comfortable life at home. It's only right that you take good care of her dad for her. "Wendy is a woman trying to carve a path for herself in the business world. Since you aren't able to help her with her career, you should at the very least be understanding of her." The doorbell rang while Eli was talking, and it was a delivery from a Michelin-star restaurant that Wendy had ordered for me. Then, a voice message from her played. "I know it's been hard on you taking care of my dad, and you probably haven't had lunch yet. I made sure that this was a quick delivery. Be good and finish the food. Miss you!" This warmed my heart, but less than two minutes later, another voice message from Wendy came in. "Evan has a hangover from entertaining our clients last night, and he doesn't feel well. Since Eli is at your place, can you get him to bring the delivery over to Evan instead? Evan has a sensitive stomach and can't eat anything else. "You can order takeaway for yourself at home. I promise I'll bring you something nice tomorrow." My hand clenched the phone hard. Before I could say anything, Josiah, who was lying in bed weakly, started to hit the bed anxiously. Eli took the cue and smiled. "Look at that. Even Mr. Chance is worried about Evan. You won't go hungry at home anyway, Joel. I'll take the food to him right now." I watched silently as my buddy Eli left the house, remembering how exaggerated his smiles and laughter were when speaking to Evan. After that, I went into the study and pulled out a thick journal with an unused ticket on every page. There were 27 of them in total. It was supposed to be a surprise I had prepared for Wendy for our engagement party next month. While going through the slightly yellowed tickets, I called the number of my bespoke tailor. "I'd like to cancel the suit I ordered for my engagement party next month." The person on the other end of the call was taken aback, but I hung up before he could question me. At 11 PM, Wendy returned, reeking slightly of alcohol. She had brought a cake as the dessert she promised me, but Evan appeared behind her and came inside the house as well. Chapter 2 Wendy was tipsy, and she was wearing Evan's coat. Evan glanced at the washcloth in my hand and the apron I was wearing. "Wendy had a little too much to drink tonight, Joel. It's cold outside, so I let her have my coat." He raised his eyebrow slightly. "It's not easy for Wendy at work. Since you don't need to work, you need to focus more on taking care of the family. "You wouldn't hold such a small thing against us, would you, Joel?" I did not reply to his question. Wendy fell into my arms naturally. "I've had a really tiring day. Let me lean on you for a while." She pushed the cake into my hand. "I queued for thirty minutes to get that for you. I made sure to hold it as steady as possible so it wouldn’t get smudged.” Evan had his hand on his stomach while frowning. "I haven't had anything to eat tonight. My stomach doesn't feel so good." Josiah had been pretending to be asleep. When he heard Evan's words, he suddenly appeared, walking out of the room with his cane. He made unintelligible sounds while pointing at the cake in my hand and back at Evan. Wendy sighed and took the cake from me. "Evan has low blood sugar. The cake should help him a little. I'll queue up for you again tomorrow and get you ten cakes. You can have as much as you want then, so don't be petty about it now." Evan sat down without hesitation. "Wendy is too soft-hearted. She feels guilty about not being there for you all the time, which is why she goes everywhere to buy you little gifts. “To be honest, all you need to do is stay at home and cook. You don't need to face the harsh reality of the business world. You should be content with your life. "After all, if it were me, I could never waste any of my time on small family issues." Evan portrayed himself as someone happy with what he had and who did not care to compare himself to me. However, his words still gave the impression that Wendy and he were in sync with what they wanted in life. I brought Wendy a bowl of soup. She pulled my hand and placed it on her lips to kiss, but frowned right away when she heard Evan coughing. "Why are you still coughing? Have you been sitting under the air conditioning the whole day?" Wendy turned to look at me and said softly in a tone that I could not reject. "Joel, Evan's stomach isn't feeling good, and he’s caught a cold. You make great soup. Can you be a good boy and make him some soup to warm him up?" I did not argue, and I turned to enter the kitchen. I felt nothing as I watched the boiling water in the pot. Evan picked up a spoon to stir the soup while picking at it. "The flavor is fine, but it's a little bland." Wendy smiled in agreement. "Joel's cooking has always been a little light on flavor. You should make do with it. It's better for your stomach." Evan forced down a few mouthfuls before suddenly frowning. "Wendy, my shirt reeks of alcohol from the dinner just now. There's a meeting early tomorrow morning, and I can't go looking like this. Can I take a bath here?" Wendy nodded without hesitation. She went into our bedroom, came out with a limited-edition shirt still in its packaging, and passed it to Evan. That was the shirt I was planning to wear on our anniversary next week, and I had kept it carefully in the deepest corner of the wardrobe. I immediately stopped her. "Wendy, that's—" Wendy grabbed my wrist and frowned slightly. "Evan and I are meeting an important client tomorrow, and our image is everything. You don't need to go to work anyway, and you wear that apron more often than a suit. "It's a waste to leave that shirt lying around. What's wrong with letting him have it when it's an emergency?" My eyes dimmed slightly. After Evan showered, he picked up my cologne without hesitation and sprayed some on his wrist. "This cologne is too strong, Wendy. It doesn't suit me." Wendy walked over to him and took the cologne from his hands. "Joel loves this woody scent. I think it smells good. If you don't like it, I'll get some brands to send over a few refreshing scents to your office." When it came to her love for me, she did not hesitate to share my cherished items without thinking twice. It was cruel of her, but she did not seem to realize it. Late that night, Wendy was fast asleep in bed. I gently pulled away my hand from hers, which she was clenching while asleep. I pulled the covers off and started packing everything that belonged to me. Every trace of my presence in this house silently vanished, while the woman whom I shared a bed with just tossed onto her other side to sleep. The next morning, I was checking the tickets for the South, and right before I was about to purchase them, I heard Wendy asking with a laugh behind me, "What are you buying? You look so focused on making the purchase." Chapter 3 I quickly put my phone away and placed it face down on the table. "I was just looking at some necessities for the house." Wendy did not doubt me, and she wrapped her arms around my neck intimately. "My dad is going for his regular checkup at the hospital, and Eli volunteered to accompany him. I've cleared my work schedule today to accompany you. "Come on, let's go try on that suit you bought for the engagement party. You've been looking forward to putting it on for six months." An hour later, we were waiting in the lobby of the bespoke tailor. The staff approached us with embarrassment after checking the records. "I'm so sorry. Mr. Sterling called yesterday to cancel the purchase of the suit. The payment has been cleared with the deposit." Wendy gently tidied my collar and took out a watch from her purse to hold against my wrist. "What's with this tantrum? I've even bought a matching watch for the suit. I told you before that you'll have what everyone has." Wendy looked at me unhappily as I remained stoic. "I know you lost your parents at a young age, Joel, so you’ve always been insecure and worried that someone will take everything from you. But Evan is just my secretary. "He has connections and resources from powerful families, and I take care of him for my business' sake." Wendy's fingers gently caressed the frown between my eyes. "You're an orphan with no family or connections to protect you. I'm the only one who can protect you, which is why I need you to have a bigger heart. "Don't act like a spoiled child and hold every minor thing against me when I'm just trying to keep up appearances for my business. I don't blame you for not understanding the rules of the real world, but I'm getting tired of it. "Just get inside and try on your suit, and we'll pretend nothing happened yesterday." Just as she was about to kiss me, someone pushed the doors open, and Wendy's assistant dashed in with great panic. "Miss Chance, something horrible has happened! A few suppliers are demanding they get paid and making a scene! They have Evan surrounded!" Wendy turned to run out of the door without hesitation, but she had forgotten that the metal clasp of the watch was entangled with the clasp on my cufflink. When she pulled away, it tugged hard on my cufflink, and the solid metal scratched the inside of my wrist, leaving behind a bright red mark. "Ow!" I turned pale from the pain, but Wendy did not even look at me, nor did she notice my pain. "Try on the suit first. I'll return right after I take care of this." The glass doors slammed in front of me, leaving me with a bloody scratch on my wrist and the watch dangling from my sleeve. I pushed the door open and walked into the rain. When I turned the corner to hide from the rain, I spotted a familiar white sedan parked at the side of the road. It was Eli's car, and the passenger seat had the window rolled down halfway. Josiah was sitting in the passenger seat, even though he was supposed to be at the hospital for a checkup. He was chatting happily inside the car with Eli, speaking very clearly. "That was smart of Evan. He got Wendy to leave so easily. Now she doesn't need to waste time trying on some silly suit with that chump. "You should come to my house for dinner tonight, Eli!" Eli's hands were on the steering wheel as he agreed with a laugh. "You're so right, Mr. Chance! A man like Joel, who only knows how to cook and clean, isn’t good enough for Wendy anymore." They chatted happily in the car, not realizing that I was standing in the rain right outside the car, hearing every word they were saying. The rain drenched my hair and dripped down my neck. It was so cold, but my mind had never been clearer. When I got home, my phone vibrated right after I took off my wet coat. It was a text from Wendy. "I'll be a little late tonight, Joel. Get that journal out. I'm taking a day off tomorrow to take you to that historic town you've always wanted to visit." Chapter 4 There were still six hours until my train left for the South, but Wendy returned home earlier than expected. "I've cleared my schedule tomorrow, Joel. I've made all the arrangements for the trip tomorrow to make things up to you." She hugged me from behind the moment she walked through the door and rested her chin on my shoulder, nuzzling me gently. "I'll cook for you tonight." She spent a long time in the kitchen making traditional bouillabaisse. It was my late mother's best dish, and I had not eaten it since my parents' passing. Wendy wiped her hands dry and said, "I sent some people to your parents' hometown to ask the neighbors for the recipe. It took me a month, but I finally mastered it. Even if your parents aren't around anymore, I'll make this for you every day in the future, Joel." I was close to tearing up. Wendy seemed to really love me. She loved me so much that she was willing to spend so much effort to make my wish come true. However, the doorbell rang before I could taste the food. Evan was standing outside the door with an exquisite box in his hands. "I'm returning to the headquarters tomorrow, Wendy. This is a gift for Joel to make up for what happened. I don't want both of you to get upset over me." As he was speaking, his gaze fell on the pot of bouillabaisse. "What a coincidence! I was feeling unwell from drinking too much last night. That delicious scent is making me work up an appetite." Wendy started filling a lunchbox with the bouillabaisse, which I had not even tasted, and gave it to Evan. "Bring this on the road with you. It’ll warm your stomach up." I pressed down on the lunchbox. "But you said you made this dish specially for me!" Wendy placed her warm hand onto the back of mine. "It's just a dish. I can make this for you anytime now that I've learned how to cook this. Evan is leaving tomorrow. Do you really want to fight over something so minor like a dish when you're the man of the house? "I know no one taught you proper manners because your parents left you when you were young, but I've always tried to make you a better person. Fighting over something small like this dish makes you look petty. Be good, Joel." Evan took the lunchbox without hesitation, and he passed his gift to me. "I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way, Joel. Please accept this gift. It's a token of my sincerity." Wendy frowned when she saw me refuse the gift. "You should accept Evan's gift when he's being so sincere about it. You're my future husband, and you need to learn to be grateful." She swept a gaze at the table and suddenly picked up my precious journal to give it to Evan. "This journal contains all the places Joel and I want to visit but never did. Gifts are about sincerity, and this is perfect as a thank-you gift." Wendy tried to cajole me. "This journal will help him kill some time. I promise that I'll take you to those places listed in the journal and make your wishes come true." My voice trembled. "Give me back that journal, Wendy. Evan noticed me losing my composure. He looked condescendingly at the journal's cover instead of accepting it from Wendy. "It's fine, Wendy. I'm a germaphobe. I don’t want another person's trash." Wendy's face fell. She wanted to cajole Evan and punish my disobedience at the same time. A loud tearing sound filled the air, and the thick journal was torn in half. All the 27 tickets that held my disappointments fell all over the ground, and she flung the destroyed journal into the bin. "It's just a lousy journal. You should have a wider worldview and stop embarrassing yourself. If you like it so much, I'll get someone to put together ten of them for you tomorrow. Now clean up this mess!" I looked at my naivety and compromises spread all over the ground, and the last of what I felt for Wendy was finally vanquished. I went into the room and pulled out the luggage I had packed earlier. Wendy was taken aback. "Are you making a show of trying to run away from home, Joel? My patience is limited." I headed to the door, pulling my luggage behind me. "You don't need to get anyone to put together those journals, Wendy. This journal already has an ending. It's over between us." Before she could react, I had entered the lift. As the door closed in front of me, I could see Wendy through the gap right before they closed. She looked confident as she turned to say to Evan, "Ignore him. He can't leave my side. He'll only go as far as downstairs before he comes running back to me."