Sonata of The Shattered | Book I

Unintentional Meeting

10 June 2022

It's been a while since she visited the supermarket for an actual monthly grocery shopping. She went grocery shopping days ago with her daughter but they only bought what's necessary for that week only as she forgot to bring her membership card— well, what can they say, she's a mother after all.

As there's no teaching schedule for the day, she decided to visit the supermarket earlier so she could rest her body back at home again. Parting away from her cozy bed in her bedroom felt like hell and indeed, it felt like a romantic relationship; she never wanted to be apart from it at all.

Her body was going around the supermarket with a trolley in front of her yet her mind brought her back to the cozy all-white bedroom in her apartment. How she missed the pillow and the bolster pillow she could never forget? As if her to-buy list was always the same every month, her body automatically went for the same route each month and automatically put in the things she needed for her household into her trolley that she pushed by herself.

Before she was kicked out by her father for being pregnant with Christine out of wedlock, Fransesca never thought that she'd do things like this. She always lived a comfortable life in which maids were seen running here and there, taking care of the house and other chores that needed to be done or else the house would look like a mess and the old man, Rhee Anderson, would scold everyone with no particular reason.

"Strawberry yogurt for Christine. Banana for breakfast. Meats for lunch and dinner. Berries for Cassandra. Eggs for breakfast again. What else— oh, my ramen!"

She moved her feets to the isle of ramen from all around the world, in which Fransesca quickly put in the Indomie and that kimchi jiggae ramen she bought once in Korean and fell in love with into the trolley. Thankfully, she's able to find one in Singapore.

Once she felt like she bought everything already, Fransesca decided to pay for her groceries and smiled widely at the staff on the cashier until she saw the man from afar. A man that wasn't clear to her eyes as she aged but she knew whom.

Clayton. She knew how the man looks these days thanks to the picture she picked last time back in the university to be publicized on the school's website. Quickly the lass put her groceries into her shopping bag and ran towards the exit door until the man also recognized the woman.

"Fransesca!" he called her. "Fransesca wait! Fransesca, I need to talk with you!"

Fransesca ran faster than before to her black car. She quickly unlocked the door and tossed her bag into the backseat of the car but it's too late. The man really caught her and Fransesca couldn't escape from him. She knew that the man must've been able to recognize her at that very moment.

"Fransesca, please don't run. I just want to talk about things with you. Catching up with you after a very long time." he told her but Fransesca quickly tried to brush him off. She tried to enter the car but he stopped her from doing so. He hindered her from touching the door's handle.

"I don't know who you are so leave me alone and let me go."

Clayton sighed as he heard the words she said. "I'm Clayton and you know me. You know me, Fransesca." he introduced himself again, though he knew it's just a way for Fransesca to escape him and to avoid a conversation happening between them, again.

"I know that my wife talked to you weeks ago for a matter that I don't know. Fransesca, will you listen to me? Will you let me ask you questions? Will you let me do something at least?" begged Clayton as he cornered the woman to the car.

But then, he could see how her body trembled in front of him and her eyes went teary from the mixed emotions inside. "Let me go. Let me go! I don't want to talk to you again or anytime soon. Leave me alone just like how it is supposed to!" Fransesca replied with her voice trembling so hard, then she broke into tears.

His heart, he could feel the pain. He could feel how desperate the woman wanted to escape him but he's also desperate to know all the answers. Fransesca herself never thought that he would meet the man this way. It was surely unexpected and inevitable. Now she realized that it was indeed fate that brought them together at this location, at the same time.

Fate that started to destroy the peace she's trying to have. The fate that started to change everything in her life and she hates it.

"Fransesca, I beg you. I beg you to speak with me regarding our past, my wife, and everything. I just want to talk with you, that's all. I know that my wife might upset you days ago and I don't want to make you think that I'm—"

"I'll talk to you but not now. Later, when I'm ready. I don't know when but please don't do this to me." she said while crying. She begged him as well and so, Clayton decided to let her go. His hands weren't holding her wrist anymore. Nothing's in his hand right now.

Fransesca quickly entered her car and locked the door. With all the strength that she had, she left the man all alone in the parking lot. She stepped on the gas pedal and drove herself away, far from the supermarket and stopped at the side of the road, crying her heart out.

'Is it the time already?', she asked herself as tears came down again and again.

to be continued.