Mysterious Mr. Park

New Beginning-ish

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What is that noise?!

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God, my head...

I slowly woke up and my eyes caught the sight of the chandelier that was in the entryway of my apartment. What on earth...? I thought to myself.

Then it hit me. I slept on the floor. I sat up slowly to ease the ache in my head and tried to recount what happened last night.

I remember getting dumped. That jerk. I remember crying, and more crying, and... Oh! Tequila *ugh* I remember drinking! Well, that explains the massive headache I have right now. I'm never drinking again. EVER.

*Rrrrriiinngggg* *Rrrrriiinngggg*

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Who calls at 10AM on a Saturday?!?

I dragged my annoyed self to the phone to answer it. 15 missed calls. What the...

"Hello?"

"Lily! Why haven't you been answering? Are you okay?!"

The shouting really wasn't helping with my headache...

"Hey, Stella, what's up?"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE WERE?!? WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"LILY!! Don't tell me you forgot! I can't believe you forgot --"

"Okay, before you scream any further and blow my head up, can you please tell me what's going on?"

"LILY IT'S MY WEDDING REHEARSAL! Does that ring a bell? You're my maid of honor! Remember now?!"

"HOLY s**t! I'm so sorry. Oh my god, oh my god -- I'll be right there, I'll hurry up and be there as soon as I can. I'm so sorry!"

"HURRY!!" Stella exclaimed.

I hung up the phone quickly and got up on my feet and threw on whatever I could find on my closet floor. I grabbed my gown quickly and ran out the door.

Where are all the taxis when you need them???

I check my watch from time to time and *f**k* I then quickly realize that my asshole of an ex is probably going to be there at the rehearsal... "I'm sorry, Lily. I really am and I know that I'm being a jerk right now by breaking your heart, but I can't help how I feel." Asshole. I felt so angry and still so confused. I felt my anger well up in my throat and hot tears starting to burn through my eyes. f*****g asshole, I'll show you who you let go of and I'll make sure you regret every damn second of it... And just then, like magic, a taxi cab stopped in front of me, waking me up from my painful memory.

I quickly got in the taxi, told the driver where to go and sat back to text Stella a lengthy letter of apology and just going over how much of a stupid best friend I was for forgetting such a big day like this.

*Ding*

"It's okay you poop-head, just come here! Love u! Xx" Stella replied. I love my best friend. I've known her since college and she is still the one person I would consider as my soulmate. I don't know how I would ever survive this life without her.

I look out the window to see the New York sky on this beautiful Saturday morning. I see all the people walking by, the couples holding hands and getting their coffee, some just getting back from what looked like a very fun night, and then there's me... On this beautiful morning, who would have thought that my whole world just crumbled last night? My life is a walking oxymoron.

It was a quiet ride to the venue, and one that I was thankful for because I needed to think clearly about what happened last night. I started to wonder where everything went wrong. I mean, sure we had arguments here and there but isn't that normal in a relationship? We were together for 8 years, for Christ's sake...8 years. I spent almost all of my 20's with this man, and just like that, everything was gone. Everything we worked so hard on just vanished before my very eyes. I'm not just angry about the break up, I'm more angry that I feel blind-sided. He told me that he has been feeling the way he felt for a while, and yet he never even told me. How was I supposed to know he was feeling that way? How on earth was I supposed to fix the problem if I never even knew what the problem was? More than anything, I feel betrayed, and I can't believe I have to see him at this rehearsal. If he was not so much of a jerk, he'd have the right mind not to come.

"Miss?"

I can't believe I have to see his face today. This is going to be such a nightmare!

"Miss?"

"Yes?" Crap. I completely forgot I was still in the taxi and the driver was already talking to me..

"We're here, Miss. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes I'm okay." Flustered, I apologized for being absent-minded and paid him the fare and got out of the cab.

Right. I'm here now and if he's here, then there really is nothing I can do about it. I'm here for Stella, and that's it. Let's just get this over with...

The venue was gorgeous, located on a beautiful estate that overlooked a lake. It was obvious that the place was old and full of history, but the designers really went above and beyond because it looked magical, and almost ethereal. It felt like we were transported to a different world. I couldn't help thinking that the place really suited Stella. She deserves a beautiful wedding.

"Lily! Finally, you're here!", I heard Stella shout as I was admiring the breathtaking view.

I looked over to see my beautiful best friend running towards me, just as she always had whenever she saw me. I tell her all the time that I swear she must have been a golden retriever or something in her past life. She was always so happy to see me, and I loved it. She gave me a great big hug and it lasted a little longer than usual. I found it odd, so I asked her if everything was okay..

"Is everything okay?"

With those words, she started bawling. I was shocked and so confused. Did she and Mike get into an argument or something?

"Stella, what's wrong? Is everything okay with you and Mike?"

"No, I mean, yes, everything is fine with me and Mike..."

"Then what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Oh Lily! I'm so sorry!"

What the hell is going on? Everyone is looking at us!

"Stella, let's go inside and talk, okay?"

We both went inside and I could feel all of the guests' stares directed at us. I had to know what was going on, I couldn't have my best friend break down at her very own wedding rehearsal.

I sat Stella down on a bench near the ladies' room and sat beside her. I let her cry some more and waited for her to calm down a bit before talking to her, and when I saw that her breathing was going at a steady pace, I started to talk.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong? This is supposed to be a happy day for you. Why are you all sad? I asked.

"I know about your breakup with John. He told me that he couldn't come today because he broke things off with you last night. I'm so sorry Lily."

Huh. I guess it really is official. That hurt more than I expected. At least he's not here, right?

"Lily, are you okay? I'm sorry I brought it up, I just couldn't help it when I saw you."

"Stella, I'm okay. I mean, of course I'm not okay and I'm heartbroken, but I will be okay. Today isn't about me, it's about you and Mike. We can talk about it later tonight, okay? Maybe over some drinks and we can ugly-cry together?"

Stella starts to cry again and says "You promise??? Oh Lily, I love you and I'm so sorry."

"Sssshhhh, it's okay. God, you're such a cry-baby. Did you know that? Stop crying because you're gonna make me cry!"

Stella hugged me tighter and laughed and cried at the same time. I needed that hug. I'm so thankful for my best friend.

The wedding rehearsal was the pick-me-up I needed after what happened last night. There would be times that I would feel like crying and times where I caught myself just looking out at the distance, but it is what it is, I guess. Break-ups are never easy, more so for a long-term relationship.

After the night had ended, I went up to Stella and Mike to tell them that I was gonna go home. I hugged my best friend tight and she told me "Where do you think you're going? We're going to be together tonight whether you like it or not, missy."

"But what about Mike?"

"What about him? He knows already and he's fine with it. Aren't you, honey?"

Mike let out a chuckle and said "Of course, sweetheart. Lily needs you tonight. Lily, she's all yours. Just don't let her drink too much, okay? You know how she gets when she's drunk..."

"Hey! I can hold my alcohol just fine!"

"Yeah right, says someone who vomited on our 2nd date after just 3 vodka drinks"

"To be fair, I was so so young! I am so much better with alocohol now!"

The three of us laughed and I hugged Mike and thanked him for a great night.

We got back to my place at around 11PM and as soon as we walked through the door, Stella was already in the kitchen finding drinks..

"Where is all your booze?"

I pointed at the trash can near the sink...

"LILY!! Three bottles of tequila??? By yourself??? No wonder you were late today!"

"Yeah, I had a rough night last night..."

"Aha! I found a bottle of vodka!"

"Oh no, no, no..."

"Jeez, relax! It was one night and I was way too young. Plus, it was my first time drinking vodka! Cut me some slack! Besides, I'm with you, so I know I'm safe."

"Fine, we can drink it. How can I say no when you're desperately trying to convince me?"

I sat on the couch staring at nothing while Stella was busy in the kitchen looking for glasses to put our drinks in.

She sits beside me, looks at me, places the glasses and the vodka bottle down on the table and hugs me. No lectures or questions, just a hug that she knew I really needed.

"It'll be okay, Lily. I know it doesn't right now, and I know that it probably won't feel okay for a long time, but it eventually will."

I wiped a tear that fell down my cheek as she said those words. She always knew just what to say...

"Thanks, Stella."

Stella sat up straight and clasped her hands together as if she was had a goal to reach tonight. "Okay! Operation: Get over that loser John. First step, drink and cry until we can't anymore!"

I laughed and said "Okay! Let the operation commence!"

We laughed and cried all night and when we finally finished two bottles, we were both very drunk. But I wasn't drunk enough to pass out just yet...

"I think I want to move..." I said out of nowhere.

Stella propped her head up in utter shock.. "What? Where? When?"

"I don't know. I just feel like I need a new start and everything in this damn city reminds me of him. I know that I may be jsut saying this because it's all so fresh right now, but I just can't be here right now. The thought of bumping into him scared me and makes me anxious."

"But Lily, what about your job? Your apartment? Everything?"

I let out a huge sigh... "Yeah, I know. I don't know what to do Stella, I feel so stuck."

We were silent for a moment then Stella quipped, "Hey, you wanna go to Korea?"

"What? You're getting married in a week and you want to go to Korea?"

"Who said anything about me? I'm asking if you wanna go to Korea, silly!"

"Well, yes of course I want to go, but when? Soon?"

"I thought you were the one that wanted to move?"

"But to Korea???"

"No, silly! I don't want you to move to Korea, that would be insane and I would be devastated if you moved. But, I also think that you need a vacay after what happened, and I just happen to have the perfect trip for you!"

"Stella, I don't know if you're just drunk or whatever, but you have got to make it make sense to me because right now, all I want to do is slap you to get to your point."

"Dude, you really got to fix your temper, I mean, really --"

"Stella, I swear to God..."

"Okay, fine! Well, Mike actually booked tickets to go to Korea for a week after our wedding, not a honeymoon, just like a nice fun trip before our official honeymoon to Switzerland."

"And so?"

"Buuuuut, something happened.." Stella giggles and blushes and couldn't bring it in her to tell me...

"What? What????"

"Okay, you've got to swear that this is just between us, okay?"

"Okay, I promise, let's even pink-swear to it.."

Stella gets her bag and reaches for a white envelope and hands it over to me...

"What is this?" I asked. I opened it and to my happy surprise, it was a sonogram...

"Wait.. What? How? What?"

"I'm pregnant!!" Stella squealed.

I was shell-shocked and my jaw was literally on the floor. "Oh my God.. Oh my God! You're gonna have a baby! Like an actual baby! A human! I'm gonna be an aunt!"

"Yes!!!" Stella screamed and laughed.

I hugged her and the next thing we knew, we were jumping on the bed just screaming and crying out of happiness.

We finally settled down, exhausted from the roller-coaster of emotions that we've been having this evening, and sat on the floor just looking at Stella's sonogram.

"I'm so happy for you Stella, I really am", I said while wiping the tears of joy off my face.

"Me too", Stella says as she looks down at her still-flat tummy and caresses it ever so gently.

She faces towards me with a somber expression on her face...

"I'm so sorry about your break up with John, Lily. I know how committed you were to him and how much you wanted to spend your life with him..."

"I'll be okay, eventually." I interrupted.

We sit there quietly for a couple of minutes and she asks me again, "So, will you go to Korea? I know it isn't really the 'new beginning' you were thinking about, but maybe it would be best to take baby steps instead of moving your whole life out of this city just because of John."

"Yeah, I know you're right. And yes, I think I'll take the Korea trip. I'll just have to take a leave off of work for a week and I'll be good to go."

"That's my girl. You'll be okay, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I do. I just don't know when and how."

"Hey, maybe you'll find a guy there in Korea and he might just be the one", Stella smiles coyly at me

"You and your weird romantic scenarios..." I quipped. "Besides, I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Everything feels way too fresh right now, and looking for a rebound just isn't something that I want to be doing. I just really want to get out of here and breathe..."

A chance to breathe. I feel like I'm suffocating here. I can't wait to leave...

A new beginning..ish.