Nothing good about goodbye

Chapter 2

The morning sun shone brightly through the light curtains as Jason groaned, rubbing his aching temples as his head pounded as a result of a hangover. He was half sprawled on the sofa, still in yesterday's clothes without even a blanket to shield him from the cold.

He felt an ache in his chest, a feeling that he was freezing, and a discomfort that he couldn't quite shake off. He craved warm congee and staggered while dragging himself to the dining table where the housekeeper greeted him with a respectful bow.

“Get me congee.” He ordered in a low voice.

The housekeeper scrambled away and returned with a bowl of the seafood congee he requested. She placed it in front of him and stepped back.

As soon as the food got into his mouth, he paused. The taste wasn't right. It lacked a delicate balance only Maria could achieve. She had learned it from a nutritionist, perfecting the dish, especially for him when he’d mentioned offhandedly that he liked it.

Jason frowned. “Who made this?”

The housekeeper hesitated. “I tried my best to make it the way you liked, sir, but she never shared the recipe.” she bowed her head again.

Out of annoyance, Jason pushed the bowl aside and stood up from the table, wandering about the house looking for Maria. That’s when he noticed the places her things occupied were now empty, and she was nowhere to be found.

Maria was gone.

His chest tightened and he felt a sense of anger and disbelief. She had left him. He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temples.

The thought of her warmth and the way she smiled and would have taken care of him despite her throwing a tantrum suddenly filled his mind. His chest felt heavy but he shrugged the feeling off.

She'll be back, he thought, reassuring himself that she always came back. This is just another one of her tantrums. She'd find her way back to me like she always did before.

His mind drifted to one of their fights; the one where she had overheard his conversation with Brandon. He had asked Maria to grow her hair long, knowing full well it was because Amanda wore the same hairstyle.

When she found out the reason, she was furious.“You only like it because it reminds you of her,” she yelled in fury.

Jason had shrugged, indifferently, watching her break down under the weight of that realization. Yet, even after their arguments, Maria would always return to him. She would offer to care for him, as if holding on to their relationship was something her life solely depended on.

“This time won’t be any different. Maria will soon be back,” he murmured to himself as he lay back down, but the discomfort in his chest lingered.

To be honest, Jason felt… off. It was as if he had just lost something he couldn't live without.

Meanwhile, Maria had checked into a hotel, which was miles away from the apartment where she and Jason stayed. And has now gone to her next appointment.

She stood before the full length mirror at a salon. The sweet scent of hair spray and vanilla shampoo filled the air.

She stared at the long wavy strands of hair that flowed down her back, stopping at her waist. She had put her all into caring for her hair over the years, afraid to cut it because Jason liked it long.

Maria bitterly remembered the day she overheard him confide in Brandon about how good Amanda looked in the same hairstyle and that was the day the idea of cutting it began to brew in her mind. For months, she couldn’t bring herself to do it, fearing his disapproval.

With him no longer in the picture, she took the bold step knowing fully well that her long hair would always remind her of Jason.

“Are you sure about this?” the stylist asked, holding up a section of her hair with the scissors in the other as the dark-haired girl took the styling chair in front of her.

“Yes. Please, go ahead,” Maria replied without batting an eyelash.

The blades cut through herytresses, and with each cut, she felt better. As the last strand fell to the floor, she looked at herself in the mirror. The remains of the hair framed her face in a bob, a style that was simple yet elegant. She ran her fingers through her now short hair and felt a sense of relief wash over her.

Add to that, Maria had blocked the numbers of Jason and all of his friends before leaving the hotel. As she felt the last connection from him removed, the former fashion designer realized that she had moved on, and was now determined to focus on her career.

She remembered one time when she and Jason argued, and she left the house; Brandon had called her to say that Jason was vomiting. She rushed back to help him then. Well, she isn’t about to fall for that again since their numbers were all blocked now and she felt pleased and proud about it.

Maria was to meet up with her friends for lunch. They planned to go shopping for a new set of clothes. As soon as she stepped into the restaurant, she was soon surrounded by her friends as they called out to her from their reserved table.

“I didn’t think you were serious,” Susan exclaimed, reaching out to touch her hair.

“This fits you better.” Angel chimed in. “So…are you leaving him for good, this time?”

Maria nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “Well, I meant it when I said I was done with him.”

Her friends exchanged meaningful looks between themselves. This was not the first time they heard Maria say something like this and do the exact opposite.

“Are you serious about it?” Susan asked her again, unsure of whether to console her or support her decision.

“I feel lots better,” the girl with the bob cut earnestly confided as she took a deep breath. “But yes, my decision is final this time.”

What she said was true even though there was still an ache in her heart when she thought about Jason and everything she had given up for him. But enough was enough!

Later that evening, Maria dressed up in a short black gown that was embroidered with silver lining and applied light makeup that highlighted her features. She had read online that the famous designer, Andrès Jacques, was to host an exhibition, and she had missed enough of his fashion shows over the years.

Just being there at the venue brought back memories of her old dreams… Dreams that she had once been so close to achieving.

She had studied fashion design, and during her university days, she even participated in the Fait Avec Amour Competition, where her work won the prestigious Best Newcomer award. One of her designs had been auctioned off at a breathtaking price, opening doors to the biggest brands in the fashion world wanting to recruit her after her graduation.

Even the renowned Andrès Jacques had expressed interest in mentoring her and wanted to introduce her to study in Paris. Everyone in the design industry knew how precious and golden these opportunities were. Sadly, as tempting as they sounded back then, Maria had turned all of them down to focus on loving Jason. And she realized how foolish all that was, now that she had accepted the truth.

Maria was just wandering through the exhibition when she instantly froze. Her graduation project was there on display and Andrès was discussing it with the crowd that surrounded him. His voice was filled with admiration along with being wistful.

“Designed by Ria” the engraved bronze placard in front of the display read. It was a pseudonym she had used back then to stay anonymous.

“It’s such a shame. I have looked forward to seeing more designs from her,” said someone from Andrès’ small audience.

Consenting murmurs erupted from the crowd, making Maria uncomfortable. She suddenly felt cloaked with shame, especially at the thought of what she gave up her dreams for and how it had ended. The timid young designer decided it was time for her to leave, unable to come up with the courage to face Andrès as she had originally planned to.

But unknown to Maria, just as she reached the exit, the well-known French couturier glanced her way, catching a glimpse of her very familiar back. His face lit up as he instantly recognized her retreating figure, a sense of nostalgia and longing for the talent that had slipped through his fingers.

Moments later, Maria stood on the venue’s sidewalk, taking in deep, relaxing breaths. She then realized that it was time to reclaim the dreams that she had abandoned before and keep on moving forward.

And there was no turning back now!