PMS1: President's Forgotten Wife

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 26: AS LONG AS YOU COME BACK HOME

"IM SO HAPPY that you got the chance to call,"  Eisen stated as he made his way outside the house, letting his family see him leave.

Eisen can't stand the situation that he's casually talking to his wife, but his parents looked at him like it was a grave mistake to speak to Jade. Because of that, Eisen was reluctant to talk to his wife because of the look they're giving him. Lewis was missing in action, so he believed that his brother already retired to his room to end the night.

"Well, I remember leaving you a promise, so here I am, giving you a call. Sorry if it took so long for me to call. It's because I remember you don't have a phone yet, and I bet that you're enjoying the moment with your family, so I don't want to disturb you. I didn't even know you're still awake. Are you still watching your late-night show?"  Eisen was happy because Jade remembered her promise to call. It doesn't matter what reasons Jade had to explain herself for not calling any sooner, but he's glad that Eisen could hear his wife's voice once again after a century of waiting for her to come back.

As he listened to her, Eisen stopped moving the wheelchair as he settled onto the cottage, allowing his gaze to stare at the galaxy and watched the glowing ocean while letting himself enjoy the sound that Jade create. Her voice became a lullaby that calmed the waves of emotion that drowned his heart.

"Yes. Pretty much like it. But I'm happy that you called and decided to talk to me. I missed you being around." Eisen replied as he lowly chuckled after only realizing now that he's been missing Jade for too long—too long enough for him to sit around and wait for her to come back.

"Hey! Aside from the promise I made, didn't I tell you not to miss me too much? You'll never enjoy your time with your family if you keep on missing me!" They both laughed at the woman's statement, reminding Eisen what Jade told him a few days back. He didn't make a promise out of it, but Jade expected him to be. Why? Because Eisen concluded that missing her too much can drive him crazy. But the worst part is that he's already mad about everything about Jade.

"Can you blame your husband after not hearing about his wife for too long?" Eisen asked, and Jade instantly answered.

"A few days isn't that long," Jade defended, still not letting go of pushing him not to miss her. Don't she miss him?

"Well, it may be just a few days to you, but for me, you being away felt like a century, Jade. And when I tell you that waiting for you to come back is taking too long than a century, then it's killing me inside not to think and miss you every minute. You're the only one keeping me sane so let me stay as it is. Let me miss you more each passing day," after letting those words tumble like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, it took Jade a while to respond to his statement. And when she does, Jade's tone changed from being happy to getting deep serious with the topic.

"Won't you get tired? I mean, if you keep on thinking about me, you'll grow tired and numb with the feeling, eventually forget what it feels like you are ecstatic for some reason. Missing me too much would kill the spark, you know?" When Jade asked that question, it was Eisen's turn to be dumbfounded at his wife's statement, letting her words linger in his conscious being.

The issue wasn't about stopping himself from kissing his wife too much, but about the fact that Jade's voice was shaking despite the optimistic approach that Jade gave him... And an individual who doesn't get those points and concludes that something doesn't feel right, then they're dumb as hell.

"How about you? Won't you get tired of telling me not to miss you? Because it's hurting me now hearing you tell me not to think about you, wife." Instead of answering Jade's question, Eisen dodged the bullet by shooting his wife with another problem, making the conversation more awkward.

So, instead of pressing the matter deeper, Eisen cleared his throat and changed the subject with something more profound to tackle that may be related to his relationship with his wife or something related to his wife that shockingly shackled Lewis's grounds.

"By the way, what were you and Lewis talking about earlier? I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard him shouting, so I thought there was something wrong?"  he asked without even giving his wife time to process to think about things. 

It's not that Eisen wanted to ruin the perfect moment to disclose his feelings for Jade, but neither does he want to keep the issue all to himself. Being restless is not an option here anymore. Eisen wanted to know what was going on, which he expected to find out tonight.

Yes, Eisen can't stop himself from getting jealous of his brother, knowing the fact that Lewis and Jade we're closer than him and his wife. Of course, who wouldn't get jealous, right? Eisen doesn't want to keep on telling himself not to get desirous about the issue. That is why he owns up to himself that he is jealous about them being almost a 'thing.'

Yes, Eisen was troubled with his feelings and been dying to know everything Jade and Lewis had been keeping from him. And the longer they try to hide it from him, the stronger his desire to wanting to reveal what the hell was going on and what fault did he inflicted.

The speaker from the other line was silent for a moment.  Eisen could not hear anything except the waves crashing into the ocean.  That's all and nothing else. He even double-checked the line if the call dropped down, but it is still ongoing. It just so happened that Jade wasn't answering on the other line.

"Wife?"

"Oh, s**t. Yeah, sorry. I might've— what were you asking again?"  Jade answered as she broke down the silence. Eisen even heard Jade yawn from the other line, no matter how cheerful her tone was. Jade seemed to be overworked and nearly fell asleep on him.

"If you're asking about your cast, I think next week will be your scheduled day. Haven't I mentioned it to you before I left? Anyways, I won't be there that day, so please behave, okay? I'll be home before you know it. Just don't worry too much about me and enjoy the moment with your family,"  Eisen can't blame if Jade didn't hear him ask, but a part of him is convinced that Jade was feigning and is avoiding the question at hand.

"I understand that you want to spend your time with your family to catch up on a lot of things, but can't you come back earlier? Won't they understand that you have a husband waiting for you to come home?"

"What if I don't come back? Or what if I come back and turn into a woman you can't remember anymore? What if I become the woman whom you married three years ago?"  the woman suddenly asked while Eisen frowned. In his wife's tone, she sounded so severe that Eisen wasn't even sure how to react or respond.

If his wife doesn't come home just as she promised, what will happen to him? What can he do to avoid the situation?

"I believe that I'm a man who makes things possible, wife. And what I mean possible is that I can come to pick you up to wherever you are now and take you back home with me. And to answer your other questions," Eisen trails off before finishing his statement, "As long as you come home, still my wife, and doesn't threaten to leave me, then it doesn't matter if you go back to your habits or you change. In front of the altar, in front of all the guests we invited, I'm still not quite sure about where we got married or what suit I am wearing; I know that I vowed to be yours forever and you to be mine no matter what happens. So, this time, I'm keeping a promise, and I hope you do the same." Eisen thoughtfully answered, leaving no inhibition to what his heart desired to say.

After a second of silence passed, Jade sighs from the other line, murmuring a word he couldn't understand.  But before Eisen could ask for Jade to repeat what she just said, the woman spoke from the other line with a soft tone—a tone that made Eisen's heart flutter in rapture.

"You're frankly good with your words, Mr. St. Clair. I bet you make woman swoon into your sugar-coated words to invite them in your chambers." Eisen was grinning ear to ear as his wife absentmindedly teased him.

"The problem is, I can't remember a single thing at all! But I bet it worked on you to allow me to marry you, Mrs. St. Clair."

"I—I don't know," Jade chuckled from the other line as she held another chuckle from rising to her throat. "You have to try harder than that. Besides, I can't remember us talking like teenagers when we first met!"

They were both laughing at their conversation until Eisen finally asked, "Really? Why don't you tell me our first encounter?"

"Oh no, mister. It's for me to know and for you to find out!" As if Eisen could see Jade, he knew that the woman was moving his pointing finger from left to right, a sign that she's not allowed to tell him anything.

The simple conversation went on and on until they lost track of time, only realizing it when Eisen's mother called him out to go to sleep.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up this late. I lost track of time. You should go to sleep now, mister." Jade said from the other line, still snickering from his joke.  "It's late, and your mom will definitely get mad at me for keeping you awake for too long when you're supposed to be taking a rest now."

It was already 1 AM, and in fact, Eisen didn't feel a single strand of tiredness as soon as he started talking to Jade.

"Do you feel sleepy?" he asked, a bit worried, not wanting to end the call.  Maybe the woman was already drowsy, and Eisen was the root cause for delaying her sleep

"I don't know. It's cold outside the house, and it's making me sleepy. I'm exhausted because of the trip. You know we can always talk tomorrow or some other time, right? Don't worry too much and get some sleep. Take good care of yourself while I'm gone." Jade answered with a reassuring tone.  Eisen imagined that his wife was smiling now while talking to him even though her eyelids were about to fall.

The young man continued to feel that they were too far away from each other. The feeling that every time the clock ticks, the longer their distance becomes. With that thought, it wasn't helpful for Eisen because the fear in his chest continued to build up as if, in a flash, everything will suddenly disappear along with the woman he was holding on to.

"You know I always take good care of myself because I'm still waiting for your return. It's just that, Jade?"

"Hmm?" Jade yawned from the other line as Eisen controlled his wheelchair towards the house. Ready to leave the place where he found comfort.

"I just—I just want to see you, that's all... Go to sleep. I'll just call you tomorrow,"  Eisen said as the wheels of his wheelchair squeaks against the paved route towards the house where his mom was waiting for him to enter.

"Good night, wife."

"Good night, Mr. St. Clair."

Eisen thought that was the end of their conversation, but the simple goodnight lasted a few more seconds, minutes until they felt they could handle it until the sun came up.

"I'm going to turn off the call now. It seems like you have no intention of ending it and keep on telling me goodnight!" Jade said before reiterating her goodbye. However, before Jade turned off the call, a word came out of her lips, a term he doesn't expect to hear from her.

"I missed you so much, President grumpy! Good night!"

Eisen smiled in space as he held the cellphone tightly. However, a somber emotion immediately blew the smile on his lips, making him doubt everything he's been feeling for a while now. Eisen still wanted to stay outside to catch some fresh cold air to clear his mind; however, as soon as he saw her mother persistently waiting for him to enter the house, Eisen had no choice but to continue.

As soon as Eisen arrived inside the house, he wasted no time and handed Lewis's phone to his mother without looking her in the eye.

"I'll be expecting to have my phone by morning. But if I won't have it by tomorrow, then I have no choice but to buy it on my own," Eisen firmly uttered before moving past through his mother, who was worried sick looking at him.

Giving them the cold shoulder wasn't Eisen's idea of enjoying two weeks with his family. However, he still wanted to give his family a hint that something was definitely going on with him, and that is he needs to find out the truth.

When he lightly slammed the door shut, Eisen ensured that he securely locked his door behind him. After that, Eisen immediately opened the notebook where he had taken down the numbers of the names familiar to him where he got from his brother's cellphone.

Slowly, Eisen traced his fingers along with the written numbers on the paper before he whispered to himself the words that made him wanted to push through, "Nobody seemed to want to approach me and tell me the truth. But they won't stop me from knowing what I needed to know. So, I'm going to find it out myself, whether they like it or not."

Because for Eisen, he might be part of the St. Clair family, but as long as he's not a part of the reality that his family belonged, then he'll never be part of them. Eisen will remain a part of the past that everyone around him long forgot.

__________

THE NEXT DAY, Eisen felt groggy as the warm sunlight disturbed his almost 4 hours of sleep. As much as he loved mornings and the birds chirping on top of the trees, this day was different. Instead of smiling at Mister Sun and wave his hands at the birds freely flying, his brows rested into a thick one line as the noise from the outside irritated him more.

Basically, Eisen needed more time to sleep, but his body adjusted to the environment with new people for two straight weeks. Now, he can't stop himself from comparing the feeling that Jade was giving him to the vibe that his parents carried around with him.

However, Eisen ended up sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning his forehead against his open palm. Just like any regular day, his feet felt numb while his eyes were grown tired of waking up early. Going back to bed is not an option, but Eisen's bed slowly turned into hypnosis, dragging him back to sleep.

But before he could lie back down to bed, as Eisen expected, he saw a newly bought phone sitting on his bedside table with a purple sticky note attached to it. That reason alone made him get back up and instantly grab the box while taking the sticky note away from it that Eisen believed that his mother left.

So without wasting any moment, Eisen read the small paper stocked onto it like he's in a hurry or something that corresponds to quickly moving.

Eisen,

We already got you the phone you requested us last night. I know you've been having trouble with us since you still don't know everything. But your dad and I hoped that everything would be alright. You may not remember us clearly, but you can trust us.

I love you so much, son. Only God knows how much it means when it comes to love. We will do everything in our power to provide you things that you wish to have.

Breakfast is ready by the time you got out of bed. Please come and eat with us because we would love to have you with us for breakfast. Love you, son.

Mom