Love Began with the First Meeting

A lot of the things we thought we would never forget just sneakily slip our minds over time.

In Smile Hotel.

Shirley had been silent ever since they had come back from the hospital. She stood on the balcony, her hand on the rails, looking into the distance. Everything seemed fuzzy under the flickering lights, which troubled her mind even more.

At the sight of her sad figure in the night, Richie felt a spasm of ache in his heart. He didn't go over there and comfort her, but he just stood there looking at her. His pain was no less than hers. It was just that his pain was because of hers. He knew why she was sad but he still couldn't bring himself to comfort her. He was afraid that words would only aggravate the pain that she was feeling.

Shirley pressed her lips as her mind raced. Her hands were clutching so hard on the rails that knuckles turned white. Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to hold back her tears. She had always been optimistic and hopeful. No one would have thought that she could also be trapped in the pain caused by the past.

Wing had been frail and sick ever since she was born, mainly because her biological mother had been in poor health when she had been pregnant with Wing. But it was because Shirley accidentally made Wing's biological mother trip that Wing was born premature. Shirley hadn't forgotten that even today. If that hadn't happened then Wing wouldn't have suffered from leukemia; and maybe she wouldn't be suffering from septicemia either after her leukemia had been cured.

Shirley's nose twitched. Her eyes watered. She widened her eyes and refused to let the tears fall by trying not to blink as she bit furiously at her lower lip. She knew Richie was standing behind her and watching her. She knew it would pain him to see her being sad. But she couldn't hide it any longer. Today when the vice president of the hospital told Little Molly that Mark's disease was caused by Molly's pregnancy, Shirley felt her heart twisted. She wouldn't let Mark become a second Wing! She wouldn't!

Her lips trembled violently, her nose twitching. The past started to flash back into her head. She recalled how she had washed the dishes in a dark alley with little Wing on her back. Wing had been such a good little girl, so sweet and thoughtful. She had never made trouble for Shirley. Why couldn't God just be good to her? Why did she have to suffer so much? She was so young.

have to go through so many twists and turns in her life? Her original family

in a hoarse voice. He wrapped her in his arms from behind, his chin on her head. "Don't be

pain. She had suffered too much in the past for him. Even if he gave her the whole world, it still wouldn't

"Richie..."

"Yes, my darling,"

asked, "Will

he will be," Richie said firmly. "Brian won't

and he'll soon be back in school and he'll be healthy." The tears came running down her

However, her love for the girl was beyond doubt. She loved her even more than Brian. Because in those darkest five years, it was Wing who had been at her side, bringing

mourning with them. The pale new

came to get the door, she was only wearing a silk nightgown. In the dim light her breasts were swinging slightly as she moved. The nightgown set off her beautiful long neck. Her perfect clavicles could have made most men

together. She had even spent more time with Eric than with Brian. He had loved her too at first but now eventually, they had both fallen in love with Molly. As she thought of this,

in?" Eric said, his voice

her. Oddly enough, she didn't leave