"Do you want to go visit them today?" asked Jeru from the other line. He called Thea to deliver the good news about Zach and Keira as he was driving to his office right after he dropped Thea off at work.
"It’s okay. I will visit them tomorrow. I’m sure they just want to spend time with their family now, and I’m sure they will need more time to rest. Let’s visit them tomorrow instead," Thea answered from the other line. She was reviewing some news items when Jeru called.
"By the way, don’t forget to deliver the food to dad," she reminded him, to which Jeru smiled. His wife was so thoughtful of his father.
"How come dad gets his lunch prepared, and I don’t?" Jeru asked in jest and could not help but feel a tinge of jealousy, nor did he try to hide it. Thea could only bite her lip as she did not know how to answer her husband’s question. Her face flushed.
She was flustered by Jeru’s sudden question. She had prepared those lunch boxes for her father-in-law because he had called her, requesting her to cook him a particular meat dish. He didn’t know what the dish was called but had described how the dish tasted like and what kind of meat should be used.
Thea was not sure if it was the same dish, but upon hearing Senior Liu’s description, she was immediately reminded of Auntie Sheila’s signature dish that she had once taught her.
It was a dish of a tender and flavorful bovine, where the beef was slowly simmered with coconut milk and a mixture of lemongrass, galanga, garlic, turmeric, ginger, and chilies, then left to stew for a few hours.
She only hoped that what she made was close enough to the dish that her father-in-law had in mind.
"Are you there?" asked Jeru when he didn’t hear anything anymore from the other line. "Oh yeah, I’m still here. I’m sorry, I will prepare a lunch box for you tomorrow. It didn’t cross my mind because I thought you are often out for a lunch meeting," explained Thea with an apologetic tone.
Jeru chuckled and said, "I was only kidding, but of course, if you are going to cook for me, I will eat it wherever I am. I love eating the food that you prepare," Jeru happily stated, which made Thea’s heart sings. She smiled shyly and was just feeling thankful that he couldn’t see her at that moment.
"Alright then, I will prepare a lunch box for you every day from now on. So you won’t miss me the way I miss you... Bye, I have to go," Thea said before she quickly ended the call.
Toot.... Toot... Toot... Toot... Toot... Toot...
The end-call tone kept beeping, but Jeru was still holding his phone to his ear. "That’s another signal, right? That makes it four now, right? One more to go..." Jeru murmured before he noticed that he still had his beeping phone against his ear.
He quickly shook his head. And with a broad smile plastered on his face, he decided to drive to his dad’s office instead, to deliver the lunch boxes that Thea had prepared for his father.
At Senior Liu’s Office, Jeru knocked on the door twice before opening it and said, "Special delivery..."
Senior Liu, who was in the middle of signing some cheques and documents, laughed and remarked, "It seems like you’re in a good mood? Shall I ask for more food delivery from my daughter-in-law? Thanks for personally bringing it here, son."
Jeru did not respond and just smiled as he calmly placed the boxes on his father’s desk.
"Hmm... Shall I give you a tip for the delivery? A tip of useful information. About your grandmother, who will soon arrive. Maybe in about a week?" warned Senior Liu with a grin.
Jeru sighed and commented, "I’m already prepared for the worst, dad."
Senior Liu nodded and gave his son a reassuring look before he casually asked, "Oh son, by the way, I saw from the news that Keira and General Lim have been rescued... But the news wasn’t really that detailed. How are they doing now? No one is injured? Are they doing well?"
"Yes, dad, they are both doing well and are now treated at Yang Hospital. They only suffered from minor dehydration and malnutrition, but in general, they are doing fine. No major injuries. They were stranded on a remote island. I think Thea will report the complete details on today’s news," said Jeru. Then with a scoff, he added, "Besides, Zach is the best man in the field, so it’s a given that they are doing well."
Senior Liu concurred and said, "That’s good that both of them are safe and sound. They’ve been through enough already..."
Jeru nodded in agreement. Keira and Zach have indeed been through quite an ordeal. He really admired the couple because they managed to always be together through thick and thin. They had proven how strong their love was for each other.
As expected, him losing Keira to Zach was not in vain. He and Keira were really not meant to be. He was happy with his life now. With Thea and their baby. And just like his dad, Jeru was genuinely delighted that Zach and Keira were safe and sound, back in the arms of family and friends again.
"Dad, I have to go now. I have a meeting soon. Oh, don’t forget to thank my wife for the food. Also, about the baby names... make sure you think of a nice one..." said Jeru with a grin before he left his dad’s office.
"That demanding brat," Senior Liu chortled and immediately stood up from his chair to check the dishes his daughter-in-law had prepared for him. He really loved Thea’s style of cooking.
It reminded him of his younger days. Of her...
He opened the boxes and smiled lovingly at the familiar sight, and he quickly took a bite. Suddenly he couldn’t control the tears kept falling from his eyes. "Oh God, I’m sorry..." he mumbled. Everything that happened before flashed through his mind. He had recalled those days...
Everything was his fault. It was all his fault. And even now, he was still caged inside his own past and was not able to move on.
Because of his selfishness, a tragedy happened. And it had destroyed lives...
"I’m sorry..." Senior Liu murmured with a heavy heart.