Xavier often reflected on how meeting Yvonne during college had dramatically changed his life. If not for her, he might still be crushed under the weight of his father’s immense debts.
She burst into his dull life like a brilliant, vibrant splash of color. It sounds cliché, but it was indeed the case. As a result, he remembered her vividly for many years afterward.
He wandered through many seasons alone, yet none felt as stirring as that summer. With an irascible, alcoholic father and a mother who had run away, everyone assumed he was proud and cold, inaccessible.
No one knew how much he yearned for a close relationship. He had been without a hug for so long that he both resisted and craved it until she came into his life. Simple acts of holding hands, kissing, or any physical touch became addictive to him.
He knew he had nothing, not even the over ten thousand in debt he owed her. Yet, he was enamored with the warmth of her embrace. The young man offered his sparse yet sincere heart, but it was futile.
The things too easily obtained did not capture her interest. After they broke up, he switched to finance. He wanted to make a lot of money, so he studied tirelessly. He won many awards and received many embraces on the award podiums. But with each hug, he remembered the warm body from his memories.
Eventually, he realized that it wasn’t just any embrace he wanted, but her, with her playful smile and occasional mischief. Those few months she didn't invest her heart in were a tumultuous five years for him.
He understood the vast gap between them. Yet, fate gave him another chance with her in a shameful way and blessed him with a child.
Overwhelmed with joy, he still dared not show any of it before her, fearing she might leave him. But his sincere affection were eventually recognized.
She said he was the only boyfriend she had ever had. His youthful sincerity finally found a place. Just when he thought everything was moving towards a happy ending, fate played a cruel joke on him.
The gods took her away in the most tragic manner imaginable. All he could do was pray to them. He wanted his wife back. Only his wife. Night after night, he pleading desperately. Everything has its rightful place, and all he wanted was his wife.
The gods have many devout followers, who passionately engage with and support her creative work, feeling deeply for the characters she creates. Recently, her followers have been restless.
The gods sighed as they scrolled through the flood of comments.
"Please, don't let Yvonne die! We love her, Xavier loves her!"
"If I don't see Yvonne alive in the next minute, I'll blow up the world!"
"Let me enter the book! I'll take Yvonne's place and get hit by that truck!"
It was them who said Xavier was pitiable and that Yvonne should die. It was also them who suggested keeping the child and reviving Yvonne. The gods were annoyed. But they complied because they needed the devotion and offerings of their followers.
Xavier named his son Miss Yvonne. Under an old tree, as the old man selling ice drinks asked about the little guy's name, the child, munching on an ice pop, replied in a sweet, childish voice: "It's Miss Yvonne!" He then cheerfully added, "My mom’s name has 'Yvonne' in it, and we all miss her!" The people around them laughed.
Amidst the laughter, Xavier thought he heard a familiar voice saying, "That name is so lame." The tone was so familiar. He instinctively turned to look but found nothing.
He smiled helplessly, thinking he must be hallucinating from missing her too much. Suddenly, someone tapped on his shoulder.
"Why would you give a boy such a name?It sound like a lady." A familiar voice chided. The smiling face from his memories seemed to magnify in front of him. He had shown his son too many of her pictures, so much so that upon seeing her, the child first exclaimed joyously: "Mommy!"
Amidst the cicada's songs in the locust tree, he embraced his beloved, tears streaming down his face. The main story ends here, but their story just begin.
