Chapter 30: A Blind Date
Elaina couldn’t look at Jesse in the eye. Slowly she nodded and said: “Jesse, it is not what you think. My Dad had plans for you in his company; everything will work out all right.”
Jesse felt his world crumbling down; he stepped back and looked at Elaina like he never knew her: “Tell me what I should think? So James wanted to get rid of the biggest road block for his contract, and who else better to use than his own future son-in-law? I had to admit it was a clever move to bring Lopez down with just a name card. Did he tip the AG about Troy as well? I was wondering how they get involved so fast… And you knew about all this since the beginning?”
Elaina’s eyes were now filled with guilt and regret; she ran towards Jesse and wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could: “Jesse, baby, I am so sorry. My Dad promised me that you would be Ok; he said he would make you VP as soon as this is over. You know how I missed you, I wanted you to come back to DC… this is where the opportunities are and where you belong…”
Jesse didn’t hug her back, the night where James introduced him to Michael Medley was replaying over and over in his head, he felt so stupid and naïve.
Ever since Mei left for China, Jesse asked himself what it was that he valued most in life: Was it a successful career? Was it a beautiful family? Was it riches and fame? Then he realized that he already knew the answer since he was a little kid: To be a good person like God wanted him to be and the rest will come as how God sees fit.
He regretted his decision of handing Troy the name card, but was not worried at first when the IG showed up for he truly was not involved with anything else. Then, as rumors started to build and Troy tried to dump everything on him, he realized things were not as simple as he thought. He came back to DC because of the investigation and numerous meetings with the attorneys general’s office. He saw how James did everything he could, not to mention the amount of money spent to help him wipe everything clean, he felt so thankful and almost guilty for putting his engagement on hold.
Jesse stood there as Elaina kept begging, almost in tears: “Baby, I am sorry, please forgive me… say something baby?”
He slowly put one hand on her shoulder, gently pushed her away just far enough so he could look at her face, and said calmly: “Elaina, I was not worried about CMCS when I said we needed a break.” He stopped to give Elaina a second to stop sobbing so she could hear him clearly: “Taking a job offer from D&W might have been a mistake, but the days I spent in Raleigh made me realize one very important thing: that we are very different people and I, I do not belong here with you.”
It has been almost a month since Mei lost her job. She spent most of her time between preparing her resumes, searching for jobs, and helping Tammy with the wedding planning. She had been really careful with money throughout the years so even after helping her mother with the medical bills in China she was still OK to live off her savings for a while. So far she had a few interviews lined up and it made her feel like things were starting to look up.
Tammy’s wedding was set to take place in the spring, about 4 months away. Mei helped her picked out a beautiful Vera Wang simple princess ball gown that was on sale for almost half of the retail price. She had also bought her maid of honor dress -- a pale peach strapless Chiffon gown in silk. She thought it made her look taller and she really loved the feel of the material on her body. Tammy’s father had offered his Georgia estate as the venue, and was coming to Raleigh this weekend to help with the planning in person.
Mei was very happy for her best friend. She told Tammy about Dan and joked that she was afraid she would have to go to the wedding alone. Tammy was sad and sorry for her but supported her decision. She asked about Jesse but Mei told her they were over. Lately Tammy had been trying very hard to set her up with guys; Mei appreciated her help but politely turned them down because she didn’t feel ready to meet anyone yet.
Christmas was just around the corner; all the downtown streets was now decorated with different kinds of red, green and yellow lights and made the Raleigh city looked almost like winter wonderland. Mei was on her way to meet Tammy and her Dad for dinner at the Valley Grill, a four star restaurant at the Southwest end of town that was famous for its filet mignon. She turned up the Christmas music on the radio and watched people walking by with big and small shopping bags, laughing and talking in the holiday spirit. She could almost smell the freshly baked peppermint cookies and hot chocolate with marsh mellows floating on top.
The temperature was chillier than the forecast had predicted, Mei arrived at the restaurant regretting for not putting on a scarf or a hat. Her nose and ears were red from the cold and she could almost see herself sneezing away in the very near future.
This was the first time she has been to the Valley Grill. Tammy said she picked the place because her Dad loved steaks. Mei thought 5 pm was a little early for dinner but figured Tammy’s Dad was probably tired from the trip and wanted to get some rest early.
She was greeted at the door by Lindsey, the hostess, a beautiful dark haired girl in her 20s. Mei told her they had a reservation for 4 as she wasn’t sure if Jim was going to join them. She asked for Mei’s name and politely led the way into a candle light lit restaurant. The dining hall was decorated in a creamy gold tone, with white table cloth on every table and shining chandelles hanging from above. Jim Brickman’s “Coming home for Christmas” was softly playing in the background as Mei followed Lindsey through the restaurant, she was impressed at the sophisticated atmosphere but also surprised as it was not like Tammy to pick such an expensive place.
Finally Lindsey stopped and showed Mei her table. It was sitting alone all by itself in a corner with two big windows on both sides looking out into the Raleigh downtown night life. There was a little white candle set surrounded by wild lilies sitting quietly in the center of the table.
“I am sorry you must be mistaken, we have a reservation for four.” Mei noticed there were only two chairs at the table and thought this better not be another blind date that Tammy was trying to set her up with.
“There is no mistake, this IS our table.” Mei couldn’t believe her ears; she froze at the sound and was too afraid to look back and find it was only her imagination.
“Mei…” She heard the voice again calling her name, and this time nothing could stop her anymore. She turned around and saw her golden boy standing not far behind, smiling at her like when she first saw him inside the D&W conference room.
Instead of the signature suit and tie, he was wearing a black leather jacket with jeans, only his hair stayed the same bright blonde. His face looked more mature than she remembered, and his smile came in with stories. He looked so different, yet scarily familiar. Mei didn’t move because she couldn’t. She didn’t want to cry but felt tears silently sliding down her face.
Jesse walked towards her, and stopped to stand at an arm length away. He extended his right hand out like he was expecting a shake from her and said: “Ms Li, I hope this blind date didn’t turn out to be a disappointment for you… Hi, my name is Jesse Broderick, you can call me Jesse. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
