Chapters 22 - Ayumi Clarck

***Taking the exam.***

A few weeks have passed, and Kaléo is still angry with me, even though I'm not to blame. In fact, he's acting like a sulky child. I park in front of Mayke's house and get out. As soon as I pass through the small gate, the door opens. He looks at me with a smile, dressed very casually.

“Welcome, my love, come on in!” he takes my hand and pulls me inside, and I enter with a smile. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes, but before…” I put my arm around his neck, and he embraces my waist and kisses me. It's a slow kiss that starts to become urgent. He guides me backward and presses me against the wall with his body. I gently push him with a bit of force to create some distance.

“I'm sorry, I…” he steps back, lowering his head, running his hand through his hair. I approach him and hug him.

“It's okay, I'm still not ready for that step,” I say, and he hugs me back.

“I'm the one being hasty, but I'll be more considerate, I promise,” he says and gives me a quick peck. “Now let's eat because we still have to go to the clinic.”

“Okay,” I say, and he takes my hand, leading me to the kitchen.”

•••••••• 🌺🦋🌺 ••••••••

After our lunch, we went to the clinic, and as soon as we arrived, I saw Ruth sitting in the armchair. We approached her, and she stood up. I hugged her, and Ruth greeted Mayke. We waited to be called. I still haven't been able to call her 'mom.' It's even a little strange for me, but I will wait for the test results to avoid getting my hopes up, although my heart yearns for my dream to come true.

“Miss Clark and Mrs. Lunes, please come with me,” the nurse said. We stood up and followed her, each of us entering a separate room.

A nurse came and collected a sample of my saliva, and then I was free to go. I stood up and walked toward the hallway, where I found Ruth smiling, reaching out to hold my hand.

“The young lady told me that the results will be out in two weeks. Will you come to pick them up?”

“They will send them by email. I'll call you and inform you of the results, don't worry.”

“I am calm, and I know everything will be fine. I'm so happy to have found you, my daughter,” she said with tears in her eyes, caressing my face and warming my heart.

“I need to go to work, but I'll drop you off at your house. Come on, let's go.”

“No need, I would rather not be a bother.”

“You're not a bother at all. We'll take you home,” I smiled, and we walked together to the reception area. As soon as Mayke saw me, he stood up and came toward me. “All done, now we just need to wait for the results.”

“Great, I'll take you to the office.”

“Before that, let's drop Ruth off at her house, and then we can go,” I said, noticing Ruth's sadness. I knew not calling her 'mom' made her feel that way, but for now, I couldn't do it.

“Sure, let's go?”

“Yes,” I said, taking her hand. The three of us walked out of the clinic, heading toward the parking lot, and got into the car.

“What's your address?” Mayke asked, looking at the back seat. She provided the address, and I entered it into the GPS. We started driving.

We drove for a while and started moving away from the city. We entered a neighborhood I had never seen before. The houses were simple, and some of them were poorly finished.

“You can stop here; this is my house,” she said. We stopped in front of a simple yellow house with a white picket fence. It was quite tidy. “Shall we go inside? I'll make some lemonade and cookies for you.”

“I'm sorry, but I really need to go to the office and review some drawings. But don't worry, we'll come spend an afternoon with you,” I said.”

“Alright, let's leave it for next time. Thank you so much for bringing me here, and please don't hesitate to come whenever you want. You're welcome,” she says, opening the door and getting out of the car.

“You can count on us coming, yes. Have a great afternoon,” Mayke says, starting the car again. I wave goodbye to her, and we head back to downtown San Diego.

As soon as I enter my office, Kaléo is sitting in my chair, looking at the buildings through the immense glass wall.

“Why didn't you let me know that the DNA test was today? I would have gone with you,” he says, turning to look at me.

“Kaléo, you weren't even here in San Diego! I highly doubt you would drop everything in New York and come running with me to the clinic,” I say, placing my bag on the table, and he stands up.

“You're my responsibility, Ayumi. I will protect you and be by your side! I could be on Mars, but if it means being with you, helping you, or just letting you know that I'm here, I would leave everything behind and come to be by your side. That's what friends are for.”

“I know, Léo. I'm sorry for not telling you anything, I apologize.”

“Don't hide anything from me, Yumi. We're a family. Please!” he approaches and hugs me.

“I won't, but don't suffocate me either. I need to solve my problems on my own. I don't have four more years for you to come riding on a white horse to rescue me every time,” I say, and he steps back.

“You went through everything you went through because I wasn't here with you. I simply broke the promise I made to Aunt Carmen when you arrived at the orphanage that day.”

“Léo, one thing I've learned from all this is that we are the authors of our stories, and everything that happens is the result of our choices. I was blind, thinking that I would truly be happy and have what I've always desired. But I didn't really know him, I let myself be carried away by a dream and the desire to have something I've dreamt of since I was a little girl. It's not your fault! I was blind, deaf, and dumb for a guy who, at first, treated me with tenderness. I confused it all, thinking it was true love, when I didn't even truly love him.”

“Yumi…”

“No, listen to me! Stop blaming yourself, Léo. You couldn't put your life on hold because of me, and you shouldn't do it now. I appreciate your concern for me, but I have to learn from my choices and actions. Of course, I'll want to share them with you, but only I can make them. Do you understand?” I ask, gently caressing his face.

“Yes, and forgive me for being so annoying during these months,” he smiles, raising his head.

“You're forgiven. Now, tell me about your trip. Did you meet someone special or just have fun?” I ask, and he smiles. We sit on the couch, and he tells me about his trip to New York.