- 12.
News of my return, and my family’s misfortune,
<
spread through our old college network. Wendy,
my roommate, got back in touch. She was
getting married and asked me to be her maid of
honor. We’d made a pact – whoever got
married first, the other would be maid of honor.
Many old classmates attended the wedding. I
reconnected with everyone, adding them back
on social media. Wendy, beautiful in her
wedding dress, had tears in her eyes. “Maya, I
always thought you’d be the first of us to get
married.” “If I got married, how could I be your
maid of honor?” “Don’t even start. Four years,
no contact. I was furious!” “I’m sorry! I won’t
disappear again. I’ll make it up to you.” Wendy
laughed through her tears. “Why did you
vanish? If you were having trouble, we could’ve
helped.” I stared at my shoes, then finally
voiced the thoughts I’d kept bottled up for
years. “My whole world fell apart, Wendy. I
didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t face anyone,
even pity felt like a knife. It was impulsive, I
know, but I just… erased myself.” Wendy
sighed. “Ethan nearly went crazy looking for
く
you.” “What?” I was stunned. “Didn’t you know?
He tried everything. He contacted professors,
the administration, almost filed a missing
person report. He was just a poor student,
didn’t have many connections. When he
couldn’t find you, he went to your house.” She
paused, seeing my expression. “You know how
intimidated he was by your parents… but he
went anyway. Only to find your entire family
gone. Vanished.” “That’s the first time I saw
Ethan break down. He sat on your doorstep,
sobbing.” “Later, he heard you might be down
south, so he went looking for you there, too.
But he never found you. Where were you,
really?” “Florida, Arizona, Nevada… I don’t even
remember all the places. We were constantly
moving, changing our names to avoid
creditors.” “No wonder he couldn’t find you,”
Wendy said, shaking her head. “Anyway, he
eventually gave up and came back to California,
and that’s when he started working on that
people–finding software.” I didn’t understand. I
thought Ethan hadn’t cared whether I stayed or
<
left. Before graduation, I’d overheard him talking to a dorm mate. “Any plans after graduation? Marry Maya?” his friend had asked.
“No,” Ethan had replied flatly. That had crushed
- me. Soon after, my family lost everything. I
broke up with him, and he didn’t protest. So
what did all this searching mean? Regret after
losing me? I was confused. When Wendy tossed
her bouquet, my mind was elsewhere. I missed
- it. The bouquet landed in Ethan’s hands. The DJ
chuckled. “Looks like this gentleman caught the
bouquet! Congratulations! Wedding bells in the
future? Will you be giving this to your
girlfriend?” “No need,” Ethan said, walking
towards me and offering me the bouquet.
