I will see you in my Dreams

Chapter 15. Goodbye, Take care of yourself

Ari fell on his knees, uncontrollable tears falling from his eyes. He doesn't know what to do. He is angry at himself and at a loss. He respects Hannah's request not to contact her. He knows where Hannah is …. Survivor's Home at Phnom Penh Cambodia – city of the Brahma's faces. He goes there every month just to glance at her from a distance. Sometimes he brought Raul with him. There are months that he brought Ava and Abner, then Leslie and Patrick. One weekend trip with Ava and Abner, they followed Hannah and her colleagues in one of the restaurants for lunch. Hannah notices that there are a couple of tourists following them. She kept looking at her back so Ari decided to change the route and Ava ended up facing Hannah. They said Hi to each other, she said that she is travelling with Abner and got lost on the way to their hotel. They chatted for a while, then Hannah had to get back to the shelter with her colleagues. They did not talk about Ari.

She looks pale and thinner, Ava said. Her eyes are sad and no life at all. Hannah said that she is in the process of healing and she will be alright in time. Her job keeps her on her toes. Ava hugged her so tight and said goodbye. Ava is walking in trance, crying. Abner and Ari are misty eyed. Ari kept on staring on the wall, tears falling from his face. He misses Hannah terribly. He curses himself for the predicament she is into, for disturbing her life, her peace of mind. He loves her dearly, she is his great love. He is paying a huge price for his colored past, his vagabond life. I don't know until when I can survive this life without her.

Phnom Penh is known as the Pearl of Asia, it is considered as the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina, along with Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, considered as the domestic tourist destination of Cambodia. They have historical architecture and attractions. Ari thought that maybe this place will help Hannah to heal. They have good food, music and arts. She is into creative arts, photography, and writing. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Ari turns to alcohol, mahjong, motorbike rides, and wayward lifestyle. He is drunk everyday.

Cherry is not losing hope. She loves Ari with all of her life. She hopes that he will change when our baby is born. I will be an excellent wife and mother. I will do everything for my family. He needs time to process his new life. Hannah is out of the picture already. She has a life of her own, her career, her family. She is between us now but will not be soon when my baby get born. Ari will learn to love me. His lifestyle will change dramatically. That will be the day that I long for.

When the baby was born, the family situation does not change a bit. Ari becomes alcoholic. He only doted on Aaron, his son. He hired a nanny to take care of his boy and let Cherry live life as she pleases, parties, shopping and a carefree single life. Ari even encourages her to find a boyfriend to make her happy because his heart belongs to Hannah.

After months of soul searching, Cherry had enough of Ari's lifestyle and continuously pushed her to live a life of her own. He can't love her. He will take care of Aaron himself with the help of a nanny.

Cherry made a decision to leave Ari and Aaron. After months of dating, she married a colleague and signed a document putting Ari as Aaron's sole custodian. Ari started to take care of himself, turning to a new leaf. Tried to avoid alcohol, his wayward lifestyle. He would like to be clean to face Hannah in the future. He still visits Hannah every month from a distance. It warmed his heart when he saw Hannah smiling and gaining a little weight but still she looked pale and her eyes had no sparkle.

One weekend in Cambodia, Ari and Raul bump into Coney and Chie. They were visiting Hannah and decided to have lunch. In that place, Ari was having lunch with Raul after flying for 3 hours back and forth to see Hannah from a distance. Raul mentioned to Coney and Chie what Ari has been doing for almost 2 years now. He did not stop loving Hannah and still hopes that they can be together again. Both of them admires Ari's love and care for their friend.