Ch. Chapter 9 Time will turn your hair white together Chapter 9

9. 9. 

For seven days, Frank was at the company 

building every day, rain or shine. 

Every time I saw him, he had a sad look on 

his face. 

He wasn’t aggressive, but he was able to 

make everyone see that we had something 

special. 

Simon, of course, saw Frank. 

He would hand Frank a completed divorce 

agreement. 

L 

They were in competition. 

Not wanting him to mess with me, my teacher 

arranged for a team building trip. 

I was able to do things that Frank and I were 

always planning but never had time for. 

Skiing, hiking, skydiving, seeing the Northern 

Lights… 

Everything made me feel like life was more 

interesting, and marriage was not the only 

thing. 

The first day back at work, Frank wasn’t 

there. 

He said, “I won’t give up” and went back 

L 

home to fix the mess Jessica had made of 

the company. 

I had been getting messages from people I used to work with every day. 

[The secretary cried three times today.] 

[The secretary was demoted to regular 

assistant.] 

[The secretary was moved to the 

administrative office to be a clerk.] 

Jessica was being demoted due to Frank’s 

anger. 

I just laughed and went back to work. 

My new life was getting better and better. 

く 

I had won fifteen cases in six months, and 

was becoming well known in the field. 

I would go boating in Venice or see the sea in 

Sicily. 

I would stay in a fishing village in Liguria for a 

week when I was tired. 

A year later, I was a partner in the law firm. 

Everything was getting better, except for the 

feeling of seeing Frank’s sad face which still 

made me feel bad. 

In the year we had been apart, he got 99 

copies of the divorce papers, but he would 

not sign them. 

He was trying to get me to sympathize with 

him and get back together with him. 

At first, I would feel sorry for him. 

I killed these feelings. 

Back home, Frank had told my parents 

everything, crying. 

But he had forgotten that kids inherit their 

parents‘ characters. 

My parents didn’t like him and wanted him to 

leave so they supported me to get divorced. 

I was determined. 

The next time, Frank was no longer there. 

Two years later, I was flying back to the U.S. 

since the aivorce nas peen finalizea pecause 

we were separated for two years. 

When the plane landed, my parents looked at 

me with relief. 

“Thank you for sending your pictures and 

videos every day.” 

I turned around and smiled. 

“Simon, what should I do if I find someone is 

invading my privacy?” 

Simon touched his nose, as if he was 

bleeding. 

“Umm… if there is a valid reason and if the 

family has agreed, then we can work 

something out.” 

L 

A little thing that washed away my parent’s 

sadness. 

Everyone started walking home. 

Once I was home, my dad told me why Frank 

was gone. 

Jessica had posted a picture of her and Frank 

online so she could be with him. 

The company had just gone public, and the 

stocks were falling. 

The companies that I worked with ended their 

contracts. 

The new companies that we just signed deals 

with were hit and charged Frank due to the 

breach of contract. 

Г 

Frank was sent to prison for three months. 

Frank Industries was bankrupt, and closed because he wasn’t there. 

Jessica was blacklisted from all of the 

companies. 

Now, she works at a restaurant. 

OP 

I saw him again at a business banquet. 

I was there to help the company go public. 

In the corner, Frank was talking to people he 

used to look down on. 

He kept drinking. 

He looked like me, when he was trying to 

start the business and getting drunk. 

When we looked at each other, I saw 

awkwardness, shock, sadness and regret. 

I held up my glass. 

I honored him and honored me.