Chasing After My Wife

Anton stopped dead on his track upon hearing her question. He thought she was just bluffing him but when he saw how innocent she looked, he felt a deep pain in his heart.     

"I see. It's fine. I have mistaken you for someone else." Anton scratched the back of his neck as he stepped back away from her. "I'm sorry." He turned around and left a confused Elizabeth.     

"Wait! Wait up!" Elizabeth ran after him. "Can I ask you something?!" Elizabeth yelled at him since Anton wasn't stopping at all. "I said wait up!" Her shout made Anton stop but he didn't face her.     

"What is it?"     

"I..uhh..I felt so happy when I saw the garden. Who made it?"     

Anton wanted so much to yell at her and make her remember who planted it. He didn't know what happened to her but it was something he wasn't happy about.     

Anton turned around and smiled at her. "I planted those with a girl I like. Sad to say, she's no longer here. She left."     

"Why did she leave?"     

"I don't know. What about you? Why are you here?" Anton asked her the question that he wanted to get an answer. He wanted to know why she was there when she didn't remember them at all.     

Elizabeth looked down on her feet while fiddling with her fingers. "I..I don't know. I was supposed to go to school when I saw this place. I ditched my class and came here."     

Anton blinked his eyes at her. He just can't believe she would ditch her class when it was her who loves to study. It was just unbelievable to him.     

"I didn't know you are the type of student who ditch her class. Anyway, since you are here, let me show you something." Anton reached out his hand to hold her happily and led her to the backyard where a big mango tree can be found.     

"Wow!" Elizabeth exclaimed with what she found. There was a swing tied in one of the horizontal branches of the mango tree. On the fence, that serves as boundary for the orphanage, were many different vines with beautiful flowers. There were different kinds of plants in the backyard and different kinds of roses where also placed on another plot of land. "I love this place." Elizabeth stated happily before she sat on the swing. "Did you make this place, too?"     

"Hn. When we were young, my friend would always asked me to help her plant the flowers. The mango tree has been here a long time ago but this place was all grass and nobody liked to come here. This was our secret garden."     

"Your friend and I are similar in some ways. I love to plant as well but my mother doesn't want me to plant anything. She even threw my little pot of roses." Elizabeth complained to him like how she did in the past.     

Anton ached for her but he couldn't do anything either. He didn't even know why she forgot them. "What does your parents do? Do they work?"     

"My mother is a scientist and my two elder brothers are doctors. My elder sister is also taking medicine. My youngest brother Simon is still in elementary. My father has a business."     

"What about you?"     

"They want me to study medicine in the future as well."     

"Is that what you want?"     

"Nope. I don't want anything. I just want to find the man in my dreams and ran away to a far place."     

"A man in your dreams?" Anton couldn't help himself from getting jealous. He didn't expect her to fall in love with someone already.     

Elizabeth blushed and nodded her head lightly. "That's in the future but who knows. I don't even know if I can still live in the future so I will live in the moment and make most of it."     

"Why do you want to run away from your home? Don't you like it there?"     

"I don't like it there. I don't belong in that place. I can see it in their eyes every time they look at me. Only my youngest brother Simon cared about me."     

Innocent and young as he was, Anton knew that Elizabeth was suffering in the hands of her foster family. He just didn't know the extent of her suffering.     

"I will study hard and find you in the future. I'll take you away and I'll bring you to a far place. I will plant flowers for you and I will take care of you. So don't be sad."     

Hearing his oath, Elizabeth couldn't help herself but chuckled at him. "Are you sure? You hate to study and you often sleep in the library. How can you make money for me?"     

Before she could realize what she was saying, a woman with a stern-looking face came to find her. "Elizabeth, why did you ditch your class again?" Her voice sounded gentle and caring but her eyes were spitting fire.     

Elizabeth was afraid but she didn't show it to anyone. "I'm sorry mother. I forgot the time. Let me get my bag." She approached Anton who was holding her bag for her. "What's your name?" she asked in a whisper.     

"Anton. My name is Anton Xavier."     

"Grow up quickly and find me Anton. My name is Elizabeth Summer." she whispered her name before waving her hand to bid goodbye.     

Anton remained stationary in his place while his tears fell on the ground as he watched her go. He could even see the red hand marks that covered her wrist from being pulled by her mother.     

Sister Ani who saw what happened felt so sad for them. She had watched them grew up together, ate together, planted the flowers together, watered the plants together, laughed and cried together. She watched them being separated a year ago and now again. It was so painful for her to watch.     

"Sister Ani, I want to study." Anton mumbled while wiping his tears away. "I want to grow up quickly to get her back. Sister Ani, please help me." Anton begged her helplessly with tears hanging on his lashes. He was devastated yet he remained strong.     

Sister Ani smiled and nodded her head. "Well study for a month with all the basics. If you pass the test, I will enroll you to a school to get a placement test and accelerate."     

"Okay."     

An innocent promise brought by pain and love led him to the pinnacle of shoe industry.