"Guys, I have a call. Let me jake this call," said Mara, leaving the guys behind. 

As soon as Mara left, Rich shared his thoughts with Josh and Jang.
"I want her to be happy again. I ain't wasted, guys. And I'm just pretending to be when she is around so I can make her laugh. She has been through so much!"

"If you don't mind me asking Rich what is it about her getting dumped on national tv?" asked Jang.

Rich looked them both in the eyes and answered.
"Just so you know, guys, we were three best friends in college. Myself, Mara, and Marc- Mara's ex. He was supposed to become a pilot while Mara and I were studying foreign service to be flight stewards/flight attendants. They became a couple for 5yrs and got engaged in their 6th-7th year in the relationship. But before we could all work, a news team scouted Marc to be a news anchor/tv host. Mara was so supportive of him. I became a steward, and she instead worked as his assistant/writer. It was helpful for them at first. They get to work together and spend time together. But you know when a person's success gets over his head, it results in no good. After she got proposed, Marc's network got him a different assistant/writer. Marc earned an offer from a good network in Boston. And he told Mara that after he finishes his contract in Manila, they will move to Boston together. Her apartment was supposed to be their home after the wedding."

"Then what happened?" Josh's curiosity got stronger.

Rich continued. "He asked Mara to resign from her job. And told her to come to the US a month ahead of him. Everyone back there knows they are already engaged. He asked her to fly on Dec 31, but her flight got canceled and rescheduled for another week. He told her he had accepted the job offer and that she needed to come to an interview for a job he had found. Do you know what that asshole did? On New Year's eve, when he was hosting the countdown on national tv before the clock struck 12MN, he proposed to a model, and they announced they were 3mos pregnant. That means he was fooling her all along!"

Jang can't believe what he just heard. "That is so sad. Is that why she came here?"

"Yes, it traumatized her. Overnight, she got bashed online and even on tv and radio. But, for all we know, it was also that asshole's doing like to counter her in advance. That is what I believed. That asshole wasn't satisfied with what he did that night; he sent a message to all their common friends and relatives saying that Mara had found another guy ahead of him and she was running away to the US. And that the model gave him a new hope to move on." Rich said in an angry voice.

"That is so below..." Josh reacted.

Rich tore up. "Nobody was concerned for her except me coz I know the truth. That is why I got her on a plane three days after and have her come here. She was a mess and didn't want to see anyone. She was more devastated."

"I can just imagine how devastating that was for her." Jang sighed.

"I understand now why she said she connected," said Josh.

Rich called Mara. "Girlfriend, where are you? I am calling it a night. I'm so sleepy now! Okay, don't stay too late at the beach. Goodnight! Guys, Mara wants to stay at the beach for a few more minutes. I will go to my cottage now. Just leave the stuff there. Someone will clean tomorrow. Goodnight, guys!"

"Me too; I feel sleepy now, Josh." Jang left too.

Josh started picking up the beer cans.
"I will just put these on the side and sleep as well, Jang."

As Josh put away the beer cans on the side, he started thinking of Mara. Finally, he realized why Mara connected to what he said in the interview. It's just that Mara's situation, he believes, left her in great pain. He wanted so much to see that Marc and give him a big punch in the face.

"What an asshole!" said Josh.

Instead of returning to his cottage, Josh walked toward the beach. He doesn't know why, but all he can think now is he wants to find Mara and ensure she is okay. On the sand, he saw Mara sitting. Even though only the moon above was giving light towards Mara's spot, Josh saw a deep sadness on her face. She was quietly looking towards the sea. In the night's quiet, he walked toward Mara and slowly sat beside her.

Mara smiled at Josh as she talked to him.
"Are they sleeping now? I got mesmerized looking at the moon as the background of these calm waves. I didn't realize it was already half an hour since I went out."

"It is mesmerizing... Like the waves are calmly talking to the moon." Josh said while looking at Mara's face.

But Mara, watching the waves, didn't notice it. She closed her eyes and said, "Yes, I feel like the waves are sharing their sadness with the moon. The moon is pitying the sea and is giving it company on this lonely night. I'm quite a poet, hahaha!"

She looked at Josh and asked, "Don't you feel sleepy yet? You guys haven't rested since you arrived."

"I think I still have jet lag coz nighttime here. But I don't feel sleepy since it's morning in Korea," Josh said.

"Yeah, you are right." Mara looked at the time on her phone as she answered Josh.

Her voice sounded like it was going to break when she asked Josh a question. "Did Rich cry for me after I left? He is my angel. Never doubted me nor left me. Whatever the season of my life, he is beside me. He is a loyal friend."

"Rich may be loud, but he cares for you. Such a delightful friend" said Josh. 

Mara gave him a sad nod. "I know, but sometimes I have to pretend that I am ok coz I don't want him to worry. I want to assure him that I can be alone and that he can live his life without worrying about me. Sometimes I can't depend on him. I'd rather cry alone."

Josh faced Mara. "Once in a while, after we cry alone, we also need to cry to someone. That is what I learned. There is a phase after the alone time from whatever circumstance we have been in. We need to be with someone who can either cry with us or someone who we can cry to."

Mara looked at Josh and asked him.
"You think so? Since I came here, I got stuck in my "cry-alone time." Sometimes, I cry without even realizing what I am crying for. But the next day, I must put on my brave and happy face when I go to work."

"Have you already accepted what happened? I guess that is the first thing that is needed to be done for someone to move on," said Josh.

"It's been three years, and I think yes, I already accepted my fate. But it's like I am still hurting. You know the feeling like you want not to feel the hurt anymore. You want to wake up one day that you will remember what happened, but you can smile and tell yourself that you did a good job not feeling any pain anymore. I always wish for that day." Mara answered. 

Josh answered in an assuring voice. "I am sure that day will come. And once you get over it fully, you will be stronger and ready for another challenge."

"I don't want to be nosy, but was your experience the same as mine?"

"My circumstance was different in a way. My work somehow put me in a box. Like I have to be mindful of this or that. If I do this, this may or may not happen. So I have to consider a lot. After each job I'm given in the end, I always have to adjust and take a break to recondition myself. Though I'm happy with what I achieved, I realized I have missed a lot of things personally." Josh said.

"I understand what you mean. Is your work the reason you are still single? Was it your choice, or it's one of those you said you realized you missed personally?" Mara's eyes focused on Josh.

***