Chapter 62: No Matter What I Want To Say
The pendant was made of grass roots, and it had a distinctive smell of grass. It was apparent from the old gentleman's fine craftsmanship that he had been doing this for years. The pendant was exquisite, it was neat and well put together. There weren't any broken grass roots or weeds, it was absolutely beautiful.
Before Cathryn had a chance to answer, Alice continued, "You can ask the old gentleman to write some words on it for you."
Then she picked up a sample with the old gentleman's neat handwriting on it. His style of handwriting was meticulous. It was obvious he had done it with subtlety and passion, which was very graceful.
"No matter what I want to say? Will he write it on it for me?" Cathryn asked Alice.
"Yes," Alice said. "Do you want to buy it for your boyfriend? Write the words "Love you forever." Alice winked at Cathryn.
"No, I'm not going to put that on there," Cathryn said. She could feel her face starting to turn red from embarrassment.
Then she started to think. 'Once the baby is born, Keith and I will go our separate ways. That means we will have only lived under the same roof for under a year. Thinking of this, she felt overwhelmed, and there was sadness on her face. She abruptly stopped Alice and said to the old gentleman, "Please write the words "May our friendship be everlasting."
Suddenly Alice got a call from her father and then left in a hurry. Cathryn had to wait for the old man to finish writing on the pendant, so she stayed by the stall looking at the other souvenirs. Then Cathryn sat down and watched the old man while he worked.
Cathryn and the elderly man started to talk. He said, "I'm a retired professor from the University in Well City. I opened this shop to keep myself busy. It's a great way to meet different people."
Cathryn watched the man carefully while he was so absorbed in his work. She noticed his hands, they were rough and calloused from this. He had made this pendant with great care as if he were making a treasure that belonged to him.
After finishing the pendant, the old man said apologetically to Cathryn, "I'm not very good at remembering words, was it? "May our friendship be everlasting?"
Cathryn smiled and replied, "Yes, that's perfect. Thank you."
Then, the old man lowered his head and began to write. Soon he was finished and then started to tie a chain around the pendant. "Are you buying this for your friend, Miss?" The old man asked Cathryn.
"Yes," she smiled, nodding her head in agreement. "It's my first time here and I wanted to buy a gift for him."
Ever since Cathryn had known Keith, he had given her gifts right from the beginning. This was her way of thanking him. When the man was finished, he carefully put it in a box and sealed it, and handed it to Cathryn. She took it and glanced down at the old man's stall. She saw that there were many other pendants with the words about love written on them. So it was obvious that most of the people who bought the souvenirs were young lovers.
Seeing Cathryn looking down at the stall, the old man smiled and said, "Every time young lovers come to my shop, I envy them all very much."
Looking at the old man, Cathryn thought he was thinking about a woman who he had loved. "I don't envy others for being young, I am only envious that you have someone to love," The old man explained to Cathryn. "If you love someone, go for it. Young people are never afraid to try, and if they are, they shouldn't be because life is too short."
It was as though the old man seemed to perceive something, so he said these words to make Cathryn think about her situation. It was like her secret had been revealed. She trembled inside. Cathryn paid for the pendant, said goodbye, and left.
After leaving the stall, Cathryn didn't go back to the hotel. She decided to stroll around the filming base for a little longer. There were many things for her to look at because of the filming in Well City.
Cathryn walked to the end of the street and then turned a corner. She kept walking one street after another. The terrain of Well City was bumpy, so it was known as the mountain city. Cathryn was getting tired and decided to return to the hotel. As she looked around, she noticed she didn't recognize where she was. "Am I lost?" Cathryn said out loud. There were many small alleys around, full of crowds, and looking around, she couldn't see any taxis.
Calmly taking a bite of her snack, Cathryn took out her cell phone and turned on her GPS to find her way back. Just as she was about to open it, her cell phone rang. Keith's name came flashing on the screen, and Cathryn quickly answered the phone. With her cell phone in one hand, the souvenir in the other, and a snack in her mouth. She could barely speak.
"Where are you?" Keith asked. He immediately called Cathryn as soon as he finished his meeting. "Did you have a good day?" he asked.
With the snack in her mouth, Cathryn could barely get the words out, "I think I'm lost."
"Send me your location right away," Keith said. He quickly grabbed his phone from the desk and unlocked it. Then he hit the map index of Well City. "Press the button on your wristband and send me your location," Keith said. Following Keith's words, Cathryn pressed the button. Right away, he knew where Cathryn was because there was a red dot appearing on the screen which pinpointed her exact location.
Cathryn had already sent the location of the hotel to Keith when she arrived. So Keith stared at the screen, searching the history. After succeeding in finding the hotel's location, he immediately pressed the navigation button.
Keith's tone sounded concerned. "Now, go in the direction I tell you," Keith said.
"Wait a minute, and my cell phone is installed with a navigation device. I can go back to the hotel by myself," Cathryn said with a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"Well City is a mountain city. You can't find your way back to the hotel even if you use the navigation," Keith replied.