Ice and Fire

Joe declared with great determination, "If I get married in the future, I'll still always put my mommy first. I will take good care of mommy with the help of my wife, so that mommy can be happy ever after."

Cherry was delighted to hear those innocent words said by her son. Naive as they were, Cherry felt happy.

Cherry's heart still ached from Emily's death. She had always hidden it from her son, because Emily was too important to her. She did not want to mention it, and had to bury it deep inside her heart.

Joe looked at his mommy's face and took everything in. He knew that mommy had kept her emotions about one of the most important persons to herself, and that she never told him anything about Emily. Perhaps if mommy talked about Emily, she would cry. If that were the case, he couldn't make his mommy think about Emily; his mommy shouldn't cry again.

After a long while, Cherry looked at her watch and realised that it was too late in the night. She said to Joe, "It's very late now. Go to bed, and I'll drop you to school tomorrow."

"Ok, good night, " said Joe lovingly and obediently.

Lying in bed, Joe stared at the room ceiling, feeling that he had gained a new understanding of the father he had never met before.

Meanwhile, Jackson drove the car back to his department. He didn't return to the military residential compound, nor go to Sally. Once inside his apartment, he took out two bottles of wine and a glass, and drank all of the wine, sitting alone in the living room. He felt so bad.

Just then, the phone on the couch rang. He knew it was Sally calling him. He did not bother to pick it up.

After a while, Jackson heard somebody knocking at his door. At first, he thought he was hallucinating because he felt dizzy from drinking all that wine. Then, the knock on the door kept persisting. 'Who wants to see me at midnight?' he wondered. Could it possibly be Cherry? Had she promised that she would come back to the apartment?

A glimmer of hope started to rise in his heart. He stood up, came to the door, opened it and then, saw the angry face of Sally.

"Jackson, why didn't you answer my phone?" Sally demanded in a fury.

Jackson saw it was Sally and he felt disappointed. Then, without responding, he turned round and returned to the living room.

with wine. Sally knew he had been drinking wine. She followed him

on the floor, picked up his wine glass and continued

was angry. She snatched the glass away from Jackson and

either and simply looked

on Jackson's face and she asked again, "Why didn't you answer my phone? Do you have any idea of how much I

retorted, his rudeness obviously generated from

affectionately. Then, her tone became soft. "Jackson, I love you, " she spoke

" Jackson suddenly turned around and looked at Sally seriously in the eyes. He spoke every single word clearly and seriously. "I have always loved one woman, and that is Cherry,

Jackson's declaration of love for Cherry

would try to comfort her. But five years had passed, and Jackson did not love her any more.

his arm. She shouted angrily, "Why are

He was accustomed to her wantonness.

and grumbled, "You never forgot her once in the past five years, even though I was always there for you. You never stopped loving her. Although we seemed to be intimate with each other in front of others, the truth is that you never

doing this for Cherry, and his love

said, "She's my wife, and also the woman who I love

me?" Sally asked aggressively again. "We once loved each

earnestly and seriously, "Sally, if you truly love somebody, you

that Jackson was talking about. It was Cherry, that damn women who had

was suddenly distorted. She wiped tears off her face and stood up. Then, she looked at Jackson again and declared

those words, she turned

voice from behind her, "Don't

Sally stopped midway, frustrated with his concern

that