It was mid-autumn and it had been raining outside; rain that drummed into the window panes of The Blue Cup café, where Sarah Matthews sat watching, as the coffee in her cup grew cold and her spoon stirred listlessly. He realized that it had been exactly five years since the events of that day, but the memory was still as clear as the morning dew. It was unimaginable that the wrong turn could lead the woman to her greatest love and breakup all in one.
Chapter 1: The Wrong Turn
“Destination arrived,” said the GPS of her compact car as Sarah drove to what surely was not the art gallery she was to drop off her paintings to. Instead, she faced the small building of a veterinarian, with the blue and white on its skin and the derivational sign, which swung gently in the air of October.
“Great,” she said to herself as she produced her phone to check the right address. When she did, she heard a ruckus. A man was trying to pull a large dog covered with what looked like a bloody shawl and was heading towards the clinic door.
As if controlled by this idea, Sarah rushed out of her car and paid no attention to the recently started rain that was immediately wetting her hair after styling it. "Let me help you!" She shouted, then hurriedly went to open the door for him when she saw he was struggling.
Their gaze locked—his face was one handsome man with deep-set brown eyes that reflected the apprehension that he felt but at the same time came with relief. “Thank you,” he said weakly, with a frog in his throat from hauling the unconscious animal.
It was in this manner that Sarah Matthews got to know Dr. James Chen, a veterinarian and owner of Paws & Claws Clinic. She would remember how expertly his hands moved as he operated on an injured retriever, how his voice comforted the whimpering animal and worried owner, and how his warm, tired smile that followed made her feel woozy.
“I don’t normally have a witness for these operations," he began, entering the waiting room area where she still sat, with the art delivery seemingly the last thing on her mind for the past two hours.
‘Well, I don’t generally watch surgeries herself’, she said while she laughed a little. "I'm Sarah. I became confused looking for the Morton Gallery.
“James,” he replied, trying to rake his unwashed black hair off his forehead. “But the Morton Gallery is actually just two blocks over.” He stopped for a moment before continuing, ‘But maybe getting lost wasn’t such a bad thing’?
Chapter 2: Cultural Crossroads
Their first date was in a small Chinese restaurant, and James’s mother was a chef of the restaurant. Teaching her how to use chopsticks, Sarah and he grinned at each other, thus attracting the unpleasant looks of his mother, standing at the kitchen door.
“I see, your mother doesn’t like me,” Sarah muttered low under her breath after noticing the disapproving look Mrs. Chen gave her for the umpteenth time.
But they were not the eyes of a happy man; they were somber; they were the eyes of a man who had long since given up the ghost and was smiling; only, the smile was nervous and artificial. "She doesn't dislike you. She's just... traditional. She always wanted me to marry a nice Chinese girl from her acquaintance.”
“And instead, her son is having dinner with a struggling artist who can’t use chopsticks,” Sarah said, attempting to make a joke out of her concern, but the darkness was growing in her chest.
“She has a son now, and he’s having dinner with a brilliant artist who put a smile on his face that was so big it could rival the happiest day of her life,” James said, then leaned forward to take her in his arms and reassure her gently.
As it turned out, however, Mrs. Chen was not the only one to frown at me for my decision. Since the two lovers came from different cultures, they saw eye to eye for some time, but as they fell in love, the difference came out clearly. The James family saw him as fitting to oversee not only the veterinary practice but also the family, which entailed taking care of the parents during their old age. Western ideas of individuality and freedom and desire for traveling the world and selling portraits, which were harbingers of a new age for a woman like Sarah, clashed with these tendencies.
Chapter 3: Dreams at Crossroads
"I got it!" Sarah arrived in the clinic one rainy afternoon, and in her hand she had an envelope opened. The artist residency in Paris is this one. They accepted me!"
James glanced from his papers to Kathy; he beamed but his eyes were worried. Wow…This is great, Sarah. How long is it for?"
‘One year,’ she said, her smile dying down ever so slightly to avoid sounding too keen at his reaction. I remember one thing that shocked me—speaking, of course But you think about it; you could come with me. Oh yes, there are veterinary clinics in Paris too and you’ve always wanted to travel...
"Sarah, sometimes you are a very romantic lady; you know I can’t go anywhere.” The clinic, my parents... That is why I have responsibilities here.”
The word sat there between them as a barrier. Responsibilities. So, they said it was about responsibilities.
“So where is your self-respect?" to your dreams?" she questioned, the proclamatory process being clearly audible in her provoked tone.
“I never said my dreams are better than the needs of my family,” he defended softly.
“But are they less important?” The question remained unanswered, or rather, the men’s laughter was interrupted due to the attention of one of the nurses who required the assistance of James.
Chapter 4: The Storm
The conflicts erupted at the family dinner. James’s mother invited a family friend, who is a date, to the event; she brought her daughter, Lisa Wu, a pharmaceutical representative.
“Lisa has just bought a house in the neighborhood,” Mrs. Chen said, reminding everybody of the unpleasantness they’ve shared with the couple in the past. The close proximity to the clinic is easy to observe and analyse Their convenience is relatively noticeable:
While listening to the success story of Lisa, how she had a successful job, the organization she was heading, and the help she provided to the Chinese community, Sarah was just pretending to eat by moving the food around her plate. Recently, in the show ‘Brothers & Sisters, there was an episode when James’s mother was raving about how great a cook Lisa was and how responsible she was when it came to family—that is, when Sarah got up from the table.
James was able to locate her outside, crying with the slight downpour of rain.
“I can’t do this anymore,” she mumbled. “Lol, I can’t keep carrying on as though I am a person that I know in my heart I am not.”
‘I’m not asking you to be someone else,’ James said in indignation.
"Aren't you? Each time you tell me to miss an art exhibition for a family event, each time you do not talk about a future that does not align with yours and your family's... Sarah's voice broke. 'James, I love you but I get the feeling that am suffocating within your world.’
‘’And I am being pulled apart to fit it all in!’’ James shouted; he was not as strong as before, his voice trembling. ‘Tell me, is that easy for me, Do I have to stand there and take all of these?’ Seeing my mother as a saboteur of the relationship that I have with my partner? Is the feeling coming from a wrong area, like feeling guilty of desiring a life that is not in line with what my family expects?
The rain continued to pour in heavier detail, but none of them felt the urge to get up and look for shelter.
“Then choose,” Sarah said after a while. Follow the Right Signature: Take what you love, ignore what society wants you to take.
But both of them understood it was not going to be that easy.
Chapter 5: The Departure
The day Sarah left for Paris was unusually sunny for September; if at all I remember, the period was marked by immensely cold and gray skies. James did not come to the airport; they had tendered their sorrowful farewells at night, unable to brave the airport’s tearful fervor.
In his own words, he had said it, and she would never forget it. ‘I love you,’ he whispered to her hair. Sometimes it is not enough to just love someone.”
‘He said it should be sometimes’ To which she had retorted, ‘Sometimes it should be.’
As Sarah saw her city shrinking as her plane flew higher, she wondered if she was leaving not just a place but a part of her life as well.
Chapter 6: Time and Distance
Paris proved to be all and more as Sarah had expected. Her artwork, in turn, pleased the city as well as her suffering soul. She made friends, studied French, and, first of all, received the first solo exhibition. But each time she had a chance to meet a dog on the streets, each time she passed the veterinary clinic, she was full of pain for what she had abandoned.
Dedicated to his responsibilities, he focused himself on increasing the size of the clinic and creating new programs that brought him laud for his unique approaches. His mother kept on introducing potential Chinese brides for marriage through family dinner, but he now went through the motions without a thought in his heart.
The participants of the relationship didn’t share things with each other, thinking it was better this way. However, they were able to track each other’s existence in their own respective lives—Sarah through James’s clinic-based online website and James through the increasing Gösteren activities of Sarah in the art world.
Chapter 7: Full Circle
Five years later, Sarah found herself at The Blue Cup Café after recently coming back home for the art gallery featuring her pieces. Each drop of rain that was still falling outside reminded her of when James first met her, when they fought, and when they said goodbye.
Giving up, Sarah approached the entrance of the café and watched anxiously as the doorbell rang, stopping her heart in her chest. There was James, standing at the nearer part of the door as if she called him through her thoughts. He was older and had a little gray in his hair, but his eyes were those warm brown pupils she had seen before.
They looked at each other across the café, seeing each other after five years of change.
The man looked at her and directly said, "I noticed the ads for your exhibition.”
She said, "I have heard about the clinic expanding.” "Congratulations."
“My mother died last year,” he responded after sometime of being lost for words.
"James, I'm so sorry."
In unequivocal terms, she informed me something I never expected when she was alive. She told her kindest words were that she had not allowed her fears and prejudices to hinder her children’s happiness. He stalled and took a moment of shy silence with him. "She told me to find you."
The coffee cup was clutched tightly in Sarah’s hand, and she could feel her hands shaking. "It's been five years."
"I know. A part of me wants to laugh it off, but deep inside, I’m not the same person I was then. Losing my mother, having all those expectations thrust upon me—that altered me. This made me also understand what is important in life.”
"And what's that?"
"Being true to yourself. Searching for an optimal level of contribution for work and the ability to be happy. Helps not yield to fear when making decisions.” He paused and said, "Finally, I got my first passport last month.”
Sarah's eyes widened. "You did?"
I have a young partner in clinic at the moment. She's brilliant, capable. And I... I'm ready to see Paris. If the offer still stands."
"Paris?" Sarah whispered.
"Or anywhere else. I don’t care if we love in some small, cramped space or in the penthouse of some high-rise building so long as we can love with liberty. This has made me realize that it is not so important to change a person in order to cover all of his or her needs, but rather vice versa: create a whole world of mutual choice for two.
Sarah rose from the chair, gradually feeling her heart beating violently within her chest. "It won't be easy. We're different people now."
“Good,” James smiled, taking her hand. “But we can fall in love with who we’ve become.”
#Epilogue
A year later, Sarah and James were standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Her latest collection of paintings that combined the styles of Oriental and Occidental art was announced and facilitated only recently. For the past few months, James has volunteered with Veterinarians Sans Frontier, using his medical skills to help troubled communities.
‘Do you regret that you waited five years to know the outcome of this study?’ Then, Sarah asked, while continuing to hug Daniel.
"No,” James replied with deep contemplation. This way, we wanted to wait for the right time to become the people who could make this work. This was long, but it was the only path.”
Sarah smiled at the wheels of their interference—the cultural differences, the family pressure, the years without seeing each other, the idea of loving each other without betraying themselves. ‘It’s incredible nonetheless,’ S said slowly, Against all odds.”
‘’Despite all this’’, he said, and they both kissed as the lights of Paris began to come on in the evening.
Their love story rarely had been smooth sailing or typical. It had taken tears, growth, and the perceived wisdom that come with surviving and with having learnt through mistakes. But there they were in a city emblematic of what Sarah wanted and what James was now determined to fight for; in every race, they realized every obstruction brought them to the right place.
The End.
