She hadn"t expected Mr Park to take her words literally as he had been busy going on and on about his experience and the many mistakes he made as an apprentice.
She was already getting tired and bored. Every attempt to make him digress a bit from that topic had been futile.
It was as if he had been looking for who to ramble on to. "So, did you by chance,ever meet my mother?" She interrupted.
"And one time I was asked...." He was cut mid sentence by her question "Your mother? Who is she?" He gave her a questioning look before he said "I asked your father about her but he said nothing."
"She is late now. Her name was Jin Helene" Sara said.
"Jin Helene. Jin Helene" He called the name repeatedly like he was trying to recall something before he gasped and looked at her with wide eyes.
"Jin Helene? Oh my! Helene is your mother?"
Sara didn"t know what she felt currently. Whether it was excitement or anxiety. Finally, there was someone who knew her mother. "Yes. She is" She answered excitedly
"Oh my. This is so surprising" He clasped her hands gently.
"Yes, I know her. I know her well" He nodded. "She was also your grandfather"s apprentice."
Sara almost blurted out "Really?" But she didn"t want Mr Park to know that she was ignorant of even the most basic fact about her mother. "So she was also grandpa"s apprentice?" It came as a surprise to her.
"Yes." Sara smiled. "That is why I asked you. You see, I didn"t spend much time with her before she pa.s.sed away" She said sadly.
Mr Park couldn"t help feeling sad for her also. "I"m so sorry my dear" He released her hands and gave it a soft tap. "Your mother was a really wonderful woman. She was young, charming and had a good heart." He praised.
Sara wanted him to keep talking. No matter what, she was going to find something out today. "She did?"
"Of course, it was obvious she liked your father then. I"m sure she won after all" He laughed heartily.
"Won? What do you mean?" She asked with a confused smile on.
"An old man shouldn"t gossip" He gave her a teasing wink.
Sara laughed lightly. She really didn"t have enough time to play around with him.
"What do you mean old? You looked so young, one might think you are actually in your thirties" She flattered.
Mr Park seemed to enjoy the compliment as he clapped his hands and laughed. "Thirties indeed"
"So, what did she win?" Sara nudged.
"You see, Your mother worked as a cleaner in your grandparent"s restaurant. She was loved by everyone because of her cheerful nature. That was when your parents took note of her. They noticed she loved the kitchen but could not afford being a part of it. So, your grandfather took her in as his apprentice. About a month later, when your father returned from school and became your Grandmother"s apprentice, your grandmother also took in a new apprentice. A lady. I guess both ladies began to fight for your Father"s affection."
He kept talking but Sara"s mind had already drifted far. She had a lot of questions to ask. A whole lot. And she had to do it in a way where she wouldn"t give herself off. But she had noticed Mr Park checking his wrist.w.a.tch every minute. Didn"t her mother have any family? She didn"t have any relative from her mother"s side. Which was weird. Why did she work as a Cleaner? Who was the other girl?
Sara thought of something and decided to try her luck. "By chance, Is the other girl"s surname Song?" She asked carefully.
Mr Park looked at her in surprise."How did you know that? When I told your father she asked about him recently, he seemed to not remember her at all. Is he having memory problems?" He asked in worry.
Sara"s eyes were already wide opened. She was right after all. They both knew each other. But she hadn"t seen anything about Changyu learning how to cook on her bio.
She had a lot to ask. What happened next? What happened to her grandparents? What happened to the restaurant? But the time was up. Mr Park had already left for the kitchen. While she remained seated with bunch of questions floating on her mind.
The sound of her ringing phone on her trouser"s front pocket pulled her back to reality. "Please be Mr Li. Please be Mr Li" She silently prayed.
He hadn"t called her or texted her at all and it was beginning to make her feel anxious. When she took out her phone, she saw it was actually a call from her Father. She cussed herself for thinking about a man when she had a lot of things to uncover. But why hadn"t he called her at all? Was he mad at her?
Then it suddenly hit her. Why was her father calling her now? Did he by chance know she came here? She took the call nervously.
"Sara,where are you?" She heard his tensed voice speak immediately the call connected. She didn"t know how to answer. She couldn"t possibly say she was at Delight. Luckily for her,he didn"t wait for an answer before he spoke again. "You should hurry home this instant."
"Why? Is something wrong?" She asked in fright. "Is Joreen okay?"
He took a deep breath before he said. "Everyone is fine. Take a quick cab from wherever you are. As you do that, you can check the net"
In another part of the town, an unconscious Weiyoung was being wheeled in the gurney towards the hospital"s entrance with reporters crowded all over the place.