Chapter 200 - Cheers!

Two weeks later, in Susan's house.

Mike was staring at the full moon up in the sky above from the window of his room.

It's already 7:00 in the evening and the night still young.

It's another night of chaotic thinking, torturing himself on what went wrong with his marriage?

Why his wife abandoned him?

WHY?

WHY?????

WHYYYYYYYYYY!?

He'd been wracking his brain upside down trying to find the clue of his wife's inner struggle while they were still together, yet he can't figure her out.

He can't understand her actions!

It's so absurd!

He left the window and went back to bed. He picked up his wife's farewell letter and read it again.

After reading the letter five times he crumpled the letter and threw it on the wall. The letter bounced back and landed on the bed.

He picked up the letter and dropped it on the drawer of the bedside table.

Dammit!

He's going crazy!

He picked up his phone.

He quickly placed a call to his brother on his phone.

"Hello bro!"

"Yes Bro...wazz up?" said John.

"Where are you now?"

"I'm at my house, why?"

"Are you free?"

"Yeah, sort of..."

"I need someone to talk to while drinking liquor," Mike said.

"No problem, I'm available for you anytime. Where?" asked John.

"Your house or here...?" Mike asked.

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm at mother Susan's house," replied Mike.

"Great...I'll come over..." John offered.

"But I have no liquor here right now."

"No problem. I'll buy one case of beer on my way there," John said.

"Make it five cases!" Mike insisted.

"No way, just two cases only. My curfew is at midnight. I'll be back to my house or else my wife will beat me!" John argued.

"Okay fine," said Mike in a small voice.

John chuckled. "See you later, bro!"

Mike put his phone in the pocket of his shorts.

He will wait for his brother in the pool area.

He exited the room and went downstairs to wait for his brother's arrival.

Thirty minutes later.

John finally arrived. Ramon brought the two cases of beer into the pool area.

After handing the eco bag containing the Cheese Garlic Chicken and Spicy Fried Shrimp to the housemaid, Ramon was about to go back to the car but Mike insisted that he joined them in the drinking session.

"Join us, Ramon, there's plenty of beer to drink," Mike said.

John nods his head at Ramon signaling that it's okay for him to join them. He thought that if more than two people are drinking, they can finish consuming the two cases of beer early and go home. After all, his heartbroken brother only needs a company to talk to and the liquor is just a tool that would dull the pain temporarily.

"Okay Sir," Ramon obliged and lowered himself into the lounge chair.

A housemaid brought the glasses and can opener into the table. She left and then returned with the platter of Cheese Garlic Chicken and Spicy Fried Shrimp. After making sure that everything is already in place, and the men got all they need within reach, she turned around and went back to the house.

Mike stared at the beer and smiled. "Alright...let's start the drinking session. Me first!"

Ramon opened the bottle of beer and poured a small amount of beer into Mike's glass.

Mike saw the barely-there amount of beer inside the glass. "Huh? Ramon, don't be so frugal with the beer, don't worry, if we finish them all quickly we can always buy another case of beer outside..." he grumbled.

Ramon looked at his employer.

John nods his head. Ramon filled Mike's glass with beer to the brim. He also poured beer into the other two glasses.

Mike raised his glass feeling satisfied with the content. "Cheers!"

Ramon and John raised their glasses as well and repeated Mike's words. "Cheers!" they said in unison.

And the drinking session began.

Meanwhile, inside the house.

Upstairs in Susan's bedroom.

She just came out from the bathroom after a luxurious soaking in the bathtub, when her phone starts ringing. She answered it right away.

"Mother...it's me, Catherine..."

"Daughter...something wrong?"

"No, I just called to tell you that just in case John and Ramon got drunk during their drinking session with Mike, tell them to just sleep there at your house, and please don't allow them to drive, to avoid getting into an accident. They can return to the house tomorrow morning when they are already sober," Catherine said worriedly.

Susan's brows furrowed.

"Huh? John and Ramon are here at my house drinking liquor with Mike? I didn't know that, ah, maybe they arrived when I'm still inside the bathroom taking a bath," Susan said. "Don't worry daughter, I'll take care of them," she said authoritatively wanting to ease her daughter-in-law's worry.

"Thank you, Mother. That's all my concern," Catherine spoke.

"Alright, rest assured that I won't let anyone go home if they can no longer walk on their own," Susan said in a reassuring tone.

"Thanks, Mother. I'm feeling relieved now. Bye," Catherine replied.

"Bye daughter and give my love to my grandchildren..."

"Yes I will," replied Catherine.

Their conversation ended.

Susan placed her phone on the table beside the bed.

She went to the closet, picked up some clothes, and donned them on her body, then she combs her hair for a few minutes. Done with her hair, she stood up and went out of the room going downstairs to find her sons.

She found them drinking in the pool area. She went to their side.

"Hello guys..." she announced her presence.

"Hi, Mom!" John greeted his mother.

"Good evening, Madam!" Ramon conveyed his greeting.

Mike looked at his mother. "Drink with us, Mother dear," he said.

"Sorry son, I don't like the taste of beer. Just go ahead, enjoy your drinking session. Guys, please, drink moderately, okay?" she warned them while looking at the two cases of beer on the ground.

"Okay," John, Mike, and Ramon replied promptly and resumed drinking.

Sighing... Susan left the pool area going back to her bed upstairs. She plans to watch a doc.u.mentary about global warming to pass the time while her sons were carrying on their drinking at the back of the house.

Meanwhile... in the pool area.

Mike was blabbering. "My wife is...!"

"My wife is bad...!"

"My wife is cruel! How could she do this to me!?"

"I want her to come back!"

Mike airs his lamentations over and over again.

John patted his brother's back trying to console his grieving heart. "She will come back soon, bro!" that's all he can say.

"W-when?" asked Mike.

John sighed, no words come out of his mouth. How was he supposed to know when Caroline will comeback?

"Let's just drink, bro," Mike said sadly.

"Alright...let's drink..." John responded.

"Ramon pour me another drink!" Mike commanded.

"Yes, Sir!" Ramon obeyed.

And they continue drinking until 11:00 in the evening.

When Susan come down and went to the pool area to check on the men, they were already drunk and talking incoherently. She was shaking her head.

Together with the help of the driver and gardener, they were able to put Mike and John in the same room and Ramon in the guest room upstairs.

After making sure that the men are comfortable in their sleep, Susan and her staff went to their respective rooms and retire for the night.

John and Ramon woke up at 5:00 in the morning and returned to the Infinity Jade Tower immediately after drinking hot coffee prepared by the housemaid.

~~~0~~~

A few hours later.

The mother and son gathered in the dining room to eat breakfast.

Mike was toying with the food on his plate, he has no appetite although the hangover was already gone.

Susan stared at her son's face, depression was evident on his face. She was getting worried about her son's worsening condition.

On the first day of Caroline's disappearance, Mike was still okay. He was trying to be cheerful and bubbly. But his cool facades wears off.

Soon after, he always wore a gloomy expression on his face and rarely smile.

His wife's disappearance hit him real hard, affecting his emotional and psychological well being.

Susan needs to do something to cheer him up.

"Son...please stop playing your food! You have to eat!" Susan scolded him.

Mike looked at his mother and began eating his food, he doesn't want his mother to worry about his condition.

"I'm okay now, Mom. Let's continue eating," he responded.

Susan released a deep sigh and resumed eating.

They finished eating a few minutes later.

"Do you have plans to go out today? Go somewhere to pass your time and entertain yourself," Susan suggested while looking at her son in the eyes.

Mike sighed. "I'm not going anywhere, Mother. Unless my wife comes back to me," he said dejectedly.

Susan took a deep breath. "Jesus, stop thinking about your missing wife. Continue living your life just like the way you did before she comes into the picture. Don't let your wife's disappearance torture you. The fact that she abandoned you without any explanation then she's not worth waiting for!" she said furiously.

Mike sighed heavily, at a loss of words what to say to his mother. He was hurting badly inside and he doesn't know yet when the hurt will end.

Susan looked at her son frustratedly in the eyes.

"I hate it when you are looking so beaten right now. You are not the only one who was abandoned by their wife or loved ones. There are many people like you in this world going through the same situation but they are coping up well. They only cry and wallow in tears for a few days then they move on with their life.

Your wife's disappearance is not yet the end f the world. She clearly stated in her letter that she will return to your side one day. I suggest that you get a grip of yourself together and carry on. Getting busy is another way of forgetting painful things and teaching yourself to live a new normal just in case your wife can no longer return to you," she gave him a lengthy sermon.

Mike listened to his mother in silence. She got a point though.

"I'm going to the orphanage this afternoon at 4:00. I'll be bringing my donation of toiletries to the orphanage. I suggest that you will go with me so that you will see how unfortunate those kids are and how lucky you are.

Maybe, you will find solace once the kids' smile. The feel happy even if they have no family to take care of them. They are the pitiful children abandoned by their parents, just like you, abandoned by your wife.

Despite their pitiful condition, those abandoned kids managed to continue living and wear a smile on their lips all the time. They are much stronger than you are. I hope you can regain your strength back the moment you see their smile," Susan added.

"I'll think about it, Mom," Mike replied.

"Okay, I will call you at 4:00, if you made up your mind to go with me to St. Therese orphanage. Just get ready, I'll drop by and pick you up here," Susan said.

"Okay...Mom," replied Mike.

Susan left the dining room and went to her bedroom upstairs to get ready to report to her office.

Back in the dining room, Mike was closed to tears.

He slowly got up from the chair and left the dining room, going back upstairs to spend another sad lonely day in his room, reminiscing about the happy days he spent with his wife.

Mike was back in his room, lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling... his emotion was in tatters.

He was an emotional wreck since the day his wife disappeared from his side.

Staying in his room all day and all night long does not help his emotional well being.

Maybe, going to other places or vacationing abroad for a few days or weeks will bring back the zest of life in his heart.

Hmm, how about if he will have a vacation in Singapore next week?

He will book a one week stay in his favorite Hotel in Singapore.

Sounds nice!

That's it!