No More Escape

　　Barcelona. Airport.
　　In the big hall,people were walking to and fro.
　　Pearl walked slowly with her luggage. No one was waiting to greet her, but ,she had become used to it.
　　A familiar figure run hastily to the exit.
　　"Mervyn!"
　　A name flashed across her mind.
　　She sped up, threading her way across moving people, to see exactly who the man was.
　　But, unfortunately, she trod on a man's heel and fell.
　　She held up her head instantly but only caught the shadow of the man disappearing through the exit. The light in her eyes dimmed.
　　"Are you ok?" The man before her bent down to see what was wrong.
　　"Fine. I am sorry. I didn't mean to step on you," she stood up quickly,appologizing.
　　"Never mind! But are you sure you are fine?"
　　"Yeah. I'm sure." She forced a smile and left.
　　"Mervyn," She closed her eyes painfully,"where are you? Why did you leave me? We've been together for 12 years, 12 years."
　　The man watched her leave, and then went forward to the exit.

　　Mervyn was driving a car, when Alex patted on his shoulder, and pointed to a girl walking along the street,and said:"You know this girl? I saw her run after you in the hall. She seemed to know you."
　　"Are you kidding? Didn't you have something serious to tell me?" Mervyn cast a casual glimpse at pearl, and intently continued his driving.
　　"Well, you are to study in America for 2 months."

　　Barcelona, a city full of inspiration and genius, a city advocating freedom and creation.
　　After a deep breath of the clear and pure air, Pearl set up the easel and began to sketch Casa Mila, a special building designed by Antoni Gaudi, the talented architect. While for Pearl, it was a little weird, walls made into stiff waves, chimneys dancing over the sky.
　　"Nice sketch!"
　　She turned back, a little startled.
　　The man she met in the hall was smiling.
　　"Hi, glad to see you again. I'm Alex, and you must be Pearl."
　　"How did you know?"
　　"Here."He pointed to the signature at the corner of her paper.
　　"Oh, you have sharp eyes." Her tension eased.
　　"Want to go up, and have a bird's eye view?"
　　"Sure, why not?"

　　"Wow, gorgeous! I love this city!"
　　Sitting on the terrace, she extracted her body over to the limpid azure sky to relax her muscles of her back.
　　"Want me to be your guide? I could make a top one,'cos I have been living here for 27 years."
　　"Oh ,no, thanks. I am penniless."
　　She turned her pocket out to show her poverty while a piece of paper fell out.
　　"What's it?' He picked it up and read:"Thousands of miles I've trudged, thousands of oceans I've cried , my hasty running, can't follow your leaving."
　　"Ha, a poem?" Raising his eyebrows, he studied her face.
　　"Yeah, I wrote it to kill time."
　　"So you must be a genius, and this could be the fee for my service."
　　Businesslike, he folded it up and put it in his pocket.
　　"Well, as you wish."She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
　　"You come here for holiday?"
　　"Yeah, it may be called so." She lifted her hand to comb her hair, a gleam of melancholy flashed through her eyes.
　　"May? Er, a strange answer."
　　"Well, you know sometimes, for some reason, people have to travel abroad to escape or to search for something, and I anm one of them."
　　"I see." He mused in a manner of reflection.
　　"Hi, don't be so serious!"
　　"Well, I'm just trying to be agreeable."
　　Pearl laughed out of joy,and Alex too.

　　The following days, Alex took Pearl to Picasso Museum, to visit many of Gaudi's famous works like
　　La Sagra** **milia, Casa Vincens,and to taste La escudella i carn d'olla, made of vegetables, rice, noodles and potatoes,and "Zarzuela", a dish made of cuttlefish, mussels and prawn, of a luxious version.
　　Among all these, Pearl took a fancy to the old streets, where archaic buildings, various stores and bars narrowed the streets, and small restaurants stood one by one, all receiving customers by windows.
　　Every night, after 10 o'clock, people were still loafting around,dressed casually, among whom many were visitors.Peddlers hawkerd their goods;drifting musicians played various musical instruments; fortune rellers used glib speech to cheat money out of people's pocket. And for Pearl, the most interesting was the "live statue".
　　Pearl stepped forward to feel if the statue was a real person.
　　"La Senora, usted quiere hacer una prueba?"
　　The statue suddenly utterd a word.
　　"Ah, God!" Pearl sprang back.
　　Realizing that was really a man, she giggled away with Alex.
　　Around one corner, a few people were dancing to the rejoicing music. Pearl joined them happily as she had nerver been in such a joyful party.
　　"Ella es mona. Ella es su amiga?"An old lady asked,from whom Pearl bought a small gadget before
　　"Espero tan."He smiled.
　　"Hi, what are you talking about?" Pearl came back, radiantly.
　　"She said you were cute."
　　"Oh, really ? Thank you!" She turned to the old lady and smiled.
　　"Tired?"
　　"A little." The same melancholy flashed away as he always could see in her eyes.
　　"People dance very well here, and I must be awkward and clumsy." She teased herself.
　　"No, not at all. You are cute and smart." He was serious.
　　"Are you comforting me?" She winkled her eye..
　　"Yeah, if you need."
　　"Oh, you are reallly cute." She laughed.

　　When Alex was at work, Pearl would go around to paint. She was like a fish, enjoying the fresh air in Barcelona. Mervyn seemed remote from her, but sometimes, he would appear unexpectedly in mind and pinched her heart.

　　De Saint Sebastia beach.
　　Quiet night.
　　Sweet couples walked along the beach.
　　Pearl seemed a little gloomy, her black eyes staring at distance, still like a statue. For Alex, Pearl seemed always to fall into such complex emotion when she was having fun.
　　"Pearl, why do you always look a little bit blue?"
　　"Me?" She shrinked a little from his sharp eys, "ah, I' m, er, maybe a little bit tired."
　　She averted his eyes, laughing unnaturally.
　　"Well, listen, I didn't mean to interfere in your business, of cause none of my business. But I just want to help you, I want you to be happy."
　　He was serious, and her eyes were honest.
　　Memories in her mind surged like tidal waves. Tears in her eyes waved like shining ripples. She stood up, and walked along the beach, wearing that indifferent smile. Alex accompanied her, muted.
　　"If you had been in love with someone for 12 years, and one day, she left you, giving you no reason, leaving you no message, what would you do? If you travelled to many countries, trying for forget all this ,but you found all this was a
　　nighymare, haunting your mind, gnawing your heart, destroying your happiness, what would you do? No, I can't forget, I can't forgive. Why is it that everytime I feel a little happier, he would come up and destroy it? No, I can't forget, I can't forgive."
　　Hysterically, she knelt down, crying, hands covering her face. All sadness erupted this moment.
　　"I am sorry."He squatted by her side, passing her a hankerchief.
　　"It's a nice night, isn't it?"Sweeping off tears, she smiled,and turned to the distance where waves rolled colorful lights into glittering pieces.
　　"All has passed. I don't want to cling to this hopeless life. I want to be free of this." She mused.

　　Happy days went so quickly. Two months passed.
　　One day, Pearl was invited to Alex's home to meet his good friend. But the moment she stepped in, her smile congealed, and her body stiffened.
　　Alex turned to Mervyn, and found he was in the same state of shock. He recalled a picture she saw 3 years ago in Mervyn's room, and the very people in the picture were Mervyn and Pearl. No wonder he felt so familiar with Pearl all the time.
　　"Oh, God! What a stupid I am."She cursed, agonized.
　　"Well, you two just seat yourselves, and I'll make some coffee."
　　He went to the kitchen , hastily.
　　"Mervyn, I didn't expect to see you again. But anyhow, how is everything going?" Starting a conversation seemed difficult for her.
　　"Fine,"he looked in her eyes,"you have changed, not so happy."
　　"Maybe. You see, during these 3 years, I travelled a lot, and suffered a lot, and I think you know the reason."
　　"Pearl,"he frowned, "I didn't ,er, I thought you would forget me soon."
　　"You thought?!" She force a wry smile, and turned her head aside.
　　"Pearl, I had to leave ,you see, I ——"he paused, words lingering at the tip of his tongue.
　　Her eyes were studying his face. He was much thinner than before. Her heart ached.
　　"Well, I have to leave now. I hve to deal with some business in the company."
　　He found an excuse, and left.
　　Pearl leaned on the sofa, bewildered.
　　Alex leaned against the wall, watching her, brow furrowed.

　　Two days later, Pearl was going back to prepare for the exhibition of her paintings.
　　"Pearl, Mervyn was a good guy, you shouldn't——"
　　"Please, please don't mention him any more. "
　　They both kept silent for a moment.
　　"Alex,"she said , alittle embarassed,"you know, I was very happy with you. I do not know how to thank you, and sometimes I do want to stay with you, forever, not to be separate."
　　She looked up to search his eyes.
　　"But , you are going,"he said throatily.
　　"Yes, I am leaving, leaving you and Mervyn ,and Barcelona."
　　She smiled sadly.
　　Alex kissed her farewell. Pearl would disappear from his life forever. He signed.

　　Three months later, at the exhibition, Alex came, with a letter by Mervyn.
　　Pearl,
　　when you receive this letter, I might be dinning with God. Just kidding. Since I left you, I was in the same misery as you were. I missed you day and night. Sometimes, I reckoned myself as a deadly fool for leaving you. I did want to fly to your side. But , I can't. I don't want you to see me die. I have cancer.
　　Now, all is finished, the pain, the ordeal, but love will nerver die.
　　You may have felt when In Barcelona, Alex does love you, too. He is really ,really a good guy. Don't disappoint him any more.
　　Be strong! Be happy,my girl!
　　Yours,
　　Mervyn
　　"Alex, could you lend me your shoulder?"
　　Her voice was choked with sobs.
　　Alex held her silently.
　　The past was past. The next day was a new day.

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