Cassandra entered the cafe and sat at a table by the corner where she could see all the people that entered the shop. There are not many people at the cafe as it’s in a high-end area. The ambience and the soft music playing in the background are relaxing, and the aroma of the coffee is enticing.
She checked the menu, but she decided to wait for the person whom she was meeting today and requested water instead.
“Mommy.” She heard a cute voice of a boy calling out. He was looking at her, and she smiled at him before she looked away.
She sighed as she checked her watch. She somehow had a weird feeling about today. It must be because she is just not comfortable with being the one sitting in the cafe now. She had no idea that today would mark a new chapter of her life.
She pursed her lips and checked her watch again as if it would make the time faster if she kept looking at it. She could not believe how she was waiting now for a man that she didn’t even know.
When she got home yesterday from her work, the old couple that had found her on the beach a few years ago was waiting for her. Grandpa John and Grandma Carmen. They are her lifesaver.
She called them Grandpa and Grandma, but they still looked young to be considered as such.
When they found her, she didn’t remember how and why she was there. When she woke up, she was already at the town hospital and could not remember what had happened to her. She cannot even remember her name.
They called her Cassandra. It was the name of their daughter that had gone missing. They told her they named her that as she resembled her when she smiled. She also has a dimple similar to hers on the same side of her cheek.
It had already been three years since they found her, but she had not remembered who she was even though she had recalled some of her memory.
The couple that had found her had been nice to her, and she owed them her life. The doctor said she would die from hypothermia if they had not found her. They paid for her hospitalization and they helped her with her recovery. They treated her like a family.
“Grandpa John, Grandma Carmen.” She greeted them, and they hugged her. “I didn’t know that you would be visiting. You should have called me so I could have gotten home earlier.”
“It is okay. We know when you are coming home, so we didn’t wait long. We just arrived as well.” Grandma Carmen told her as she hugged her.
She opened the door to her small apartment, and they all went inside.
“How are you now with living by yourself?” Grandpa John asks her. The couple sat down on her sofa. She had just acquired the apartment after getting a job in the city.
“I am adjusting well. The neighbours are good people, and it is quiet here. Safe too. Everything I need is just nearby, and it is just one bus ride as well to work, so the location is perfect.”
“The place, I think, is still too small.” Grandma Carmen added. They insist that she stay at their mansion, but she can no longer be a burden to them. They had already saved her and taken care of her. They even found her a job.
“I am just alone. This is big enough for me. It already got two bedrooms, and I only use one. Do you want something to eat?” She asks them even though it’s already past dinner time.
“We already ate before we came here.” Grandma Carmen answered.
She went to the kitchen to get them some tea, and when she returned, she noticed their gloomy face.
“Is everything okay?” She asks them.
Both the old couple sign after she asks. She knew more or less why. It must be because of their granddaughter Jeannette. She always gives the couple a problem.
“Is it Jeannette?” She asks.
Jeannette is a nice lady. They had been close, and she also helped her when her grandparents saved her. She even helped her get a job. She treated Jeannette like a younger sister.
Jeannette’s grandparents raised her, and she loved them, but she was rebellious because of her parents. She always does whatever she wants, but Cassandra thinks that’s because she is still young.
“We cannot contact her for a few days now.” Grandma Carmen worriedly told her.
“Oh. Maybe she is just staying with one of her classmates. She had done that before.” She was no longer surprised by their news. It was not the first time that they could not contact her.
Jeannette likes to sleep over with her friends, and sometimes they cannot contact her for a couple of weeks. Then, when she returns, she acts as if nothing happened and that her family has not looked all over town for her.
The couple sighs again and looks at each other. She was confused about why they were so worried when it always happened. She has even gotten used to it.
“If you want, I can try to call some of her friends. Perhaps some of them know where she is right now, so you can relax.” She tried to comfort them.
“To be honest, we are worried that she might not be back soon.” Grandpa John said in a solemn voice.
“Why is that?” She looks at their serious face. Usually, when Jeannette runs away, they are just mad, but now, they look really worried about her.
“We told her about her engagement to the son of Crawford’s Family, but she told us she already had a boyfriend at school. Then she left us a note the following day telling us that she decided to run away with him.” Grandpa John explained.
“We’ve been looking all over for her, but until now, we cannot find her.” Grandma Carmen's tears began to fall.
Cassandra moved to sit beside Grandma Carmen and hugged her while patting her back. “I am sure she is okay. I will help you find her.”
Grandpa John put his hand on his wife's knees and tried to console her, “Her fiancé wanted to meet her tomorrow, and we do not know what to do anymore.” He sighs after.
“Oh.” She tried to think of a solution for them, but she could not come up with anything. She also cannot assure that she can find Jeannette in less than a day. “Maybe he will understand. Jeannette may return anyway.”
Grandma Carmen had calmed down, and she noticed that the couple was looking at her weirdly.
“We came here to ask help from you.” Grandpa Carmen said seriously.
“Of course. I will do anything to help, and I will do my best to help you.” She smiled and held the old lady’s hand. She will do anything to help them. After all, she owed them her life.
“We want to ask you if you can meet Jeannette’s fiancé tomorrow and explain why our granddaughter cannot meet him.” Grandpa John carefully asks her.
She was stunned by their request. She was silent for a couple of minutes. She was hesitant, but the old couple looked at her hopefully.
She may be the best option because she has a resemblance to Jeannette. Maybe the fiancé would not get too upset if she explained the situation. And it may not be good if he gets angry with the two elderly.
She smiled and exhaled deeply. She can only agree with them. And now, she is waiting for someone else’s fiancé. It is absurd, and she never thought she would have to do something like this.
They also decided not to tell him the real reason why his fiancee could not meet him. They need to find Jeannette, and they need to find her quickly. She cannot be a replacement for a missing fiancee. She also has her own problems to solve.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a tight grip on her leg. She looked down and saw a cute boy with a chubby cheek smiling up at her. He got a beautiful smile and a pair of deep round eyes with similar blue colour as hers.
She had to admit, the boy captivated her heart. She was about to ask him for his name but she was interrupted by a deep voice of a man.
“Charlotte.”
