- 17 minutes ago
Thirty Seconds Underwater Romance Second Chance English Dub Short Series
Category
馃帴
Short filmTranscript
00:00Today was supposed to be our deep dive mission with my boyfriend, Ethan.
00:05But at the last minute, he galled from Chloe and rushed off.
00:13He didn't notice I'd been caught in the undercurrent.
00:19In those 30 seconds, pinned against the reef with my breathing tube tangled in the rocks,
00:25the only running through my mind was,
00:28I wish he were here.
00:34The first thing I did after climbing ashore was reach up and touch my left ear.
00:39It was still bleeding.
00:41My eardrum had ruptured.
00:44Instinctively, I reached for my phone to text Ethan.
00:50A social media postist popped up on the screen.
00:53In the photo, Chloe Winters was in a swimsuit.
00:59Ethan the was was not alone behind hind her, his hands steady on her waist.
01:04The caption read,
01:06Thirteenth lesson.
01:08The little guy has mastered his second swimming stroke.
01:12It turned out that when I was on the verge of death,
01:18he was teaching another woman how to swimming.
01:21Droplets of water slid from the ends of my hair onto the screen,
01:25blurring the image.
01:29My phone rang.
01:31It was Ethan calling.
01:34Chloe swallowed some water during practice.
01:37You're such a good diver.
01:39You could have made the dive without me.
01:41But Chloe is so fragile.
01:43I had to teach her to swim first.
01:46You must understand, right?
01:50The ringing in my left ear kept going, steady and relentless.
01:56No need.
01:58I can't dive anymore, and I don't need a dive partner now, either.
02:06After getting my ear treated at the hospital,
02:09I made it back to the apartment.
02:11It was already 7.30 in the evening.
02:16Ethan had gotten home before me,
02:19fresh out of the shower,
02:20his hair still half damp.
02:26You're back.
02:28He didn't bother lifting his head,
02:31his fingers still tapping away at his phone.
02:36I'd sent him messages, too.
02:39A hundred and thirty-seven of them,
02:41all unread.
02:45The water temperature at the pool
02:47was way too low today.
02:49Chloe was in the water for two hours.
02:58Her legs were shaking by the time she got out.
03:01At a depth of a hundred and thirty feet,
03:04when the turbulence kicked up silt and sand,
03:07the water temperature was barely above freezing.
03:14My legs were shaking, too.
03:17So I grabbed that bottle of body lotion from your cabinet
03:19and gave it to Chloe.
03:24Her skin was so dry, it was driving her crazy.
03:27It's not like you were using it anyway.
03:31That was a limited edition.
03:33I'd had a friend overseas stand in line for two weeks to get.
03:38My voice came out hoarse.
03:41I see.
03:44Have some water.
03:46Good for your throat.
03:48Ice-cold Chloe's cup.
03:50Pink cherry blossoms printed on the ceramic.
03:53A fuzzy little rabbit charm dangling from the handle.
03:58Don't overthink it.
03:59I broke your mug,
04:00so just make do with this one for now.
04:06Not thirsty?
04:06I didn't take it.
04:08My hands stayed buried in my pockets.
04:10My fingertips were numb with cold.
04:12On the shoe rack by the door,
04:14a pair of tiny white canvas sneakers had appeared.
04:18A pink cashmere cardigan was draped over the arm of the couch.
04:22This apartment, our home,
04:24was slowly being filled by someone else.
04:31Ethan's gaze finally drifted over to me.
04:36What happened to your ear?
04:38The blood-spotted gauze covering my left ear.
04:41Got hurt.
04:43How'd you manage to be so careless?
04:46Ear injuries are the number one thing divers are supposed to avoid.
04:52Well, be more careful next time.
04:55But with your skills,
04:57I'm sure you handled it fine.
05:02Not like Chloe,
05:04that little disaster.
05:06You've never need anyone to worry about you.
05:09It won't clear up.
05:21After my shower,
05:23I went back to my room and opened my laptop.
05:26I clicked into the transfer application portal.
05:31I uploaded the medical certificate
05:33confirming the eardrum rupture
05:35and my permanent disqualification from diving.
05:39Then I submitted my request for reassignment,
05:42coastal data recording,
05:44New Zealand.
05:47The next morning,
05:49I was jolted awake by a searing pain in my left ear.
05:55The complications from the perforation were starting to set in.
05:58The pain radiated through half my skull.
06:04I dry-swallowed to painkillers
06:06before it eased enough to function.
06:12Today I had to go to the East District Diving Base.
06:18The physical copy of my transfer request
06:21needed to be signed in person.
06:27I pushed open the bedroom door.
06:29Ethan was already at the dining table.
06:33Come have breakfast.
06:35Chloe went out of her way yesterday,
06:37stood in line at that trendy bakery.
06:42The sandwiches were packed thick
06:44with bacon and melted cheddar.
06:48I'm allergic to cheese.
06:51One bite and I break out in hives.
06:53He never remembered things like that.
07:00I didn't touch the food on the table
07:02and asked him.
07:07I need to go to the base medical office today.
07:10The doctor wants a follow-up.
07:11I can't drive with my ear like this.
07:15Can you give me a ride?
07:20He looked at my pale face and nodded.
07:27Fine.
07:28I'm heading that way anyway.
07:30Your stuff comes first.
07:31Dive partners.
07:32That's what we're for, right?
07:34At nine, we headed out.
07:37The passenger seat was pushed all the way forward.
07:43A pink cartoon headrest was strapped to the backrest.
07:49Chloe was short.
07:51She liked the seat pulled up close to the dash.
07:56I didn't touch the adjustment button.
07:59I opened the rear door and climbed into the back seat.
08:03Halfway there, his phone rang.
08:10Ethan, where are you?
08:11My leg hurt so bad.
08:13Where I had that cramp last night, it's all swollen now.
08:16Ethan's face changed in an instant.
08:20Ethan's face changed in an instant.
08:21Don't cry.
08:22Don't move around.
08:25He wrenched the steering wheel.
08:27The tires screeched against the wet pavement.
08:31I'm coming right now.
08:33A sharp pain inevitably shot through my ears.
08:41Before I could even speak, he hung up and glanced at me through the rearview mirror
08:50Lana, Lai, Chloe's leg cramp got worse
08:54I need to go check on her first
08:59Your prescription isn't exactly an emergency anyway
09:02I'll drop you off at the next intersection
09:05Just grab a cab from there
09:09My voice was filled with agony
09:14We're on the overpass
09:15You can't get a cab here
09:18And my ear really hurts
09:23He said impatiently
09:28Lana, can you please not pick right now to be dramatic?
09:33You swam back from a hundred feet underwater all by yourself
09:38What's a little walking?
09:40Chloe's timid, she's hurt
09:44The car screeched to a stop at a desolate intersection
09:50Get out
09:51I'll call you once I'm done with Chloe
09:54I got out of the car, raindrops hit the open wound on my ear
09:58The pain drove into my skull like needles
10:03I walked the rest of the way along the highway in the rain
10:06All the way to the base
10:12Supervisor Grant took one look at my bedraggled state
10:15And his brow furrowed deep
10:22Ethan didn't drive you?
10:25No
10:25He had something else
10:29Where's the transfer form?
10:32Supervisor Grant sighed and pulled a document out of his desk drawer
10:42I've already signed it
10:43Headquarters approved it too
10:48I booked the flight for next Monday
10:50Three more days
10:52He looked at me, hesitating
10:57Lana
10:59Does Ethan know you're leaving?
11:02I picked up the pen from his desk
11:04On the final confirmation line
11:06I pressed down hard and signed my name
11:10No
11:10He doesn't need to know
11:15When I pushed open the apartment door
11:17The living room TV was blaring some variety show
11:24Ethan was half kneeling beside the couch
11:26Holding an ice pack against Chloe's shin
11:32You're back?
11:34Chloe's leg is really swollen
11:38I don't feel right leaving her alone
11:40So she's staying with us for a few days
11:42I stood in the entryway
11:44Watching him keep his head down
11:46Fussing over a patch of redness
11:48No bigger than a coin
11:55Lana, why is there a piece of wet tissue
11:57Stuck to your ear?
12:00Before I could pull away
12:01Chloe's fingernail had already hooked into the medical gauze
12:05Soaked through from the rain
12:10I saw the smirk in her eyes
12:13And the next second, she yanked hard
12:15The freshly clotted scab tore open along with it
12:19I let out a cry of pain
12:25Chloe shrieked and recoiled
12:28Chloe shrieked and recoiled
12:28Her eyes instantly went red
12:30Tears welled up
12:33I'm so sorry
12:35I thought it was just a scrape of tissue
12:39Ethan immediately moved to soothe her
12:42It's okay
12:43It's okay
12:45It's okay
12:46Don't be scared
12:48You didn't do it on purpose
12:51He grabbed a paper napkins and shoved them into my hand
12:59You alright?
13:00Go put some eisine on that
13:03He didn't even stand up
13:05His other hand was still holding the ice pack against Chloe's leg
13:10I took those to dry
13:12Useless paper napkins and pressed them against the bleeding wound
13:18When I came back from the bathroom
13:20Chloe was eyeing the plastic bag I'd set on the table
13:28Lana, were you at the deep sea diving base just now?
13:35Yeah
13:37Ethan says the water temperature in the deep sea
13:40Is freezing
13:42And it's so dark and cold down there
13:46That's why he only ever took me to the shallow end
13:49Thirteen times in a row
13:52She tilted her face up toward Ethan
13:55Then doesn't Lana get scared
13:57All alone down there in the deep sea?
14:00She's got great technique
14:02And nerves of steel
14:03She made it back safe
14:05Of a hundred feet underwater
14:07Without a scratch
14:10You think everyone's like you
14:12Choking on water in the shallow end?
14:15Lana's a professional surveyor
14:17She doesn't need anyone holding her hand
14:20First rule of diving
14:22Never leave your dive partner
14:24A hundred and thirty feet beneath the surface
14:28The thirty seconds my breathing tube was caught on the reef
14:31And my dive partner was in a temperature controlled shallow pool
14:39Teaching another girl her second swimming stroke
14:47Ethan
14:47Ethan, that little silver whistle around your neck is so cute
14:52Chloe suddenly pointed at Ethan's chest
14:55That was my rescue whistle
14:58Ben, for my first deep water dive tomorrow
15:01Can I borrow it?
15:06She tugged at the hem of Ethan's shirt
15:12I'm scared
15:14If I can't find you down there
15:17I'll just blow this whistle, okay?
15:20Lana
15:21This whistle
15:23Chloe wants to borrow it for tomorrow
15:25That's fine, right?
15:26Ethan turned toward me
15:29That was the day we officially became dive partners
15:33I was the one who hung it around his neck
15:35With my own hands
15:40I'm putting my life
15:41In your hands
15:44When you hear's whistle
15:45I will come for you
15:50Those were his exact words
15:52To me that day
15:58It's just a whistle
15:59It's not like you don't have a spare
16:01Chloe's going into deep water
16:03For the first time tomorrow
16:04She needs
16:05Needs a little security
16:07Don't be so stingy
16:09Chloe's small voice drifted from the couch
16:12Lana doesn't want to
16:13It's okay
16:19Of course she doesn't mind
16:20Right
16:25Ethan unhooked the metal clasp
16:27From around his neck
16:28He bent down and slipped the rescue whistle
16:30Over Chloe's head
16:37There
16:38If you get scared tomorrow
16:40Just blow
16:41I promise I'll be right there
16:43The moment I hear it
16:47I stood there
16:48Rooted to the spot
16:49The ringing in my left ear
16:51Grew louder and louder
16:56Take it
17:00Things that are given away
17:01Don't need to be returned
17:04Less than 24 hours
17:05Until my flight to New Zealand
17:10The transfer order
17:12Was already signed
17:13Minimum three-year assignment
17:15Maybe I'd never come back
17:20In the morning
17:21I stood at the stove
17:23Stirring a pot of seafood chowder
17:26His favorite
17:29The master bedroom door opened
17:31Ethan emerged
17:33Twirling his car keys
17:38The chowder just finished
17:39Have a bowl before you go
17:43No time
17:43Chloe's waiting for me
17:44It's her first time in the deep center day
17:46She was so nervous
17:48She barely slept
17:54My voice was tinged with sorrow
17:58Ethan
18:00Do you remember how many times you've abandoned me?
18:04His tone was so casual that he didn't pick up on my sadness at all
18:11Work stuff doesn't count as abandoning
18:13I looked at him and said very seriously
18:17Thirteen times
18:19You abandoned me thirteen times
18:22Why are you counting like that?
18:24You made it back safe every time, didn't you?
18:30And what if I almost didn't?
18:34Don't say things like that
18:36You're standing right here
18:37Perfectly fine
18:38Aren't you?
18:43The ringing in my left ear kept going
18:45Steady and unbroken
18:51Do you have to go?
18:54I asked him one last time
18:58He was already at the door
19:03If I'm one minute late
19:04She'll be up on the shore
19:05Crying her eyes out all day
19:07The door opened
19:08Then it slammed shut
19:10I turned slowly
19:12And walked back to the dining table
19:17I poured the bowl of seafood chowder down the kitchen sink
19:27Back in the bedroom
19:28I packed
19:29There wasn't much that belonged to me
19:31A few wetsuits
19:32Some everyday clothes
19:37A single twenty inch suitcase
19:39Was enough to hold it all
19:44Before I left
19:46I looked back at this apartment
19:48One last time
19:52His shirt from last night
19:54Was draped over the back of the couch
20:00The ice pack he'd used on Chloe's foot
20:02Was still on the bathroom counter
20:06Her cup sat on the coffee table
20:08Right next to his
20:10Mine was broken
20:12I never bought a new one
20:14I sent Ethan one final message
20:17We're done
20:20Ethan had just climbed out of the water
20:22After Chloe's deep end session
20:27When he picked up his phone
20:28My message was waiting on the screen
20:32We're done
20:39His grip on the phone tightened
20:43April Fools was weeks ago
20:45Stop joking around
20:47But he knew
20:49Ten years of knowing each other
20:51Seven years as dive partners
20:53I had never
20:54Not once
20:56Played these kinds of games
20:59Ethan!
21:00I almost sank again back there
21:03Good thing you pulled me up
21:05Me up so fast
21:08Let's go get sushi for lunch
21:10Ethan pulled the door open
21:12And walked out
21:15Chloe had already changed
21:16She was fiddling with the rescue whistle
21:19He'd given her
21:21Sushi?
21:22Yeah
21:23That new place
21:24They have my favorite spicy tuna roll
21:31He nodded on autopilot
21:33Only then did it register
21:35The one who loved sushi was Chloe
21:37The restaurant was quiet
21:41Chloe sat across from him
21:43Chattering non-stop
21:45About her experience in the water
21:46He didn't touch his food
21:50The chat window still held
21:52Only that one lonely breakup message
21:58No follow-ups
22:01No
22:02Where are you?
22:04No
22:04Come home soon
22:08He typed
22:09Got sushi with Chloe
22:11Won't be doing dinner with you tonight
22:13Let me know what you want
22:17Half an hour
22:19Still no reply
22:20Ethan
22:21Let's go watch the fireworks by the river after this
22:25Okay
22:25No
22:26I'm going home
22:31The apartment door swung open
22:33No lights had been left on
22:35The row of black wetsuits
22:37Empty
22:40The photo of their first dive
22:42Flipped face down
22:44He pulled out his phone
22:46And dialed the number he knew by heart
22:48No answer
22:49There was still one place he could look
22:52The East District deep diving base
22:56Ethan didn't bother knocking
22:58He shoved the door open
23:01Grant
23:03Where's Lana?
23:04Supervisor Grant was in his office
23:06You didn't know she left for New Zealand?
23:12Our deep dive mission is supposed to start next month
23:15Our dears Worshalai Branagh
23:18What's she doing in New Zealand?
23:20She applied for a coastal data recording position
23:23Her flights this afternoon
23:24Grant slapped a photocopy down on his desk
23:28As for next month's mission
23:31I've assigned you a new dive partner
23:34I don't need a new partner
23:36The only partner I recognize is Lana
23:41Supervisor Grant's brow furrowed
23:43He pulled out a medical report
23:46You didn't know her eardrum was ruptured?
23:52That she's permanently disqualified from diving?
23:56How is she supposed to be your dive partner now?
24:01Ethan stood frozen
24:02His pupils contracting sharply
24:04What?
24:06Grant said in a cold voice
24:08That was a hundred and thirty foot strong current zone
24:15What's the first rule of deep diving?
24:19Your dive partner never leaves your line of sight
24:22When the turbulence swept her into the reef
24:24Where were you?
24:27Ethan's throat was dry as sand
24:30I thought that deep dive mission was a hundred feet
24:37She's done solo dives at a hundred feet before
24:39She can handle it alone
24:44So
24:44I went to the shallow end to teach Chloe how to swim
24:48Supervisor Grant was so furious he actually laughed
24:52You didn't even read the mission brief?
24:55You left your dive partner
24:57Alone in the deep sea
24:59To go play instructor for some woman who can't even swim
25:03Due to gross negligence
25:05The base has decided to revoke
25:07All your deep diving certifications for this year
25:12Ethan didn't argue
25:13He turned and walked out of the base
25:19He sat in his car
25:21He didn't even turn the headlights on
25:26Lana
25:28I didn't know you were hurt that badly
25:34His hands trembling
25:35He opened my chat window
25:41Lana
25:43I didn't know it was a hundred and thirty feet
25:45I didn't read the mission brief carefully
25:52I thought you could handle a hundred feet
25:54Why didn't you tell me?
25:58Please
25:59Just send me one reply
26:01Anything
26:02Anything
26:09This time
26:10He got a response
26:11He sat up straight
26:13A single message appeared
26:16If you had known it was a hundred and thirty feet
26:19Would you have chosen not to go to Chloe?
26:24Ethan stared at those words
26:26He typed
26:29I have stayed with you
26:32But after typing it
26:34He stopped
26:35One by one
26:36He deleted every letter
26:38He couldn't lie to himself
26:40Deep down
26:41He had always been absolutely certain
26:43That my skills were good enough
26:45That I wouldn't die
26:46So he would always
26:48Every time
26:49Choose to answer Chloe's tears
26:53In the end
26:54The phone slipped from his palm
26:56And fell onto the floor mat
27:02Auckland
27:02New Zealand
27:04Coastal survey station
27:09I sat in front of the data recorder
27:11Logging today's current readings
27:13Into the system
27:17No more diving
27:18No more suffocation
27:19No more waiting for someone
27:21To come save me
27:25The ringing in my left ear
27:27Still flared up sometimes
27:28But I'd learned to coexist with it
27:33A sharp metallic clink
27:35Against the desk
27:36A silver rescue whistle
27:37Sat beside my keyboard
27:40Around the mouthpiece
27:42A faint ring of tiny teeth marks
27:44Was still visible
27:49Ollie pulled up the chair
27:51Next to me
27:54Lana
27:54There's a guy downstairs
27:56Looking for you
27:56He's been standing out there
27:58For four hours
28:01Says he's your dive partner
28:06My fingers paused
28:07Over the keyboard
28:08Dive partner
28:09What a distant
28:10Ironic word
28:15Don't know him
28:16Not interested
28:18Tell security
28:19To get rid of him
28:21He stood up
28:22And pointed
28:23At the rescue whistle
28:28What about this
28:31The whistle I had hung
28:32Around his neck
28:33With my own hands
28:34The one that meant
28:35I was putting my life
28:37In his
28:38The one Ethan
28:39Had put around
28:40Another woman's neck
28:43Throw it in the trash
28:45The next day
28:46Ollie came to my desk again
28:49This time
28:50He set down
28:51A clear plastic zip bag
28:53Inside was a ceramic mug
28:55Painstakingly glued back together
29:01Lana
29:03He's still downstairs
29:04He made me bring this up
29:06Said he fixed it
29:07I stared at the mug
29:10He'd glued it back together
29:12But a shattered cup
29:14No matter how carefully
29:15You piece it
29:16Will always leak
29:19I carried the bag
29:20To the trash
29:21Just throw it away
29:23Day three
29:24A bottle of
29:25Limited edition
29:26Body lotion
29:29Day four
29:30A thick diving log book
29:32Chronicling every single dive
29:34From our seven years
29:35As partners
29:35Day five
29:37A pair of
29:38Custom diving rings
29:42A strange atmosphere
29:44Settled over the office
29:47What day is this now?
29:48Thirteen
29:50I heard he and Lana
29:52Used to be partners
29:54Coming all this way
29:55After her
29:57Kind of heartbreaking
29:59Heartbreaking
29:59Heartbreaking
30:01You all know what it means
30:02In coastal survey work
30:03The weight of putting your back
30:05In someone else's hands
30:09He's the one who did her wrong first
30:12But he's burning up
30:13With a fever
30:14Can barely stand
30:15He's still staring up
30:17At this building
30:22I tapped the final data entry
30:24Into the keyboard
30:26I'm going downstairs
30:28The automatic doors slid open
30:31Cold wind mixed with rain blew in
30:34Ethan was leaning against the wall
30:36His body trembling slightly
30:38He'd lost a lot of weight
30:40His eyes were sunken deep
30:42The moment he saw me
30:44A light sparked in his gaze
30:49Lana
30:49What do you want?
30:51He hesitated for a moment and asked
30:54Your ear
30:55Is it any better?
30:57It won't get better
30:58Come back with me
31:01Please
31:03I've found the best ear specialist
31:06We can get it treated
31:09There is no treatment
31:14I'm sorry
31:16If I had just checked the mission depth that day
31:19Ethan
31:19A hundred feet or a hundred and thirty
31:21It doesn't matter
31:22The point isn't the depth
31:25I spoke coldly
31:28The point is
31:30That you weren't there
31:32His breath caught
31:38Being your dive partner is exhausting
31:41I put my life in your hands
31:43And you used it to make someone else feel special
31:48I thought you could
31:50He was cut off by me
31:51Before he could finish speaking
31:57You thought my skills were good enough
31:59You thought I was independent
32:08You thought nothing would ever happen to me
32:17So every single time
32:19There was a choice
32:20I was the one who got left behind
32:23Ethan's voice spiked suddenly
32:25So desperate his breathing came undone
32:28I never meant to abandon you
32:31I already gave you thirteen
32:34His lips parted as though he wanted to speak
32:37Just then
32:38The sharp clatter of high heels
32:40Echoed across the floor
32:43Ethan!
32:44Chloe Winters came running over
32:46And seized Ethan by the arm
32:48Tears streaming down her face
32:50I finally found you
32:55Why didn't you answer my calls?
32:57Why did you disappear to New Zealand
32:59Without saying a single word?
33:06Do you have any idea how worried I've been?
33:09Ethan's face went hard in an instant
33:12He wrenched his arm free
33:13Who told you to come here?
33:17Because I care about you!
33:21Chloe screamed through her tears
33:27She won't even talk to you anymore
33:30She got your diving surfex ernications revoked
33:33Why are you still chasing after her?
33:38She spun around and glared at me
33:40Lana Brooks
33:42Do you even have a heart?
33:45Ethan came all the way here for you
33:48Stood in the rain for hours and hours
33:53How can you treat him like this?
33:56Shut your mouth!
33:57Ethan stepped between me and Chloe
33:59My business is none of yours
34:02How can you say there's nothing between us?
34:06Ethan, I love you!
34:09She lifted her chin
34:12You love me too
34:16Don't you?
34:17Ethan's face changed completely
34:19What the hell are you saying?
34:21I don't love you!
34:23I have never loved you!
34:25Chloe let out a bitter, broken laugh
34:29You don't love me!
34:32You don't love me!
34:32Then why, when my leg cramped up
34:35Did you abandon her under the overpass
34:38And drove through the rain to get to me?
34:41You don't love me?
34:43Then why did you take her rescue whistle off your own neck
34:46And put it around mine?
34:48You don't love me?
34:52Then why did you leave her alone in the deep sea thirteen times
34:56To come to the shallow end with me?
35:01With every word, Ethan's face went one shade paler
35:05And my left ear
35:07It felt like a steel needle had been driven in deep
35:14I only helped you because you were so helpless
35:18I pitied you
35:21You gave me every bit of the devotion that belonged to your girlfriend
35:25And now you're telling me it was just pity?
35:28Ethan stopped trying to reason with her
35:31He turned to me, frantic
35:33Lana, it wasn't like that
35:35She's the one who got the wrong idea
35:39You were the one who gave her room to get the wrong idea
35:44And you crossed the line yourself
35:47He had severed the oxygen line with his own hands
35:50And now he was asking me if I needed help breathing
35:56I don't care what you were thinking
35:58And I don't care where your heart is
36:01I won't interfere in your life
36:03I looked him straight in the eyes
36:05So please
36:08Stop interfering in mine
36:10I turned around and walked back upstairs
36:12I didn't look back
36:16After that day, Chloe went back home
36:19But Ethan didn't leave
36:22He rented a ground floor apartment in the building across from mine
36:29If he pushed open his window
36:31He could see the light in my kitchen
36:36He stopped standing outside the office building every day
36:41Instead, every morning
36:43A paper bag appeared hanging from the handle of my workstation door
36:49A cup of hot americano
36:51To slices of whole wheat toast
36:53No cheese
36:57When I got off work, the sky was usually already dark
37:02The survey station is at a remote port
37:05The two-mile coastal road from the station to the bus stop has no street lights
37:12Walking home after dark
37:13I always heard it
37:15A faint footstep
37:16Trailing ten or fifteen yards behind me
37:19When I stopped
37:20The sound stopped
37:21When I turned a corner, the sound followed
37:24One night
37:25A stray dog bolted out of nowhere and knocked me on the trash can
37:30The footsteps behind me scrambled out of rhythm
37:33He ran forward a few steps
37:35Then stopped
37:36Five yards away
37:38The dim glow of a street lamp fell across him
37:41He was wearing a thin trench coat
37:43Clutching a long black umbrella
37:45I looked at him
37:47He took a step backward
37:54I won't come close
37:55His voice was shredded by the wind
38:00The road's too dark
38:02You can't see where you're stepping
38:06I turned away and kept walking
38:09December 24th
38:10Christmas Eve
38:11It doesn't really snow in New Zealand
38:14But this year the temperature had dropped below freezing
38:18I finished up at work
38:20Cleared my desk
38:21And walked out of the station
38:25I wrapped my scarf tighter
38:27And started down that pitch black coastal road
38:30The footsteps followed
38:32As they always did
38:37I reached my apartment building
38:39And pressed the buzzer
38:45The footsteps behind me stopped
38:47At the edge of the street lamp's glow
38:51He stood there
38:52His shoulders soaked through from the rain
38:57Ethan Pierce
39:02Here
39:04How long are you going to follow me?
39:06His voice was hoarse
39:08I'm not trying to bother you
39:11I just
39:11I just want to make sure you get home safe
39:17It's cold out
39:20I looked at his lips
39:22Tinged blue from the freezing air
39:24Come inside
39:28The living room lights were off
39:30Only a single floor lamp was on
39:34I walked into the kitchen
39:35Turned on the stove
39:37I filled a pot with water
39:39And added some more cocoa powder
39:41He sat on the edge of the couch
39:43Body rigid
39:44Hands clasped together
39:46He didn't even dare lean back
39:49Do you remember
39:51One Christmas Eve
39:54Years ago
39:55His voice came from behind me
39:59That year we were in Iceland
40:01We'd just surfaced from a dive
40:03Freezing
40:04You said you wanted some hot cocoa
40:07I went to three different stores
40:09And finally found cocoa
40:13That night
40:14We used to be this warm and sweet too
40:17That day
40:18He really did go to three different stores
40:20But after he came back
40:22He got a call from Chloe
40:25She said she'd broken her leg
40:26At a ski resort
40:27There was no one
40:29To take her to the hospital
40:31He sat in the living room
40:33For a full hour
40:34On that long distance call
40:36Arranging hospitals
40:38Contacting friends
40:39Finding doctors
40:42I watched the hot cocoa
40:44By my hand grow cold
40:46Until a layer of white froth
40:48Finally floated on top
40:49Utterly disgusting
40:55In the end
40:56I threw away
40:57That cup of hot cocoa
41:03He only remembered
41:04Going to three shops for it
41:06But never knew
41:07I hadn't taken a single sip
41:11I turned off the heat
41:12And poured the hot cocoa
41:13Into a cup
41:16He stared at the cup
41:17Of hot cocoa
41:18The veins on the back
41:20The back of his hands stood out
41:24And then
41:25Without warning
41:26Tears began falling
41:27From his eyes
41:32Lana
41:34Drink
41:37And after you're done
41:39Don't come back
41:41He didn't speak
41:42He finally understood
41:44This wasn't a dinner of forgiveness
41:46This was the final send off
41:50He picked up the cup
41:52His hands trembling violently
41:54Hot cocoa spilled all over him
41:56Yet he didn't even seem to notice
42:00Tears fell one after another
42:02Into the hot cocoa
42:03Onto the back of his hand
42:08Everything you make
42:10It's always been delicious
42:12He coughing from the heat
42:14Tears and mucus running together
42:18He was a complete
42:19Dignity stripped wreck
42:21When he was done
42:22He stood up
42:26He pulled the door open
42:28Cold wind gusted
42:29Into the living room
42:33I'm sorry
42:34Those were his final three words
42:37He pulled the door shut
42:40Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway
42:42Fading
42:43Growing distant
42:44Until they disappeared completely
42:47Outside the window
42:48The cold New Zealand rain
42:50Kept falling
42:51I picked up the empty cup
42:53And walked into the kitchen
42:55The stream of water
42:57Washed over the ceramic surface
42:59Erasing every trace
43:03Deep inside my left ear
43:05The buzzing slowly
43:06Quietly began to fade
43:08It stopped
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