Clarence stayed in the car and waited for his girlfriend to come out of the house. He parked far enough for her to not to see it, but close enough for him to see her. He could have spent the rest of the afternoon alongside her. But her text message seemed suspicious from the start. And now he had a good reason not to believe what she said to him.
The nineteen-year-old Japanese man kept his hands on the steering wheel. He left his windows open. He could not look away from the two-story house that his girlfriend had entered not too long ago today. He couldn't remember if he had waited for an entire hour or perhaps longer. He just didn't care. The sun descended and the sky grew darker. Southern California seemed like a forgotten paradise when Clarence had no other option but to worry about his future prospects with his loved one. Here he was, sitting alone in a quiet neighborhood in the city of Rancho Cucamonga. He couldn't look anywhere else. He couldn't even think of anything else. He needed to know the truth.
As soon as he finished cleaning his eyeglasses with his shirt, he finally spotted his girlfriend leaving the house. Michelle had dressed neatly and seemingly for a special occasion. From his vantage point, Clarence could almost see a little smile on her face as she got into her own car. She took off and drove away in the opposite direction. Clarence didn't look away even as she disappeared after taking a left turn on the road.
Clarence let out a long sigh as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He wished he didn't believe it, but it was inevitable seeing as how she left the scene with glee. Her lack of morals didn't show whenever he was with her. She must have been a good liar all along. Clarence narrowed his eyes. He never felt so irate. Even as he sat still, his current state of mind centered on a more negative side of things. He could feel nothing but anger at the young woman who may have betrayed his trust.
But he needed to know the answers right away. He got out of his car and decided to walk toward the house. On the right side, he could see the distant foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. It reminded him of how much he wanted to visit a national park with Michelle, the two of them interacting with some of America's exquisite wildlife. He clenched his fists for a moment as he didn't even want to see the mountains for a little while.
He reached the two-story house and stopped on the front porch. Instead of ringing the doorbell, he knocked on the front door three times. He waited for a direct response. After several seconds of silence, he grew impatient. He knocked on the door once more, only a little more aggressive than before. This time, the door finally opened. He had the chance to see who his girlfriend had seen a few minutes ago.
"Can I help you?"
Clarence tried to say something, but he was rather speechless. One look at the older man standing just several feet in front of him, and he couldn't move. He began to feel like he had just been hypnotized by the other man's good looks. The black-haired white man standing on front of him must have been thirty to thirty-five years old. He wore a pair of brown pants and a black polo shirt. He had burly arms, broad shoulders, and an overall healthy physique that could have made women tingle from below.
It was strange, since Clarence kept his eyes on him. He couldn't deny that the man standing in front of him was handsome. And somehow, Clarence had that peculiar feeling from within. With his mouth hanging open, he was frozen for approximately five seconds before he cleared his throat.
"I'm Clarence. I'm Michelle's girlfriend. I just saw her leave this house. I'd like to know what happened."
The occupant gave a slow nod. "I see. Well, my name is Rick. It's nice to meet you, Clarence."
His smooth baritone voice almost made Clarence weak in the knees. The young man couldn't understand why he had these strange feelings all of a sudden.
He almost stumbled with his next sentence. "Can, uh...can I come in?"
Rick replied with a little smile. "Yes, you can."
He let Clarence in and let him enter the living room. Judging by the interior, it looked like a clean and spacious house, comfortable and perfect for members of the nuclear family. But Clarence didn't see a wedding ring on any of Rick's fingers, so this could only mean that the older man had stayed single. Clarence could only wish that he did the exact same thing.
Rick took a seat on his sofa. "Come sit with me."
Clarence didn't hesitate. He sat down beside him and tried not to act so awkward with this man.
Rick asked, "So Michelle is your girlfriend, is that correct?"
Clarence nodded. "Yeah, that's right."
"That's odd. She never told me that she was seeing someone else."
Rick said it so casually that it would have infuriated someone like Clarence for being so nonchalant about it.
But instead, the younger man had no anger to express. Complete captivation had occupied most of his thoughts. He kept his eyes on Rick and didn't feel like looking away for a proper distraction.
"I'd like to know what happened. Why did she come here? Why did she decide to spend the afternoon with someone else instead of me?"
Rick pursed his lips. "I don't think I should give you such details."
"Just tell me why she was in your house. Please."
Rick chuckled in a mysterious manner. "Alright. I'll say it. Your girlfriend and I did it in my bedroom. She wanted it very badly, and I didn't refuse. And all this time, I didn't know she already had a boyfriend. She seemed so nice, I couldn't resist. To be honest, who would EVER resist someone like her?"
Clarence felt like shedding a tear. The betrayal had been true. Now, he wished he would never see Michelle again.
Rick patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find another one who's better than her."
Clarence couldn't help but feel amazed by Rick's firm grip on his shoulder. He must have figured it out by now. Clarence was never a muscular man. His short and slender figure, as well as his sensitive behavior, could have made him an easy target for bullies on the street. Michelle must have been unsatisfied with their relationship and decided to shake things up a bit. He only wished that she would just tell him that it was over before he had found out about this.
He buried his head in his hands. "I thought it could work out between the two of us. I thought it would be perfect."
Rick whispered, "Don't be so hard on yourself. I can tell that you're a good person. In fact...I'd say that you're a much better person than Michelle will ever be."
Clarence looked up and noticed Rick's smile growing larger, his chuckle growing more mischievous.
"What makes you think that? You just met me."
A smug demeanor had risen from Rick's apparent charisma. "I don't have to know you. I just have to like you."
