sumhow i was bloghoppin n came across these touching stories...


I Believe You Trailer

Extracted from Chapter 17:
Someone once told me the longest wait is not created by the amount of time passed, but by your mind.

I was sitting beside Jacky, peeling another apple. He could not eat, for he would be undergoing the surgery in an hour's time. I took a bite out of my apple and understood why he was so keen on eating these apples: The taste was a balanced combination of sweet and sour.

Jacky smiled, as if he was reading my mind. His face was an obvious victim of cancer: His bright and round eyes had veins snaking around. He must have lost at least three kilograms within this week.

"One more hour." He whispered. Or maybe he was shouting. That was his loudest voice.

"One more hour." I replied.

And so, we spent the next thirty minutes chatting about anything and everything. He told me about his mother, and I thanked him for bringing my grandmother back into my life.

"I didn't do much. She was always beside you. You just didn't notice her till now."

As usual, he was that modest. Suddenly, he asked, "Can I hold your hand?"

I blushed and did not reply. However, my right hand automatically reached for him. And then we locked our hands.

"Wait for me, okay?"

I nodded.

"I'll be back. So don't you run off! I'm still the sun, shining on you, the flower. I'll be back once the cloud moves away. Wait, just wait, okay?"

I turned my head to prevent him from seeing my teary eyes. A nurse came in, and for that moment I wanted to yell unlimited curses at the nurse. But I stopped myself and turned to Jacky.

"Hello, you'd better come back. Even if you're in hell or heaven, or any other place, you'd better come back here. Because I'll..." I could not continue. I paused, gave myself a breather, and said, "I'll be here, waiting for you."

He let go of my hand and used a finger to poke my hand. It was his last finger, intimating me to shake it. I held out my last finger as well and we locked finger, shaking up and down.

"I promise."

"I promise too."

And as he was wheeled off, I experienced the longest wait in my life.

Extracted from Chapter 18:
I took in a deep long breath but I did not exhale. My hands were glued to the sides of the chair.
"Well, Joanna, I don't know whether you're the luckiest, or the most unlucky girl in the world."
I cried, and I forgot when I stopped crying.

Extracted from Chapter 19:
If I had one of the abilities of God, I would have chosen to relive my past, and slowly, tenderly, treasuring every single hour, minute and second with you. Every single moment with you.
But it was too late. All too late.

Extracted from Chapter 20:
My grandmother had passed away peacefully two weeks before my A Levels. Initially, when I saw her lying on the sofa, I thought she was just resting. I went forward, wanting to wake her up. It was then I realized she was smiling but her eyes were closed.

well.. u can get more of the story frm http://www.goodybooks.com/ibelieveyou.htm.. but the last 3 chapters r juz short extracts(juz the 1 i typed, tt's all). gotta purchase the book to find out.. =_=

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the next story is totally abt the relationship of a daughter n her mother.. well i feel tt tis is a much more touching story than "i believe you", but tt's juz my opinion.

Journey Trailer

Extract from Chapter 12:
I met Khim at the McCafe beside Lido. I could not recognize her; it was she who recognized me. When I reached the cafe, she waved at me. She had red rosy cheeks and a slim figure. Her complexion was flawless. If I were to guess her age, it would be twenty-five.

After I had ordered my coffee, I said, "What is it about?"

Khim was stirring her cappuccino. "I am a volunteer with Hospice Care."

"I know that."

She licked her lips with her tongue. Somehow, she sounded strange, as if the hot coffee had somehow altered her voice. "I'm not supposed to do this. I mean, meeting a patient's daughter privately. But it's all for your mother's own good, so I hope you'll not tell Hospice Care about this."

I nodded. She could talk all she wanted. Even if I were to go back to my office, I would be wasting my time surfing the internet.

"Well, your mother had told me about the complex relationship she had with you. And of course, that is from her point of view. Elle, I want to hear the story from your point of view."

I had not expected that. I thought she was here just to tell me about my mother's condition. I plucked out a cigarette stick from my cigarette box and lit it. That might be able to scare her off. "I don't wanna talk about that." I said, inhaled and exhaled the smoke off my lungs.

Khim reached for the stick on my hand, snatched it from me and doused it. I widened my eyes. She then took the cigarette box from the table and dropped it on the ground.

"She’s your mother." She said, her eyes on me. "And you're her daughter."

I stood up.

"I don't like to go back empty-handed."

"It's between us, Miss Khim. Nope of your bloody hell business. You don't stick your nose-"

"Elle!" Khim lowered her eyebrows and bit her teeth. When she did that, the rosy cheek disappeared and her dimples curved out. "Your mother is dying. Both you and I know that. Do you want her to leave this world with a memory of regret? Do you know how painful that feels? There"re only three to six months left. Don't you want to make things right again? You have a chance, Elle, to take things right again. Don't make a mistake now. Do it now; not tomorrow! When is the last time you thank your mother for everything that she had done for you?"

I lowered my head. The box of cigarette had landed near Khim’s shoes. I then closed my eyes.

"What do you want to know?" I said and sat down.

"Everything. From the time you were born till today."

"What did my mother tell you?"

"I'm not going to tell you that. I need the story from different points of view. One from your mother, and one from you. I had promised her that I will never tell anyone what she had just told me. Elle, everything you say now will be kept between you and me only. I promise you that."

I lowered my chin to my neck and then started to tell her about the story between my mother and me: From the day when she caned me for stealing biscuits in the kitchen to the day when I left the house – and her - in anger.

Extracted from Chapter 13:
I counted the number of wet serviettes on the table. There were six of them. By then, Khim was already walking off. I did not even know her contact number. I did not bother to catch up with her. I pitched the area between my eyes, draped my elbows on the table and fell into deep thoughts.
"Three seconds of words in exchange for three months of happiness."

Extracted from Chapter 16:
"Sometimes, you've got to think from different points of view to be happy. A guy who takes the MRT to work everyday keeps on complaining that whenever he sits on the seat, the people beside him squeeze him with their shoulders. He is so annoyed at that that he will always frown whenever he takes the MRT. Maybe he'll be a happier person if he thinks that his shoulders are broad, instead of thinking that the people who take the MRT are inconsiderate?"

Extracted from Chapter 21:
"Weird world, isn't it? We always seem to forget what our mothers had done for us, and tend to remember what our mothers had not done for us."

Extracted from Chapter 24:
When I was drawing her left shoulder, I saw the numerous bruises on her forehand. When I was young, I would complain to my mother of any pain in my body. When I was young, I would tell my mother the moment I did not feel well. When I was young, I would ask my mother for money when I needed to see a doctor.
And now, had she complained a single word about her suffering? Is that how life works? A mother will always take care of her child? Has a child ever taken care of his or her mother?


n agn... more of the story at http://www.goodybooks.com/journey.htm.. however, they only give 12 chapters out of the total 25.. u'll hafta purchase the book to noe the full ending of the story.. thou it's only 12 chapters, it's still worth reading, seriously...




life is short. treasure the people ard u...