CHAPTER 2

Portland, Oregon
Year 2030

"Okay, where were we?"

"You were telling us how you met Mom," Kelly reminded.

"In excruciating details," Catherine added.

"Right." Nick had his thoughts back on track. "So it was back in 2008, when I was 26. Your Uncle Hank got engaged and it got me thinking, maybe I should settle down too. Then, I saw your Aunt Eve and asked her out. But, let's skip the details of how we dated during that period and move to the June of 2009."

I just celebrated my 27th birthday.

As for your Uncle Hank. He's about to get married that month too.

Kids, before I continue, the morals of a story usually comes in the end but this one is so important that I have to tell it right away.

Never bring your ex to your wedding.

If someone had given your Uncle Hank this heads up, things would have turned out differently.

You see, here's something you needed to know about Hank's fiancée, Elise. She's 30 back then and a woman of German descent but had lived most of her life in France before moving here in Portland. She's a curator.

Like Hank, she'd been in a serious relationship too prior to their engagement. Though unlike Hank, she'd never been married, she has a daughter from that relationship.

The date then is June 27, 2009, 24 hours before the wedding and the venue is in Columbia Gorge Hotel. You know, the same hotel where we celebrated Monroe's birthday and got doped by Randy the Cupiditas. It's that place.

Alright now, that's enough introduction. Here's what happened.

"What do you mean Gemma won't be coming?" Hank asked Elise as we have our dinner.

Gemma is Elise's 7 year old daughter and as it turns out, she won't make it to her Mother's wedding because she's staying with her Dad.

"I think we should fetch her," Hank said to me when we head to the bar later that night.

"You mean Elise's daughter?"

"Yeah, the wedding won't be whole without her."

"But she's with her Dad, what if he don't agree?"

"Nah, Burt is actually cool." Hank said. "I'd met him before. He's a nice guy and a good Dad. He and Elise only broke up because according to Elise, he's always not ready to settle down and she got tired of waiting."

"Okay," Hank convinced me. "When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow. With that, we'll be back before the ceremony."

That was a mistake.

Well, not the fact that we fetched Gemma to attend the wedding. The day would have been perfect if she was there during her Mother's special day. The mistake was we also brought Burt with us so that it can also be perfect for Gemma having both her parents around.

The result of that was a note for Hank and Elise eloping with Burt.

Kids, like I said earlier, bringing exes to you wedding is not a good idea. Because having exes around brings up unresolved things. Like the spark reigniting when your ex is sitting right there. That things are not finished yet between the two of you.

Your Uncle Hank made that mistake and it had left him brokenhearted.

So seriously kids, never invite your ex to your wedding.

Portland, Oregon
Year 2030

"Dad, don't you think the moral of your story is a little contradicting," Kelly remarked.

"What do you mean?"

"Dad, you invited Aunt Eve to your wedding. She was even Mom's bridesmaid."

"And I saw the photos," says by Catherine next. "Uncle Sean was there too."

"Well, that's not exactly the entire point why I told you this part of the story first." Nick defended. "It is because of what Elise made me realize when we chanced upon each other a year later."

Portland, Oregon
Year 2010

Eve and I's anniversary was in a week and for the special day, I decided to buy her a necklace.

When I was heading back to my car after doing the purchase, that's when I chanced upon Elise.

"Elise?"

"Oh Nick, hi," she greeted.

"Hi," I greeted back. "What are you doing here, I thought you moved to New York?"

"Work. Some paintings in our Museum here are requested to be transferred to New York."

"I see," I nodded.

"Well, nice seeing you. I better go."

"Wait Elise."

What conclude between her and Hank wasn't my business so back, I probably shouldn't called her back and asked 'The Question'.

"I know this is not my business but I'm really dying to ask, why?" I started. "Why did you left my partner in the altar?"

Elise then stared at him and sighed. "Okay, Nick, there's a word in German: Lebenslangerchicksalsschatz. And the closest translation to that is 'Lifelong Treasure of Destiny.'" She sighed again. "Nick, Hank is wonderful. One of the best guy I know. But, he's not Lebenslangerchicksalsschatz. He's more like my Beinaheleidenschaftsgegenstand. 'The thing that is almost the thing that I want but it's not quite'. That's Hank to me."

"And the Lebenslanger-thingy for you is Burt?"

Elise smiled. "Yes, yes he is. The day of the wedding, when you brought him with Gemma. Seeing him sitting there with our daughter and the idea that I'm about to tie myself with someone that's not him, made me realize that he's always been 'The One'. That I can't let him go."

"This Lebens…I mean, this Lifelong Treasure of Destiny. How can you tell that what you have is that?"

"If it consumes you. If it erupts every time you think of that person. If it's deathless, unkillable despite all the anger and resentment. If it courses through you, filling and emptying you all at once. I had all of that with Burt and if you have something similar, I'm sure you'll understand," she glanced to the bag, containing the anniversary gift I'd just bought. "Do you have it with someone?"

I wanted to tell her an absolute 'Yes' but something in me during that moment, prevented me from doing so and I instead replied, "I think so."

"If you have to think about it, you have not felt it."

And she was right.

Kids, this the full moral of the story. Never invite your ex to your wedding if you know in your heart and soul that he or she is 'The One'. Because you will just end up hurting the other person who just wants to love you.

Your Aunt Eve was never the one meant for me and destiny helped me realize it though through ugly consequences.

Unfortunately, the 'when' of destiny's plan was still a little ways down the road.

But the 'where' of it?

Portland, Oregon
Year 2011

In that same spot a year later, your Uncle Hank teased me.

"Detective, what are you looking at? You just bought a ring."