Richard Su sat very still, allowing
the full weight of the news to
sink in. Authorities had finally located the speedboat Eric set off in. It had smashed into a cliff near Krabi. No bodies were found in the wreck and in the surrounding
waters. Locals, who witnessed
the accident, said the boat was spinning out of control when it crashed. No one was at the helm.
'Eric's a strong swimmer. He'll make it to shore before the storm hit,' he told himself, clutching at the brittle probabilities. His son was probably
hunkered down somewhere, waiting to be rescued. It was a matter of time before the coastguard or the Navy finds him. To speed
things up, Richard even engaged his own search parties.
That was three days ago, three long
agonizing days following the call he received while still in the States. Dark thoughts, pushed away with a fierce determination,
now crept back to haunt him. He could not bear to lose his son, not after what he had gone through when his wife died. Even
though it was ten years ago, the pain still cut like a knife.
Guilt pasted the incriminating scorecard
in front of his eyes. Eric's convocation, his singing debut, the subsequent sellout concerts, the Golden Horse award ceremony,
holiday plans; the list went on and on, entries made in his calendars for which he had never made an appearance because of
more pressing business.
Regret now weighed heavily on him.
If only he had reined back after the gut-wrenching pain stopped. After many years, it had finally stopped. The recurrent nightmares
and endless nights staring at the empty space beside him no longer haunted him. He had buried his sorrow, but had he buried
more than he was aware?
'Oh God, what have I done?' Richard
groaned, burying his head in his hands. 'Has it been that long since I've last seen the boy?'
