Beep, beep, beep.

Bosco stirred in his sleep and reached out his hand to tap the button on his alarm clock. He gradually opened his eyes as looked over to his bed side table. He slowly smiled as he got hold of a photo frame of his past wife.

Katherine Wong was a light hearted woman who was loved by Bosco to bits. However she died of leukaemia and left him at the age of 19. He swore to himself that not again will he have to suffer through what he had felt for the pain was just too much.

Bosco dragged himself off his bed and left for the bathroom. He looked into the mirror; a tired face that looked as if it had never smiled looked back at him. But then again, what is there to smile about? The only good thing that ever came into his life, slowly and painfully got away.

==

On that Saturday morn, Bosco took a stroll down a neglected street. He needed to clear away the memory of his wife from his head so he can think straight; since he had just received a case.

The street was filled with drug addicts, gamblers and whores. It's a mystery to how Bosco can possibly clear his head here.

As he walked past a dirty apartment building, a woman, who was smoking, grabbed his arm and cheekily said, "Do you want to give it a try young gentleman? Don't be shy now."

Bosco disgustedly and roughly shook her arm of his. How dare she touch him? "I'm not interested," he spat.

Then a sobbing little girl ran from the stairs of the small apartment building and bumped into Bosco. She smelt a manly odour and quickly jumped back. She stood there trembling, hoping her boss won't punish her for running from a customer. "What are you doing out here? Why do you keep running away from Mr. Chan? He is inside waiting for you to give him pleasure, so give it to him! Go!"

Bosco, oblivious to what was happening, stood there astonished at the way she looked. "Katherine," he whispered. "Katherine, what are you doing here?" he said with concern as he took hold of her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Mister, but she's taken. Why don't you wait for a few hours?" the boss bargained.

"I think you're mistaken, I'm not Katherine, I'm Leila," she whispered.

Bosco, down heartedly, let go out Leila's shoulders. He couldn't understand, how two people can look exactly like each other?

"I have to take you with me," he whispered to her, "how much is it to buy her?" he said to the boss.

The lady, seeing this as an advantage to bankrupt the man, said gleefully, "$20 000, she is after all, a customer magnet."

Bosco quickly threw her a cheque and pulled Leila away by the arm.

==

Bosco led the whimpering girl into an apartment building and through the doors of a grand home. As she walked in, she glued herself at the doorway. She hugged herself and looked around insecurely.

"Why are you standing there, come sit down," Bosco invited as he patted an empty spot next to him on the sofa.

"There's nothing I haven't been through so what am I afraid of?" Leila thought. She edged to the seat and sat down, trying to use as little space as she could. Bosco realised that she was still tense, thought he should make up a conversation. This was very a difficult thing for him to do since he was very secretive.

"Uh, how have you been?"

"Why did you..." Leila started loudly.

"...why do you want to know?" Bosco asked back. It was as though he knew exactly what Leila thought. "Don't you want to be here? Do you rather be at that place?" Why weren't she grateful at the fact that he rescued her?

Leila looked at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs. "Of course I don't want to be at that place. Who does?"

Bosco looked at Leila, "Oh god, why does she look so much like her?" he thought. He cleared his throat and forced out the words, "Do you want to be here though?" He wanted her to be near him, she made his insides warm and…she reminded him of Katherine. Could they possibly be sisters? No, she never mentioned anything about any siblings at all. She didn't have any illegitimate child when she went over to Tahiti for a break.

"I'm not sure where I want to be, that place was my home ever since I was 5. I don't have any other home," she mumbled. It wasn't as if it was a proud thing to say. She looked the other way and saw a knives collection, which was proudly presented on the mantle piece and photo frames hanging on the wall. In the pictures, it was all of one woman, a woman that looked exactly like her. She stood up and went over to observe the photo.

"Who is this," she asked. "She looks exactly like me," she exclaimed.

He looked at the photo and once again he was absorbed in it. Leila started to get frustrated and curious.

"I know that I should be appreciative, but I think I should have the right to know who this is," Leila repeated.

Bosco woke up from his dream, and looked at Leila who was getting red as a cherry. He smiled for the first time in years and answered, "She's my past wife."

Leila widened her eyes and ran to where he sat. She put her arm on his back and soothingly patted him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. I thought…actually, I don't know what I was thinking."

"At least she's getting more content," he thought. "It's alright, you just overreacted because you thought I was stalking you," Bosco explained for her.

Leila beamed at him, "It's like you can read my mind."

==

Years later, Leila and Bosco still lived together, going through thick and thin, learned to love, trust and care for each other. They both changed each other, mentally. Leila turned Bosco into a more open and caring man as he was in his young days. Bosco helped Leila overcome the terrible fact of what she had worked as when she was 12. Without each other, they would never become who they are now.

==

Beep, beep, beep.

Once again, Bosco stirred in his sleep and reached out his hand to tap the button on his alarm clock. He slowly opened his eyes and looked over to his bed side table. 6:30 am. The picture of his past wife was now vanished from the frame and emerged in his photo album which was tucked away under his bed. He looked over to gaze at the lovable figure next to him. She looked so peaceful and dreamy, she was an angel. He bent over and moulded his lips onto her forehead and then took off to the bathroom.

Leila, who was awake all along, opened her eyes and frowned. "I can't go on any further with him," she said sadly.

Bosco walked out of the bathroom and grinned at Leila, who quickly changed her facial expression, "Come on, didn't you want to go the office with me today?"

Leila sat up and nervously fidgeted.

"Leila, are you alright? You look like you're getting thinner; do you need to go the doctor?" Bosco gently asked as he walked over to her.

"No, there’s something I need to tell you. I think it's best that we don't do any of that..." Leila nervously .

"Yeah, I went, when I got that really bad fever, remember?" Leila said in a monotone.

"She's lying," Bosco thought, "But why and what?"

==

Leila clung to Bosco's arm as though her hands were trying to wring it. She stared nervously around and timidly looked at all of the stylish people that were filling up the building.

"Relax Lei, they're only people, like you and me," he whispered down at her, since he was a head taller than her.

"Yes, but they have a much higher self-esteem than I do," Leila whispered back.

As he walked pass the groups of people, everyone greeted him with much respect. Leila looked at Bosco with admiration by how he can be so valued among these people.

Bosco escorted Leila into the elevator. A man was already in there, but he didn't greet Bosco like all the other people did, but rather smirked at him when he glanced down at Leila.

"Morning Wong, and to you also, Miss. Leila Tong," he greeted spitefully.

Bosco looked at him stunned that he could somehow possibly know her name, nevertheless her last. Bosco had kept this relationship a secret, not only because he liked to keep his life private but also he knew that Leila would be highly uncomfortable if someone mentioned it.

"Of course, I, myself am one of Miss. Tong's daily customers. Have you forgotten the fun we had? It was so fun, Leila always run away with joy," he added.

"Chan, not everybody is interested with your so called social life," Bosco spat.

"Oh, of course it is not my life they're interested in, it's yours! How, everyone would congratulate you in finding a new prostitute wife. Why, Wong, you never cease to surprise me," Chan threatened.

"What do you want? Why are you trying to sabotage Bosco's life?" Leila exclaimed.

"Why?" Chan laughed, "Wong, why don't you take the privilege in telling her. Oh, by the way, I've taken the case as Tavia Chun's defendant. I think you know what to do now?"

With that, he walked out of the elevator, leaving Bosco fuming with anger and Leila, red as a cherry.

====

Did anyone get confused? Anyone? I think I rushed it, don't you? Hmm...