They said that she always locked her room up. They said that her room was a sacred place for her, a secret in her life that she would not let anyone into. Now, they handed me the key to her secret. It was her wish as she breathed her dying words in the hospital for me to possess the key. "Elaine Chia, what is most precious to your heart?" I once asked her as we went on a date together. Elaine smiled, shyly. "Trying to get into my heart, Yi Wei? You will get a chance, one day, when the two of us becomes one as God has intended. I will give you the key to my heart, to unlock my secret." "Can¡¯t I unlock it, now, my honey?" I asked, teasingly, lightly caressing her beautiful hair. "No," she replied, with a smile. "The secret is only meant for my hubby." The key... she wanted me to have the key. My fianc¨¦'s secret. What was in the room? My curiosity brought me into the flat near Bedok MRT where Elaine¡¯s parents still live in, and where my precious Elaine used to live. Elaine¡¯s parents were glad to see me. They always seemed to like me. What a tragedy it was that I would never have the chance to be their son-in-law. An irresponsible drunken driver on the road took my Elaine away from me. "That is Elaine's room," Mr.Chia pointed to a small locked door. "Thanks, uncle." I replied. The door to Elaine¡¯s room was decorated with tiny little cards. They had edifying messages like "God bless you, sister" etc written onto them. "Why are you always scribbling into these tiny little cards?" I once asked Elaine when we were at a table in the library and she was busy scribbling notes into one of the tiny card from a stack of cards she had bought from a stationary shop. "Oh, Thanksgiving Day is coming, and I just want to give a little encouragement to my brothers and sisters in Christ," Elaine smiled. "This brother in Christ here needs some encouragement, too, and you are too busy to notice his loneliness," I teased, pointing to myself. "Very well, my lonely brother in Christ, I will write the notes when I get home," Elaine smiled. "Now is a special moment I will only spend with you." The door opened and I entered into the room. The wall in the room was decorated with photographs. I saw the photograph of a Sri Lankan maid that Elaine and I chanced upon on a bus-stop. We found out that she was a Christian and Elaine insisted on taking a photograph together with her. I saw the photographs of some Christian online friends that Elaine often talked to me about, who she corresponded with through e-mail. They came from different nations and were of different skin colors from myself. I saw the photographs that were cut out from newspapers and magazines of some obscure faces of some persecuted Christians in some faraway land. I saw the photographs taken during a moment when we celebrated together with a brother from our church his 21st birthday. We pushed his face into the cake! I saw the photographs of the various Christian relatives that came to Elaine's house during Chinese New Year to celebrate the festive occasions. They looked so stern and serious. I saw the photographs of the kids in the Sunday school that Elaine was teaching in. Elaine was beaming in the midst of them. I saw the photographs of Elaine's peers from a Christian organization she joined in her university campus; they were enjoying their food! I saw photographs of Christians, many Christians, photographs that were pasted all over the room of Elaine. Different moments, spent together with fellow believers, captured artistically onto the lens of the camera. And at the center of the room, I saw a painting of Jesus. Jesus' painting was there in the heart of her room, in the midst of all the photographs pasted on the wall. A small wooden frame with two words, 'My Family', was nailed just above the painting of Jesus to the wall. Words were scribbled onto the painting of Jesus. "I love the fellowship with you, Jesus and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ." Oh, my Elaine, same for me, same for me.

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