Burn with Love

 STORY SYNOPSIS

 

The story begins in the summer of 2019. The beautiful Talisa is a nurse. She meets the handsome and talented Pompeo on San Francisco's Flower Street. He is an exceptional music producer and photographer, and she is instantly captivated by him. Kariva, a woman from a wealthy family, also falls in love with Pompeo despite her somewhat capricious nature.

Blinken is Pompeo's good friend and Talisa's childhood neighbor. Many years later, when he meets Talisa again, he is enchanted by her beauty and passionately pursues her. Talisa's friend Danni falls in love with Blinken.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic breaks out and ravages the world, with New York City being heavily affected. These young people from San Francisco volunteer to go to New York. Kariva works as a cleaner in a hospital, Talisa helps treat patients at a tent hospital, and Blinken volunteers as a truck driver, delivering essential supplies. Danni's uncle's restaurant provides free lunches to both hospitals, and Danni helps out at the restaurant. Meanwhile, Pompeo captures real-life photos of New Yorkers fighting against the pandemic and creates a website to showcase his work. He also composes a song titled "City's Sky" to commemorate this historic moment. The song is sung by ordinary people online, including Talisa. Unfortunately, Pompeo, Kariva, and Talisa all contract the virus. After Pompeo recovered, he donated plasma to Kariva for treatment, and it was Kariva's plasma that helped Talisha recover.

The loves of these young people are elevated amidst their lives as volunteers. In the summer of 2021, they return to their hometown of San Francisco and meet again on Flower Street...

This story revolves around the scenes described in the lyrics of the theme song "City's Sky": the harsh reality of the pandemic's impact on the United States, the compassionate and mutual supportive nature of the American people, the unwavering belief in overcoming difficulties, and the tender love of the youth.

The plotline of Americans fighting against the pandemic in the story is based on real news reports found online.

This novel is dedicated to all Americans fighting against the pandemic and those living in the United States

1. 

In June, the best weather in San Francisco, the rain in March and April changed the almost yellow surface of California to a bright green. As for the Flower Street in downtown San Francisco, hydrangea is particularly distinctive at this time, and it is the most eye-catching among all kinds of flowers. "Flower Street" is actually what the Chinese call it. Its actual street name is Lombard Street, which is a very long street on a steep hillside, extending from the foot of the hill to the top of the hill. And "Flower Street" is the section of road between the two side streets on the hillside, and this section of road is very steep. So, the designer designed the Lina of this section in a "Z" shape, controlling the speed of the vehicles and improving safety. For the sake of beauty, the designer built many flower gardens here, planting various flowers. These flower gardens surround the "Z"-shaped one-way Lina, and cars can only drive slowly from top to bottom, crawling like a turtle. Of course, this slow crawl also allows passengers in the car to enjoy the flowers. The designer never dreamed that his design inspiration would make "Flower Street" a famous scenic spot in San Francisco, renowned worldwide.

On both sides of the hillside, tall trees are planted. In front of each building, there are small flower gardens with various flowers. Some walls of the buildings are covered with large, vibrant red azaleas, competing for the historical glory of Huajie. On both sides of the hillside of this section of "Flower Street," there are fenced stairs for pedestrians to ascend and descend. Additionally, there are platforms in this street for visitors to enter for photography and flower viewing. Every year, many tourists, including various photographers, come here to visit. When you reach the top of the hillside of Huajie, you can see the buildings in the urban area in the distance, as well as the sea. In most cases, the color of the sea is gray due to San Francisco being shrouded in fog throughout the year.

One day in June 2019.

A three-person advertising photography team arrived here. Lina (42), a well-known female photographer in San Francisco, brought Talisha (22) and Danni (21) to shoot some commercials.

Talisha has Spanish and British ancestry. Her facial features are beautiful, with black hair, black eyebrows, black eyes, and delicate skin. This Spanish feature makes her unique, but she has the tall and slender figure of the British. Her temperament is gentle, kind, and a little shy.

In the middle of the street, there is a platform located at the stairs on the left, 500 feet from the top of the mountain. Lina was attracted to this spot and asked Talisha and Danni to stand on the platform, waiting for her instructions.

When a beautiful girl stands next to flowers, it always captures attention. People passing by couldn't help but gaze at her.

Lina is holding a professional camera, selecting the best shooting position. Danni holds the reflector, serving as the assistant and responsible for lighting. She wears headphones, indulging in her favorite Mexican music, and bobs her head to the rhythm of the songs in the headphones.

At the mountaintop, a "ding-ding" tram with San Francisco characteristics arrived here, making a few "ding-ding" sounds before stopping, and the tourists got off the tram.

 

Pompeo (28), a music producer and photographer. As he walked to the edge of the hillside, he saw the view of the city in the distance.

Loud praises from tourists came from the mountaintop, including the vibrant voices of children. Talisha turned her head and looked up towards the mountaintop. At a glance, she saw Pompeo: he was holding a professional video camera, exuding a gentle and wise temperament, and had a handsome and sunny appearance, immediately capturing her attention and making her heart flutter. Oh, he was her type, as the Chinese say, "this is my dish."

Lina: "Talisha, come here."

Talisha followed Lina's instructions and moved to the designated position, then adjusted her posture as requested by Lina for the shoot. Due to being lost in her thoughts, Talisha's expression didn't meet Lina's expectations. Lina walked closer, looking at her with questioning eyes.

Lina: "Talisha, what are you thinking? Your expression is not professional!"

Talisha felt a little embarrassed.

"Don't waste our time, okay?"

Talisha nodded.

Lina raised her voice: "Danni!"

Danni, holding the reflector, quickly stood beside Talisha, and Lina proceeded to take the photos again.

At the edge of the mountaintop, after taking some pictures, Pompeo turned towards his left, which was the right side where Talisha stood, and walked towards the stairs while capturing any scenery that caught his eye.

Soon, he noticed Lina photographing Talisha. Oh, interesting. So, he also took pictures of them.

In his camera lens, Talisha's face appeared with a white flower in front of it, so only her eyes were visible. Oh, were the flowers beautiful, or were her eyes even more beautiful?

This is a highly artistic scene, and he immediately captured it with continuous shots. When he reviewed these photos on his camera, he was satisfied.

Pompeo praised himself, "Oh, thank God! My artistic intuition is so strong!"

He glanced over at Talisha, who was still posing for Lina's shots.

Pompeo: "Oh, they're shooting an advertisement. I have to send them a photo."

He prepared to walk towards Talisha, but someone beside him called out, "Sir, can you help us take a photo?"

Pompeo looked and saw a young couple smiling at him, and the girl was reaching out to hand him her camera.

Pompeo: "Yes, gladly!"

He hung his camera around his chest, took the young woman's camera, and with the sense of a professional photographer, instructed the couple on their poses.

On the left side of the stairs, Talisha turned her head towards the hillside while Lina reviewed the photos taken by the camera. But she didn't see Pompeo. She appeared a bit disappointed. However, when her gaze shifted to her left, she saw Pompeo photographing the couple. She instantly brightened up, with a joyful radiance on her face. Oh, like all young people in the throes of love, she felt the exhilarating joy of "love at first sight" deep in her heart.

Lina exclaimed happily, "Oh, Talisha, well done! Thank you! Alright! Let's move on to the next scenic spot."

However, Talisha seemed to not hear what she was saying. So, Lina approached her, following her Lina of sight towards Pompeo. She saw Pompeo taking photos of a couple.

Lina: "Is he your friend?"

Talisha immediately felt her face getting warm, as if Lina had seen through her thoughts, and quickly shook her head.

Danni: "Lina, don't you think he's handsome and charming? Oh, Talisha, my thoughts are the same as yours: I want to pull him closer and make him my boyfriend right away!"

Lina pointed at herself and then at Talisha: "Oh, I understand. When I was young, I also encountered a young man I didn't know but whom I really liked. Oh, he was like a ray of sunshine shining on my heart, warming me for a long time. But God didn't favor me, and in the end, I married someone else. Well, let the beautiful dream remain in our hearts. Let's go! We have to finish shooting the advertisement today, okay!"

So, Talisha and Danni followed her down the mountain.

On the right side of the stairs, Pompeo finally satisfied the couple, and they thanked him and hugged him.

Pompeo looked towards the left stairs where Talisha had been standing earlier, but now there was a middle-aged couple being helped by a young woman to take their photo. He felt a bit disappointed and looked around searching. Finally, he spotted Talisha walking down the mountain, and he instantly appeared happy. He quickly walked towards the downhill path. However, due to the large number of tourists, he couldn't move freely as he wished.

At a location near the street below the hillside, Talisha, Lina, and Danni arrived. There were even more visitors here. Talisha turned her head to look back at the hillside. Yes, she really wanted to see him again. From a distance, she saw Pompeo hastily descending the halfway point of the hill. She slowed her pace, filled with joy in her heart.

Pompeo scanned the area below the hillside, and when he saw Talisha looking up at him, he was delighted and waved his hand at her. However, at the stairs near the street, where three people with colorful balloons were approaching to take photos, the balloons obstructed Talisha's line of sight. She didn't see Pompeo waving at her and continued walking downwards.

 

At the roadside down the mountain, several cars were parked. Lina and Danni hurriedly walked towards a red car. Danni entered first, and Lina turned around to look. Talisha was far behind, turning her head to gaze at the hillside.

Lina shouted loudly, "Talisha!"

Talisha turned her head and quickly walked towards her.

Lina: "Let's hurry to Chinatown!"

Talisha got into the car, and Lina looked in that direction. Pompeo appeared, looking around, appearing confused.

The car started moving, and Talisha looked back. Pompeo's figure, searching for someone, gradually disappeared. She suddenly felt very disappointed and uncomfortable.

Lina: "Talisha, I'm willing to stay and see if he will come to find you. Or maybe you can take the initiative to approach him and exchange phone numbers. But I'm sorry! We must finish shooting the advertisement today."

When translating, I will strive to maintain the original description without making any changes. Here's the translation:

As Pompeo searched the streets in vain, a luxurious motorcycle approached him from the opposite direction and suddenly came to a halt in front of him. The rider, Moses, a 29-year-old tattooed man wearing sunglasses and a colorful mismatched shirt, was accompanied by Kariva, a beautiful 22-year-old girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, who had a similar figure to Talisha and a whimsical personality.

As the motorcycle stopped, Kariva quickly jumped off and toss her helmet to the tattooed man. Then she swiftly ran up to Pompeo, wrapping her arms around his neck, almost hanging on him. "Pompeo!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I haven't smoked today."

She kissed him, but he gently pushed her away, maintaining his composure. Moses noticed Pompeo's reaction and felt delighted. He approached and took off his sunglasses, extending his hand for a fist bump as a friendly gesture.

"Hello, Moses," Pompeo said.

"I saw the album cover photos you took for Daven, and I was impressed," Moses said sincerely. "People really love it. You've become a famous photographer!"

"Thank you," Pompeo replied. "You're also a renowned avant-garde director in the new wave! Kariva mentioned that she wants you to direct the MTV for her music album."

Moses looked proud. Just then, his phone rang. After listening to the call, he said, "Sorry, Kariva, I have to go now."

Kariva waved dismissively. Moses embraced her, but as his face touched hers, he took the opportunity to kiss her ear, which displeased Kariva. She pushed him away, and he felt a bit awkward but remained calm. He bid farewell to Kariva and Pompeo, hopped on his motorcycle, and roared off.

"Pompeo, Moses agreed to direct the MTV for my music album," Kariva said. "Will this increase my chances of success?"

"Moses is a talented director of the new generation," Pompeo said. "Your music also needs a good MTV." 

To be continued...

2. 

At the Rongji Store in San Francisco's Chinatown, Uncle Liu (62), a shrewd but somewhat stingy Chinese man, is surrounded by his two sons, Aaron and Ahu, in their twenties, along with Lina, Talisha, and Danni. They are arguing loudly, attracting a crowd of onlookers, mostly tourists. The situation is that Lina and her friends have encountered trouble.

Blinken (29), who has Chinese and French heritage, a tall and cheerful young man with handsome features, walks out of a nearby shop holding a paper bag. It's evident that he has just finished shopping. As he passes by, he spots Talisha and is pleasantly surprised. After thinking for a moment, he calls out to her loudly, "Talisha!"

Talisha looks at Blinken, momentarily unsure how to react, but feeling that he looks familiar.

Blinken: "I'm bear! Your childhood neighbor."

Talisha suddenly recalls, "Hey, hello! Bear... sorry, Blinken!"

People curiously watch the two of them. Blinken squeezes through the crowd and approaches Talisha, opening his arms, "Oh, Talisha, the little girl next door, the duckling who has turned into a beautiful swan. Oh, I could hardly recognize you!"

Talisha then opens her arms and warmly embraces him. Afterward, Blinken looks at Uncle Liu, walks closer to him, reaches out his right hand, and wraps it around Uncle Liu's shoulder, and speaks in Cantonese.

Blinken: "Uncle Liu, what happened?"

Uncle Liu: "They were shooting an advertisement at the entrance of my store. Your neighbor, the young lady, is too beautiful and attracted a lot of people, disrupting my business. I asked them for a compensation of $200, but they argued that they were standing on the street and not entering the store! Isn't that unreasonable? Now you see, there's a crowd gathered, blocking the entrance of my store. How can I conduct business like this?"

Blinken: "I understand. It's not a big deal!"

He pulls Uncle Liu into the interior of the shop away from the crowd and stuffs the paper bag he's holding into Uncle Liu's hands.

"These American ginseng, I bought them for my dad, 180 dollars. Take them to nourish your body."

Uncle Liu laughs and points at his face. "You little scoundrel! Trying to please your neighbor, the beautiful lady! Alright, let them go."

He hands the paper bag back to Blinken. "Your dad is an old friend of mine. You didn't make it difficult for me!"

His two sons, Aaron and Ahu, approach and strike martial arts poses, pretending to be serious.

Aaron: "Senior brother, if they want to go, they have to pass our brothers' test!"

So Blinken also assumes a martial arts stance to confront them.

People immediately step back, creating space and eagerly preparing to watch a martial arts performance.

Blinken strikes a martial arts pose, and Aaron and Ahu rush towards him. Aaron stands on the right, raising his right palm to protect his face, retracting his elbow to protect the right side of his chest, and using his left fist to protect his abdomen. Suddenly, he extends his left leg, aiming a kick towards the right side of Blinken's face. Blinken, sensing the movement from his shoulder, leans slightly to the right, anticipating his left kick aimed at his head, so quickly turned to the left, causing Aaron's left foot to pass over his head. When Blinken turned around, he squatted down and supported his body with his right leg and hands. His left leg rotated and kicked Aaron's right leg, causing Aaron to squat down in pain. Blinken did not stand up but continued to support the ground with both hands, squatting on the left foot as the center of gravity. He swung his right leg and swept towards Ahu's right foot, who attacked him from the left, causing Ahu to fall forward to the ground. Blinken jumped up with a somersault, reaching out to pull him up.

The two brothers bow to Blinken together. "Senior brother, impressive skills! Junior brother admires you!" Blinken embraces them, and the onlookers applaud enthusiastically, thrilled by the spectacular performance.

Blinken walks over to Talisha, looking at her and Lina. "It's alright. You can go now."

Danni grabs Blinken's left arm with both hands and shakes it, expressing excitement and admiration. "Oh, Bear, you're so amazing!"

Blinken politely removes her hand.

Lina looks at Talisha and Uncle Liu, smiling. "Young man, thank you! Okay, Talisha, let's go to the Art Palace."

Blinken quickly says, "Take my car, I'll take you there."

Danni pats Blinken's arm affectionately. "Great! You're our tour guide!"

She then grabs Blinken's arm and shakes it. Blinken politely

takes her hand, lightly kisses the back of it, and then lets go, but his eyes remain fixed on Talisha.

Lina says, "Danni, we're here for work, not sightseeing!"

The onlookers laugh.

Danni doesn't feel embarrassed at all and continues to smile brightly at Blinken.

Lina sees through it all. "Oh, a young man who dropped from the sky, a sudden arrangement by God!"

She winks at Talisha, making her a little embarrassed. However, her expression only shows gratitude towards Blinken.

To be continued……

3.

On the mountainside in the northern part of San Francisco, where the lush trees thrive and the environment is pleasant, you can see the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge, the world's first suspension bridge, in the southern direction. Talisha's home is located halfway up the mountain, in a residential area. Before Blinken brought Talisha back, her mother Alice (58), a beautiful Spanish woman, sat in a wheelchair, pushed by her 19-year-old son Patro, taking a walk on the sidewalk.

Alice softly sang a Spanish folk song.

Zhuoni (47), a Chinese man, walked towards them while listening to his phone.

Alice called out loudly, "Zhuoni!"

Zhuoni stopped and ended the call on his phone.

Alice said, "Are you alright? But I'm a bit unhappy."

Zhuoni looked at her.

Alice angrily said, "You helped me replace the roof two years ago, and now it's leaking this year. You should be responsible for fixing it."

Zhuoni replied, "Dear madam, as I told you, I inspected the leaking area, and it was damaged by small animals climbing on the roof. It's not my responsibility." He turned and pointed at Alice's house ahead, "Look, the branches of the big tree extend onto your roof, allowing small animals to climb and jump around. I suggested cutting those branches, but you said they keep the house cool in the summer."

Alice retorted, "I haven't seen the roof myself, you're the one who said that!"

Zhuoni replied, "I'm stating the facts. If you don't believe me, let Patro go up and have a look."

Alice grew even angrier, "You want my son to climb on the roof? He has never climbed on a roof before! I won't let him climb on the roof! I ended up in a wheelchair because I fell from the roof! Do you want my son to get injured too?"

Zhuoni felt awkward and shrugged, indicating that wasn't what he meant.

Confidently, Patro said, "Mom, I can give it a try. I believe I can do it, yes!"

Alice stared at him with wide eyes, ready to scold, but then she saw a beautiful creamy-white sedan approaching and slowly coming to a stop. And to her surprise, Blinken got out of the car, causing her eyes to widen even more. Then, she saw Blinken open the car door, and following that, Talisha stepped out of the car.

Alice exclaimed loudly, "Hi, Blinken!"

Blinken turned around, quickly walking towards her and bending down to embrace her. "Alice, my beautiful neighbor aunt, oh, it's been so long! Oh, I'm ashamed I haven't come to see you..."

Alice interrupted, "Bear, you've grown taller and more handsome. I could hardly recognize you."

"I've really become handsome?" Blinken touched his face, smiled, and then walked over to Patro's side, extending his hand to pat his shoulder. "You must be Patro! A truly handsome young man!"

Patro replied, "Hi, Bear!"

Alice interjected, "Patro, no rudeness!"

Patro apologized, "Blinken, sorry!"

Blinken shrugged and said, "Oh, it doesn't matter! No need to worry! You must be in college now. What grade are you in?"

Patro answered, "Freshman year."

Blinken exclaimed, "Get a Ph.D. for your mom!"

Patro nodded confidently.

Nearby, Zuni quickly said, "Sorry, Alice, I have work waiting for me."

He hurriedly walked towards a nearby car, opened the door, and got in.

Blinken asked, "Alice, is there something wrong?"

Alice replied, "Sigh! He's Zuni, the one I hired to install a new roof two years ago, but now it's leaking. He says it's caused by small animals, not his responsibility, and he doesn't want to fix it."

Blinken reassured her, "It's a minor issue, Alice. I'll fix it for you tomorrow."

Alice asked, "You can fix roofs?"

Blinken chuckled lightly, "Piece of cake! No need to worry!"

Alice brightened up, "You must stay for dinner today!"

Blinken agreed, "Oh good. Thanks!"

He glanced at Talisha standing beside him, and she warmly smiled at him, which made him feel as if his heart was soaked in honey.

Alice noticed this detail and a smile appeared on her face.

 

The next morning, Blinken drove to a home goods store in San Francisco，when he turned out from an aisle and nearly bumped into Danni.

Blinken: "Sorry!"

But Danni was delighted and exclaimed loudly, "It's you, Bear!" She grabbed his arm with both hands and shook it excitedly.

Blinken couldn't recall her name for a moment. "You are...?"

"I'm Danni, Talisha's friend. We did the ad together..."

Blinken: "Oh, you're... Danni."

"You remember my name? Oh, Bear, you're so cool!" She shook his arm even more enthusiastically, and it seemed like she wanted to kiss him.

Blinken gently removed her hand from his arm. "Can you call me Blinken instead?"

"Blinken! Blinken!" Danni exclaimed excitedly.

"I need to buy some things," he said, walking ahead.

Danni followed him. "What are you buying?"

"Materials to fix a roof leak."

"You know how to fix a roof leak?"

"I don't."

"Then how will you repair it?"

He walked into another aisle, saying, "There are plenty of videos that teach you! It's so easy!"

"In my bathroom, there's a crack near the wall. What should I buy to fix it?"

Blinken chuckled. "I don't know either. Watch some videos you will know."

He picked up a can of leak-sealing paint, politely smiled at Danni, and said, "Goodbye! I wish you a wonderful time!"

Danni wanted to say something more, but he had already walked away briskly, leaving her slightly disappointed.

However, her excitement returned as she thought, "Blinken,

I'm sure I'll meet you again!"

 

Alice pushed the wheelchair out of the front door, stopped, and looked up at the roof. Blinken was repairing the roof and happily humming a song.

Alice: "Blinken, is that a new song?"

Blinken: "Yes. I like this song. Let me sing it for you!"

Alice, with interest: "Go ahead and sing."

He then sang loudly, "In my heart, there's a story, so simple, just you and me. Only plains and forests, spring, summer, autumn, winter, sunrise, sunset, shining upon you, shining upon me. In my heart, there's a story, so ordinary, just you and me. Only mountains, rivers, and oceans, all seasons, tides ebb and flow, embracing you, embracing me.

"It's this simple and ordinary story, woven from those extraordinary lines of poetry: every word, every line, soaked in your true emotions, my love."

"Blinken, this song is so beautiful!" Alice exclaimed. Watching Blinken on the roof, her expression showed that she really liked him. Talisha walked out of the house with a bottle of water in her hand. As she approached her mother, the look her mother gave her was meaningful.

Alice: "Talisha, Blinken's behavior reminds me of your father's pursuit of me back in the day."

Talisha simply smiled, not answering her mother's question, but addressing Blinken on the roof: "Blinken!"

Blinken turned to look at her, and Talisa threw him the water. He opened the bottle and took a sip, exaggerating his reaction: "Talisha, this is the sweetest water in the world!"

"Oh my, it's just like your father back in the day!" Alice exclaimed.

Talisha calmly smiled and walked into the house. Alice looked at her daughter's figure and then looked up at the roof, encouraging Blinken loudly: "Blinken, keep it up!"

Blinken: "Yes! I understand! I will!"

He climbed down the stairs: "No more leaks!" He went to a bucket by the house, turned on the water tap, washed his face, picked up a towel hanging on the wall, and wiped his face before hanging the towel back in its place.

Alice looked at him kindly, thinking to herself, "Oh, a meticulous man must have a gentle personality. A young man who is cheerful, capable, and warm-hearted is trustworthy." 

To be continued……