“So, do you remember what we promised.
each other that night ten years ago?”
<
After a long silence, I finally heard his
response.
Jake realized that something was wrong. His
voice was dry.
“…I remember.”
“We promised each other that we would never
keep secrets, never betray each other.”
“Then why didn’t you talk to me when you felt
things weren’t right? We grew up together,
what challenge haven’t we faced together?
What pain haven’t we endured together?”
“Even if that child wasn’t yours… you still
never kissed her. It was all her plot and
scheme…”
<
“So, I ask you, that night a month ago, when
you received that call and rushed out of the
house…”
“Who did you go see?”
I looked up, carefully examining his face. It
was certainly very different from what it
looked like ten years ago.
More mature, and much more unfamiliar.
“Jake, what did you say to me twenty years
ago?”
“…Amy, I will protect you, don’t be scared,
don’t worry.”
I fell silent.
<
And so did he.
Clearly, he hadn’t kept a single one of his
promises.
Jake had become a completely different
person
I understood now, why 8–year–old and 18- year–old Jake had disappeared.
Jake hard let them go, but I was still
stubbomly holding on, holding on to our past.
Only when I let go, would it truly be over.
Jake ended up signing the divorce papers
Cn our swith wedding anniversary
く
He signed them, his hands shaking, and he let
me keep a huge chunk of our assets.
But we both knew that he wasn’t upset about
the money.
When we were leaving the lawyer’s office, he
chased after me and grabbed me, one last
time.
“Amy…”
“Is there really no chance for us?”
I turned to look at him, shaking off his hand.
“Jake.”
“If 18–year–old you was here, he’d tell me not
to settle for less than I deserve.”
<
He had planted a crushed bouquet into the
empty space in my heart, and leaving him felt
like digging out those flowers, that were
already tangled in my flesh.
Of course, it hurt.
But the flowers had already rotted in my
heart, and if I didn’t get rid of them, the rot
would spread through my whole body.
I would lose myself.
I waved down a car, and as I was getting in, I
heard a familiar nursery rhyme.
“The stars at night can sing…”
“On lonely nights, it’s singing with me….
33
く
I looked back, and saw it was coming from a
small park nearby.
There, a young boy of about seven or eight
was playing with a girl who was a little.
younger than him. They were happily singing the nursery rhyme, looking completely
carefree.
“Hey, are you gonna go or what?”
The driver leaned out of the front window.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I got in the car, and left everything behind.
The sound of the nursery rhyme was still there, but it was gradually getting softer.
Gradually fading away.
