Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

The third day was Tuesday, and Miss Hosoya went to visit Chie's parents again. Maomaotou has small public holidays except for the Ghost Festival and the New Year, so employees will take turns to take six vacations a month. Ms. Hosoya's scheduled holiday this week is Tuesday. It was muggy early in the morning, and the cloudy weather, which is not surprising no matter when it rains, lasted all day.As a result, no rain fell, but the business in the store was deserted. The few dogs wandering in the wild area are not as lively as usual.After all, they have fur coats that have been taken off, and they are most afraid of high humidity.

Dogs on this day smell faintly of dog.Nazhi wrinkled his face and yelled, "It stinks, it stinks." He opened the windows all at once, and closed the windows again when the air conditioner failed, repeating this over and over again.But I don't know why I like this slightly burnt smell. It was really difficult to concentrate when I was free, coupled with insomnia for many consecutive days, I repeatedly suppressed yawning. Of course, it's not that I don't look forward to new clues about Chie, but it seems that the gray sky of the day envelops my brain heavily, dulling all emotions.

Ever since I heard my father's account, I've become self-defeating about everything.Chie has gone to a place beyond my reach, she will never come back, I began to think so. Is not it?If she really wanted to see me, she would probably come to see me even if she had her husband behind her back.The fact that she didn't come even once showed her attitude.Since she doesn't want to see me, even if Miss Hosoya successfully finds out her whereabouts, I can't do anything to her. Sometimes I found that I seemed to think of Chie as someone who was dead, like a mother.Mother and Chie unknowingly fused together like a kind of grief, as if I could no longer grieve for only one of them, which felt weird.

I was absent-minded, just cleaning the table and looking for change on the surface, and I still passed the time like this. In the evening, I closed thirty minutes earlier than usual when there were no customers. This was the first time I did this. Nazhi and the work-study student were overjoyed and left as if flying away.I filled the mug with coffee, and after I drank it, I sat at the table blankly, as usual. No matter how you try to hide it, there is always an unbearable emptiness haunting this moment of solitude.After the tranquility in the mountains that accompanied the approach of night also sneaked into the building, even the feeling of "being" here at this time seemed to be gradually thinning out.

I rested my chin lazily and couldn't help dozing off from time to time, but I didn't even bother to move up to the second floor. How long has it been?After the sound of an engine coming uphill, there was the sound of parking in front of the shop. I finally stood up and opened the front door, and Miss Hosoya, who was wearing a neat suit, was getting off the taxi. When I was about to pass by, Miss Hosoya's outstretched hand was grabbed, and another person stepped out of the car. I knew right away that it was Chie, but my head took a second or so to admit it. In that second, I seemed to see the young mother wandering in the park at night with her scarred body. Chie was so thin.The frontal bone protruded from the pale face, and the neck was shockingly thin.

I can't think about anything.It's just the body acting reflexively.I ran to her and hugged her like a fragile object, and I could tell at a glance that she was really about to collapse. "Chie..." My throat was blocked and I couldn't make a sound. Chie is like a puppet, neither hides nor hugs me back, but that's fine.As long as she can hug the living Chie like this, nothing else matters. After a long time, the puppet finally opened its mouth and said, "I'm sorry." It was a pitiful, almost inaudible voice. Facing this heart-wrenching woman, I don't even know how to reassure her.I was almost suffocated by the sudden surge of emotion, but in order not to scare Chie, I just grabbed her arm a little harder.

"Don't leave me again." I hesitated for a long time, and finally only said this sentence. I helped her staggering body up the steps of the door. Inside the store, Ms. Hosoya, who was wearing an apron over a suit, was busy, and the omurice and salad were on the table in a blink of an eye. "There's only so much that can be produced. In short, let's fill our stomachs first. Not only Chie, but the store manager is also like a patient." Miss Hosoya boiled bread with milk, made something that looked like porridge and put it in front of Chie. "This should be easier to digest."

Chie lowered her eyes and said thank you. "The child has a bad cold, as the store manager saw, and he just recovered from his illness." I nodded ambiguously.It is impossible for her to change so much with just a cold.I have so many things I want to ask, but now is not the time. Looking at Chie who seemed to have no appetite, but still blew the cold milk porridge into her mouth, I had the urge not to ask any questions from now on, and just wanted her to live in peace. As if aware of my mood, Miss Hosoya said: "I'll talk about the annoying things tomorrow. It's better to let her rest immediately after eating. It shouldn't hurt if she stays here tonight. Alright, let's eat quickly, the manager."

After she said that, I also took a bite of omelet rice.The soft-boiled eggs melted on my tongue, and I suddenly realized how hungry I was, devouring the entire plate in the blink of an eye. Before leaving, Ms. Hosoya handed me some of Chie's medicine bags and explained how to use them one by one.She appears to have been prescribed medication at various hospitals, including sleeping pills and antidepressants.I was intimidated by the variety of medicines and felt uneasy.Although she still doesn't understand the whole story, she feels a strong hatred for the man who is Chie's husband.