Chapter 20 Section VI

In the evening, probably because the paste was no longer sticky, I found that a corner of the newspaper pasted on the glass of the cupboard had come off.When I was sticking again, I made tea, and S talked about the past from a long time ago.When we were young, we used to play hide and seek together at C's house. "We hid in the warehouse, and you showed me the old kimono you collected. The houndstooth pattern suits you really well." S's ancestors came from Hanoi, and only immigrated to this land from his grandfather's generation, so there are many Hanoi cotton jackets and single clothes covered with thick dust in the warehouse.As a child, I used to play with those clothes, but I have no memory of them.

"Now, I can still see you at that time clearly." S said, raising his head slightly. "As soon as you heard the ghost's footsteps, you immediately dropped the kimono and pulled me behind the suitcase. We waited breathlessly for the footsteps to disappear. I even remember the smell of your body. It's like a quilt that has been exposed to the sun. A warm and sad smell." Holding the teacup, S reminiscently narrated the past events that I had no memory of. "You moved a little inadvertently, so my left little finger touched your shoulder. But you just wanted to be quiet, so I didn't notice it. Your body temperature came from your fingertips. Just like that, I felt as if my whole body hug you naked."

S said frankly that he only hoped that that moment could last forever, and that the ghosts looking for us would never come. Now, I think so too.