Chapter 2: The Last Meeting (2)
276 Words
Please.
That word made my heart clench painfully.
In Gu Shen's dictionary, there was never the word "please." He was always proud, confident, and arrogant. Even when we were closest, he never bowed his head, never admitted defeat, never begged anyone.
He actually used the word "please."
Outside the window, the sky suddenly darkened a little. A gray cloud had covered the sun. I stood by the window holding my daughter, feeling her warmth seeping through the thin cotton clothes, warm and soft, like a small ball of warm cotton.
One last time.
These four words rolled over and over in my mind.
I thought of the last day I saw Gu Shen. The weather was like this too, gloomy, the air so stifling it was hard to breathe. I stood downstairs at his place, drenched from head to toe by the rain, like I'd been pulled out of a river. He looked at me from the balcony, just one look, and then pulled the curtain closed.
After that day, I deleted all his photos from my phone.
Not because I wanted to forget him. But because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from going to see him again.
"Mommy, hold," my daughter nuzzled against me and called out in her babyish voice. She wasn't even a year old yet, she only knew a few words, and "Mommy" was the clearest among them.
I buried my face in the soft, warm curve of my daughter's neck and took a deep breath. The unique scent of baby milk filled my lungs and made my nose sting.
I sent a reply.
"Time. Place."
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- Writer
