He opened his bleary eyes slowly and fixated his gaze on me. Elegantly, he asked, “Are you mad?”
I shook my head without much emotion. “Not really. Drink some water and rest well.”
I can’t bring myself to be a stranger, albeit not having anymore feelings toward him. After all, we were once lovers.
I walked out of the room and went to bed in another one.
As the gentle morning sun gained ascendancy, its soft rays enveloped the entire R Province and flooded in between the dense fog engulfing the city.
If one climbed up the mountain at dawn, one could catch a glimpse of a mesmerizing view straight out of dreamland.
I woke up early because Summer had to attend school. Standing before the bathroom mirror, I observed the reflection of my barefaced. Since when did the grievances on my face disappear?
Maybe it was when I left everything behind, and came to R Province. Indeed, this is my healing place.
Ashton had already woken up. He seemed to be in deep thoughts standing under the almond tree.
I took a peek, but did not disturb him.
He turned back and called out to me, “You’re up.”
I nodded. “What would you like to have?”
“Anything.”
Without saying much, I felt like I was becoming more and more even-tempered as the days went by.
Summer was surprised to see Ashton. She asked innocently, “Mr. Fuller, why are you here at my house?”
Kids would always say the darnest thing.
Ashton curled his lips. “I don’t have a home to go to.”
His unintentional reply was rather intriguing as if he wanted me to read between the lines. Lowering my eyes, I did not take it seriously. As years go by, my heart is like a bleak pool of dead water where no breeze can raise a ripple.
On the other hand, Summer was very chatty and continuously asked Ashton many weird questions.
He answered all of them patiently.
Then he looked at me and uttered, “The matters at the hotel are almost done. I’ll be going back to K City for a few days.”
I nodded and did not continue the conversation.
He stared at me deeply and said, “Take care.”
Joseph drove him off. When he left, he said nothing else besides reminding me to take care of myself.
I sent him off with a calm heart. Just like that, he came and gone.
The presence of Louis was a like breath of fresh air to the province. Finally, Stanley was removed from his position.
People at the hotel more or less knew about my relationship with Joyce.
When I was in the bathroom, Jackson sent me a text message, saying that he had returned to J City and would visit in the next few days.
I gave him a short reply.
When I was about to get out of the cubicle, I heard someone gossiping.
“Have you heard? Joyce’s father got into trouble. Not only was he sacked, he’s also been arrested. Rumor has it that the procuratorate has seized an exorbitant amount of money from his house.”
“I’m sure they did. He’s been involved in acts of corruption for years and eventually receiving the punishment that he deserves. Remember how disdainful was Joyce? Look at her now! How shameful.”
“I heard that this has got something to do with Scarlett? How did the old witch in her thirties do it?”
“She’s probably a sugar baby!”
“I doubt it. I heard that she’s the daughter of Louis Stovall. That’s why…”
I decided to get out of the cubicle. They were startled when I opened the door and immediately, the tittle-tattles stopped.
Not knowing how to wriggle their way out of the quagmire, everyone looked at me and blurted the most awkward greeting, “Oh, you’re here, Ms. Stovall.”
I nodded, washed my hands, and left in a flash.
In life, one may get very affected by gossips, especially during the younger days. In retrospect, it boils down to how capable a person is.
Rumors shouldn’t make a person with strong abilities feel insecure because trivial talks don’t matter, what more when spoken by insignificant people.
As long as it’s innocuous, don’t mind it. Who hasn’t been talked about or passed on an unsubstantiated hearsay within a lifetime?
When I got back to my office, Louis called to inform that he wanted to visit the city. Everything in the R Province was almost settled.
The deputy county mayor had been maintaining law and order for a few days. Everything would resume to its normal operations when the new county mayor arrived.
Since he was my relative, I sent him off. There was no airport in R Province, so they had to take a drive to the city.
We exchanged pleasantries before bidding goodbye.
Everything happened expeditiously and seemed to return to a normalcy. I felt so surreal as if everyone had never appeared before.
It was the summer festival.
Though R Province was small, it was a vibrant place. I was on leave, so Colin suggested visiting a famous temple on the outskirts of town. There was a nice hiking trail where the kids could have some good fun and enjoy what nature offered.
The Lotus Temple was situated at a mountaintop in the province. Since many flooded the city center for more festive gaieties, there was only a small crowd worshipping at the temple.
It was nice to start the journey early in the morning when the children were so energetic and did not need any assistance throughout. We laughed and chatted all the way until we reached our destination.
The statue of the deity was enormous. Colin helped Summer to light the candles that she had obtained from the counter. The small-framed body then prayed sincerely.
“Look at how solemn she is. Doesn’t look like a child at all!” Colin whispered and sighed, “She’s too mature for her age.”
I pressed my lips into a straight line and stared at the bronze statue blankly. Thirty years of my life have passed me by and I’ve experienced quite a bit of the cycle from birth, old age, sickness, and even death. I’ve even lost a few closed ones along the journey.
