I cleaned Sammy carefully, kissed her little nose and paws, and after cremating her, I took her small urn and boarded an early flight.
I brought nothing except my phone and ID.
Two and a half hours of flight.
An hour-long taxi ride.
By the time I reached the old, rundown town, it was nearly 5 a.m.
The bus, swaying gently, had already started its loop through the streets. There weren't many people—just a few elderly folks carrying bags of groceries, and a young girl in her school uniform, nibbling on a sandwich while reading a book.
The familiarity etched into my heart gave me an unexpected sense of peace.
By the time I got home, the sky was just beginning to lighten. I watched the pale sun slowly rise at the horizon, so white, just like the fried eggs my mom used to make.
---
My parents were both high school teachers, and thankfully, I arrived early enough not to miss them. It was only 6 a.m., and I hesitated to ring the doorbell. But before I could, the door opened.
"Mom."
Her face, once blurred by time in my memories, instantly regained its color. My eyes turned red. My mother rubbed her eyes several times, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold her bag.
"You've really let me down!" she scolded, her voice filled with both anger and relief.
"So you finally decided to come back?"
As she reached for her bag to throw at me, I rushed forward and hugged her waist, crying so hard I could hardly breathe. I told her about the breakup, how Aldric had cheated on me.
I told her that Sammy was gone, and that I had even considered throwing myself into the dark river.
I told her how freezing the winter in N City was, with the snow biting at my ankles. I said the food there was terrible, and the rich people were all messed up—too many rules, and each of them acted like they were royalty…
I rambled, unable to make sense of it all, just clinging to my mother and asking why life had to be so painful.
I cried myself to sleep.
Half-conscious, I felt my mom gently wipe my face with a wet cloth, and I thought I heard her crying.
She scolded me for being so cruel, saying I'd rather trust a stranger than the parents who brought me into this world and raised me.
I wanted to tell her that I'd been back countless times, but I never had the courage to enter. I'd just stand there, in my school uniform and mask, blending in with the other students, and steal a quick look at both of you from a distance.
I was just too tired to keep my eyes open, and I couldn't even muster the energy to move my fingers. I ended up sleeping the whole day away.
When I woke up, my father was standing next to me. He had recently been promoted to the high school principal, his face stern, but his eyes were red, and the corners of his eyes had deepened with the years.
I hadn't fully woken up yet, still half-asleep, and asked, "Dad, did you shrink? You're so much shorter now."
My dad reached for the paddle.
I hid behind my mom. "Mom, I'm hungry."
"All you do is eat! After all these years, you never came home!" My mom made me a bowl of clear soup noodles with two fried eggs.
"I came back once. It was my day off, and I overheard you talking to the neighbor downstairs, saying I was dead and that you'd just come back from my funeral."
"They thought I died terribly and didn't even hold a wake. After that, for over a week, you didn't dare to play chess with me. You thought your chess skills had improved."
My mom glared at my dad.
He argued back, "Who told you to come back at that time?"
I snuggled back into my mom's arms. "I was busy and forgot. But I missed you, so I came back."
