Another tomorrow
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Her house is just a short walk from the bus stop.
You haven't left the city in four years. There was, in your mind, no reason to return to your hometown.
Your parents had a messy divorce while you were still in middle school. Dad used to come back every other weekend, and the two of you would play catch on the beach, wordlessly tossing a ball back and forth while the sun made its slow, lazy ascent into turquoise sky. As the years passed, he visited less and less frequently.
So be it.
Your mom ran away with another man, leaving you to live with your aunt and uncle. They were kind, gentle, responsible people who, without complaint, took you in like their own son. They had one daughter, Rie.
She was a year older than you. If the two of you stood next to each other, a passerby might mistake you for siblings: the same dark hair, and gentle, round eyes. Her personality eclipsed yours, though. She was energetic, personable, and responsible, doing her best to guide you through adolescence as a sister. You sensed that your withdrawn, quiet disposition and inability to make friends pained her. But you were living the best you could.
You applied to universities on the other side of the country. You were never the best student, but you studied hard for exams and managed to do fairly well.
Eventually, you enrolled in fairly prestigious university's literature program, hoping to become a journalist or critic. You moved to the other side of country—six hours by train, followed by a long bus ride. As the years passed, you gradually grew into a man, working part-time and even finding a girlfriend:
> The shy, kind music major and aspiring composer
> The cute, tomboyish, and incredibly short soccer team-captain
> The brilliant, elegant, occasionally absent-minded writer
>>227859
> The cute, tomboyish, and incredibly short soccer team-captain
And you've even managed to find a girlfriend, the cute, tomboyish star of the soccer team. To be honest, she was never the best student, and you can count on a single hand the number of times you've seen her studying. But despite the differences in your personalities, you've spent the last two years growing closer and closer, and she's become someone you couldn't live without. After graduation, you planned to move in together.
But now, all of a sudden, you were on the other side of the country, in a seaside town that only existed in your memories.
Your aunt had called you the day before: Rie was in the hospital. While the news wasn't a complete surprise to you—she had always pushed herself and worked to the point of exhaustion, even as a teenager—you sensed an uneasy strain in your aunt's voice, a subtle darkness that colored her words.
And then: "She wants to see you again. There isn't much time left."
You booked train tickets the same day.
An old women's voice pulls you back to reality. While her wrinkled face and kind, creased smile seems familiar, you can't seem to place it.
"Say," she says, "aren't you the innkeeper's son? I haven't seen you around for many years."
> Go along with it—ask where the hospital is
> Explain the situation—ask her what she knows
> Ignore—continue walking to the inn
>>228021
Is our uncle the innkeeper?
If so, just say "No; I'm his nephew." and ask where the hospital is.
>>228102
Seconded
[ Apologies for delay. We'll be continuing today/tomorrow. ]
"...My uncle, actually. Haven't been back here in a while," you explain.
It doesn't seem like the old woman's listening to you.
"Say, I remember you! Right when you were little, running around with Rie all the time. Must have been five years ago, right? You've grown so much! How sad—look at how old I've gotten!"
It's been longer than that.
Of course, you and the old woman must share some of the same memories. Rie used to grab your hand and introduce you to the inn's guests, and then you'd walk along the shore, meeting the retired grandparents that called this town their permanent home, who stayed during the solitary, rainy autumns and quiet, frigid winters.
You excuse yourself. The old woman, still lost in reverie, doesn't seem to notice your departure. You walk along a familiar road toward Rie's house, the old inn. It doesn't seem like the scenery has changed: convenience store, bike repair shop, family-owned restaurants with plastic chairs for outdoor seating. A strong ocean breeze helps dissipate the summer heat.
To be truthful, Rie was not just a single memory, or even a collection of memories, but the light that illuminated your childhood, and the wind that propelled you toward your own future. Over time, the annoyance you felt toward Rie's irreverent, outgoing personality dissolved into a kind of gratitude you couldn't put into words.
You arrive at the inn. The front desk is empty (a sign reads "back in ten minutes!"), and you make your way toward the back of the inn, where your aunt is hanging clothes up to dry.
After the initial surprise, her expression eventually settles on relief and gratitude, and she pulls you into a deep hug. She's grown older: more grey in her hair, more fine wrinkles along her jaw and eyes. The stress of Rie's illness has been taking a toll on her.
But she's still the woman who raised you as a mother, and you feel a kind of relief, as if the weight you've been holding for four years had suddenly disappeared.
She insists on serving you lunch first, but you excuse yourself, ask for directions to the hospital, and start walking.
-
You've never been to the town hospital before. It was a squat concrete building a few blocks from the town center. Despite the best efforts of the nurses and staff, the place definitely showed its age, although the inside is impeccably clean. The waiting room's empty.
"I'm sorry, sir, but visiting hours are already over for today. Our patients are resting now. Please come back tomorrow morning." The nurse bows and then leaves, the sound of her footsteps disappearing down the hallway.
> Respect her wishes, go back to the inn, talk to your aunt, return tomorrow
> Ignore, sneak in, attempt to find Rie's room
>>234396
>Ignore, sneak in, attempt to find Rie's room
>>234396
> Ignore, sneak in, attempt to find Rie's room
