Yumi’s Pov
I’m not sure what was wrong with me. Tears leaked from my eyes and trickled down the side of my face. I think I was crying not out of self pity, but for my mother. I thought of how hard it must be for her to deal with the loss of my father, and still have to try and keep my family together. My grandparents were never supportive of their marriage and are still no help now. “I told you he was no good” my grandmother had said “leaving you with no means of support for the children.” How was it his fault though? I’m sure if he had the chance he would gladly come back to life.
“Drink driving, that’s what it was, drink driving.” My grandfather told us. We all knew that wasn’t the case because my father had never drunken a day in his life and was strongly against it. Besides nothing in the police report indicated that kind of behaviour.
I ran my fingers over the surface of the water. My tears dripped silently from my face causing small ripples that fanned out into large ones. It amazed me how something so small like a tear could make such a large impact on the water surrounding. I suppose it’s the same in life really. One small detail can change everything in your life. I often wondered what would have happened if my father had left just a few minutes earlier, or not gone to work at all. Would he still be alive now? And would my life be that much different? Well I knew one thing for sure. If it hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have been sitting there thinking about it. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even notice Hao come over and sit down beside me. “Hi” he said calmly, I was clear something was on his mind also, he seemed sort of nervous too but he suppressed it so I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination. If he was it was probably because he was sitting next to a crying girl and unsure of what to do. I wiped my eyes. “h-hi.” I said, shyly smiling as I withdrew my hand from the river and placing it in my lap. We sat in silence for a while before he finally said something. “Are you alright?” he asked. I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what to say, I wasn’t just about to tell my life story to the guy I had only just met yesterday. But there was just something about him that…
“Yumi?” he said. He seemed genuinely worried, but I hated it when people worry too much. It always makes me feel guilty. There are many people in the world who need sympathy more than me.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” I lied and I could tell he knew it.
“Are you sure? If there’s anything I can do, I mean if those girls are saying things again I can…”
“No its fine, really” I said, interrupting him. He looked at me and I looked away, unable to meet his gaze.
Hao’s Pov
I watched her from the corner of my eye as we sat in silence. Her hair flicked in front of her face and I brushed it away without thinking. “what would you do if I told you that I could take you away somewhere you wouldn’t have to worry about anything?” I asked. My hand still lingered by her face. She looked up.
“What do you mean?” she said.
I stood up and held out my hand. “Come with me, I promise you’ll never have to worry about anything. I’ll keep you safe.”
She looked at my hand thinking through my proposition, before shaking her head.
“I can’t.” She said, drawing her knees close to her chest and hugging them.
“Yes, you can. Just think about it, no worries, no problems, you’d never have to look back. Just come with me.”
“I’m not going to run from anything” she stood up to face me “that may be your way to solve things but it isn’t mine.”
I sighed and lowered my hand. I couldn’t understand it. I was offering her a life free of stress and she was declining! Why would she do that? She was clearly miserably with the life she has but still she refused! She must really hate me if she didn’t want to take up my offer.
Yumi’s Pov
I saw the sadness and confusion in his face. He just didn’t understand. How could I ever just leave my mother behind and forget everything I know? I may have problems but I will never run away from them. I don’t know why he was so upset. Maybe he really dose like me as Ichigo had said? He hung his head and I put a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at me. I smiled at him.
“I’m sorry Hao. But there are people here that I need to help, I can’t just think about myself. You understand right?”
“I don’t” he said. “How can you be so attached to other people when all they do is case you pain? I’m not stupid Yumi; I know everything that’s been going on with you and your family.”
I was shocked by this statement, but smiled. “Then if you know so much, you must also know that they only cause me pain, by being sad themselves, and the only way I can help myself is to help them.” I smiled sadly at my own words, but it was true. I don’t think I could ever be content with myself if I knew that I was safe from harm and my family where somewhere left behind to drown in their sorrows.
I looked at the time. Five past five. I was already late home. I sighed knowing that he still didn’t understand me and moved my hand from his shoulder. “I have to go, I’m late home already.” I said as I turned to go. But I was stopped by his hand on my wrist, I turned to him. “I have to go” I said quietly. He didn’t want to, but he let me go and I smiled again before hugging him. He seemed to stiffen from my touch, but soon relaxed and put his arms around my back. “Thank you.” I whispered. I pulled away and smiled again before running off back home.
*********************
By the time I had arrived home I was soaking wet. There had been a sudden shower while I was on my way back and my teeth were chattering from the cold.
“Oh baby girl, you shouldn’t have been out in the rain, and your curfew was an hour ago, where you have been?” my mother said, rushing up to me, pulling me into a tight hug.
“I just went to the river for a bit and bumped into a friend and lost track of time. Then on my way home it started raining.” I replied before sneezing.
“Well hurry up and get in the shower then go to bed before you catch a cold.” She said.
“Oh but mum I haven’t even had dinner yet” I complained.
“I’ll bring you something up in a minute, now go on.” She shooed me upstairs and I went into the bathroom and had a shower before drying off, changing into my pj’s and getting into bed.
I thought about everything Hao had said to me. It was really tempting to just leave my worries behind, but then if I did…
My mother walked in the room holding a trey with some steaming hot soup and buttered bread. I smiled, there’s no way I could leave her. She needs me too much, and I need her. I sat up and ate my soup before falling asleep.
