Its been two days now but Aly is still in this state.. she is always looking outside, her sight set out to a far place or should i say her heart. My poor granddaughter does not deserve this!. Why did she have to suffer and lose a family over and over again?. what can i do to lessen her pain?.
Walking closer "my dear, would you like some cookies?" she look at her and received no reply "i shall get some so wait here."
Although moving around she never forget to give her time and attention to her granddaughter afraid that if she doesn't she will lose Aly too.
"here, i brought you milk too it tasted well with cookies remember?" she smiled and back hug Aly "my dear, how about we go outside this afternoon?. You can't just sit all day, you have to move or else you will get fat."
I have been trying to make a conversation with her but all she did was look outside with her soulless eyes. Even when we are inside the room she will only look at the ceiling but not to me. did she hate me now?. Am i a burden for her now?. A fear then creep from the bottom of her heart from her eyes,her resolutions faltered it glows slower and slower.
"i changed my mind! come on, let us go now!" she drag Aly out from her sit and run to their room.
"Wear this, this is good against cold, oh and use this too.." she gave everything to Aly
This girl, even though she doesn't speak, although her eyes looked like they are dying, although her heart is in pain and her mind is already on the verge of caving in. She can still eat though lesser, she still know many things and followed my simple instructions, she can still walk and open her eyes like a normal person do but as a human, she looks more like a doll now. She sleep, wake up, eat, sit and look to a far place. It has become her ordinary routine like a doll following its program.
She no longer has a will of her own. If i don't push her to eat she won't do it, if i don't drag her to take a bath she won't do it however she can still wear her dress but that is all there is to it, once she get dressed she will start looking outside, on the ceiling or on the ground.
"are you ready now?. Let us get going then" she hold Alys hand. They walk outside and do a little picnic
Twenty minutes later, they were in front of a big house Kimoa or more like a public steam bath. The inside is almost sixty square meter two story house enough for hundred persons. Though its old, the quality of their bath isn't bad and the interior itself is great. It is a wooden big bathtub, the color of each is yellow, blue, orange and green. The description of each is different, green for 10 year old and below with parents guidance, blue are for teen, orange are for thirties and yellow are for general. Whoever wants to take a bath with their parents or anyone older or younger is allowed as long as you are on general bathtub.
"darling let us find a place to sit, this place is good when its cold...its warm once we get inside.." she drag Aly inside. Taking off their shoes and put it to a certain cabinet and lock it to avoid thieves taking the owners belongings.
"good morning lady Hale and miss Aly" the owner smiled at the women and lead them inside "this way please"
"thank you and good morning too" lady hale returned the greetings before setting to a place to sit.
"lady Hale!" a woman on her forties called old woman Hale
"oh mrs. Jins, how are you?. We meet again" she smiled and sit "come my dear, let us sit here" she drag Aly to sit.
"is that Aly?. She is growing prettier every time i saw her, how old is she now?" she smiled and look at Aly.
"she is already sixteen, well it is true even i am blessed that i was her grandma hahaha"
"you look more like her older sister than a grandmother!"
The two old woman talk as they do not often see each others.
"mommy, who is this beautiful lady?.," the little girl in her ten years of living finally spoke which made her mom stunned..
"oh my!... this is the first time i heard my daughter ask about other people.."
"what do you mean?" old woman look at the little girl while she ask her question
"she doesn't like talking to any strangers more like she doesn't want to interact with other people"
"mommy..." the little girl once again ask her mom
"sweet heart, this beautiful sister here is called Aly. She was grandma Hales beautiful granddaughter" she answered her daughter while patting her head
"sister, you are so beautiful.... can i sit beside you?." The girl look in anticipation but end up with sadness
Old woman Hale then interjected "well you see ahm..." thinking about her name, wait i don't know her name yet?.
"my name is Ran Jin grandma" as the little girl is quick witted she understood the old woman's eye gesture. The little girl look at old woman Hale and smiled so sweetly "so can i please sit with you sister?" she look at Aly but this time she didn't wait for a reply instead she stood up and walk closer to Aly and sit.
"sister you know what, mommy said that this bath is good for the body and mind. It also helps blood to circulate properly blah blah blah"
Looking at the talkative little girl, her mother felt so pleased "thank you lady Hale" she look at old woman Hale and add "this is the first time i have seen her smile and enjoy this bath a lot. Although Aly isn't replying she was still in the mood to speak and she look like she was really enjoying a lot"
"its ok Mrs. Jin, i didn't do anything" she look at Aly and said "i hope my granddaughter enjoy this bath too"
"if you don't mind, can you tell me why she was like that?. last time i saw her although she was wearing her usually poker face she can still talk but what happened now that she can't? Not only that, she looks like not on her right self. Is she OK?." She look at old woman hale, curiosity, worry and sadness can be seen in Mrs. Jins eyes.
Explaining what happened two days ago "that is all that happened, ever since then she stopped talking even to me. she always look outside or in oblivion"
She stretch her hand and held old woman Hales hands, she apologized"im sorry for your loss lady Hale i should not have opened this topic to you. I know it was painful to remember it. Oww!. im such a blabbermouth!" why am i so insensitive today geez...
"no its OK, its no ones fault besides you just asked a question, it won't hurt me to answer." though smiling, the pain she was hiding is still visible enough to see and feel by the surroundings. Everyone that knows about what happened only look at old woman Hale specially to the not talking Aly.
Looking at how much the family of three changes in almost three hundred sixty degree change only prove their thoughts, Now they know its real, to lose once life means losing once heart.
"you know what, this may sound weird coming from me but after losing my husband our life changes specially my granddaughter.When he dies it carries with him the heart of us two, we are alive but empty. I wanna do my best and change that thought. I want to see Alys smile, i wanna hear he laughter, i wanna listen to her jokes, i wanna play when she banters, i wanna see many of her different expression. But how am i going to do that?" she can't help but be hopeless.
"mommy, can i stay with sister?" she touch her mom and beg "please..pretty please.."
"oh no sweet heart, you can't. She has her own home" she was taken aback by her daughters sudden request
"then mommy when can i live with her?"
"sweet heart you can't live with her but you can visit if you have time.."
"then when can i visit her mommy so that i could stay beside her forever?"
Speechless to her daughters persistence "sweetheart, when you get old then perhaps i will let you visit her because right now you were still young.
"then when am i going to grow up?"
Looking at her silly daughter she answered her with all honesty "maybe when you were old enough that you can help yourself and do things for yourself while helping mommy"
Tugging at her mothers arm she ask "mommy im already old that time right?."
Still looking at her daughter "yup"
"when that time comes mommy im sure i can already earn money. I will grow beautiful and strong too so mommy will you let me do the things i want?"
As her curiosity intensify she waited for her mothers confirmation and said "thank you mommy, when i grow up i will look for sister and marry her so that i can be with her forever. I will take good care of her and i will make her smile"
The mother who was speechless to her adorable little daughter, her eyes can't help but widened as she turn her head and look at Aly and then to old woman Hale "this, im so sorry lady Hale" she end up scratching her head, she didn't know whether she should still laugh at her daughters liveliness or cry due to her newly found interest.
Old woman Hale who was watching the mother and daughter duos conversations can't help but laugh. She was entertained "its OK, don't worry about that she was still a kid after all."