People say that love is something that no one can stop, and that when you meet the right person, you are willing to sacrifice everything you have, just for the sake of that person.
However for Jeramie (Jem) Marquez, that is nothing more but nonsense. Because what if you we're blind in love on the wrong person, would you really sacrifice your all?, or what about if you just stay single forever? It just didn't make sense for her, who have never been in a single relationship since she was born. You can pretty much say that she's a bit of a late bloomer, even in their writing team, she was the only one left single.
Jem Marquez is a fantasy novel writer in the Clover Books Publishing Company. She's a top writer, along with her friend Andrew D., and Sugar Forbes, who were a couple. She lives her simple life in a very simple cycle of daily things a human should do, and it doesn't have anything to do in love. She doesn't live like a bitter pill though, she's just not interested nowadays.
One particular day, something happened in their busy team's room, where every writer was desperately trying to finish their manuscripts before due, a thing that shocked her.
The door suddenly blasted open, and she came in. It was Miss. Angelica the Head Writer and the Editor in Chief, she looked a bit exhausted. Miss Angelica was the kindest, most inspiring, and intelligent editor any writer can wish for.
Sarah went up to her and asked her what happened, and miss Angelica just smiled and said, "I can tell that you're all very exhausted in writing and your brains might be in a writer's block, so I suggest that everyone takes a summer break, like the ones we experienced while we were students, right?"
Everyone, including Jem and Sugar, either stood up and cheered, or just sit, and felt comfort from the life saving news their chief announced. Of course every one was dying for a break, after so many months of sleepless nights, thinking for plots, twist, and more. They were all just exhausted and breathless.
After the commotion subsided, "Well that's it then. We shall have at least two months and a half of vacation. Thanks for working hard on all of your beautiful works, but while you're in vacation I want you to keep thinking of resting, breathing out stress, and reliving of yourselves of the stress that your dues caused, but I also suggest that you try to know yourselves deeper, to help you in your writing. Okay?" Miss Angelica said in a cheerful voice, she sighed as if in relief, smiled then went back to her office.
"What are you planning to do, Jem?" Sugar asked her eyes, glinting with utter curiosity.
I looked at her, Sugar was a cheerful fellow, whose height is 5'3, making Jem higher since she was 5'8, being around with someone as enthusiastic as Sugar meant that you're willing to be energetic 24/7, so that you can keep it up with her, though she adjust when it comes to Jem, since she treats Jem as an older sister.
"Hmm... Well, I think I'll visit our family house in Bunkyo. It's been on it's own for quite long now," she answered, nodding.
"Bunkyo?... like Bunkyo city, the one in Tokyo, Japan?" Sugar asked, more curious now.
"Mmm... Yeah, that one, I guess I'll be booking a flight then. Maybe I should do it later after dinner," She answered. Then she felt someone hit her shoulder though not so hard and she looked at Sugar, who stared back with puppy dog eyes.
"Why didn't you told me that you have a house in Japan?!" Sugar asked, sounding a little irritated, like a child.
She looked back at Sugar, making sure she can see the innocence in her eyes, and answered, "Cause... you've never asked?"
Jem knew that this time, Sugar would stop asking.
"Okay, fine. Just don't give that look and will you do me a favor, girl?" Sugar said, totally defeated.
In their friendship, Jem was the one who acts as the older one, because Sugar is acting a bit childish most of the time, but on times like this, Jem knew that she must act on Sugar's level.
"Fine, what is it?" she asked, after thinking.
"Umm... Take a picture in the Rikugien Garden. I think it's near Bunkyo city..." Sugar said.
"Okie dokie... mark it done..." she answered, smiling cheerfully.
"Yeeeyyyy!!!" Sugar squealed in excitement, and hugged her too. "Haven't autumn started there already?" Sugar suddenly asked, with interest written on her face.
Jem gave it a thought, since she and her family live in the Philippines, they only experience two seasons: Summer and Rainy. But still her mother who is half Japanese, taught her the time of each of the four seasons, Spring was every March to May, Summer was from June to August, while from September towards November it was Autumn, and lastly Starting from December is Winter, that ends at February.
Remembering that it was September, she nodded at Sugar as an answer.
••••
"So have you decided?" Misha asked her daughter, who was packing a luggage of clothes, while looking a bit sad.
"Umm... Yeah Mum, I have, and it's been a while since anyone visited that house of ours," Jem answered, smiling a little now.
"I just can't get it why none of you guys can come with me there. I would really love to go there with you people," she added.
Her mother looked a bit sad when she answered, "We also want to, but we're all really having a tight schedule so we can't. I honestly want to visit that house, I miss it too, but no one is gonna be here to watch the store."
Now that Jem also thought about it, she was living in a family of four, her father, and mother, her, and Jamie, her brother who was three years younger. Her family is a simple, happy family, but very busy. Her father works in a company as a CEO, while her Mother owns and manages a candy shop, and of course, her brother was still going to school, and at the moment Jem was the only one with free time. She was the only one who can have a break from a tiring long time in work
In the end, Jem didn't pushed the idea of going to Bunkyo with her family and decided to go on her own. After all, silence, when she's on her own, is something she always wanted as well.
The next morning, Jem was all ready and her flight was that day as well so, she wrote a letter for her family. After texting them to say that she was leaving, everyone knew that her flight's schedule was that day, but she can't help but give them some reminders before she left, since she'd be gone for two months.
And that's where Her Autumn story begun...