Today was the day Lucinda's home break concluded. Knowing Lucinda would soon be back at work, Yuri couldn't control her joy, as she wouldn't be alone and have to be picked on as much. Yuri rushed up the stairs to the door and rang the bell. Lucinda answered the door. While holding a package of cupcakes that she had purchased on her way out of the store, Yuri instantly jumped on her.
"You're happy today. Did anything positive happen?" Lucinda asked out of surprise.
"Let's just say I'm happy to have my favourite person resume work tomorrow," Yuri explained, rushing into the kitchen to get saucers and the orange juice out of the fridge for mini toast.
"Since when did I become your favourite person? I thought the male kind was your favourite kind."
"Oh shh, you rascal, men are a different subject for now. You're my favorite person after okaasan (mother)," she giggled and took one cupcake to the living room, leaving the rest for Lucinda to carry.
"So you wanna talk about why you fainted at work, when you looked at that man with the scar on his face?" she asked, distractedly eating her cupcake without noticing Lucinda's reaction.
It's not like she could do anything since she's already used to Yuri's behaviour, and it's not like she lacks empathy. In contrast, sometimes Yuri always asks the wrong question at the most inappropriate moments, without even noticing the reaction of others.
"I don't know, it just kind of happened," Lucinda explained, shrugging to change the subject, feeling quite uncomfortable about what had happened.
Yuri uttered, "If you say so," not taking in her response but getting the message that it was time to change the subject.
"Did you notice, Mr. Kim, he looks hotter than usual? Did he finally decide to join a gym?" Yuri stated shamelessly ogling the landlord's son for the second time this week after declaring for the last time that she'd never date someone like him because in her quote 'he's not hot enough.'
Lucinda's laughter sounded like a fresh breath of air on a spring morning as Yuri lightened up the mood, "no he didn't you've never just noticed him through his baggy clothes and since you've rejected him more than once, he's moved on," she explained, stifling her laugh due to Yuri's face reactions…..
***
It was a full moon and on the dock there stood a little girl, her white gown blowing in the wind giving her a mysterious appeal that blended in well with her milky-chocolate skin, her hair tousled about in the wind, patches of dirt at the hem of her gown. She looked mysterious, blood streaked on her hands.
Lucinda shivered because of the cold air, wondering why she was outside in her pajamas with no slippers or shoes. She looked and saw the girl standing extremely close to the dock like she was about to jump in. "hey, get-away, you're too close, you'll fall into the water!" she screamed, trying to get the girl's attention as she ran towards her.
The girl smiled and jumped in. Lucinda ran faster to catch up with her. As she knelt at the dock to hold on to the girl's hand before she drowns, Lucinda looks into her eyes and realises she had no eyes. Her smile was haunting, and before she let Lucinda's hand go, she was muttering something.
She didn't get what the girl had said; looking at her hands, she noticed traces of blood left on them when she'd held on to the girl. She wanted to cry, scream, shout for someone to help her out, but she couldn't even hear her own voice because of the shock.
Suddenly she jerks awake, sweating profusely in the middle of the night. She wonders why she's seeing this girl again in her dreams after seeing her the day she fainted; she was too scared to go back to bed.
Having no other option, she heads down to the kitchen and opens the fridge to take the remaining cakes Yuri left when she came over. Taking a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, she sits on the kitchen stool. She pulls out her phone and starts scrolling through Instagram to keep her mind off her dream, not wanting to remember any details.
***
In the morning, Lucinda's mother walks into the kitchen, she notices Lucinda sleeping, her head placed on the counter. She's surrounded by an empty glass and cupcake wrap on the counter. She looked so cute, with drool all over her and her hair scattered all around. This made her look like a gremlin.
"Watashi no nonoka (my wild flower), aren't you starting work today?" her mother asked, brewing fresh coffee and bringing out some of the leftover miso soup, rice and fish with ohitashi (boiled vegetables) to warm before plating it for breakfast.
Lucinda had opened her eyes, but she didn't recognize the sound of her mothers voice until the aroma of miso aroused her senses. She was startled awake, and realized that she had fallen asleep in the kitchen. "Ohayo okaasan (good-morning mother)," she mumbled, wiping away the drool from her face with her sleeves. She carried her dishes to the sink, but nearly tripped over her phone, which was wedged between the stool and the floor. She put the glass cup on the counter and bent down to take her phone away from the stool with care.
"I don't feel too well today," she lied, not wanting to tell her about the dream she had last night, because she would be worried about her and she didn't want that. She left for her room to freshen up before coming down for breakfast.
Her doorbell rang as she came down for breakfast, and Yuri stood there dressed for work and ready to take Lucinda. "Why aren't you dressed? I thought we were heading to work today," she whined.
"Not me, but you are," Lucinda replied, closing the door on Yuri's face. She quickly wedged her shoe between the door.
"Is that miso I smell? Is my okaasan (mother) in the kitchen?" she asked dramatically, holding up the door with both hands, trying to get Lucinda out of the way.
"Who's that?" Mrs. Hayashi asked from the kitchen, turning the soup into a bowl.
Before Lucinda could speak up, Yuri beat her to it. "Kaasan (mother), Cindy doesn't want me to come in," she quickly threw Luicnda under the bus.
Lucinda had no choice but to let her in. Yuri gave her one of her victorious smirks, saying 'I win'. As Yuri waited patiently for Mrs. Hayashi to arrange the condiments to accompany the miso soup, she sat on the kitchen stool.
Lucinda closed the door and walked into the kitchen shaking her head, "you'll have to go to work without me today, I don't feel too well, I'll join you tomorrow," she explained, also taking a seat waiting for her mother to finish so that they could pray and eat together….. Yuri finished her breakfast before Lucinda and wished her goodbye before leaving for work promising to come back for dinner