4: 4

4

The sushi place really was nice.

Elegant setting, delicate food.

Irvin ordered a whole table of dishes and fussed over me, putting food on my plate and refilling my tea, playing the part of the flawless boyfriend.

If it had been the me from two weeks ago sitting across from him, I'd probably have been beaming by now, completely won over.

But the salmon sashimi I was eating tasted like nothing at all.

Halfway through the meal, Irvin's phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, his expression shifting in some subtle way, and then hit decline.

"Who was that?"

"No one. Telemarketer."

The words were barely out when the phone rang again.

He declined it. It rang again.

On the third time, I finally caught the caller ID on the screen: "Daniela."

There'd been a time when this stung me, when I'd resented it. I was her own sister, right there, and yet she never came to me when she needed help.

It was always Irvin.

I couldn't be bothered to get angry over it anymore. I just said, flat and even,

"Answer it. She might actually need something."

Irvin hesitated, then took the call.

On the other end, Daniela's voice came through bright and urgent.

"Irvin, where are you? My car broke down, I'm stuck here at the mall and can't get anywhere. Can you come get me?"

"Which mall are you at?"

Irvin's tone tightened instantly. "Don't worry, I'm on my way."

He hung up and looked at me, a little awkward. "Hilda, it's dark out now, Daniela's car broke down, and it isn't safe for a girl alone…"

"Go." I picked up my teacup and took a sip. "I'll just grab a cab home."

"Will you be okay on your own? Or you could wait here for me. I'll come back for you once I've picked up Daniela…"

"No need."

I cut him off. "She's waiting at the mall by herself. Don't make her wait too long."

Irvin looked at me for a couple of seconds, like he was gauging whether I was really not upset.

I gave him a little smile, and his face eased at once.

"Hilda, I always knew you were sensible. I knew you'd understand."

"I'll come back for you once I'm done."

He stood, grabbed his coat, hurriedly told me to text him when I got home, and left.

I sat alone in the empty private room.

In front of me was a table of food barely touched.

A server came over to ask if I wanted it boxed up. I shook my head, paid the bill, and walked out of the restaurant by myself.

It was the last farewell dinner anyway.

If Irvin wouldn't treasure it, why should I bother.

The night wind outside was cold, a faint sting against my face.

I stood at the curb flagging a cab when my phone buzzed again.

It was a post from Daniela.

In the photo she stood at the entrance of the mall, Irvin's car parked beside her.

The caption read: "There's always someone who shows up right when you need them. So lucky."

Just then a cab pulled up, and I turned my phone off and got in.

Back home, my mom was making chicken soup.

I chose my words carefully.

"Mom, I have an overseas posting starting tomorrow. I might not be back for a while."

Her hands froze over the pot.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Hard to say."

The porridge bubbled in the pot, the kitchen thick with steam, and I couldn't make out my mom's face.

I only heard her go quiet for a long moment before she spoke. "What about Irvin? Is he going with you?"

"He has his own job. He can't go."

"Are you two…"

She weighed her words. "Did you two have a fight?"

"No."

I bent my head over the vegetables, snapping a green bean between my fingers.

"Mom, I just want to get out and see something new, change my surroundings. I'm twenty-six this year. I want to go out and make something of myself."

My mom didn't press. She knew me too well.

Ever since I was little I'd been the type to keep everything bottled up and say nothing. Once I'd made a decision, nothing she said would change it.

She only let out a long sigh. "Then take good care of yourself."

My eyes went hot, and I turned my head away, pretending to watch the sparrows out the window.

Early the next morning, over breakfast, Daniela was chattering away, delighted.

"Mom! Irvin says he's taking me to that new amusement park today. I won't be home for lunch!"

My mom said nothing. She lifted her head and looked at me, her eyes complicated.

I smiled. "That's nice. While you're off work, you should go have fun."

My mom started to say something, then held it back.

Soon Irvin drove up to pick her up.

Daniela had changed into a cute princess-style dress and climbed into the passenger seat.

Once, I would have made an issue of it.

The passenger seat was mine, and only mine. Why did Daniela slide into it like she'd always belonged there?

But I didn't have the energy to make an issue of anything anymore.

Once their car was out of sight, I picked up my suitcase and left without looking back.

It wasn't until Irvin had finished making the rounds of the amusement park with Daniela that it suddenly struck him: I hadn't answered his messages in two days.

The last one was the line he'd sent after leaving the sushi place the night before.

"Hilda, are you home yet?"

No reply.

And that morning he'd messaged me, "Are you free after work tonight? Want to go see a movie together?"

Still, nothing but silence.

After work Irvin went and waited downstairs at my company until it got dark, and never caught sight of me.

He went back to my place to look for me and found no trace of me either.

Only then did it hit him that something was wrong. His face went a little pale, and he ran upstairs and knocked on Daniela's door.

"Daniela, where's your sister?"