Step to You

FORTY-FOUR

Rose's POV

Two large suitcases being loaded in the taxi greeted me when I arrived home. I rushed inside, wondering who on earth might be leaving?

"---Son, listen!"

My heart started hammering inside my chest as I heard Auntie's anguised voice.

"No, mom, you listen, please!"

Are they fighting? I heard their voices from the living room. Then, what I see upon entering made me stop: Auntie holding her son by the arm, crying, and JK looking so angry while pushing his mom away. Jasmine is standing at the middle of the staircase. She, too, is crying.

"JK!" I said as I approached them.

"Rosie!" Auntie looked at me with tearstained face. "Please tell JK not to leave!"

"Mom, she has nothing to do with it! And I already told you I am not staying!" He succeeded in pulling Auntie's hands away from him and walked out.

I followed him. "JK! Wait!"

I caught up with him by the gate, "JK, please---"

He stopped. "Nothing you'll say will change my mind, Rose Anne. So please, just..." He faced me, "Just go in there with my mother and help her calm down."

I nodded. But I'm trying myself not to cry. "Why are you suddenly l-leaving?"

"I decided to live on my own," he said calmly, "It's... It's becoming suffocating to live in that house."

I bit my lip as I stare at him. Is it because of me?

JK shook his head then stepped forward to me, "Don't think it's because of you, Rose Anne. You know what I feel about my mother. Just go back inside. I'll be fine."

I nodded again, "Okay. Take care of yourself."

He stood there for a few seconds, looking at me, then went inside the taxi. I watched until he's out of sight, then went inside.

Auntie is weeping silently in the kitchen. The cake she's decorating is left half-done on the table. Jasmine might be in her room, because I don't see her anywhere.

"Auntie?"

She looked at me and motioned me to come closer. I obeyed, and when I approached her, she hugged me and cried more.

"I'm a f-failure! Oh, Rosie, I-- I have n-never been a g-good m-mom to JK!"

"No, Auntie... It's not your fault..." I tapped her back gently. "Please calm down, it might be bad for you."

"I s-shouldn't have left him w-when he was young!"

I wiped my eyes too. "Auntie... You did that because you wanted to provide for him..."

"Rosie, dear," she released herself from me, "did he mentioned that he's going to live on his own?"

"No, Auntie. I never had an idea he would."

"Oh! My poor son! He t-told me he had... he had m-managed to live alone all those years! Oh, I failed!" And she cried again.

It took almost an hour before Auntie finally calmed down. I talked her into going upstairs and getting some sleep. Thankfully, she agreed.

But the moment I closed the door, I heard her cry again.

I finished decorating the cake and set it aside. There were already food for dinner so I reheated them. At 7:00pm, I went back to check on Auntie but she's asleep. So I took a pitcher of water and some food in a thermal lunch box for her so she could eat anytime when she wakes up. Then, I went to see Jasmine.