𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 | 儚き願い

十九 | 𝟏𝟗𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

[𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝟐] - 𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

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❝𝑨 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆❞

· ✦────✧◦ 儚き願い ◦✧────✦ ·

𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑫 𝑩𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑲𝑳𝒀 𝑨𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲, letting the sound of footsteps echo around you. Even though you've been wrapped up in your own duties and assignments, you've made time to visit Yutsuko. You've learned quite a bit since you volunteered.

Yutsuko worked the store alone. Her late husband died years ago and she has been running the shop by herself. She said she didn't want to burden other people by having them work for her. Perhaps it was her joking nature that made you think that way. Her exact words were "I'm old but I still have a lot of strength within me, so you don't need to worry about me!" You couldn't help but wonder if you still brought back memories for her.

You guessed that she lost her daughter after her husband. You get this feeling that sometimes she is watching over you as you sort out books. Could it be that you still gave her those memories? You hoped that your presence wasn't too much of a burden for her, but your doubts make you believe otherwise. It must be hard to lose someone close to you, you thought. You didn't know how it must have felt for her. Of course, you wouldn't, you frowned. Maybe on the surface, it was like that. You couldn't understand her because you weren't a mother. Maybe you just couldn't understand her because you were just a naive fool.

What was it like for her daughter? Did she love Yutsuko as much as a child should for their mother? Did they have a strong bond? Those questions wrap themselves around your head. What was it like to be loved like that? Did it feel good to have her look at you with those kind eyes? Did it make her feel warm inside? How lucky was she? To have a mother like Yutsuko, how lucky did she have to be? Your eyes softening as you place back the book, your hand sliding off of the spine before having it drop to your side.

What was it like to have someone love you like that? You slowly walked to the back of the store, holding onto another box as you carried it towards the aisle. What was it like to tell someone how you truly felt inside? Does it feel good? Having a mother's comfort must have felt nice. You assume this concept is normal but find yourself struggling to believe in it. Did everyone else around you have normal parents? Did their parents love them as much as Yutsuko loved her daughter? Did your own parents love you as much as her? Did they even love you at all? You quietly restocked the shelves, letting the colors of the spines decorate the empty walls.

You wish you could find the answer to these questions. Perhaps it would make your heart feel more at ease if you were to know more about the things around you. It would feel better if you knew what would happen in the future. Instead of blindly running towards a place you didn't know, it would feel better to learn everything about it and plan your life perfectly. You didn't need excitement, did you?

You turned your head towards the grey-haired woman, her figure drawing closer to you as you straightened out your back. She smiled at you with her wrinkled cheeks, "You've been working really hard for me. You should be taking breaks and hydrating yourself! Teenagers got to grow up big and strong after all!" She reached out to you with a bottle of water, shaking it slightly to urge you to take it. "If you don't properly hydrate yourself, you might get some headaches. Today is a bit hot so you should be careful."

You glanced down at the container before taking it from her hands. "You think so?" You chuckled, holding onto the bottle as you twisted the cap off, "I don't mind it. You don't have many employees working for you so it must be hard to run this place alone."