The Love That Remains

"Eshe?" The landlady calls out my name before I can knock. The landlady tells someone, "She's here."

"Yes, Aunty, it's me." I push open the door and ask the question for the umpteenth time. "How do you always know before I knock?"

The landlady doesn't answer my question as always. Instead, she speaks to the guest. "You can talk to her and tell me what you have decided later."

Her guest is twenty-something, dressed in khaki clothes with her dark hair tied up in a ponytail. From her get up, I guess that she is a wildlife photographer. She might be the new tenant.

She narrows her eyes and points her finger at me. "Fang Aisa!"

Crap!

"The mentally unstable girl who committed suicide eight years ago? She was quite famous back then. You are not the first person to mistake me for her."

"But you look exactly like her." The woman walks to me to take a closer look. "She would have looked just like you if she was your age."

"I am Eshe Yu." It's been eight years. I am on the other side of the country. What are the chances of running into someone who knows Fang Aisa?

"Yes, it's not possible. Fang Aisa died eight years ago. There was even a funeral." There is a fake pity in her eyes. She does look strangely familiar.

The class president.

Of all the people in the world, it's her from my past who meets me after my fake death.

"That's sad." I want to leave this village right at this instant. I don't want the deposit anymore. "Do you need me for something?"

"My name is Wei Su Su. I am an anthropologist. I am here for work." She smiles at me politely. "I need a quiet place for my studies. I learned about the place that you are currently renting. I heard that you will leave tomorrow. I don't have a place to stay tonight. Can I stay at your place?"

"No." Her face ashen when she hears my reply. "I am leaving today. Actually, I am here to take the deposit. I need to pick up my cat from the cottage. After that, it's all yours."

"This is wonderful." She chimes happily. I go to my landlady. She hands me an envelope before I can say anything.

"I will miss you, Eshe." The landlady's words don't meet her stiff facial expressions. "Don't forget your cat."

"Thanks for the reminder, Aunty. I will miss you too." I turn to my former class president. "Wei Su Su, can you wait here for a while? I will give you the keys when I am back from the cottage."

"Sure."

I hurry back to the cottage. I can smell the roasted chicken when I get closer to the cottage. I stop in front of the cottage and wear my sunglasses. The delicious smell of roasted chicken waters my mouth. It's a pity that I won't be able to eat it now.

"Welcome back." Reis is sprinkling something on the roasted chicken. His beautiful heterochromia eyes are focused on the chicken. He looks like a normal person right now.

"Reis, we have to leave now," I tell the god of time. "Someone from my school is here."

He stops sprinkling and frowns at me. "Did that person recognize you?"

"Yes, but I handled it." I pick up the bags. I have already done the packing to avoid the rush at the last minute. "She is the new tenant. She will stay with us overnight if we don't leave. It's better to sleep on the street than live with that person."

"As you wish then." With a flash, Reis turns back into Rene, the cat. "Pack the chicken. We will eat it on the road."

I nod and pack the chicken. We lock the house and put the bags on the bike. Rene sits atop the bags. We rush to the landlady's house. I leave Rene with the bike and the bags. I go inside and find Wei Su Su and the landlady chatting while drinking tea.

"Eshe, you are leaving?" The landlady doesn't look surprised to see me.

"Yes, Aunty." I give her the keys and take a glance at Wei Su Su. She is texting on her phone. I guess that she isn't suspicious. After all, dead people don't come back to life.

"Have a safe journey." The landlady smiles at me stiffly.

"Take care, Aunty." I nod at her.

"Eshe?" Wei Su Su clicks a picture of me. "I hope you don't mind."

"Please delete that." I scowl at her. "I don't like anyone taking my pictures without my permission."

"Oh, I am sorry." She furrows her brows and deletes the picture. She shows me the screen. "See, it's deleted."

"Good." I let out a sigh of relief. I bid them goodbye and get the hell out of that place.