Terrified

Chapter 5: Light in the Dark (Part 1 of 3)

When the world falls apart in front of people, there will always be one or someone that holds on with them and get back up on their feet though they may not be visible at first and oftentimes ignored due to thundering emotions. When all the efforts are lost, the blood and sweats, even tears throughout the process vanished in a snap, when the world turns dark, there will always be this one spot of light to give them hope. They may think it's the end of the line and there's nothing more to look forward to in the future but if they look around them and recognize this one tiny help yet powerful, then the road ahead can shine bright once again.

Winter has come, which also means the holidays are fast approaching, the days that everyone is looking forward to. The snow may have not started to fall yet but the season has officially started. Similar to most, if not then some, this is Yumi's favorite season not only personally but also for her business that's always boosting up during the holidays. Cakes and pastries as gifts and for parties, some good coffee to warm up their bodies, who wouldn't love these?

Yumi should be smiling and getting all excited for this season has finally come again. However, together with her mother inside the hospital room, Yumi's rather spacing out as she's in her deepest thoughts while wiping her mother's back with a warm towel, they're both seated on the bedside. Her wipes occasionally stop, then she goes sighing and adding more to her odd and obvious actions are her low grumbles before she goes back on wiping her mother's back.

This of course didn't escape her mother's observations despite her back facing her daughter and so she asks, "Yumi, is there something wrong? You seem quite disturbed."

"Something's just confusing me, mom... or should I say someone is confusing me. Well, I don't know. It's not about business or anyone in the café though." Yumi sighed on her first words but groaned in muddle.

"Someone? Eh? What's this about? Why am I only hearing this now? I do know I'm always sleeping when you visit here most of the times but what's with this new thing I'm hearing from you? It's a miracle you're not talking about business or baking today." Her mother suddenly got eager to hear more but didn't twist to face her daughter.

Yumi temporarily stopped from wiping her mother's back as she lowered down her head. As much as she hates to talk about it or even remember the feeling, this is her mother and she should know everything. "Actually... I met someone during the autumn. Her name is Bianca Santos and she came from Australia. She's the younger sister of our regular customer in the café, the lawyer." She started to open up so stiff and awkward.

"So it's been since autumn. It's already winter and it's only now you're introducing her to me?" Her mother interrogated.

"Mom, listen to me first." Yumi whined and the mother acted she's zipping her lips. "Bianca is a blind woman for more than a year now. She has been living in the dark for that long already but it amazes me how she's fighting her depression. Sometimes, whenever I look at her smiling while she's eating or just simply being happy over anything, it somehow motivates me too. You know, she may be suffering worse than I do but she's fighting her inner fears bravely and she easily gets back up again. There are times I think that God really wanted me to meet her and let me see that life is amazing despite the hardships." She then went on, grinning at the image of a happy Bianca flashed in her mind.

"I see. So that's why you've been inspired lately, huh?" Her mother teased.

Yumi whines for her mother's teases always get into her as she playfully shakes her giggling mother. And once settled serious again, Yumi confesses, sighing, "Actually... it happened again... The same thing happened again mom."

This time the mother has to face her daughter, only to see her ogling at her hand, "What do you mean it happened again?"

"One night, Bianca and I were together. She held my hand. She held it so tight and I couldn't do anything about it. However, I didn't pull away, rather I found myself tightening it too and even unconsciously swayed it, maybe. I just know it felt the same... or maybe even better than years ago, when I started dating Thayfa." Yumi confessed as she hardly uttered while keeping her eyes fixated onto her hand that Bianca kept locked the whole night they walked on the streets.