The Wish You Left Behind

Chapter 9: Tuo Lek

Faye

Her boss is a flirt! A gorgeous seductress! And Faye is only a woman with wobbly knees.

As she stands, Faye grabs the headboard for support. If she doesn’t walk away now, she’s afraid she wouldn’t have the strength to resist the woman.

Yoko might only be teasing, but Faye doesn’t want to find out how far that tease can go.

Her boss has her eyebrows raised while looking at her. So innocent looking, like she did nothing to make the temperature in the room drop.

“I’ll uh — sleep on the couch. Good night!”

Faye left like the room was on fire.

When she reaches the living room, she might as well run a marathon. Faye taps her shoulder, feeling the frantic heartbeat there. But at least, that way, she wouldn’t think the pounding of her heart was something else other than tiredness.

Earlier, Faye didn’t get the chance to admire the interior, so now she let herself wander.

What caught her attention on the rather bare space is the open cabinet next to the tv console. On its top right is a framed picture and a few small things.

Yielding to her curiosity, Faye picks the picture frame.

It is just small, that holding it makes her hand appear bigger. It was a family picture, by the looks of it. A man and a woman who she presumes are husband and wife, sit on a brown sofa. Each of them is holding a baby; a boy and a girl.

Faye inspects it. Even that young in the picture, Faye cannot mistake those little eyes and sharp nose as someone else’s; it is Yoko.

She puts it back carefully, but the small cactus next to it grazes her hand.

“Oh.” It’s more like a scratch that she shakes her hand to lessen the tingle.

Beside the cactus is a card. ‘Happy 19th Big sis!’ it says. Its pot is dressed in a crochet with Tuo Lek stitched on it.

It is cute.

Next to the plant is a piece of folded red cloth and an old-looking car key; scratched and rusty. Other than that, there are no other displays on the cabinet.

“Faye?”

Marissa rubs her eyes as she walks down the stairs. The younger woman is in pajamas, carrying a blanket and a pair of fresh clothes on top of it.

“I thought you were asleep.”

“Ice snores woke me up. I’ll sleep on the other couch.” The young woman reached her in no time. “I brought you some clothes,” she added before yawning.

Faye looks at the small set, but she’s grateful, anyway.

There’s no way she can come back to Yoko’s room to borrow some clothes.

“Thank you.”

Marissa looked between Faye and the cabinet confusedly.

It feels like she’s caught red-handed even if she’s doing nothing wrong.

“I’m only looking.”

Marissa hums. “I didn’t notice it was still there.” She motions at Yoko’s family picture.

Faye met Mr. Big and heard of Mrs. Lertprasert. Even though she’s only working for a week, how come she hasn’t seen or heard Mr. Lertprasert?

The fact that Faye refused to research about Ms. Apasra this whole time makes her think; does she want to shatter her ignorance now?