To My Dearest Roseanne

Chapter 22

There was darkness all around. Roseanne was lying in her bed. Although she might have looked sick, she wasn't. She was just resting from exhaustion. In an instant, she noticed Cho sitting in the corner of the room. As soon as Roseanne saw her, Cho stood up and came to the bedside.

"Cho, I wanted to wave at you and say 'Good morning,'" Roseanne said.

"That's alright, It wasn't necessary."

Cho smiled in the dark and took Roseanne's hand. It was at that moment when Roseanne was able to see snippets of Cho's past: tears poured over a notebook, someone slapping her in the face, her writing with a right hand tied to a table, a bunch of children jumping around her, yelling "Haru!".

Why? Why did this have to happen to Cho? Roseanne wanted to ask her, but Cho was gone.

Roseanne woke up. It turned out to be just a dream. But the visions felt so real, almost as if Roseanne was standing next to Cho when it was all happening. The girl got up and made an extensive yawn. She didn't know whether what she dreamt about was a cosmic illumination about Cho's life or a trick of her imagination.

Much to her surprise, Enzo entered the bedroom. The dog was having a note in his mouth. Roseanne expected it to be a receipt, but Enzo didn't have a sweet tooth for cellulose. She took the saliva-stained note out of his mouth and read it:

Maybe I'm a loser, but I want to prove to you I'm not. Gone back to school. Focus on Mom above all and don't tell her yet. Will be back in the afternoon.

Cho

Amidst the shock and confusion, Roseanne's facial muscles tensed so much that she looked like a beaten-up Rocky Balboa. It took her a few good minutes to get a grip on reality and think clearly.

Cho really shouldn't have done this, she thought. But what's done is done. Roseanne can't bust into school and take her away because everyone would realise there are two of them.

Roseanne prepared herself to receive a string of write-ups for today. As for the afternoon, if Cho remains persistent about going to school, she will have to resort to extreme measures. She will even tie Cho to a chair if she has to, but she won't let her collect write-ups as if those were Pokémon cards.

***

While Roseanne was having her reflections, Cho was already standing steadfast at the crossing outside of high school. She didn't press the button at the pole, but she patiently counted down the seconds until the lights changed.

Whatever difficulties the day may bring, she was ready to face them. Cho wasn't confident she could overcome them, but she wanted to give it a try. To see she wasn't as worthless as it was hammered down to her head since childhood.

The bell rang marking the beginning of schoolwork.