Hello From The Other Side

"Hello, it's me."

Her vision blurred as she watched the building collapsed from the explosion, leaving behind nothing but rubble.

She tried to run towards it, but a pair of strong arms held her back.

Struggling against the unyielding force, she yelled at the man behind her.

"Soryu, let go! He's in there! Eisuke's in there, and I have to be with him!"

Nevertheless, Soryu held on tighter.

He knew his best friend wouldn't want her to get hurt.

##

It had been a few hours after the bombing, and police littered the scene, going through the rubble, looking for the victims' bodies.

His was the most damaged of all.

She couldn't bear to look at it, and yet she did, trying to imagine him as the handsome young man she fell for.

She still didn't want to believe that it was him, that he laid before her, nothing more than flesh and bones.

There was a phone in his hand when they found his body. That's how they knew it was him.

She wondered how the phone could survive, but he couldn't.

Soryu explained that Eisuke made his phone indestructible because there was too much important information in it to risk losing.

How she wished he was indestructible too, but he was only human.

##

It had been a week after the incident.

His lawyers told her that he left her with eighty million, in case something like this happened. In case, he couldn't take care of her anymore.

She didn't say anything when they told her all this, just nodded her head. There was too much pain for her to say anything.

She decided to leave the country. There were too many memories there that made it impossible for her to move on.

She would go to America, and use the money he gave her to make things better for herself.

She knew he didn't want her to suffer at the loss of him.

##

It was her first day at her new job.

She was a desk manager at a famous hotel in New York.

She smiled ruefully.

I guess something's never change.

##

The work day was hectic, but lunch break soon came.

She held the phone in hand, debating on whether she should call or not, the number she had memorized by heart through the years of their relationship.

Taking a deep breath, she dialed his number and called him.

She told herself that nobody would pick up, and that she was just setting herself up for disappointment.

He was dead. He had been for a month.

And yet, some small part of her was saddened when she reached voice mail.

"Hello," She spoke into the phone. "It's me."

"It's been a while since I've talked to you. I really miss you, but maybe you're in a better place. Do you miss me too? I hope you do, but you probably wouldn't admit it."

She chuckled to herself, remembering his problem with directly expressing his emotions.

"It's my first day at work in a really popular hotel in New York. Brings back memories, huh? I remember when I first bumped into you. You were so mean back then. Or maybe you always have been and I just got used to it. Anyway, I won't be bumping into anyone, since I work at the desk. That's all I guess. Bye."

She heard the beeping at the other side of the line.

Sighing, she put her phone down.

She knew it was impossible to move on from him, and yet she tried.

##

"Hey, Eisuke. My boss praised me for my hard work today. He said I was just what the company needed. I got a promotion, and now I serve the VIP guests at the private suite. They think I'm a pro at this. Must be all the training you gave me. I love you."

##

"Sweetheart, I had a really bad day. I wish you were here to comfort me. My boss told me I looked beautiful with a sequined dress on, and I don't know. I kind of lost it. I dropped the teapot I was holding. It shattered to pieces, and I got hot tea all over the rug, and me, I suppose. It reminded me so much of you that I broke down. I'm sorry. I know you'd want me to move on. I really miss you."

##

"Hey, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamt that you died in a bombing and I woke up sweating and crying. I was looking for you, and then I remembered that it did happen. I cried harder. I miss you so much. Please come back."

##

"It's been a year since your death. I've been thinking of going back to Japan to visit you, but I feel like if I do, I won't be able to come back. I'm sorry."

##

"It feels like it's been a long time since I called. How long has it been? Five? Six years since it happened? I still love you so much, Eisuke. That's why I feel so bad calling you right now. I called to tell you that I got married, four months ago. I married my boss, isn't that ironic. Anyway, we're expecting our first child. Do you mind if I name him after you?"

##

"I called to tell you that this is the last time I'll call. I'm seven months in, and she's a girl. I'm sorry I won't be able to name her after you, but Eisuke doesn't really seem like a girl's name. I still miss you, and I still love you. I just have to move on. For my sake and for my family."

##

It's been ten years since that day.

She sighed as she sat on the hospital bed, listening to the beeping of the heart machine that indicated the nearing of her departure.

She had only today left. She knew it.

She didn't tell anyone, not her husband, not her daughter, but she knew it would be only a short while until Death came to greet her at the door.

She picked up her phone, and dialed his number one last time.

"Hello, it's me. I'm so happy that I'll be with you again. I've really missed you."