The Corpse of South Tserron

Chapter 8: Evelyn in their eyes part 3d Anne

The cacophony of crickets accompany us through the dimly lit road as Anne opened the window. She inhaled and the fresh night air and gave a satisfied look while I tried my best not to crack a smile but a transmission sent me chuckling

"That's okay Justin, I also inhale night air. I don't even realize that my nostrils take up half of my face when I do it."

Anne gave me a puzzled look before asking me.

"Why are you laughing Jun?"

"Nothing Anne, you just remind me of Ev-..... Oh.... Right...."

Anne gave me a concerned look and asked in a similar demeanor.

"Why do you still remember Eve?"

I chuckled slightly as the stoplight turned bright red. It almost slipped my mind that I had to ask what Anne thought of her. The light wasn't turning green anytime soon so seized the opportunity to ask her.

"A part of her never left me Anne. The devil is in the detail and the big memories are the easiest to forget while the tiny things stay."

"Even if she abused you, you stayed...why is that?"

"Abused is such a strong word, Anne."

"I think 'abused' is the right word to use in this case, then again, most victims don't see that. If I was in your place, I would probably defend her as well."

"....."

I was silent through the conversation because what she said was nowhere near what Evelyn truly is. I didn't think that Evelyn abused me in any manner. She must have heard about her from Justin and I wouldn't blame her. I kept silent throughout as the red light became green. I drove off with the crickets accompanying me as Anne sat there seemingly trying to calm herself down. When I passed the intersection, Anne asked me calmly.

"Jun, what did you gain from Evelyn?"

"Before I answer that, what did you think of her?"

She blushed slightly before dismissing the blood in her cheeks with a scathing rant.

"I think that she's a manipulative, dense, spoiled baby doll. She hasn't worked a single day in her life and if one thing doesn't go her way, she lets out a tantrum."

She was seething by the end of her rant. I gave her a moment to calm down before I responded.

"I didn't gain anything."

She exploded after and in an angered tone, she said.

"THAT'S THE THING JUN, WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT SHE'S JUST-"

"She gained something from me."

Her angered face morphed into a blush as I cut her off. The night concealed her red cheeks but I can hear the embarrassment in her voice. She looked away from me and out the window as I pressed on.

"Anne tell me, did you ever talk to Evelyn ?"

"No.......I heard it all from Justin."

"Well, I didn't gain anything from Evelyn, if anything, she gained from me."

"The reason why I left Justin for Evelyn was the fact that I love her and I won't deny that but as time passed by, I realized that she liked Ace even more. It hurt for a while but I've accepted that and I've moved from a lover to a father."

"You can say that I left Justin to you because Evelyn needed someone to look out for her but-"

I stopped mid-sentence before realizing that what I did to Evelyn is similar to what I did to Justin. She needed a father figure and I was there for her but it doesn't diminish the fact that I left him but at the same time, I left him because I couldn't fix his problem and I passed him to Anne who did fix his problem. Anne looked at me because of the strange pause and then sighed as she cheerfully told me.

"When you say it like that, it makes a lot of sense why you left Justin for Evelyn. I guess she needed you more than Justin did and it worked out in the end. I helped Justin with his father and if Evelyn was still alive today, she'd probably be a good friend of ours. After what you told me, I can say without a doubt that you're the bravest man I have ever met. To be purposefully fatherzoned just to keep her safe is such a noble thing to do and I commend you for that. I just wish that Evelyn was still here. I would have liked to talk to her and maybe convince her that you and Justin like each other hahaha....."

She gave a hearty laugh as she ended her talk while I smiled at her as we approached the house. It was 9 PM when we arrived home but the lights downstairs were already closed. We left the groceries inside since we will be using the bus tomorrow. Anne commented on the situation by saying.

"They must be asleep already, they're really eager to come to the beach early I suppose. Well, I better hit the hay as well Jun, I'll see you tomorrow."

Before she can go to her room, I held her hand and told her.

"Hey Anne, thanks for opening up to me. I felt really bad for deserting Jun but you've helped me with the guilt I'm carrying."

"Oh, You're welcome Jun. If you ever run into problems with Ashley, just feel free to tell me okay? She seems like a keeper and I'm sure that Evelyn is rooting for you guys."

It felt odd that Anne instantly warmed up to Evelyn but seeing how genuine she looked I had a fuzzy feeling in my heart knowing the fact that she's okay with her. After we had our exchange, she went straight to her room while I went upstairs to mine. I opened my door to hear the soft sighs of Evelyn as she slept soundly in my room while the AC was on. She didn't have her blanket around her so I wrapped my arms around her and whispered "goodnight"in her ear.