The Face That Looked Like Hers
I never thought I would leave. Leave the orphanage. Leave the city. Leave the land where I learned to walk. Where I learned to hold on and where I learned that no one stays.
But Yuanzhang did. All she left me was not only her savings in a bank card, but also a tiny part of her in the silver pendant around my neck.
Outside the window: clouds, then more clouds. Thirty thousand feet above everything, I was on a plane to Toronto. I’d never been but her sister’s here. Before she died, she made a promise that it was another home for me. I didn’t know if that was true because she hadn’t given me a home. But she asked me to come. So I came.
My thumb traced the shape of the silver pendant and my mind was glued to the funeral. Not the whole thing. Just me. Standing here. Dry-eyed. Everyone crying.
With gradually blurred vision, I closed my eyes. When the plane landed, I set off. Toronto. Daylight when I left. daylight when I landed. The time difference has stolen half a day and handed it back.
“小禾，poor kid，瘦得不像话。”
I saw a couple walking to me. It was hard for me to smile at that face. She looks like Yuanzhang. The same eyes, the same shape of mouth. But Yuanzhang’s gaze was steady like an old tree, roots deep, no wind could move her.
Faced with the sixty-year-old couple, I felt time turning back. I ran to them with a reluctant smile. Fortunately, they didn’t ask anything except for the time and the flight. The moment I opened the car door, I saw a bouquet of colorful flowers in the backseat.
She said she had planted them all herself. Pink Iceland poppies. Blue asters. Gold chrysanthemums. To respond to her moods, I tried my best to beam and dig out a box of mooncakes and Pu’er tea from my bag.
The wind was gentle and smooth to fall across my hair. Sunlight slanted through the window, landing on the car floor in a neat rectangle.
How comfortable the weather was. How warm the couple was. I couldn’t cast my inner feeling to them because it was unfair to them.
“中秋节快到了，想着元朗荣华月饼你们可能会喜欢。”
They accepted my gifts happily. So different from Yuanzhang, she always said not spend money on her., which made me feel like a missing part of my lifel. If she could be like this, maybe she would have a happier life. I listened to their affections and kept lips lifting. Everything was good.
The street of Richmond Hill was quiet. Maple trees lined both side and their leaves just began to turn. The house was set apart——no close, no far. Just far enough. They faced each other across the asphalt. Not close enough to hear a conversation. Close enough to see when someone left a light on.
A tow-storey detached house. Red bricks, white trim. A small garden in front, not fancy——just a patch of soil between the pouch and the lawn. Flowers were blooming now, farewelling the end of summer. On the other side, a narrow outdoor staircase hugged the wall, leading up to a side door on the second floor. A motion-sensor light stood at the bottom and the door had a keypad lock.
“前房东为了出租改的格局，我们买下后一直没拆那楼梯，现在你进出也自由。密码是你的生日。”
Such a gentle tone.
“思来想去，你叫我姨妈吧。“
Auntie. But I haven’t called Yuanzhang mum.
Nodded, hugged. Thanked.
Inside, the first floor smelled like old wood an tea. A flora sofa, faced the television, its fabric faded in the spots where people sat. An armchair beside it and the cushion slightly flattened. On the mantel, framed photos: Auntie and uncle at Niagara Falls, their daughter in a graduation gown. Also Yuanzhang was there. I just looked away to the kitchen at the back. A round wooden table in the corner, covered with a plastic sheet to keep it clean. The kettle was on the stove. The fridge held magnets from places they’d been.
I opened the suitcase and passed s small box to her——that used to be Yuanzhang’s.
That stairs creaked in the middle. At the top, a narrow hallway. Two doors. One led to the living room, the other led to a bathroom. Small but clean. It seemed everything was prepared. New toothpaste and toothbrush. Now lotion and towels. As for the living room, there was a window facing the street. A single bed with a quilt. A nightstand with a lamp. A wooden desk with a chair. A small vase with a bunch of flowers. The closet was big and empty, waiting for something.
Cozy. It was the first word coming into my mind. After showing me around the house, Uncle asked about my dietary restrictions then they went downstairs, leaving the tranquility for me.
Although I was soaked in the funeral, I still adjusted to show the best side to this new world. Everytime I squatted and stood up to place my package, the pendant stroke on my collarbone hard.
Chatter:
Hello! I’m from China and so happy to share my inspiration with you! I look forward to every comment and suggestion because English isn’t my native language. First I have to say sorry because there are Chinese sentences. But! That’s all for my characters because 禾/He coms from China! Then come to the most important part! I really like Mark! So cute! So adorable! So charming! Although he left NCT with the expiration of the contract, I still like him because he is really excellent and brave! Ok! This rambling section ends here! See you next time!
