Reunion

Hanna and Tara grew up together. Despite their different personalities, they were best friends, inseparable. As children, it was rare to see one without the other.

Now, Hanna stood there, shaken and surprised. Tara was the last person she expected to see here—pregnant, no less. Tara had always dreamed of leaving their small, rural town. She complained it was too small for her big personality and wanted to explore the world, feeling the town held her back. Tara had always excelled in her studies, especially geography, where she never got less than an A. Every Saturday, she dragged Hanna to the library to read the same books: *World Discovering*, *Map to a Bigger World*, and *World Wide Encyclopedia*.

“You always read the same books. Aren’t you bored?” Hanna had asked her the same question every Saturday.

“You don’t understand. It’s the same book, but a different country. Last Saturday, I read about Japan— you know, they make the best desserts and have many robots. Today, it’s Thailand,” Tara replied enthusiastically, to which Hanna rolled her eyes.

“You just don’t get it,” Tara said, shaking her head.

It was true. Hanna didn’t understand why Tara would want to leave their small but beautiful town, filled with family and friends who loved her, for a big wide world full of uncertainties. Was she not scared?

“Ta-Tara?” Hanna stammered. Even in her wildest dreams, she hadn’t expected to see Tara here. She was too scared to look her in the face and kept her head down.

Tara looked at her for a moment before walking past without a word. She, too, was surprised and embarrassed. She remembered how she always bragged about leaving this town. Now, not only was she back, she was eight months pregnant without a father for her child. She didn’t want to talk to Hanna, not because of the past, but because she couldn’t let her see her like this—as a failure.

“Tara, wait! Wait!” Hanna called after processing what had happened, but it was too late. Tara had already gone too far. Hanna marvelled at how fast she could walk with a belly that big. "She really doesn’t want to talk to me," she thought, and made her way into the park. What she saw was utterly distraught. The park was nothing like it was when she last visited. Though it had been years, she hadn’t expected it to be like this. Not only were the daisies gone, but the whole place also looked misty and abandoned. Weeds had overgrown, covering the beautiful view, and the bench she once decorated with her own hands was now covered with algae. She didn’t know when the tears started falling. She was angry, frustrated, and anxious. Nothing was going her way, and she felt overwhelmed. She sat on the ground, staring at the dismal scenery. She wondered if she was crying because of the park or because her life felt pathetic. She had come here because she was feeling overwhelmed, and now she felt even worse.

Late in the evening, Hanna had cried herself to sleep right there on the ground in the park. She woke up in shock—it was already dark. She checked her wristwatch and was surprised it was already 8:30 PM. She rose to her feet and headed home immediately.

When she got home, she found Temple standing at her front door with a bowl, knocking. She didn’t want him to see her face. Even without looking in a mirror, she could feel how swollen her eyes were and was too tired to explain anything to him.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“There you are. I was wondering why no one answered,” he replied.

“Oh, erm, so?”

“I brought you dinner from my mom. Looking at the time, I’m sure you haven’t made anything yet.”

“Dinner,” she repeated, realising she hadn’t eaten anything since morning. No wonder she felt so tired and vulnerable. She took the bowl from him. “Thank you so much. And thank your mom, too.”

“My pleasure,” Temple replied before turning to leave. He had walked a little way before hearing footsteps behind him. He turned around, surprised to see Hanna running towards him. He stopped in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

“Tara. Where is Tara? I didn’t know she was back here—and pregnant?” she blurted out. She realised she sounded a bit rude, asking about the pregnancy with a judging tone. But it wasn’t entirely her fault. One thing she remembered about the Tara from their childhood was her unreasonable hatred for men, more than maths. Tara always talked about how great women were restricted by men and how the boys in their grade stank. She even said she was never going to get married and would spend her days travelling the world. Hanna knew it was a long time ago—they were no longer kids, and Tara might have grown up with a different mindset. But it was still a surprise, considering how often she heard Tara say it.

“I’m sorry I sounded offensive. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Temple scoffed before replying. “My sister is at home right now, and she’s good. I guess you both really did meet each other.”

“We did earlier today, but—”

“Yeah, I get it. I’ll talk to her,” he interrupted.

“Thank you.”

“You cried, didn’t you?”

“What?” Hanna asked, realising she had forgotten to hide her face in the spur of the moment.

“Some things never change,” he said with a chuckle. “Your eyes still get bigger whenever you cry. I actually wanted to warn you about the daisies but didn’t know how to. Tara had the same reaction, too. You both cherish that place.” After saying this, Temple turned around and went back home.

Hanna still stood there, speechless. What she wanted most now was to talk to Tara, even if just to apologise for all the wrongs she had done to her. She really needed to.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***