“We’ve arrived,” Dylan stopped the car in front of a factory. I stared at the factory for a while. It brought back childhood memories. I observed the workers coming in and out of the factory. I hoped to recognize Mom, as she would be much younger now than the Mom I knew from the future. I felt restless and uncertain. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, especially since Mom was deeply in love with Dad. She probably wouldn’t believe me, especially if I told her I was her child from the future. She might even suggest that I see a psychiatrist later. I bit my finger in anxiety.
“Hey.” Dylan grabbed my shoulders.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Like I promised, I won’t ask you anything. But whatever you’re doing here, I wish you luck.” Dylan ruffled my hair. Our eyes met for a long time. My heart raced. I hoped he couldn’t hear how loud my heart was beating. It took him a while to lower his hand from my hair. Suddenly, there was an awkward feeling between us.
“Umm, I’ll go now.” I quickly got out of the car. The longer I stayed, the hotter my face became.
“Sure. I need to go to the restroom, too.” Dylan’s voice trembled. I wondered if Dylan was as nervous as I was. Dylan got out of the car and hurried off. I fanned my face with my hand. I observed the passing workers. I couldn’t stay here forever; it would take forever if I kept waiting like this. I got out of the car and ran towards the security guard’s booth.
“Hi, good morning. Can I ask something?”
“Good morning. What can I help you with, miss?”
I tried to calm down, although it was clear I was nervous. Was I nervous because I was about to meet Mom’s younger version, or was it because of Dylan earlier? Snap out of it, Hanna! I took a deep breath.
“Umm... I’m looking for an employee named Morrison Valles. Is she here?”
“Morrison Valles? What’s your relationship with her?”
“I...” I scratched my head, even though it wasn’t itchy. I couldn’t say I was her daughter; that might make this guy faint.
“I’m a distant relative. There’s something important I need to discuss with her. Do you know where she is?” I was getting impatient.
“Sorry, miss. It’s working hours now. If you want to meet her, you can do so after work.”
“Oh, okay.” I walked away. It seemed like there was no other option. I had to wait until the working hours were over. I did not know what I was going to say to Mom. I was still clueless. But if I didn’t tell Mom that I was her daughter, how could she trust me? Mom wouldn’t easily believe an outsider. Lost in thought, I didn’t realize I was in the middle of the road.
BANG!
My eyes widened. My knees felt weak. My legs stiffened. I sat down, closing my eyes as the car approached dangerously close.
“Oh my God, are you okay?”
I opened my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. The car’s front bumper was just a few meters away from my face.
“Are you okay? Luckily, I managed to brake in time.”
I stood up with his help. I couldn't believe the girl in front of me was mom. She looked incredibly beautiful, even in her factory uniform. There were no lines on her face like I was used to seeing. Flawless skin with no blemishes. Mom was even more beautiful than me. No wonder she had so many fans. Look at how beautiful she was, like an angel.
“Are you okay?” She waved in front of my face.
“Mom...” The word came out unintentionally. I don’t know why I felt emotional. Maybe it’s because I miss mom.
“Mom? Did you hit your head somewhere?”
Hanna, snap out of it! You don’t have time for emotional drama in the middle of the road. You need to shoot it if you really want Mom to be happy. I wiped away the tears that were about to fall.
“Mom, no, I mean, I have something to tell you. Can you give me five or ten minutes?” I tried to talk slowly. She looked at her watch.
“I’m actually running late. But if it’s just five minutes, why not? Let’s talk at the Cafe? It’s not far, right in front. Let me park the car, and then we’ll meet there, okay?”
“Sure.” I agreed. Mom got back into her car and drove away. I took a deep breath. My feet led me to the Cafe. Just as I was about to sit down, my eyes caught someone I knew very well. A pang of emotion hit me. Dad. Seeing Dad eating with his friend, I took a seat behind them.
“Why don’t you want to eat? No appetite?” I heard Dad’s friend ask.
“It’s okay. My wedding is approaching. I need a lot of money. I have to save...” Dad replied calmly.
“Aren’t you regretting marrying her? She even has a child. You’re becoming someone’s father right after getting married. You’re not even wealthy. To take care of her child, too. Don’t you regret it?”
“What’s there to regret? I love her, and I love Hanna, her daughter, too. I want to be the best father for her. I know I’m not a rich man. But I made a promise to myself. I’d rather go hungry as long as Marry and Hanna have what they need. Even if I have to borrow. The most important thing for me is their happiness. I’ll be with Mary in good times and bad times...”
I couldn’t hold back my tears hearing Dad’s words. I quickly left the place with tears streaming down my face. I realized it now. It’s true. I was self-centered. I just realized that all these years, I only thought about Mom. From childhood to adulthood, I always prioritized Mom. Just because Dad isn’t my biological father, I treated him like he was nobody. I blamed Dad because he was poor, unable to provide comfort and wealth to us. Even though I knew Dad had sacrificed a lot for me. Now, how could I plan to ruin Mom and Dad’s marriage? What kind of daughter am I? The most fitting title for me is an ungrateful child.
I walked quickly while wiping away tears. I didn’t care about the people staring at me. My only direction was towards Dylan’s car.
“Bella!” It felt as if someone had struck my hand and pulled me into their embrace. I stood still for a moment. Realizing that it was Dylan, my sorrow overflowed, and I finally burst into tears on Dylan’s shoulder, releasing all my emotions.
“Do you feel better?”
I smiled while spooning small bites of ice cream into my mouth. It’s a pity to finish it because it’s so delicious.
“Let me correct myself, okay? When we’re sad, ice cream is the perfect choice. Doesn’t it freeze away all that sadness?” Dylan spoke cheerfully. I nodded in agreement. I knew Dylan wanted to cheer me up. He went through the trouble of bringing me to Baskin-Robbins to eat.
“I noticed your shirt,” I glanced at Dylan’s shoulder, wet with traces of my tears from earlier. Remembering how badly I cried, I felt like running away from Dylan. I didn’t know how to face him now, so I put on a face as if nothing happened. I stared at Dylan, who was enjoying his ice cream.
“Why didn’t you ask me why I cried earlier?” I asked, curious.
“I... Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to know. I really want to know about you, why you cried, why you keep your family a secret. I want to know everything,” I saw Dylan sigh before continuing.
“But, Bella, I respect your privacy, and I genuinely like you. I don’t want to force you to tell me things you’re uncomfortable with. You can tell me whenever you want, and you can choose not to tell me anything. I’ll just listen to what you say, and I’ll do what you ask me to do. So, you don’t have to feel burdened, okay?” Dylan smiled. I returned Dylan’s smile. It wouldn’t be fair to Dylan if I continued to keep secrets. But I also couldn’t tell Dylan my true identity.
“About my family, initially, I wanted to meet my mom, but I overheard a conversation between my dad...” I tried to hold back my emotions so I wouldn’t cry for the second time in front of Dylan.
“Does your dad and your mom work there together?” Dylan asked. I nodded.
“After hearing the conversation between my dad and his friend, I just realized that all this time, I’ve been very selfish. I never thought about my dad’s sacrifices. Throughout my life, I only knew how to blame and hate my dad for not attempting to lift our family out of poverty...” I wiped away the tears that flowed.
“Even though my dad will go hungry for me. He let me eat well, while at his workplace, he endured hunger just to ensure that I had enough to eat. I feel so foolish for not realizing everything my dad did for me...” I lowered my head, shoulders trembling, to hold back my tears. It felt as if my hand was touched softly. I lifted my head, and Dylan was holding my fingers, still smiling as before.
“It’s okay. You did a great job. The important thing is that you’re aware now. That’s more than enough. It’s better to be aware now than to regret later, right?”
“Do you hate me? I’m not an obedient daughter. I don’t deserve anyone’s love...” I looked down. He tightened his grip on my hand.
“Who says you don’t deserve it? Like I said, I genuinely like you. If you think I’ll hate you because of this, try much harder to make me hate you,” Dylan laughed. Hearing Dylan’s words, all my worries disappeared, and I immediately felt calm.
“Shall we finish the ice cream? After this, I’ll treat you to the most delicious dishes. You won’t regret it.” Dylan looked excited. I smiled and nodded.
“Look at who’s here.”
Dylan and I exchanged glances.