Chapter 8: A Walk Down Memory Lane
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Joyce came to see me, pointing carefully outside and asked, “The guy outside… is that Tristan?”
I corrected her with a serious tone, “No, that’s an annoying spirit.”
Joyce gave a helpless laugh, “Do we really have to cut your hair?”
“Cut it. Maddie is too busy, don’t take up her time. You do it for me, I’m still a bit reluctant.”
Joyce silently started to cut, bidding farewell to my beautiful hair for me.
I looked in the mirror and thought, I’m truly a cancer patient now. A terminally ill cancer patient.
I started to not be able to move around as much, because it was getting too painful.
I asked Maddie to find a caretaker for me, saying, “Someone with nimble hands, someone who works quickly, I have money.”
Maddie kept her word, and the next day she found a caretaker for me, but Tristan stopped them before they even entered.
Chapter 8: A Walk Down Memory Lane
“I’ll take care of you.” He spoke softly, yet his tone was firm.
I was in too much pain to speak, but I managed to force out a word: “Get out!”
“I’ve heard that so many times, I’m immune to it.”
I was pissed. How could I forget that Tristan was my sworn enemy, always picking a fight with me.
Once I calmed down a bit, I threw everything at him and told him to get out.
He squatted in front of me and said: “Abby, can we go back to LA for treatment? Better medical resources.”
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I tilted my head and asked him: “Tristan, don’t you understand what late stage means? My treatment will only postpone my death.”
Besides, I didn’t want to go back to LA either. There were so many memories I hated there.
“Why not? There could be improvements, right?”
I shook off his hand and said: “What use is there in improvements? All my family is six feet under. I’m just going to reunite with them. Why are you trying to postpone that?”
“But Abby, we are also… a family, don’t you remember?
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Chapter 8: A Walk Down Memory Lane “Jesus Tristan, you should get yourself checked out tomorrow, you seem mentally ill. We’re divorced. Do I need to hang a banner on your head so you can remember it?”
I took a deep breath and asked, “Tristan, are you into sick girls? Your last mistress was constantly sick too. You went to the hospital with her often.”
I suddenly realized, “Oh my Gosh, I know what it is. You have knight in shinning armor complex. You like to save damsels in distress!”
Tristan shook his head with a pale face.
“Your fetish is really strange. You should get it checked out.”
I felt sick looking at his face now, “I’m warning you, don’t bother me when I look for a caretaker. If I die tomorrow, I won’t leave you any money! I won’t even give it to you if I take it out and throw it out the window!”
Tristan took out a basin and put it under me and said with red eyes, “Do as you wish.”
He patted my back and shed tears. I felt even more sick and vomited out all the food I had eaten in the evening.
Tristan no longer tried to stop the caretaker from entering, but he sometimes helped the elder caretaker I had asked for. I just closed one eye and accepted it as a way to satisfy his strange fetish.
Chapter 8: A Walk Down Memory Lane
As long as he doesn’t bother me too much, I’ll let it go.
On the Lantern Festival, my caretaker asked for a leave and I happily agreed, after all her grandson is so cute.
Fireworks were still going off outside my window.
“Abby, it’s cold by the window.”
I turned my head to look at Tristan, he hadn’t left for over a month, sleeping on the long chair outside.
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At first, Maddie was chasing him away, but later she quietly told me: “He always goes to warm up your IV drip when you’re asleep, so I figure I’d let him stay.”
“Tristan, let’s go out for a walk?”
The Lantern Festival is different, when I was young, on this day, Tristan would sneak out of his house, hold my hand, and take me to the street behind the school, using his New Year money to buy me delicious food.
Tristan’s family was powerful, so he always had to sneak out of all kinds of gatherings, wearing a small suit like a little prince, and appear in front of me.
When we were young, this day was the one I looked forward to the most.
I once asked him, “What if your family doesn’t agree with us being together?”
Chapter 8: A Walk Down Memory Lane Tristan laughed heartily and hugged me gently, saying, “My darling, then we’ll elope, just like what we’re doing now.”
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Later, his family wanted him to marry a more suitable woman, not an orphan with no relatives.
He resolutely refused and took me away from the city on a particular Lantern Festival.
I will always remember that year, when I was lying in his arms on the bumpy train, saying, “I don’t have any family, Tristan.”
He held me tightly and said, “My darling, we’ll form a new family! I’ll be your family!”
I will always remember his warm hands holding mine, and his excited heart that seemed to burst out of his throat.
Promises echoed in my ears, but now things have changed.
How could we have come to this point, given all we have done for each other?
I don’t understand it, so I won’t think about it anymore.
“I want that one,” I said to Tristan, pointing at a roasted sausage.
“Abby…” He looked uncomfortable.
I pursed my lips and went forward to buy it myself.
Chapter 8: A Walk Down Memory Lane
“Okay, I’ll buy it for you. Stay here, that place is smoky, don’t go.”
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I happily took a bite, feeling the long–lost sensation of my youth.
Afterwards, I had Tristan buy me cotton candy, tacos, and ice
cream.
Unable to carry it all myself, I reluctantly used Tristan as a human support, taking a bite here and a bite there.
“Abby,” he suddenly spoke up.
“Shut up!” I gave him a glance, “If you’re going to say something
I don’t want to hear, you can leave.”
“Abby, eat slower,” his voice was a bit choked, and when I looked up I could only see his slightly red eyes.
“Why are you crying? Are you here just to wait for me to kick the bucket?” I sighed and walked away.
“Abby, Abby, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Tristan quickly caught up to me and asked quietly, “Do you want to eat some more?”
“No!” I wasn’t in a good mood, so I’m going to ruin his mood
too.
“These things aren’t good for my health, do you want me to die
sooner?”
Chapter 8: A Walk Down Memory Lane
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Tristan lowered his head and, seeing me about to leave, he still reached out and grabbed my sleeve, “Abby, do you want to eat some rice noodles? From the one at the back street.”
That was a store that we used to go to every year and I loved the noodles there.
Maybe it was the temptation of food, or the line of young students coming up from behind, or even more likely… it was Tristan in his suit, lowering his head, which matched a certain moment in a certain year, so long ago…
I nodded and said ok.
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