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Once Hebe stepped into the grandma’s house she decided that she had missed it. Of all the years she’d lived on the block she’d only been to the grandma’s house 3 times a month when she still had the twins and Aaron. Family portraits occupied the space on the walls and the house was well cleaned. The grandma led her pass a large table and into the small kitchen where a cake sat on the table whipped with vanilla.

“You like tea?” the grandma asked.

“I love tea,” Hebe responded.

The grandma smiled and poured a cup for Hebe and one for herself. She walked over to the table with the cups on a tray and set it down in front of Hebe.

“Enjoy yourself, honey.”

Hebe smiled as the grandma put a slice of the cake onto a plate and handed it to Hebe along with a fork. Hebe took it gratefully thanking her.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to call you very often. I’ve been so busy watching the grandchildren and taking them to school while their parents are away I hardly had time for myself.” she apologized.

“I understand so don’t worry. You’re very lucky.”

The grandma smiled. The wrinkles at the sides of her lips creased so gracefully. Hebe slowly stopped munching on her cake when the grandma reached her hand out to her short shoulder length hair.

“I know what you’re going through,” the grandma assured.

Hebe couldn’t bring herself to turn away from the woman.

“I’ve lost a child once too.”

She had? Why had she never spoken about it before?

“It is very painful.” the grandma told. “I felt like I was going to die when the hospital called. It was a hit and run on the college campus.”

Hebe felt sure she could see a glint of tears in the grandma’s eyes, but she didn’t cry. How long did the grandma suffer from the tragedy?

“Xiao Peng was in the ER when we got to the hospital,” the grandma continued, “I cried countless tears. The operation took all night, we prayed and prayed that he was pulling through the surgery. And when dawn came I knew he was gone.”

“Why are you telling me this story?” Hebe wanted to ask but couldn’t mutter even a word.

“Do you believe that we can project thoughts to one another?” asked the grandma.

Hebe didn’t respond.

“I do. Before the doctor came out, when Xiao Peng was lying unconscious on the bed, I heard a voice in my head saying, ‘It’s ok. I’m ok. I’m very happy that you’re here. The best comfort to me is that you’re my mother, I won’t forget that.’ I thought I was crazy then, but it was his voice I heard.” the grandma stated it as a fact.

The grandma took Hebe’s hands, “If you feel from deep within your heart, if you believe, you can feel that they’re there. That they’re alive. Do you know why? Because you’re their mother, you carried them for 9 precious months, a line of fate is born between a mother and her children when she gives birth. This tragedy is not your fault, you can stop blaming yourself. You can stop the misery by accepting what has happened instead of brooding over what has happened. Live, Hebe, and grow with time. Let it go and accept the comfort others want to give you.”

“I can’t feel them. They’re not there. I can’t feel them.” Hebe said. She felt desperate and vulnerable. Her boys…she couldn’t sense their presence anywhere. “Why aren’t they projecting me any thoughts?”

Again, her life flew before her eyes as if she were in a time machine. Flashes came to her and the aching pain she’d been experiencing recently overcame her body. Her shoulders shook and tears swept her eyes.

||||||||

Jiro came back to see Calvin exactly at quarter to 4. Calvin, this time around, was actually up. When he came to answer the door he was carrying two chocolate granola bars in his hand. His cheeky smile made Jiro unsure whether he should feel resentment about Calvin’s “nothing happened this morning” act.

“Come in.”

Jiro walked and this time he sat on the couch Calvin dozed off on earlier.

“Sorry, I was out of it. You were gone the moment I opened my eyes.” Calvin told hoping to dodge Jiro’s slight glare.

“Forget that,” Jiro told. “Do you even remember a thing I said this morning?”

“Something about…what you should do next?”

So he had been listening after all. “Listen closely to what I have to tell you.” Jiro began explaining about Keven’s unknown location. He told Calvin how he had visited Keven’s apartment to find out that Keven had moved out mid March of 06 and had lost his lead when Ivan swore he had not been keeping in touch with Keven. To check in with the relatives would take time and Jiro didn’t want to do it unless he knew it would not waste his efforts.  

“Have you spoken with his co-workers? Managers?”

“I would consider only interviewing them if I wanted to know more about his personality. And I’m pretty sure I’m well equipped with that information already.”

Calvin leaned forward in his seat, “So you’re stuck in trying to locate him?”  

“And wondering what to do.” Jiro finished.

“Have you talked to his friends? Or have you been able to trace any of his friends?”

“His father is unsure about his friends because Keven’s never spoken about them.”

“Are you sure?”

Jiro ransacked his brain then sat up with his back straight, “Maybe. There’s a Lu Wei Lian. I can try.”

“Do that. You could’ve done this without me.”

“If you were me, would you believe that Keven is behind the kidnapping?”

“If he’s been inside Hebe’s house before, but shouldn’t you know that answer better than me?”

Jiro thought, “That’s a question that never appealed to me. Wow, Calvin, you really see through the gaps. Something you’re useful for. I’ll come back if I have any more questions.”

With that Jiro walked out knowing where to stop next. He had to ask Hebe about her brother.

When Jiro got to her house she was not in. Should he have called earlier? Should he leave or just wait? Hebe couldn’t be out for long, he figured. Recalling Calvin’s smart question Jiro walked around the house observing it. To the left corner of the house he could make out the window, which was probably the twins’ bedroom. Had Keven deliberately known that? Or if he hadn’t been in the house before…then how could he have known? Was it a lucky guess?

Hebe didn’t return until the sun began setting. He had been sitting on the front steps when he could make out her figure walking down the concrete. She looked worn out, but somewhat happier than she’d looked the other day. He got off the front steps to greet her, but Hebe had considerably slowed down when she saw him waiting for her.

“What are you doing here?” Hebe asked without greeting him when she finally reached her house.

Jiro stared down at her. It felt like it had been a couple of months since he’d seen her.

“Is something wrong?” Hebe asked then headed up the stairs. “You can come in.”

When Jiro was seated inside with a cup of warm tea in front of him he was ready to talk.

“The twins’ bedroom is up those stairs to the left, am I right?” asked Jiro still eyeing the stairs without turning to look at Hebe.   

Hebe followed his gaze, “How do you know?”

Had it been an easy guess? “Has your brother ever been in this house?”

“You mean my step brother, Keven?”

She always called her step mother, step mother and brother, step brother. Maybe it had seemed important for her to call them that in order to consciously differentiate them from her natural family. Jiro quickly dismissed those thoughts nodding in reply to Hebe’s question.

She seemed to think back to when they had just moved in, “We invited only Ella. My parents visited and so did his. My brother was never here. He has been out of my life since he moved out.”

Jiro nodded making a mental note to himself that he must visit Aaron and ask him too. “Can I ask what your relationship with your brother was like?”

Hebe hasn’t moved at all in her seat, he realized when he had turned back to face her after the first question. She remained calmly composed on the edge of the recliner.

“We never got along. He was always an aggressive person and was a mere bully at school. Except for me he extracted money from every other student. He threatened me a few times when we had arguments, which were all mainly about money, and pulled my hair a few times. I hated him.” Hebe was exact with her words and the solid expression on her face showed that that was the truth she was speaking.