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By the time Selina had arrived back after her lunch break she found a piece of paper on her desk. A 2 day trip out of Taipei? A ph level assignment from the head department. Selina looked around.

“What’s this about?” Selina asked the person behind her.

“A trip is a trip.” was all she replied.

“But why am I going on a trip this weekend?”

“Just be ready by the weekend.”

What help she was, Selina thought. Selina sunk back down in her chair. If it was an assignment she’d have no choice but to go as told.

||||||||

Aaron had found the exact same paper on his desk waiting for him after he’d returned from lunch. Assuming that everyone had received one he set the piece of paper aside and continued with the piles of papers he had to work on.

||||||||

Jiro woke up from his slumber at dawn. Apparently, he hadn’t been needing an alarm to wake him up for the past few years. It had become habit to wake up early and solve crimes, his daily life he’d become so accustomed to.

Turning the bedroom light on he found his notepad and started reading through it. Mr. Tian had started off with describing his brother and his family first. They all sounded pretty decent to him as everyone had received good education and had gone to grad school. After skimming through 5 pages he started falling asleep again. When he woke up 3 minutes later he decided to make some coffee for himself, which didn’t help much because he found himself sitting on the couch a moment later wanting to return to sleep again. How many hours in the past years had he been able to acquire a night of decent sleep? It wasn’t until his phone began ringing that he finally, really became awake.

“Hey Jiro!” he could recognize Calvin’s voice on the other side of the line. His voice was booming so loud Jiro could feel his ears ring.

“What are you calling me so early for?” Jiro asked rubbing his eyes.

“I just happened to wake early today. Anyway are you going to be super busy tonight?” Calvin asked.

“I don’t know. What do you want?” wondered Jiro.

“You want to go out tonight?” Calvin said.

“I have work tonight.” Jiro immediately answered.

Going out with Calvin was one thing he would like to avoid.

“But not super busy right? A friend wants to meet you,” Calvin said. “You’ll be utterly surprised if I tell you her identity.”

“Who?” Jiro wanted to snap at him at first, but something made him change his mind, and he became curious.

“Hebe asked for you.” Calvin replied. “She’s going to be utterly disappointed if you don’t come. Even Ella found it strange that she wanted to see you.”

“I don’t know if I have time.” and it was the truth.

“Fine then, just don’t come. I’ll tell her you’re too cooped up with whatever you’re doing,” Calvin said then waited. He knew Jiro wouldn’t miss out on tonight’s gathering.

“Wait! Don’t hang up,” Jiro suddenly called. “What time tonight?”

“I knew you’d go. We meet at 8.”

After Calvin hung up Jiro felt even more tired. He wouldn’t have gone if her mother hadn’t pleaded him to get her to go to her cousin’s wedding. He might have to come up with something after all. But it wouldn’t be violating his job right? After all it was just something related to the person involved with the case.  

Jiro got dressed, headed to the police station where the noise around him might help him concentrate, and stayed until night. He had only covered Mrs. Tian’s side of the family and had yet to cover Hebe’s family. Jiro had been called in to fill out forms for this person and that person until four hours had already passed by. By the time he finally went back to his complex it was already 7:45. He stretched for a bit, dressed into casual clothes, and headed out.

||||||||

Ella glanced at Hebe from the corner of her eyes.

“You know it’s very disturbing that you keep eying me like that,” Hebe commented.

“I wasn’t. It’s strange that you’d suggest a night out with Calvin and I. You never want to come along,” Ella pointed out.

“I came along the last two times,” Hebe told.

“Hebe…” Ella began as she came to a stop at a red light. “Is there something other than the excuse that you want to thank Jiro?”

Hebe frowned.

“You don’t…subconsciously have a thing for him do you?” Ella asked.

Hebe let out a loud laugh, “Is that something you should be worried about?”

“I suppose I should be worried,” Ella told herself, but aloud so Hebe would hear.

“I just really want to thank him,” Hebe tried. “No personal feelings here.”

“But I’m not saying it’s wrong ok? If you do…then speak with me first.” Ella told.

“Ella!” Hebe screamed. “I’m not a baby.”

“You’re very much like one,” Ella thought to herself silently.

They finally reached the pizza pub 5 minutes later. Calvin was inside waiting for them, but Jiro was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s your friend?” Ella asked as they sat down.

“Probably running late.” Calvin replied.

“He’s not backing out is he?” Ella questioned.

Calvin laughed, “No, don’t worry. Jiro is a man of his words, but also a busy person too. Something’s probably holding him up.”

Hebe looked around when the door opened and Jiro walked in looking as if the energy had been drained out of him. Hebe waved at him. Only Calvin and Ella watched anxiously as he walked over.

“You’re late,” Calvin said.

“There were some things that needed to be done,” Jiro explained.

“You were probably busy at the police station today huh?” asked Ella.

“Hey can we step out for a moment?” Hebe whispered to Jiro before he replied to Ella‘s question.

Jiro turned to look at Ella and Calvin then slid off his seat following Hebe out. Ella
almost slid out of her seat but Calvin stopped her.

“It’ll be fine.” Calvin assured. “What are you so worried about?”

“Hebe, of course.” Ella responded trying get off her seat again.

Calvin stopped her once more, “Calm down will you? You’re acting like a mother.”

“I don’t know what Hebe…” Ella began.

“You’re just scared to let her slip away for just a moment. Let it go,” Calvin urged.

Ella bit back her lip agreeing that she was over exaggerating. Hebe wasn’t her daughter, but her friend. And just because it seemed like she was showing interest in someone again shouldn’t mean that Ella should panic…right?

||||||||

Jiro followed Hebe down the street.

“Do you want to have some noodles again?” Hebe asked without turning around.

“Sure.” Jiro replied. “But couldn’t we have just had some pizza?”

“But I’m already tired of pizza,” Hebe replied quickly.

“Calvin said you wanted me to come out tonight. Is there something you want to say?” asked Jiro.

Hebe stopped and turned around, “I just wanted to thank you for talking to me the other night. After apologizing I felt better.”

“Is that all?” Jiro smiled glad to hear she was feeling better.

Hebe found herself turning away after he smiled feeling somewhat captivated by him.

“Since you’re a police officer I guess you already know about my family,” Hebe said.

“I only know of your mother, father, step mother, and step brother. Records don’t consist of anything personal,” Jiro explained.

“Do you want to know?” Hebe asked.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Jiro said forgetting to even wonder why she’d want to share her personal business with him.  

Hebe shrugged, “If we can be good friends it wouldn’t matter.” Then she started. “My mother left when I was young. I spent my childhood coming to this night market with my mother but after she left my father remarried 2 years later. My step brother and step mother came into the family then, I never accepted them. Even when I know the reason why my mother left, I’ve never been on good terms with them because by remarrying my father was just trying to replace my mom. He wanted to fix my life to meet his own desires.”

“Is that what he said to you?” wondered Jiro as images of her old father and step mother appeared in his mind. They didn’t seem to be the way Hebe had described them.

“No, he never said that.” Hebe replied coldly. “By looking at him I just know it.”

“Don’t you think that’s unfair?” asked Jiro.

“How is that unfair?!” Hebe turned around so quickly that Jiro felt cold wind pass him.

She was definitely angry because her eyes gave her feelings away, but she quickly regretted being angry at his question. Hebe was sure she even felt embarrassed before he spoke up as if he were comforting her silently.

“I don’t know his reasons…Miss Tian but he is your father after all...and the only biological parent you had, so he must have understood you best. You were a young girl who suddenly became motherless. During those times you’d need a mother to order things in your life,” Jiro tried, “a childhood is like that. I believe your step mother tried to treat you well.”

Hebe’s face turned into a deep frown as if debating about whether to agree with him or not, but to Jiro’s surprise she sighed. He was right…and she knew it all along, but had been denying it outwardly. Why now? Why was she confiding in this man before her? This person she’d just met, she felt she could lean on him, and cry to him. 

When they went to sit down to eat Jiro recalled Ella’s words which stood out clearly in his consciousness.
 
“She just needs someone to listen to her pretty much like an adolescent who’s still growing up.” Ella’s words were already pretty much glued into his memory.

Or maybe Hebe was looking for someone to point out her wrongs, someone to assure her not someone who would lead her and tell her the right and wrong. Hebe was old enough to know the right and wrong, the difference between good and evil. Even an adolescent would know how to differentiate those things apart, so why wouldn’t Hebe?

“What about you? Are you in Taipei alone?” Hebe questioned halfway through out the meal.

Jiro paused, “My father was a cop, but passed away after a shoot off. From then on I lived with my mother who worked hard in order to give me good education. She was mistreated by many and never showed any of her pain in front of me. You know how mothers are, they don’t let you in on anything, but you can see it through their eyes because they’re your mother. It’s like two strings invisibly attached between you two…like empathy.”

Because Hebe had shared a part of her life with him, he felt he should at least share his story with her. The childhood which made him feel helpless to the rest of the world because he had been a boy without power, a boy who couldn’t protect his mother and prevent her tears from falling. The ability which he had now…but it was already too late.  

“Where is she now?”

“She’s gone to a better place.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Hebe apologized. “I can see why you wanted to be a cop.”

Jiro disliked dwelling upon the past because it had already gone by and no matter how much a person wanted to go back it’s obviously impossible. The only thing a person could do for their own well being was cry the tears of sorrow out and he disliked that even more.

“There’s something going on this weekend. Do you think you’d like to go with me?” Jiro switched the subject.

After the chat he figured it’d be good for Hebe to see her parents again…especially her dad whom she seemed to have gotten distanced from. The cold war because of whatever reason that had started it in the first place, it should be time to end it now.