¨¨CHAPTER ONE;

¨REMINISCING¨

I saw the beautiful landscape that the trees and the flowers gave. Then I looked down at the bench table and ran my hand on the surface of it. This seat. When I was little I would sit here every day with my mom during summer break after getting ice cream. Here, we would sing together, we would tell each other secrets, and we would joke around. We were best friends and seemed inseparable...until the accident.

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I looked down at the book on my lap. Moon Over Manifest. I loved this book because it brought back those same memories that I had with my mother. Ever since that day, the day that changed my whole life, I continued to come to the park every day during summer break and read this book. This was one of the only few belongings of my mother that I managed to save from the accident, other than the necklace that was hanging from my neck, and a few diaries that my mother had written during her early teenage years.

But, today, something felt off. Every time I came to the park, I would always get the feeling of something, or someone, watching over me but this time, I didn't have that feeling. I always thought that it was my mother's spirit just watching over me. It felt comforting and made me feel secure but this time, I didn't feel that either.

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I should go home now; it's starting to get cold. I thought to myself. I got up from the bench and looked at the park one more time and sighed to myself, "So many good memories..."

It was getting chilly and I decided to stop by the cafe which was just two blocks away from my foster home. Yes, I am a foster child.

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I ordered a Caramel Macchiato and once I got my drink, I walked to the seat next to the window. I too loved this spot. During winter, my father and I would come here to get a small drink to warm ourselves from the cold weather. We would sit in this spot, breathe on the window causing it to fog, and draw funny faces. Whatever drink I got, being the messy and clumsy girl I am, I would always manage to leave behind a whipped cream mustache on myself.

I laughed at my sudden memory and look down at my coffee then back to the landscape on the other side of the window. All around, there were couples holding hands and smiled lovingly at each other. Just the sight of that made my heart cringe. I wanted to be loved purely; I didn't want to be played around with anymore. I wanted someone to look at me lovingly and made me feel secure, like the feeling I got whenever I went to the park, that kind of feeling.

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I knew that fall was approaching as people already started to wear their coats and scarves. This also meant that the first day of my last year of my high school life was nearing. One more year, just one more year. You can do this.

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It was already eight o'clock and I was still at the cafe reminiscing my childhood life. I didn't have a good childhood but it wasn't so awful. My parents were divorced at the time and I switched between houses every week. It was hard for me to go to school so my parents hired a personal tutor for me up until 8th grade. The other kids in my neighborhood knew that I had a broken family and made fun of me for it. I was ignored, I was unloved, I didn't feel safe, I had a broken family. And to top it all off, I was a failure when it came to love. That was when I thought about the accident.

~ FLASHBACK ~

One day, fate intervened and my parents met each other at the Han River. I was home at the moment doing my typical homework when my stomach growled. I was waiting for my mother to bring back the food from the market. I started to wait, and wait, and wait. I was waiting for two hours and my mom still hadn't come back yet considering that the market was just two blocks away. Is she okay? Did something happen to her? was what I thought. I waited for another 10 minutes. She hadn't come home yet.

I told myself to wait five more minutes and if she hadn't come back yet, I would go out and look for her. And so, I waited and she still wasn't back. I put on my coat, my scarf, my mittens, and my boots since it was already winter. I walked to the market and found no signs of her, I walked to the park, she wasn't there, I walked everywhere but couldn't find her. I was at the Han River and decided to take a short, quick break before going back to find her.

--

I never really admired the Han River but tonight, it was just beautiful. The lights and everything, it was a beautiful sight. Just then, I saw a couple with their backs facing me. They were sitting next to one another. The guy with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and her arm doing the same. Even though I wasn't able to see their faces, they seemed familiar. The hair, the clothing, the voices, everything. It seemed all too familiar. I silently watched the couple for the next 10 minutes until the both of them stood up which allowed me to see their faces clearly.

Oh my... is that... Umma w-ith...with A-APPA?!

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