At the memorial everyone was staring at Aaron and Ying Jie, and whispering.
“I can’t believe that she’s really here… I mean, who the hell does she think she is? She’s like, responsible for Rainie’s death” a girl named Carol Ling said to her friend Anne Wu. Carol and Rainie had always hated each other as they competed to be number one in English, but she seemed to have mysteriously forgotten about that.
“Oh my god, the is actually here!” Cassidy Cho exclaimed, looking from her best friend to Aaron and Ying Jie. “She like, almost killed Rainie Yan. It’s so disrespectful for her to show up.”
“Are you okay?” Aaron asked her, looking at her with nice, soft and honest eyes.
“Yes… Yes, I am, I’m just a little overwhelmed by it all. You know, let’s sit down here” she sighed, and looked at two chairs. The two youngsters sat down as she requested.
“Fellow students, family members of Rainie Yang, and friends, welcome today to our memorial marking her death anniversary. It’s been a long, challenging year, and I’m sure that we’ve all learned something during it. As you all know, we have a speaker-list, of people who wants to say something today. The people chosen to are as following: Jeffery Wong, Karen Wang, Emma Wang – Rainie’s sister, and Wu Ying Jie.” The teacher declared.
“What? I haven’t signed up for anything… Oh my god, I cannot believe that Wang Zi would go that far!” Ying Jie whispered to Aaron. No one in the room noticed, as all of them were too busy whispering about her being a rude that was doing something totally inappropriate.
“So, Mr. Wong, will you please come to stage?”
“Fellow students. As all of you probably know, I was Rainie’s boyfriend in the half year before she died. Rainie was a very good, very innocent, and very forgiving girl full of life, whom when she committed to something – or someone – she stuck to it. Ironically enough, she would’ve even died for a lot of the things she did commit to. She was apart from being a good student always there for everyone who needed her, which made it quite a surprise that any Barbie doll would attack her. You guys see, the Barbie doll that I’m not allowed to mention the name of, came to see her the day before she took her own life. The day where I had decided to come clean with her, and tell her that I was… that I am gay. Don’t take this the wrong way; I loved Rainie quite a lot…”
‘Yeah, you loved her so much, that you only dated her because Tiffany dumped you’ Ying Jie thought. She really hated this guy.
“…But she ended up being more of a supportive sister to me, and I know that she would’ve forgiven me for it. You see, Rainie really loved people. I’m sure that she would’ve even forgiven the Barbie crew at our school for killing her…”
“That’s absurd; no one forced her to do what she did.” Before Ying Jie knew it, her old friend Tiffany was standing up, looking Jeffery directly into his eyes.
“Yeah, I can’t believe that you’re actually attacking Gui Gui at a memorial, when she obviously cried more than you did at the funeral, and when she actually had the guts to come here today” Ya Tou continued where Tiffany stopped. Ying Jie felt warmth enter her body.
“Besides, you don’t want us to tell everyone what really happened back then, do you?” Xiao Xun also stood up.

“Hello everyone, my name is Wu Ying Jie, and for those of you who don’t know me, I used to go here. I know it’s inappropriate for me to talk, or even show up today, but I have something important to say… You see, everyone has been blaming me and my girls” – she looked at her old friends with a smile on her face – “but the fault really belongs to me, Wang Zi and Jeffery. You see, I did come to see Rainie the day before she killed herself, but I didn’t come to mock her; I came to find comfort for someone in the same situation as me. I know that all of you may not believe in what I’m saying, but I actually don’t care. Before I came to see Rainie, I spotted Jeffery and my ex boyfriend, Wang Zi, lip locking. I… I took a picture back then to prove it, but I erased it when I decided to start anew at my new school. I showed the picture to Rainie, and she was devastated. I was too, but we talked together for the whole night, and agreed not to let it affect us. I guess it still affected her.”
“She’s lying! The is lying!” Now Wang Zi was standing up, trying to assure everyone that he was straight.
“No she’s not.” I was confused to the core. Why would Jeffery defend me?

“This seems like a confusing day for you… Do you wanna talk over brunch?” Aaron asked me, after the memorial. I indeed was very confused, but not confused enough to agree to that offer.
“I’m not that into breakfast, nor do I like eating pancakes for lunch… Besides, I have a place that I want to show you…” Ying Jie’s face suddenly looked sad, but determined. “You see, there is this place that I like to – have to visit everytime I’m in town, and… Please come with me? It’s so sad and lonely alone…”
“Sure, of course I’ll go with you… Besides, you live at my house, so I’d have to wait for you and take you home anyways… But, can you at least give me a hint on what place it is?” Aaron asked, with obvious curiosity shining through the taken-on serious expression in his eyes. Ying Jie had to take four deep breaths to even speak without laughing at his childishness.
“Well, this may not help you, as you’re not very good at French, but anyways… In French it’s called a ‘cimetière’.” Ying Jie said, with a total poker face on… Until she looked Aaron in the eyes; he looked so puzzled that she couldn’t hold back her laughing.

Aaron and Ying Jie were nearing the place, which Ying Jie for some reason wanted to show Aaron. Aaron had no idea about what kind of place it was, but he did notice that her grip on his hand, which she was holding, turned tighter by second.
“Come on, one more hint?” Aaron asked her, plead painted on his face.
“Well… I could be annoying and try to make it rhyme, but I won’t. I’ll just give you a clue. It’s a quiet place, with not so many people, where some people find a weird comfort in visiting. Some tells all kinds of secret when they’re there, because they know, that no one will pass it on to someone else. People tend to bring flowers there, though.” Ying Jie stopped. “Speaking of flowers” – she pointed at a flower-store, which they were about to pass. “I should probably bring some too; it would be untactful of me not to do so.”
With no other words than that, she dragged Aaron into the store. Ying Jie smiled, and looked at the florist, who was cutting down the stems, of a bouquet of roses.
“Ah, Miss Wu, long time no see…” he smiled at her. “The usual, I assume?” he then asked. She simply nodded, as he found three bouquets of lilies, and started binding them together. “So, I didn’t expect to see you bring a new boy, though your handsome boyfriend has quite been the gossip topic of the month…” the florist had a weird smirk on his face, which Aaron didn’t like.
“Yeah, I kind of supposed so, after introducing him to my old crowd… Michael, this is the guy I’m currently dating; Aaron Yan” Ying Jie smiled, and looked proudly at Aaron. “Aaron, this is Michael. Michael and my mother were very dear friends until her death, and we still speak occasionally.”
“Aaron, boy, get over here.” The man named Michael said, and the baffled Aaron obeyed him. “Wow, Ying Jie, and I thought that Wang Zi would be the highlight of your dating life… I can’t believe that you snatched yourself a Yan, your shady lady” Aaron had expected Ying Jie to get angry at Michael’s last comment; letting a dirty old florist insult her, really didn’t seem like her style.
“Oh, Michael, you’re always so full of jokes” Ying Jie laughed, sounding like she was charmed by the old man. “Have you spoken to Loretta yet? I mean, I know that the divorce was nasty and all, but you have to face her soon… Just like you have to face her ex husband. You kind of caused it after all, Michael…” Ying Jie voice wasn’t filled with blame. As a matter of fact, it was the opposite of filled with blame; it was filled with friendly understanding.
“I did speak to her, but it’s kind of awkward… She wants to be with me, but you know as well as I why that’ll never happen… Besides, she keeps on insulting Lily, and I cannot take that!” Michael looked angry, and Aaron spotted hatred in Ying Jie’s eyes. “Here you go, have a good day, Miss Wu,” he then added, while handing her the lilies.
“Thank you Michael…” Ying Jie said, and put a TWD note on the table. She then left with Aaron again.

“…And Michael has always loved my mother more than my father was ever capable of, but I’m actually rather happy that my parents ended up together… If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be here” Ying Jie smiled a very, very little smile. “But before my father came along, they shared an apartment…Whenever my mother would be coughing at night, Michael would get up and make her tea, without even her asking for it… Whenever she would have a hangover, he would cook her breakfast, and let her eat it in bed. It’s really touching, actually.”
“Yeah, it is…” Aaron said, in lack of other words to say.
“Anyways… We’re there in two minutes.” Ying Jie said, and dragged him towards a heavy gate, which had gloomy place, with a sepulchral atmosphere. Aaron didn’t why anyone could find comfort in such a godforsaken place. She then dragged him to the left, where he started to realize what was going on. Ying Jie had brought him to a graveyard. Possibly the one where her mother was buried.
“I know what you think, but after the first shock about my mother’s death stopped, and I stopped pretending not to be sad, I started coming to this place more and more often. It actually is comforting, when you’ve gotten used to talk to a stone. I always tell it – tell her what’s going on in my life, which is why I brought you.” Ying Jie sighed, and stopped walking. They were standing in front of a gravestone, and a very little burial plot. A burial plot for an urn.
Aaron concentrated very hardly about reading the little text there was on it.
“Cai Bai He
Lily Cai
05/06-1963 – 06/01 -2006
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read””
So she had died just two years ago? [Note: the story takes place in the year of 2008.]
The text was written in gold, which stood out a lot from the black granite the stone was made of. There were already flowers on the grave, though. A bouquet of red and white roses, and a white orchid. Ying Jie kneeled down in front of it, and made sure that they were placed in the perfect place. She then started speaking. Possibly in the softest voice that Aaron had ever heard spoken from her lips.
“Hello mother… I’m sorry for not visiting you in such a long time, but I’ve been so busy. Do you remember that woman Jennifer, who dad, uhm… did? Well, they’re engaged now, which is terrible. But life’s not all bad, though… I’ve gotten a boyfriend. His name is Aaron Yan, and he’s a really nice guy… Apart from being really nice, he’s also full of surprises” – Ying Jie let out a little giggle, while Aaron pretended to be insulted – “And I actually brought him here today…” she then said.
“Don’t you… Doesn’t it feel silly to speak to a stone?” Aaron asked, looking at Ying Jie with extremely curious eyes.
“I did in the start, but it gets easier and easier for everytime I do so… Why, you wanna try?” she asked. A little bit of sunlight started to shine through one of the clouds and the cloudy sky, and lightened up her face normally so sallow face. Her eyes suddenly had a kindness, and openness in then, that Aaron had never seen before, and the corners of her moth were turning upwards, in an extremely pretty smile. If he didn’t understand already, he understood at that exact moment why he wasted time on going out with a girl, who actually demanded something from him.
“Sure…” Aaron said with doubt painted all over his face, as he knelt down next to her. “Hello, Mrs. Wu… It’s nice to meet you, I guess…” Aaron’s voice was almost un-hearable, and the amusement in Ying Jie’s eyes was very obvious. He then got an idea. “I’m very blessed to get to be with your beautiful daughter. Though she never actually told me, I think that she inherited your looks, as she looks nothing like her father. You must’ve been very pretty, Lily. Apart from looks, I think that she still looks up to you too… I’ve only ever heard stories about how perfectly nice and kind you are, and I’m very sorry that I didn’t get the chance to meet you, but I really do like your daughter. I’m also very sorry that your husband is marrying one of my father’s old concubines, but I wish you all well, wherever you are. I hope that you will give Ying Jie and I your blessings, and let the sun shine on your beautiful daughter more often.”

“Wow; you’re a quick learner!” Ying Jie exclaimed, on the way back with the train. She still had tears in her eyes, as she had been very touched by Aaron’s words. It was actually weird that they travelled by train, as Aaron was the owner of a classic, black limo.
“No, not really, actually… I just got pretty into it, so I simply had to do it.” Aaron smiled proudly. And old lady who sad on their left’s eyes got bigger and she looked at Aaron with obvious blame in his eyes. Two teenage girls in front of them cracked up. It was obvious that all three of them had misunderstood their conversation. Ying Jie laughed a little too.
“God, people are so erted these days… Doesn’t one person with a pure and regular mind exist anymore?” Aaron exclaimed, and tried to look uptight, which didn’t work for him. Therefore he started laughing and letting go instead.
“Well, as everyone is erted, that is what’s regular, and therefore a pure and regular mind doesn’t exist. Besides; who are you to say that?” Ying Jie laughed. Aaron frowned, and then laughed with her; he really liked her company.