"Am I?"

"If you're uncomfortable about the idea, we can pretend I never said it. What good would a stranger do you anyway. I... just lost my mind for a while there."

Irene held the stranger's arm to stop her from talking. "No. I... I like the idea. I mean, what bad would that possibly bring me? I've got nothing else to lose from this."

"Does that mean you're allowing me to be with you today?"

Irene nods, smiling as if she's never had company before. "But I do have conditions."

"What would that be?" Slowly before stating what she wants, Irene raises her hand, gesturing a pinky promise which the significant other finds adorable. She couldn't help but respond to Irene's little scheme; she lent her a pinky finger to complete their agreement.

"Don't worry, my conditions are not that hard."

"I hope so. Cause I already agreed before I even heard about it."

Irene chuckles. "Right. So, my first condition is that you must not tell me anything about you."

"I'm confused. Isn't it unfair that I'm digging into your past then say nothing about me?"

"Hmm. You have a point, but I have my reasons. And I'll tell you about it before we part ways later on."

Still left wondering, the stranger is left with no choice.

"My second condition... and my last, is that we must not get in touch after this day ends."

If Irene's words were chocolates, the person next to her would classify it as dark in flavor. Her voice was really sweet, but those words hinted a taste of bitterness. "Is that all?"

"One last thing... We agreed that I'll know nothing about you, but I still need to come up with a name to call you for the day at least. So I'm calling you... Sai?"

"Sai as in a dagger used in martial arts Sai?" She asks.

"Nope. Sai as in a true and trustworthy friend Sai. And oh... You can call me Irene. It's not my real name as well, but I've been using it for years now."

Irene's hands found its way to her new friends.' She clasped them with hers without hesitation. The latter said nothing about it, but she grabbed Irene's waist with her other hand to get her to face towards her direction.

"I like the new name you have for me, and I hope everything works out today, but let's get you changed first. Your dress picked up so much dirt from the damp ground when you broke down earlier."

--

Under the bright sunlight that paints her skin so warmly stood Irene in a dress more fabulous than any designer can craft. And lately, the weather has been warm; the air is so velvety on the skin that it made the days so... beautiful. But not as beautiful as the woman who stood before Sai.

Yes. She had acknowledged that name. The only problem she has left is how to make Irene enter her car without sounding as if she's showing off. She didn't want to give a negative impression, but also wondered why she's suddenly anxious about such useless things. Right after her bucket of anxiety poured off, she walked towards Irene. "So, would it be okay if we use my car on our way?"

"Yeah sure. I don't mind. It's better than bus hopping, I guess." She chuckles.

Sai's inner thoughts exploded like a bubble popped out of nowhere. It's just my mindset that is messed up after all, she thought. Nonetheless, she led Irene to her car, making sure she gets in safely and be able to buckle up her seat belt untroubled.

Without awareness of the road, the car moved over the highway. "So, where do you wanna go first?" Sai asks Irene, who is comfortably enjoying the ride.

"Where do I want to go?" After a pause, a deep thought suddenly occurs to her. " A museum. That's where I want to go."

"A museum? That's interesting. Can I ask why you wanna go there out of all places?" The stranger's genuine curiosity showed.

"I hope it wouldn't change the mood when I tell you though." Irene takes a deep breath. "You see, it was during my junior year in high school that our class went for a trip. It was for academic purposes, of course. As a person who's been restricted of going out, except to school, I was really excited back then. Too excited that I couldn't even sleep nor focus on studying. It happened that I had an exam before the trip, which I failed. And yes, it was because of my excitement that I couldn't study."

"A trip to a museum? So, you've been restricted in joining your class because you failed your exams?"

"Close enough. I mean, when my father found out that I failed, he was... furious. And every time he gets furious, at least one part of my body gets paralyzed. But he was EXTRA furious that day, I suppose, so almost half of my body malfunctioned—"

"Okay, stop." Sai held her breath. She just couldn't bring herself to hear any of those crude violence anymore.

"Sorry, was I making you uncomfortable?"

"No. I... just feel like I shouldn't bring such memories back anymore. I'm sorry for asking thoughtless questions."

Irene flashed a smile to reassure her that she's fine. Her smile was more on the painful side, however. The type to pierce through someone else' heart.

"Anyway, I heard people rarely visit the flower farm since it's close to being abandoned. What brought you there?" Irene questions the stranger next to her.

Heat came rushing down Sai's veins. She's clueless as to how she should answer. She can't just tell her she was actually there to buy the flower farm itself. She wanted to be honest, but the thought of telling her the truth felt oddly wrong. "Me? I... I just went there to relieve some stress, I guess? What about you?"

"Hmm, I just read it through a website."

"Website?"

Irene laughed. "My bad. That must have caught you off guard. Technology is getting better, you see. I bought myself an orcam."

"Orcam? What's that?"

"It's a pair of glasses with a voice-activated device attached to it. Intriguing isn't it? I thought so too when I first had it. The device provides increased independence by communicating visual information, audibly. So it's like, I have another person who reads things aloud for me."

"Oh, wow. Things do work well these days."

"Good thing I didn't bring it today." Irene sighs.

"What do you mean?"

"That device recognizes faces too. I mean, it saves data of other people's visuals. I'm afraid it might save yours."

Sai smiles at Irene's innocent reason. Without speaking another word, she accelerated in speed to bring her to their destination in no time.

The day was postcard perfect, even the buses were running on time. Downtown the skyscrapers shone silver in the bright sun and the sky was an unbroken backdrop of blue. Sai smiled. So spring had really is here after all, she thought.

--

When they arrived, it was none of those which Sai imagined. The museum looked gloomier than how it should be. It looked like it hadn't been visited for years. She looked back at Irene who is waiting inside the car all excited before taking another step inside. There she meets a man in his 50's holding a broom. He shows calmness in cleaning the place, feeling the aging artifacts glide on the floor.

She approached him without hesitation to ask about how things run in the museum, but the man just gave him a faint smile.

"Dear this is not the best place there is. Though it is the only museum nearby. Nobody else aside from me manages this place. That is since the local government stopped funding this place, I couldn't really pay anyone else to work here. It's not as grand as other museums but on the bright side, it's free."

Sai contemplates for a while but with good intentions, she decided to go on anyway. She heads to Irene, still seated in the car. "I think we're good. They said we can do a tour today, but..."

"But?"

"Uhm, the guides are off work today?"

Irene shrugs. "It doesn't matter. I mean, if a guide was all I needed, I should've visited a long time ago. And, why would I need another person when I have you."

Is it because she lied? Or was it because of Irene? She's not too sure, but Sai's heart is beating with unusual speed. Irene made her way out of the car. Without a word, she clings to the anxious person next to her.

"Let's go..." Sai leads the way.

"Wait." Irene stops.

"Before we go inside, can you tell me what the building looks like from here?"

Sai raises her head to look at the building. The place was not too spacious, even from a local standard. And the museum looked as if it was under a constant shadow, as if the sun kept reaching for its walls but couldn't. And so its windows stay black without the rippling effect of the light. So much dust clings, and so does the dirt of years that couldn't so easily be washed away. The walls looked so cold to the touch. It badly needs a kiss of warmth. But how can she dare to say such?

"Mmm, from here... it looks like the ceiling is twenty feet high. Uhm, ancient... I mean, aesthetic designs are carved into the molding, and the windows both reflect and absorb the sunny rays. They sparkle and take on the lively shadows of the leaves, together with the curtains. The curtains are creamy brown in color, by the way. You know... the kind that glows golden in the daylight. Y-yeah." With those dishonest words, her brain filtered what Irene might want to hear. She stated what Irene's ears and heart could bear without shattering.

"Wow. That's kind of impressive. I mean, you explain things really well. I could picture it in my head. Like really."

"Thanks, that's a newly discovered talent." Sai answers with uneasiness in her voice. Thankfully, Irene noticed nothing of her lies and headed straight inside with the same amount of excitement. It was rather upgraded, one must say. Irene also asked why the place seemed too silent, and Sai reasoned by saying there was supposed to be an event, but it was canceled.

Irene listened to Sai's deceiving words. Sai was too tensed, but she eventually got used to it while stating the exact opposite of how she perceived things. The lies then slipped out, smooth and easy like melted butter running down toast. She explained details as if she was describing them accurately. Not until they stopped by an unexpected corner.

Every painting in front of them was of images. Sai couldn't help but swallow her own saliva. She was caught off guard. How would she explain those without sounding erted? She totally ran out of lies.

"How about from this corner... Sai?" Irene tightens her grip on Sai's palm to get her attention since she had been silent for too long.

"Uhm, h-here... In here are paintings of n- bodies." Her words gradually faded without her knowing.

"New what?" Irene mishears.

"The... the paintings. They're... n-."

Irene cracked into a laughter so free and pure. It was so childish despite everything. It came to her company's ears as a tickle and bounce, and only she was able to do that. "Ahh... bodies." She continues to laugh. "Was it that hard to say?"

Sai clears , refusing to let out another word.

"Anyway, you must be tired from explaining everything to me. I think that's enough for me to experience being in a museum. Thank you."

"Then, shall we go eat? You must be hungry. It's past lunchtime."

--

Much contemplation occurred in choosing which cuisine to eat before they agreed on which place to visit. They stopped at a restaurant nearby. Through windows that welcomed the passage of the light, the restaurant appeared very alive.

They had a humble lunch. At some point, the two enjoyed each other's company so much that filling their stomachs in was much more of a priority than seeking exquisite taste.

The day didn't end there, of course. There was fairly enough time for them to hit the cinema. Yes, for a lot of reasons, watching wasn't a problem for Irene with Sai by her side. She was too good at describing scenes and everything. They sat there, both engrossed, barely noticing the popcorn that failed to make it to their slack mouths.

Silences never lasted long at the movies with Sai's accurate descriptions. However, the next scene was of maximum intensity. It was bright, and somehow deafening. Irene was frozen in her seat, with her hands tightly clutched onto Sai.

The decision was made in the blink of an eye, so as Sai chose thriller and horror, she couldn't be happier.

However, happiness isn't eternal they say. It was finally time for to part. Just the thought of it made Sai frown. How can she forget about that part?

She unwillingly parks her car near the bus stop where she's supposed to drop Irene off.

"So I guess this is it? T-thank you for giving me such an opportunity to try these things out. And for helping me visualize the beauty left in this world? This might sound funny, but I did feel that. I felt that after a single day with you. Thank you." Irene, for the last time, gave her a genuine smile.

"Then, can you tell me the reason now? Why you don't want to know anything about me? Not even my name..."

Irene moved forward to give her an embrace. Sai had been hugged before, but never like this. There was something so warm. She let her body sag, and her muscles become loose. "It's because of this," Irene whispers. "When you held me in your arms this morning, the feeling was so different. It was unfamiliar yet warm, unlike those I received out of pity. Your hug is stronger than anything I've ever known. In that moment of feeling you so close, I was comforted somehow. I felt more relieved than I had been in so long. And so I feared that when we get acquainted, I'd always find myself running to you whenever I feel helpless." She finally separates from the embrace.

Sai stood in front of her with a blank mind and eyes that couldn't meet Irene's regardless of her condition. Mindlessly, she held Irene's hand and brought them to hers. "Here... You can break my pinky finger." She declares.

Irene is confused. "What? Why would I do that?"

"I made a pinky promise this morning... but I don't think I'll ever get to keep it. Forgetting about each other after this day ends? No. I don't think I'll ever get to do that." Sai breathes for a moment. "And what's wrong with that? What's wrong about you running to me when you feel down? Can't we just stay in touch?"

"I... I'm a nuisance. How can I—" The stranger cuts Irene off.

"A nuisance? Do you feel like you are? Then what if that feeling gets out of the way? Will you let me stay in touch with you?"

"Sai..."

"Will you?"

"It's not that easy for me to trust myself, and I believe you know why."

"It's not easy for you to trust yourself, but you said you trust me. I mean, you even named me with that. Can't you just trust me one last time?"

Irene's emotions start mixing up, building frustration inside her. "Look, I... I must have lost my mind. It was just a day... A single day with you. But I don't get why I'm being stirred up like this."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Why is it so hard to part ways with you?"

"Must we part?"

"I... I don't know."