Helllo Kitty

"Ahjussi, do you have any safety pins?" she called out from the kitchen, realising she has lost one of her blouse buttons.

He was cleaning up the unused front portion of the apartment, pushing the old pawn shop shelves aside to make a bigger room by the sofa.

"In the bedroom, on the bedside table."

"I'm borrowing one, neh?"

He shook his head at her favourite word - borrow.

A little while later, she came out.

"You kept them," she said, cradling the wooden trinket box like a precious baby in her hand.

He stopped his current task and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

His white t shirt plastered on his back.

"Isn't that what you wanted me to do?"

"Yes, of course," she whispered.

But it is still making my heart soar, knowing that you kept them, she silently added.

He knew she was referring to the annual gifts she sent him the last 8 years.

"So, why Hello Kitty?" He asked, knowing that she was touched at his simple act of keeping her gifts.

"They were some of the items you packed into my bag," she smiled.

He recalled the day he was taken away by the police.

After the showdown between him and her captors, and his relief at finding her alive, he went to the neighbourhood book store and packed her a school bag full of goodies as a going away present.

"I kept most of them, except for the pencils and erasers. I even have the used books with me. And the bag. I wanted to share some of the items with you."

"How did you know how to send them?"

"The Bookstore Ahjussi helped me the first time. After that I went to the post office myself."

"Thank you," he said.

They were simple words.

With deep meaning.

"I wanted you to remember me," she answered him sincerely.

He simply look at her with a slight hint of a smile. 

I have never forgotten, nor will I ever forget.

But of course, those words were only uttered in his heart.