Chapter 3

When I woke up at 8:00 am the next morning, Renee had already gone to work.

There was a note on the dining table next to a very rare plate of breakfast from her that said, "I got help to clean up the dining room. Stop acting like a kid. Have some breakfast when you're up."

She had excellent handwriting that somehow just looked exactly like her.

I stared at the note as I chewed on the toast and eggs, feeling the hole in my heart fill just a little.

However, the illusion lasted only for a short while.

Aspen happened to update his social media just then, and the notification jumped out with a ding. He had posted a photo of the exact breakfast on my table, except that he also had a few extra ingredients that I didn't.

His caption read, "I'm so lucky to have a mentor who would have breakfast with her students!"

The edge of another plate was visible beside his in the photo, and it looked so familiar that it was jarring to see.

Those plates were the ones that Renee had personally picked out for us while we were on vacation. It was a couple's plate set, one in blue and one in yellow.

When she gifted me the yellow one, she told me that it was because I was too boring and should try to have a sunnier personality.

I couldn't bring myself to use the plates normally because I treasured them so much, so I set them on the shelf and even placed a photo of her and me right next to them. Later on, the photo vanished, leaving only the plates behind.

And now, the plates were being used to bring Aspen his breakfast.

It felt like the past, when I received an urgent call from Renee before I'd even gotten off work.

"Aspen's having an upset stomach again, and he said that he likes the beef stew you make. He wants you to make it for him."

That day was the second day I was suffering from a 104-degree fever. When I woke up that morning, I had asked her if she could send me to the hospital, but she just continued applying her lipstick in the mirror, saying, "I've got an important meeting in the morning. I'll take you there after the meeting."

I believed her and went to work as usual, waiting for her to come and get me. I kept checking my phone throughout the day until my colleagues teased me, "Missing your girlfriend or something?"

I just grinned at them and didn't bother explaining. However, I could still hear the buzzing in my ears, and everything around me was still spinning.

When I finally received Renee's call, I immediately grabbed my work bag and rushed to the entrance. Yet, she seemed to have completely forgotten that I was having a high fever, or her promise to send me to the hospital.

She only remembered to tell me to make stew for her student with an upset stomach.

Beef stew, to be exact.

She never knew that making my usual beef stew recipe would require at least three hours of stewing for the beef to be tender. By the time I was done, I could probably just forget about going to the hospital for the day.

And since Renee was prone to catching chills in the spring, I deliberately tracked down a special type of ginger at the supermarket and simmered it for hours to make her the perfect cup of lemon-ginger tea. Yet, she'd gone and easily given it away to someone else under the guise of caring for them instead.

My phone buzzed just then, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Congratulations, Mr. Jerry Larsen. You've passed the written test for the TA position. Kindly come for an interview at the university this afternoon."

I texted back, "Thank you. I'll be there on time."

When I arrived at the university administration office, I saw a few other candidates waiting in the hallway, and Aspen was one of them.

He approached me with a huge smile on his face and said in a low voice, "You shouldn't have come. It's just a waste of your time anyway. They've already reserved this spot for someone else."

"What do you mean by that?"

Aspen gave me a once-over as though he was looking at an imbecile.

"No wonder Dr. Hickman always called you stupid. I've already made myself clear, and you still don't understand what I'm saying?

"I mean, she already gave this spot to me."

I was just about to retort when someone from the office called me in. So, I went in and sat down in the interview room.

The interviewer handed me an apology letter and said regretfully, "I'm sorry, Mr. Larsen. Your résumé was excellent, and you're suitable for this position. However, an internal candidate has already been selected, so I'm just here to apologize to you on the university's behalf."

The next second, I saw the job recommendation letter on the table, signed by "Dr. Renee Hickman".

I felt like someone was choking me. I couldn't even manage to squeeze a single word from my throat.

My phone kept ringing the moment I left the office. It was Renee. She was trying to offer an explanation that she probably couldn't even convince herself of.

"Jerry, can you please let Aspen have the job instead? He's having a difficult time as an orphan, and if he manages to land this job, he won't have to worry about his tuition and living expenses anymore. He won't have to work odd jobs and be ordered around anymore either. You don't mind, right?

"Why aren't you saying anything? Hello? Jerry, are you still there?"

Then, the line went dead. She didn't bother calling back or texting me either. Her patience with me lasted all but two seconds.

I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, I called up my professor from a long time ago, Dr. Larry Krause, and then booked a flight out of the country that was at least three years overdue.

…

When I arrived home, I saw Aspen lazing casually on the couch while enjoying a piece of cut fruit. He had put his feet up on the coffee table, wearing the cotton slippers with the aspen leaves embroidered on the front, while I was still only wearing disposable ones.

The sound of pots and pans clanging came from the kitchen.

Aspen immediately shot to his feet when he saw me. The taunting look on his face from earlier that day was gone, replaced with a look of gratitude instead.

"Jerry—"

I walked right past him and went into the bedroom to grab my suitcase.

Just then, Renee stormed out of the kitchen and began yelling at me accusingly, "What's with that attitude of yours, Jerry Larsen? Can't you see that Aspen's here to thank you personally? Why are you making him so awkward and embarrassed?"