Chapter 39

"Hey Alan, did you grow up in an orphanage? What was it like?"

"Yeah, it was pretty rough, but I got lucky. Everyone treated me well."

"Alan, why are you so scared of the cold? It's not very manly!"

"I've always been like this. As a kid, winter felt endless. I guess it just stuck with me."

"Your boss is totally taking advantage of you, making you do everything and work late every day. You shouldn't put up with that. I'm calling the Forestry Bureau tomorrow!"

"Relax, it's not just me. Everyone's working overtime."

It was a chilly winter night. After dinner, Alan was on the sofa, softly reading poetry. I had my head on his lap, half-asleep with my eyes closed.

The house was cozy. I was under a blanket, a bit sweaty on my forehead. Alan touched my head and asked, "Do you have a fever?"

I nodded sleepily, "Seems like it."

Feeling hot, I pushed the blanket off, letting the cool air hit my arms and legs. My head hurt a bit, and after a while, someone covered me again.

"I'll get some fever medicine, hang on," Alan said gently.

"Okay," I mumbled.

I was dizzy, thinking about moving to another spot to sleep, but I was too weak. Forget it, I'd just sleep here.

I drifted off into a deep sleep for a long time.

I had never felt this exhausted before. I used to be full of energy, working late into the night and still feeling great the next day.

Was it because I was getting old?

In a daze, I saw myself in the mirror with white hair, sitting in a wheelchair with a blanket on my knees, at the end of my life, about to die.

Memories flooded my mind.

From twenty-one to thirty, I spent the first phase of my career at the District Attorney's office;

From thirty to forty, I was the chief editor and reporter at the Silverlight City Legal Journal, gaining many awards both domestically and internationally, often forgetting to thank someone in my acceptance speeches;

From fifty to sixty, the Silverlight City Journal merged with an international Legal Journal, and I traveled to various countries, taking photos with my DSLR, always leaving a spot empty in the pictures;

From sixty to seventy, I returned to Silverlight City and opened a bookstore. I sat in a chair at the door with reading glasses, watching the sunset, forgetting whether I was reading poetry or waiting for someone;

At seventy-eight, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, with no children, living freely. I bought a house near the hospital, so if something happened, I could be rescued in time, or cremated if not.

But throughout my life, I felt something was missing, but I couldn't remember.

Oh right, someone went to get medicine for me. Oh right, I had a fever.

I lay there waiting for a long time, but that person never came.

"Sir, I'm over seventy, why haven't you come back yet?"

"Sir, you should've said goodbye when you left, or at least told me where you were going."

"Sorry, I can't call you 'sir,' I know your name. Don't worry, I'll remember."

I talked to myself, maybe because I was old, I talked a lot, forgetting what I said before.

"I feel like I know your story from somewhere, like I lived it. Others have told me, but you didn't. I'm old now, I don't blame you."

"I remember now, you were always so kind. The first time I saw you, you weren't the most handsome or the best among the guys, but you were the only one I noticed. You know why? Because everyone else avoided looking at me, but you kept smiling at me, and I smiled back."

"We should've gotten married. We could've gone to the prairie, the lake, the wheat fields, sunbathed on the haystacks. When we got tired, we could've had a baby... No, wait, we did get married. So where have you been all these years?"

Suddenly, it hit me in the wheelchair, oh right, we did get married.

He appeared, so gentle and kind, walking slowly towards me in the sunlight, squatting down and looking up at me with a smile.

I didn't know why, but my heart ached faintly. Was it because I was too old? Didn't the doctor say last time that it was Parkinson's, so how did I end up with heart disease too?

Forget it. There weren't many days left anyway.

But why was I crying? The doctor said my tear glands had degenerated.

With tears in my eyes, I touched his face and choked out, "I've been looking for you for over forty years. Where have you been all these years? Why haven't you aged? Your name is Alan, you are my husband. Over forty years ago, on the night of November 20th, there was a big fire, and you left. I will never forget that scene."

"I don't believe Laura was the culprit. The witnesses wanted her dead, but that was false testimony. No matter who it is, they can't leave without a clear explanation. I thought I had to give you an explanation, give myself an explanation, and say a proper goodbye to you."

"All these years, I've suffered so much. Why didn't you tell me?"

"How should I investigate, how should I follow the clues? I knew they were all lying, all hiding the truth, but I had no evidence."

"It's all over now, we've met, Alan."

I opened my arms and bent down to hug Alan.

The dizziness hit me again, and I fainted.

I didn't know how long it was, my whole body ached, my arms were numb, like they hadn't moved in a long time and lacked blood flow. I tried to move, my hand hurt, like something was stuck in it, and it hurt when I moved.

What was it?

I didn't know where I was or what I was doing, but my mind became much clearer.

Wasn't I at Lally's house looking at photos before I went out?

"Doctor, what is wrong with the patient? Why hasn't she woken up yet?" It was my apprentice Zoey's voice.

"Don't worry, the patient is overly tired and anxious, with poor sleep and diet, and possibly emotional stress, causing her to faint suddenly. We've done a full-body check, she's healthy, and there's nothing wrong with her brain. Just let her rest well."

"But she has been sleeping for a whole day and night, and she won't wake up no matter how I call her. Please, check again, I beg you, she can't have anything happen to her." Zoey's voice was choked with tears.

Had I really been asleep for a whole day and night?

"Rest assured, the patient's bodily functions are all normal. The nurse started giving her saline and glucose this morning. There's nothing to worry about, she should wake up today if nothing unexpected happens. Just make sure no one else disturbs her, one person to watch over her is enough."

"Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, I'll get back to work."