"Oh dear… why didn't he tell me first?" Adeline stood still, thinking for a moment. Then she reached into her purse, pulled out some cash, and slipped it into the wallet to help cover the medication cost. After that, she contacted him through her wristwatch.
"Will he pick up…? Hmm." She waited a moment.
"Hello…?" Brian answered in a faint, tired voice.
"Hi Brian, it's Adeline. You left your wallet at the company," she said.
"Oh, damn it. I thought I dropped it in the car. I've been searching everywhere. Alright, I'll come back for it." Brian turned his steering wheel so sharply that Adeline could hear the tires scraping loudly through the receiver.
"Just be careful on the way back, okay? No rush," she told him before hanging up. She waited with Yomi for a short while until Brian came running into the lobby, a little breathless.
"Ah—here it is. Thank you so much," he said.
Adeline handed the wallet back to him. "Take care of yourself, a'ight? If you're not well, take a day off. I won't mind."
He nodded, trying to sound confident. "I'm fine."Then he left the building as quickly as a warm gust of wind. Adeline watched him until he disappeared from sight.
"So that's how it is… pretending everything's normal…" She closed her eyes and sighed. Then she headed home in her personal skimmer. Fireflies chirped in unison as she stepped through the manor gate. Ms. Cillecia was waiting inside alone with a warm dinner—roasted potatoes and vegetable soup laid neatly on the table. Adeline took her seat across from her.
"You're home late, dear. Things didn't go smoothly at work today?" Ms. Cillecia asked, her face full of concern.
"A new employee forgot his wallet," Adeline said, slipping the strap of her bag off her shoulder.
"Oh my… that's unfortunate. Did he get it back?" Cillecia scooped food onto Adeline's plate. She nodded. "I gave it back. Just a little for me—I'm not that hungry tonight."
"Why the gloomy face? Are you upset with me?" The old woman set down her utensils. In the kitchen of the vast manor, the only sound between them came from the fireflies singing softly in the back garden.
"No… I just feel like something is pulling me back to…"Adeline raised a hand to her head, restless.
"If work is overwhelming, take it easy for a while. You don't need to be so serious about everything," Cillecia said gently.
"No, no," Adeline muttered as she slowly speared a piece of salad. "I just… mm! This is good."
She ate more quickly, clearly enjoying her housemaid's cooking. "I just don't want to feel that again… that thing from the past."
"Hm…" Ms. Cill exhaled deeply. "Growing means learning to walk past our past."
"You've said that a hundred times, and nothing changes," Adeline snapped, turning her head away.
"That's because you haven't grown yet. You never take what I say to heart," Cillecia replied, knowing exactly where her niece's weaknesses lay.
"Not grown, huh? Hmm…" Adeline crossed her legs, thinking.
"Ugh… don't scold me. I'm just a little scatterbrained. Or maybe… No, I don't know!"
"Stop wandering off in your thoughts and ask yourself properly—have you grown?" Ms. Cill gently stroked her niece's hand, the softness like a feather brushing away her tension.