Although I did not know if ghosts or gods truly existed in the world, I knew that Sasha’s parents had spent all their money just to treat the child’s illness. They wanted to give her the best, but reality forced them to bid their farewells in such a miserable way.
Anthony nodded in reply and walked off to make a call.
The staff at the cemetery registered Renee’s burial site, he noticed that there were only two elderly people and got slightly shocked but did not probe any further. Perhaps he had gotten used to such a sight since he was working in a place full of sorrowful parting. He had seen too many families having to part and was used to the ways of the world.
Soon, the staff at the funeral home had arrived and proceeded with the burial processes and customs. Reluctant to let Renee go, Sasha’s mother looked at me with her eyes full of hesitation instead.
I gave her a slight smile as I comforted her, saying that everything would be fine as long as the child left peacefully and comfortably.
Even though the burial was only for a child, the sky had already darkened by the time the funeral ended. Sasha’s father squatted in front of the small grave, his face full of pain and desolation.
Sasha’s mother then raised her hand to wipe away the tears in her eyes and said, “My dear, let’s go home. Renee will keep Sasha company now. They won’t be lonely!”
Not good with words, the old man simply wiped away his own tears before he replied, “That’s good. At least the mother and the daughter can be together without us being a burden to them. They’ll be able to live well.”
When we left, the elderlies were too embarrassed to take our car back and insisted that they would wait for a taxi. However, as the cemetery was far from the city and the sky was already dark, Anthony and I did not want to let them wait alone.
Seeing that we were still keeping them company while they waited, the elderly couple sheepishly got into the car, thanking us the whole way back.
When we arrived at the urban village, Sasha’s mother said, “Thank you for sending us back. The village roads are narrow, so it’s not easy to drive in. Thanks so much for today. You can drop us off here, and we’ll walk in ourselves.”
Anthony had originally wanted to drive in, but the car could not squeeze through the road indeed. Thus, we could only stop the car and let the couple walk in by themselves.
As he watched the two white-haired elderly walk down the narrow dirt road, Anthony asked, “Have they always lived here?”
I paused for a moment, then shook my head slightly. “I’m not very sure. I think Joseph mentioned to me that Shane had gambled away their house. After that, Sasha rented another house somewhere. I think it is probably the one here.”
The houses in the urban village were old, and the structures and facilities were all inconvenient and there were a lot of safety hazards. However, they could survive here at the very least as it was cheap.
As Anthony continued to watch the elderly couple walking further away, he hesitated, then said, “How long has it been since Sasha left?”
“Almost three or four months.”
He frowned slightly. “Most of the houses here have their leases renewed every three months!”
At first, I did not understand what he meant. Then, as soon as I got it, I hurriedly got out of the car and chased after the couple. Houses in the urban village had a short rental period. Previously, when Renee was still hospitalized, Sasha’s parents had basically lived there with her. Afterward, they had brought her out for such a long period of time, so it was likely that their house lease was already up.
The dirty path was filled with muddy puddles, so it was not easy to walk in. Anthony grabbed me and glanced at the path in front of us, then frowned. “This place is very uncared for.”
I looked around the area and could not help but feel a little cold and lost. The roads and streetlights were mostly faulty, so some parts of the road had no light. As a result, we had to use the flashlights on our phones to light the way. Indeed, this place truly reflected the stark contrast between the poor and depressing living conditions of the bottom rank of the social classes to the luxury lifestyle of the rich people in this city.
After Anthony and I walked for a while, we realized that the couple seemed to have already walked far off. I was about to give Sasha’s mother a call before we heard some noises.
The sound came from behind an old building. Using his phone’s light, Anthony managed to find a small trail. However, it was very narrow, and only one person could cross at a time. He turned to me and said, “Follow me. Be careful!”
I nodded and followed after him. A while later, a small yard of about ten square meters appeared. It was littered with a mess of items.
Although it was dark, one could clearly see that the items included some daily necessities, old pots and pans, clothes, and many other random items.
“You stupid old fools. These things have been stored in my house for free for a few months. You should be glad that I didn’t collect any storage fees from you. Instead, you dare to come to take them from me? Don’t you feel embarrassed? Why would I want all these things? They’re such a mess. Just take them away and don’t get in my way!” The one speaking was a middle-aged woman who looked a little rough. I could vaguely make out her features in the dim light. She was wearing a poor-quality mink coat and a pair of overly dramatic gold earrings. Her lipstick shade looked strikingly scary. As she scolded them, she continued to throw the items outside.
With reddened eyes, Sasha’s mother said, “Mary, I didn’t mean it like that. We’re just here to take some clothes since winter is almost here. As for the rent we owe you, it’s acceptable that you take all this as payment. But our clothes aren’t worth any money and you have no use for them anyway. If you just let us take them, we’ll be able to survive this winter.”
The woman snorted coldly. “Take them then. Don’t cry to me about how miserable you are. I’ve seen too many of such people in my lifetime. Who isn’t struggling to survive? If you want your clothes, just take them. But if you can’t afford to pay the rent, don’t even think about living here anymore. There are many other people who want to rent this place!”
Sasha’s mother nodded as she searched for their clothes in the small yard. On the other hand, Sasha’s father squatted, staring at something. Although the light was dim, it seemed like he was looking at a photograph.
“Mrs. Brooks!” I said as I walked into the yard.
When she heard the sound, Sasha’s mother looked toward us and froze for a moment before she asked, “Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone, why are you here?”
As she spoke, she intertwined her fingers in embarrassment. I smiled and replied, “Anthony and I were worried, so we came to check on you.”
“I’m sorry you have to see this,” replied Sasha’s mother, embarrassed.
I understood how she was feeling as this was a showcase of their poverty and embarrassment. Sadly, there was nothing she could do to hide them.
Without dragging it on any longer, I looked at the landlord and said, “They are old. Do you still have any houses on the first floor?”
When the woman recovered from her dazed state, she looked at me and replied, “Of course. Do you want to rent it?”
I nodded. “Help them bring all these back in first. I’ll pay you accordingly!”
She looked at me, then at Anthony, and soon put on a smile as she nodded. Then, she started to move things back.
Sasha’s mother looked at me blankly. “Mrs. Featherstone, you’ve helped us enough. This…”
“Mrs. Brooks, live here with peace of mind and don’t worry about anything else. Just take some time to recover. Everything will get better in the future.” I did not know how else to comfort her.
When the woman was done moving the things back in, she looked at us with a bright smile and asked, “I’ve taken care of whatever’s here. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
I smiled slightly before taking out some money from my wallet and stuffing it into her hands. “This is enough for them to stay here for some time. The extra cash is for you to help me take good care of them. You’ll get more next time.”
As soon as the woman received the money, her smiled was so wide that her entire face scrunched up, as she continuously nodded and said some nice, reassuring words.
Since I had taken out all the cash I had on me, I looked at Anthony. He smiled back at me helplessly as he retrieved his wallet from his blazer and passed it to me.
I smiled at him before opening his wallet to take out all his cash, then handed it to Sasha’s mother. “Mrs. Brooks, take this money first. We’ll be back to visit you sometime later. Just give me a call if you need anything else.”
She repeatedly declined, “I can’t take this money. You’ve already been kind by paying the rent for us, so we can’t take any more money from you. Please take it back, Mrs. Featherstone.”
I shook my head and replied, “Just take it. The two of you can use it to live well here. I’ll only feel better if you accept the money. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease. Just take it and live a better life with Mr. Brooks. Don’t worry; things will definitely get better in the future.”
Looking at the tears on her face constantly flowing down, I did not know what else to say. I merely said some kind words to her before I left with Anthony.
When we were back in the car, I could not help but let out a sigh.
Anthony looked at his watch, then to me. “What do you want to eat?”
If he had not reminded me, I had almost forgotten that we had not eaten anything since morning. Thinking about it, I could not help but look back into the dark path.
Anthony seemed to know what I was thinking, for he said, “Don’t worry, I’ve already gotten someone to send over some food. Just put everything aside for now and think about what you want to eat.”
After some time, I replied, “Let’s go get and have stew. It’s already quite late, so let’s eat somewhere nearby.”
His smile carried a hint of helplessness as he squeezed my cheeks. “After busying around the whole day, do you even remember what you originally intended to do today?”
I nodded. “Let’s go to the hospital when we have time. There’s no need to rush these few days.”
He gave me a light kiss on the cheek and replied in a helpless, pampering tone, “Let’s grab a bite then!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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