~~ • ~~

The morning felt peaceful.

The sky was clear. A gentle village breeze blew by, carrying the scent of earth

and dry leaves.

I sat on the porch. A thin trail of steam still rose from the black coffee

beside me.

I opened my cigarette pack.

Empty.

No. There was still one last stick.

"Hm..."

I took out the last cigarette.

Time to buy more.

Beside me, Yuna sat cross-legged. An open notebook rested on her lap.

The pencil in her hand moved quickly. Then stopped. Erased.

Wrote again.

Erased again.

The wind blew her hair, which was starting to grow long. A few strands fell

across her face.

She blew the bangs out of her eyes without looking up.

"Are you doing your homework?"

"No," she answered quickly.

Her eyes remained fixed on the notebook.

She started writing something again. Then clicked her tongue.

"Then what are you doing?"

I leaned in slightly. Peeking at her notebook.

Yuna reflexively covered part of the page with her hand.

"I’m writing a letter."

"For who?"

"For Mom."

I furrowed my brow.

"Why? If you miss her, you can just call."

Yuna’s head snapped toward me.

Her eyes went wide.

"Papa, you don’t know?"

"Huh? Know what?"

We stared at each other for a few seconds.

Yuna looked hesitant.

"Do you really not know that today is..."

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Today is Mother’s Day."

"Mother’s Day?"

"Shhh!"

Yuna immediately jumped up in a panic.

Both her hands clamped over my mouth.

"Sho whaf’s wrong wif thaf?" ("So what’s wrong with that?")

My voice came out muffled.

"Don’t be so loud..."

I gave a small nod.

Only then did she take her hands away.

"So what if it’s Mother’s Day?"

"So whaaat?" Yuna stared at me in disbelief.

"Papa, you should be preparing a gift for Grandma."

"I’ve never done that before." I leaned back against the pillar. "Do I really

have to?"

"You have to, Papa." Yuna’s tone was dead serious.

She pointed toward the inside of the house.

"Just look at Auntie. I bet she’s preparing a gift right now."

"Hm..."

I stood up.

The wooden floorboards creaked softly as I walked down the hallway.

The house felt quiet.

My other younger siblings were probably out playing.

I stopped in front of my little sister’s room.

Without knocking, I just opened the door.

Creak.

My sister turned her head sharply.

She was sitting on the floor. In front of her, a bunch of loose change was

scattered about.

Several coins were stacked neatly by size.

Beside her sat a clear piggy bank jar.

"Brother?! Knock first if you want to come in!"

"Alright, alright." I leaned against the doorframe. "Now answer me first."

She waved her hand, gesturing for me to come closer.

I walked in. Then crouched down beside her.

My sister immediately leaned in close to my ear.

And whispered.

"I’m going to make a gift for Mom."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

She nodded several times.

"Aren’t you making one?"

"Do I really have to?"

"Not really, I guess." She picked up a few more coins. "But it’s only once a

year, you know."

"Hm..."

I glanced at her jar.

"So, what are you going to buy?"

"It’s a secret."

"What about the others?"

"How should I know?" She shrugged. "They probably forgot."

Then she narrowed her eyes.

"By the way, what are you going to give her?"

"Me..." I stood up slowly. "I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it."

I walked out.

"Shut the door, Brother!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

I pulled the door gently until it clicked shut.

I returned to the porch.

Yuna was still in the exact same spot. Her pencil moving slowly.

I sat back down beside her.

"Well, Papa?"

"Yeah." I gave a small nod. "Turns out your aunt really is preparing a gift."

"See? I told you."

"So what are you going to give her, Papa?"

"I have no idea."

I glanced at her notebook.

"By the way, are you done?"

"Not yet..."

I looked at the contents of the page.

There was only a large title at the top.

To Mom

The rest was blank.

The space below it was covered in pencil smudges from erasing.

"I don’t know what to write." Yuna chewed on the end of her pencil. "Do you have

any ideas, Papa?"

"Nope."

"Ugh..." Yuna let out a long sigh. "Papa, you’re lame."

She stared intently at her notebook again.

"Yuna."

"Yeah?..."

I stood up. And started walking away.

"You want to come?"

"Where to?" she asked without looking back.

"To the shop."

Yuna’s head instantly shot up.

Her face brightened.

"I’m coming!"

She hurriedly slammed her notebook shut. Leaving it right there on the porch.

Slipped into her sandals as fast as she could.

Then jogged over to catch up to me.

"Papa! Wait up!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

I stopped for a moment until Yuna was standing right beside me.

She was panting slightly.

"Let’s go, Papa." Her hand grabbed the hem of my shirt. "Off we go."

__

We walked slowly along the village road.

Not many vehicles passed by. Occasionally, the sound of an old motorbike echoed

from a distance. The rest was just the wind and the rustling of leaves.

The air here felt completely different from the city.

Lighter.

Cleaner.

Even the heat of the sun felt gentle. Not biting, the way it was between

concrete buildings.

Old wooden houses lined the street. On some, the paint had begun to fade. A few

bamboo fences leaned sideways, weathered by time.

Large trees grew in the front yards.

One of them was a mango tree.

Tall.

Leafy.

Its branches stretched out over the road.

"Yuna."

"Hm?"

"Do you want a mango?"

Yuna immediately looked up.

Her eyes followed the hanging fruit.

Some were still green. Some were turning yellow.

A few looked perfectly ripe.

"Are we allowed to, Papa?" Yuna looked at me. "Doesn’t it belong to someone?"

"We are, if they give us permission."

I pointed at the wooden house behind the tree.

"Do you want one?"

Yuna looked up again.

Her gaze lingered on one particular mango.

"I want one."

We stopped in front of the house.

I raised my voice a little.

"Excuse me! Could we have a mango?"

Silence for a moment.

Then, the sound of slow footsteps came from inside.

The sliding door opened.

An elderly man stepped out, holding a hand fan.

"Yes!" He gave a warm smile. "Go ahead, help yourselves."

"Thank you."

"Thank you, Grandpa," Yuna said, giving a small bow.

The old man gave a casual wave, then went back inside.

A long bamboo pole was leaning against the trunk of the tree.

I picked it up.

"Which one do you want?"

Yuna stared up for a long time.

Her eyes darted back and forth.

"Hmm, which one..."

Then, she pointed.

"That one, Papa."

I looked up as well.

"Which one?"

"That one." She pointed even higher. "The one at the very top."

I followed her finger.

Paused for a few seconds.

"...That’s really high."

It was definitely the ripest one. A bright reddish-yellow, glowing in the

sunlight.

But it was also perched at the very tip of the branch.

"Can you not reach it, Papa?"

"I can reach it." I tightened my grip on the pole. "Step back a little."

Yuna immediately took a few steps back.

I stood right beneath the mango.

Adjusted the angle of the pole.

And hoisted it high.

Thwack.

"Got it."

The mango snapped off its stem.

I instinctively took a step back. Pulled the hem of my shirt forward with my

left hand.

I’d catch it in my shirt.

Or so I thought.

In reality—

The pole was still in both my hands.

I ended up stumbling too far back.

Thud.

The mango hit the dirt.

It split slightly.

The flesh burst out from one side.

I lowered the pole.

And leaned it back where I found it.

When I turned around, Yuna was already crouching next to the mango.

She stared at it in silence.

Her finger gently poked the skin.

She rolled it over.

Revealing the bruised and splattered side.

I walked over.

And scooped the mango up.

I peeled back the skin around the split.

Scraped off the part that had touched the dirt and tossed it aside.

"Here."

Yuna took it, though her face was filled with doubt.

"Is this still edible?"

"Huh?" I pulled her hand closer. "Watch."

I took a bite straight out of the side of the mango.

"Eee..." Yuna looked a little panicked. "That’s..."

"What now?"

"That’s bad manners."

"If you don’t want it, give it here."

I held out my hand.

"I want it..."

"Then eat it."

Yuna still looked unsure. But eventually, she took a tiny bite.

Very carefully.

Trying not to get her hands dirty.

Trying to stay neat.

A few seconds later, her eyes widened.

"It’s good..."

I gave a small smile.

We continued our walk down the village road.

Yuna ate the mango as she walked beside me.

"Papa..."

"What is it..."

I turned my head.

Yuna had stopped walking, holding the remains of the mango. Her hands were

sticky. Smears of mango juice coated her lips and cheeks.

"I’m all messy..."

"Just wipe it on your shirt."

"But then my shirt will be dirty..."

"Hm..."

I looked down the road.

Just past the intersection ahead, the rice fields began. There was usually a

small irrigation ditch running along the path.

"Follow me."

I quickened my pace.

Yuna quickly tossed the mango pit to the side of the road. Then she hurried

after me. Her short legs were practically jogging to keep up.

Until finally...

An expanse of rice fields opened up before us.

Green.

Vast.

The wind swept across the young rice stalks, making the surface ripple like

water.

"Woah..."

Yuna took a few steps forward. Her eyes sparkled. A wide smile formed on her

face.

She spun around slowly.

Looking left. Right. Straight ahead.

"The rice fields... they’re so huge..."

I walked over to the edge of the road.

"Yuna."

"Yes, Papa?..."

She trotted over, her eyes still glued to the fields.

Once she was close, I pointed down.

"Wash your hands here."

Yuna looked down.

The water in the irrigation ditch flowed gently.

It was crystal clear.

The bottom was lined with small pebbles. A few aquatic plants swayed with the

current.

"It’s so clean..."

Yuna took off her sandals.

And stepped down carefully.

Splash.

The water instantly clouded with brown dirt kicked up by her feet.

But a few seconds later, it ran clear again.

She washed her hands. Then rinsed her lips and cheeks.

After that, she cupped the water in both hands.

Splash.

She went ahead and washed her entire face.

"So refreshing..." Yuna turned to me. "You should try it, Papa."

"No need."

"Just try it, Papa, the water is so cool..."

"Hurry up or I’m leaving you behind."

I started walking again.

"Papa! Wait!"

Yuna scrambled back up. Quickly slipped her sandals back on.

And ran to catch up with me.

~~ • ~~