May arrived not only with fire in its breath but also with the hum of moony light nights.
The sun scorched the days in gold and dust, but the nights..oh, the nights were painted in silver. The moon seemed fuller, closer, as if it, too, was watching over someone silently aching. Those warm nights were the most beautiful of the year, yet somehow, they made the sadness sharper, clearer.
That evening, after the restaurant had closed and the lights were dimmed, Mr. Brain stood behind the counter, unusually quiet. The chairs were stacked, the floor mopped, and the scent of the day's last dish still lingered in the air. Anaya wiped her hands and walked toward him, sensing something unspoken in his stillness.
"Uncle?" she asked gently. "Is everything alright?"
He didn't look up at first. His fingers traced the wood grain on the counter like he was gathering the right words.
"I have something to tell you," he said at last, his voice low and thoughtful. "It won't be easy. For either of us."
Anaya's heart tensed, as if bracing for something it didn't want to hear. "What happened?"
He sighed, eyes finally meeting hers. "I'm going to Italy."
She blinked. "Italy?"
"My son's in trouble. Something came up with his company… he didn't ask for help, but… he needs me. And I can't turn away this time."
There was a long, trembling silence. Anaya stood still, her breath caught in her throat.
"You… you're not coming back?"
Mr. Brain hesitated. "Maybe not. I'm not sure yet. But this.. this is something I have to do."
Anaya nodded slowly, but her eyes were already shining. She tried to speak, but her voice cracked when she opened her mouth. She looked down, pressing her lips together until she found the words.
"I'm happy for you… truly. He's your son. You should be with him."
"But it hurts," she whispered, barely audible. "I was just starting to feel like I wasn't alone anymore."
Mr. Brain's eyes softened. "Anaya… you're one of the bravest people I've ever met. I know this is hard. But you'll be okay. I believe in that."
She wiped her eyes quickly, trying to hold herself together.
"When are you leaving?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Tomorrow evening."
"Can I… come to the airport? To say goodbye?"
"Of course," he said with a small, aching smile. "You have to."
She nodded. "What about the restaurant?"
"I'll hand it over to someone else," he said. "It's time."
"Okay," she whispered, though nothing inside her felt okay.
That night, she climbed the stairs to her little room above the restaurant. The room was still the same, but something in it already felt hollow. The walls knew she was going to lose another piece of warmth.
She lay on the bed, curled up against her pillow, and whispered softly into the quiet..,
"Yu Chen… seems like I'm going to be all alone again."
The tears came without warning. She didn't try to stop them this time.
"I'll have to find a new place to stay," she murmured into the dark. "And a new job too. Uncle's leaving… and the restaurant won't be home anymore."
Her voice cracked as she said the last word.. home. It felt like it was slipping from her fingers again, just when she had started to believe in it.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, warm and endless. She reached for the edge of her blanket and pulled it close, letting the sadness rise and fall like waves.
Outside, the moon watched gently, its glow draped across her window like a quiet embrace.
And somewhere, in the stillness between heartbeats and memories, she drifted into sleep with one final wish in her heart..,
"Please… let something to stay with me."
The next day evening, as they reached the airport. It was already busy with full of rolling luggage wheels and the murmur of announcements in the air. But for Anaya, it all blurred. Her world had narrowed to just one thing. the quiet man beside her, who had unknowingly become her only family.
Mr. Brain stood calmly, his bag slung over one shoulder, eyes kind and steady. Anaya walked with him until they reached the departure gate. There was a stillness in her chest, the kind that comes before something important ends.
He turned to her, held out a small wooden box wrapped in an old checkered handkerchief. "Take this," he said. "And… take care of yourself. Eat on time. If anything happens, call me. I'll hep."
Anaya nodded, her hands trembling slightly as she accepted the box. Her throat ached with unsaid words.
"Uncle…" she started, but her voice cracked. She swallowed hard. "You really don't have to go. I mean, what if I..."
Mr. Brain gently placed his hand on her shoulder, firm yet warm. "He's my son, Anaya. I need to go. And you… you've grown. I see it. You're stronger than you think."
Anaya lowered her eyes, blinking rapidly. A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.
"I just… I don't want to be alone again."
Mr. Brain's expression softened even more, and hewhispered "You won't be. I'm just far away.. not gone."
Her chest tightened. It was so much like her grandma's goodbye. Too final. Too sudden. The same ache returned, cold and quiet.
But this time, she held it together.
With a final wave, he turned and disappeared into the glowing corridor of departures, swallowed by the crowd.
Anaya stood frozen, hugging the wooden box to her chest like a lifeline.
She walked slowly to the exit, then paused. As if the weight of the moment hit all at once, she couldn't hold it in any longer.
She turned and shouted into the crowd, voice shaking but fierce:
"Uncle! Don't worry, I'll take care of it! Eat well, okay? Don't fight with your son. Take care of your health! Byeeeee!"
Only the echo of her voice replied.
Clutching the box tighter, she whispered to herself, "Don't cry. Don't cry again."
But as she stepped into the cab and looked out at the retreating airport, her vision blurred.
She reached her room late in the evening, the restaurant closed and quiet. Everything felt hollow without his warm voice filling the space.
In her room above the kitchen, Anaya sat on her bed and slowly opened the wooden box. Inside lay a single brass key.. the key to the restaurant. Their restaurant. His dream. Her shelter.
She stared at it in silence.
"A key. His ambition..." She murmured herself.
"I was wrong," she whispered into the dim light. "I thought I couldn't do this. I thought I was alone again."
A soft wind passed through the half-open window, lifting the corner of an old recipe card Mr. Brain had once scribbled on. It made her smile through her tears.
Her fingers curled tightly around the key.
"This restaurant....
it's more than just walls and recipes. It's our home. It's where I smiled again. Where I found safety. Where I mattered."
She whispered with shock "and now, it was my turn to carry it forward. How can he leave it behind for me to protect it. How can he... He believes me this much. "
" Then, I have protect it well.. but..." Then, Anaya put aside her all of those clingy thoughts. And take a deep breath to felt the home.
She placed the key gently on her nightstand like a treasure and looked out the window. The city lights shimmered like quiet stars, holding pieces of every goodbye and every new beginning.
Somewhere in that wide world, planes flew and lives changed.
As for Anaya, she had found a promise to keep.