Chapter 32
32
Haruki 22 years old
Christmas
Bryce
Hi, Haruki :) Merry Christmas
How are you?
We are doing great over here. The last time we spoke, I just arrived in Berlin to visit my old professor and to thank him for everything that he has done for me over the years. I managed to get Lily to fly out to Berlin two weeks after I did as well. She was out of the first trimester and I thought she could use the distraction.
Guess what? We ended up staying here! I almost missed the application deadline, but Lily and I met up with my professor over dinner and he convinced us to pursue our education here in Germany. I’m now doing the master’s program that he told me about all those years ago and Lily is enrolled in a German course until she’s ready to apply for her program next year.
After talking to Prof. Schulz, Lily wants to study marketing instead.
Speaking of Lily, she gave birth to her daughter a week ago! I am now the proud uncle of Birdie Anne Lee. I’ll send you a picture of Birdie in a sec :)
Happy Christmas to you, too, Bryce!
And omg! Congrats to you and Lily. I am so proud of you both.
I’m doing really good here. Like always, we stuffed ourselves with Christmas KFC.
Also, my dad, my brother, and I are thinking of going to the US again next year. My cousin is getting married in Oxnard and invited us to the wedding.
I close my phone and chuck it in my bag, not wanting my heart to hurt any further. The end of the year is supposed to be festive, not filled with melancholy. However, no matter how much I ache for him, I’m also happy for him. His life got turned upside down, but he seems to be turning it back around. Slowly, but surely. Bryce did end up buying a one-way plane ticket to get out of America, just not to be with me .
It’s a strange feeling to know that for the first time in years, I don’t know which direction we will go. I’ve been trying to give Bryce the space to figure out how to handle this new chapter in his life, giving him room to breathe and space to be with Lily. I know he can’t be what she needs, stuck to his phone talking to me. I’ve thought about following them to Berlin after my bachelor’s program is finished, but I saw a glimpse of Lily once during a video chat with Bryce and it was enough for me to know that he has his hands full. That girl is a wreck, and me being there would not help. She barely talks to him as it is. From what Bryce told me last time, she barely talks at all. She has also disappeared from social media. But I know him; he’ll get her to where she needs to be. From my corner of the world, I can only hope that it happens sooner rather than later.
My bag vibrates as I walk inside the subway train. Once I find a place to sit, I pull out my phone, thinking that Bryce has finally replied to me. What I find instead is something that I never expected to receive as a Christmas present. A silver lining.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Eligibility for Scholarship
Dear Ms. Haruki Sano,
I apologize in advance for sending this email to you during the holiday period. I have been out of office due to a death in my family.
The Graduate School of Media Studies has received your application for the master’s program in Photography and New Media, as well as your inquiry about the scholarship.
We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to the first round of the selection process for prospective students wishing to receive the scholarship awarded by our department.
For the second time, I chuck my phone inside my bag. But this time, it’s not because of bone-deep sadness, it’s because if I continue reading the email, I will not be able to stop squealing and people are already starting to give me funny looks.
Maybe, just maybe , I’ll get in. And then I’ll move to Tokyo. And after I’m done, it’s finally going to be me and Bryce forever. Maybe then it will finally be our time.