{CHAPTER SEVENTEEN}

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Upon my arrival at Lisa's place, I witnessed Lisa and her mom emerging from a taxi. Lisa, grappling with a luggage bag, was assisting her mom in alighting carefully. Observing this, I swiftly drove up, stepped out of my car, and hurried over to offer my help to Lisa.

"Hi Mrs. Kris," I greeted Lisa's mom, flashing Lisa a warm smile before gently placing my hand on her mom's shoulder to assist her walk.

Hanna! When did you arrive? It's been a while since I laid eyes on you," she exclaimed.

"Ahhh, that's because you ditched us for a lovey-dovey escape with your sweetheart," I quipped, arching an eyebrow playfully.

She giggled at my remark, brushed off my statement, and then mentioned "Look at you! Your eyes are just as captivating as I remember," flickering me a warm smile.

"Oh, Mrs. Kris, you're at it again with your lovely compliments. You truly have a way with words," I said, playfully nudging my head towards her.

She then turned to Lisa, seeking her approval on the compliment she had just bestowed upon me, her eyes silently asking for confirmation.

This wasn't the first time she'd showered me with such sweet compliments. Mrs. Kris had a way of expressing her fondness through words, even though she was more reserved compared to my mom's effusive affection towards Lisa. Her subtle gestures of appreciation meant the world to me, and I made sure to accept them with an open heart to show her how much I valued her kind words.

"C'mon, Mrs. Kris, seriously, you're rocking it! You look amazing, like total fire right now," I playfully tapped her back. "I mean, I wish I could stay as fabulous and radiant as you do. You're like a forever young beauty.

Even with the subtle pallor that hinted at her battle with cancer, her beautiful face radiated a glow that outshone any sign of illness.

She blushed, attempting to conceal it by averting her gaze, before giving me a shy poke on the nose. "Hey, Hanna, you're too sweet, quit pulling my leg," she chuckled.

"Wait, who said I was pulling your leg, Mrs. Kris? It's all in the tea! You still look stunning, and I can't help but envy you. Just look at that smooth face." My gaze shifted to Lisa, "Looks like I need to catch up with Lisa and get the scoop on your skincare products, so I can glow just like you, forever young and beautiful." With a playful gesture of cupping a figure-eight shape in the air, I released my grip from her shoulder.

Laughter filled the air at my antics, with Mrs. Lilly letting out a snickery laugh and Lisa giving a muffled giggle, trying not to be too loud and overt.

"Alright, that's enough laughter for one day, we need to get you inside now," I said as soon as our laughter trailed off, placing my hand back on her shoulder to walk.

"You're right, Hanna. Mom, Let's head inside now so you can relax. Don't forget, you've had a long and stressful journey."

She mumbled her lips, gave a slight nod in agreement, and then said, "Hanna, I can walk on my own, okay?" I grinned in agreement with her words and let go of her, following behind, with Lisa handling the luggage alongside her.

"Mom, you need to go and freshen up. I'll come to serve you some food in your room," Lisa stated as soon as we got inside the house.

Her mom gracefully made her way towards her room, gesturing with a wave of her hand. "No need for that, I grabbed a bite on the way here, all good." Pausing briefly, she turned back, meeting my gaze. "But why don't you whip up something nice for Hanna instead?"

"Hanna dear, apologies for not lingering to chat, but I need some rest. Just ask Lisa for anything you need, alright," she said, then continued her journey to her room.

I whisked Lisa over to the couch, sensing the opportune moment to reveal my thoughts. But, before delving into that, I felt it necessary to recount the curious tale of Phil and the odd toy.

"Come, have a seat, Lisa," I motioned for her to sit on the couch, taking my place beside her.

"You won't believe what just happened. I went to pick Phil up from school, and there he was, holding a toy. Can you guess what happened next?" I then narrated the whole story to her, hoping she could assist in deciphering the letter's mystery.

Lisa's sudden burst of laughter caught me off guard. "Girl, you act like a grandma in her 70s," she quipped.

"What's so funny? Didn't you catch what I said?"

"I did... I did," she laughed loudly, pausing between words, her hand on her belly. "I did, but you always manage to crack me up, Hanna," she tapped her lap, unable to contain her amusement.

"Come on, Lisa, can you be serious for once? I came over for your opinion on the letter, and all I see is you laughing." I was starting to feel irritated with her, so I just crossed my arms and shot her a disapproving look.

"Okay, okay, I get it, but seriously, girl, Phil is a child and a boy child at that. What did you expect him to receive, a Barbie toy?" she joked, rolling her eyes and adding a touch of sarcasm to her tone.

"Lisa, come on, you know that's not what I meant. You know what, forget it, forget that I even brought it up. You're making me look dumb."

"Haha, relax, it's not a big deal. Phil is a boy, those toys are perfect for him. The letter was just meant for him to enjoy the toy while he had it. 'Hope you enjoy it while it lasts.' See, it all makes sense. No need to stress about it. Besides, Phil loved the toy," she reassured me, and I realized she was right. I was overreacting. It was just a toy and a letter, after all, nothing to get all worked up about.

Following our chat, it hit me that it was time to tackle the main issue that had been on my mind. I needed to discuss it with Lisa. I wanted an uninterrupted conversation, and the timing felt perfect. As I absentmindedly played with my fingers, my thoughts began to center on the upcoming discussion.

Lisa, catching on to my sudden shift in mood, questioned, "What's with the sudden change? I just mentioned it was a harmless letter and toy. No need to get all worked up about it."

Without hesitation, I pinched in, "There's something else I've been intending to ask you."

"And what might that be?" Lisa asked, looking stumped.

"Alright, so, recently, I've been recalling some of my memories..."

"What? That's awesome news, Hanna! What did you recall?... Hold on, why are you just telling me this now?" Her tone showed a touch of offense at the delayed disclosure, though it wasn't my fault.

"I tried, I did, but something always popped up, or we got interrupted," I explained to her.

"It's all good, just pulling your leg," she said with a grin as she moved closer, crossing her legs. "Now, spill it. What did you recall?"

"A boy - a boy, Lisa," I repeated, gazing into her eyes.

"A boy?" Lisa's voice carried confusion. "What boy?"

"That's the crux of this chat, Lisa. I'm unsure why this young boy keeps resurfacing in my thoughts. It's all a bit puzzling," I confessed.

"Shhh, you need to calm down, okay?" she said, soothingly patting my back, and guiding me to take deep breaths. Then she added, "Perfect. Now proceed gently."

Lisa had a knack for soothing me. Having a friend like her felt akin to having a sister I never had. After her dedicated efforts to calm me down, I carried on.

"I can't shake off the memory of this young boy; he's the one who rescued me the night of the accident with Dad." Immediately after I mentioned that, Lisa snapped her fingers in agreement with my words.

"Yes, there was a boy who called the ambulance at the scene. He mentioned he was just passing by, and before he knew it, a train collided with your car." I hurriedly interjected at the end of her remarks, "Did you happen to get his name? My mom mentioned she saw you talking to him at the hospital, likely thanking him for calling the ambulance."

She wrestled with her memory, lips pressed together, striving to remember. "Oh my gosh, what was his name again? His name, his name," she tapped her head, trying to jog her memory... "Hanna, it's been a while since it happened. I didn't think remembering his name would matter. I'm sorry, Hanna," she lowered her head, showing her disappointment for not recalling his name.

"Oh, Lisa, don't be too hard on yourself. It's been years since it happened, and I must be silly to think you'd recall his name," I chuckled lightheartedly.

"You're not silly; I get where you're coming from. It's just that one thing I could've done to help you, and I messed it up." I flashed her a reassuring smile. "It's all good, but there's something else..."

"What else?"

I said, my gaze fixed ahead, "His head; the young boy, was bald, with a prominent mark on the front resembling a birthmark."

Lisa's curiosity piqued, she interjected, "A birthmark? While I did notice his bald head, the mark escaped my attention, likely due to my focus being solely on you. Yet, one thing remains crystal clear - his face. I can vividly recall his features, his smile etched in my memory like a distinct signature."

I exhaled heavily, almost questioning, "What good would his smile do in the search for him?"

Following a brief pause, Lisa inquired, "But why this urgency to know his name?"

"I can't explain it, Lisa. There's an inexplicable pull towards him, a feeling that compels me to seek him out, as if I must find him and..."

"And?" she cut in.

"Nothing, forget it," I nodded with a heavy breath. Lisa wouldn't get it, so shutting it down now seemed wise. Yet, every time his face crossed my memory, a pang hit my chest sharply. Oddly, among all my memories, this one kept resurfacing. It felt like a force pushing me to seek this boy out. But how? How do I find him when his name eludes me completely?

"Hanna, you're overthinking it, just like the toy incident. It's all history now, alright?" Lisa reassured me, attempting to soothe my concerns and divert my attention from everything.

Maybe Lisa got a point about the toy. Perhaps I was just overthinking that. Maybe the letter had a different meaning as she mentioned. But one thing's crystal clear - I wasn't overthinking the boy's situation.

Trying to locate him using the birthmark seemed futile; so many folks sports head marks nowadays, and besides, years have passed - that boy would be a grown man by now.

"Alright, let me fetch you a cold glass of juice to help settle your mind from all these swirling thoughts," Lisa proposed, getting up from the sofa and making her way to the kitchen.

I gave a faint smile at her gesture, observing her stroll towards the kitchen. In no time, my phone buzzed, prompting me to fish it out from my bag. Glancing at the screen, it was Jackson calling. The realization hit me - we hadn't talked today, and oh, how I longed to hear his voice.

"Hey Jackson," I greeted him as I answered the call.

"Hi, my love," came his warm response.

I fell silent for a moment, pondering, 'My love?' That term surfaced out of the blue. Nevertheless, whatever the reason, I found myself rather fond of it.

"Hey... hey Hanna, you there?" he queried, breaking the sudden silence.

After taking a moment to compose myself, I closed my eyes and cleared my throat. I knew speaking too quickly would only lead to stuttering, just like the last time. "Uh, yeah, I'm here," I finally responded.

"Great. How are you doing? I just wanted to check in on you and make sure you're okay. We've only talked once on the phone since our last meeting, and I felt like I hadn't properly checked in on you."

After our last meeting, with the rain pouring down and that sudden thud knocking me out cold, he did reach out to me afterward. But, I noticed he didn't delve into what caused my blackout. Perhaps he was holding back, not wanting to come off as nosy. I wasn't prepared to reveal that part of the story just yet.

Jackson and I chatted for a bit on the phone, and then he mentioned he had to go and would catch up later. I was still talking to him when Lisa popped in with two glasses of juice, each held in one of her hands. The glasses were icy, and Lisa, cringing from the chill, quickly placed them on the table.

"Cold, cold, cold," she repeated, setting the frosty glasses down and blowing on her hands to shake off the chill.

Observing her flair for the dramatic, I swiftly wrapped up my conversation with Jackson, then turned my attention to Lisa. "You're quite a showstopper, why not go for a tray next instead, huh?"

"They're all dirty; I forgot to do the dishes before leaving for work this morning," she said, still blowing on her hand. Pausing for a moment, she added with a hint of frustration, "I really need to stay on top of those chores." Then, abruptly changing the subject, she shot me a mischievous glance, "So spill it, was that who I think it was on the phone?"

"You goofball," I ribbed, giving her a hard tap before reaching for a sip of the juice. "Yeah, it was who you 'guessed' it was," I replied with a smirk, giving a subtle eye roll.

"Jackson, right? I knew it!" She exclaimed before suddenly shifting her tone, mockingly lamenting, "If only that jerk Henry didn't cheat on me, we could've had a double date—you with Jackson, and Henry with me."

"Lisa, you know that guy didn't deserve you. Why are you still hung up on him? It's time to move on."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Lisa responded, smiling through gritted teeth. "The least I can do now is be happy for you. I'm genuinely excited for you," she said, her eyes sparkling with joy before jumping in for a hug.