Ren never imagined that loneliness could hurt this much. He never thought he would come to miss his mother's scoldings or those endless conversations about the weather. Now, in the stillness of his room, sitting on the bed with a pile of photographs in his hands, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
He went through the images one by one. In one, his mother smiled on the beach when he was ten years old; in another, they both appeared in the kitchen, making burnt cookies while laughing. Then there was the photo from his high school graduation, where she hugged him with the same pride as always.
The tears didn't wait to fall. First in silence, then in sobs that shook his chest. With painful clarity, he realized how much he needed her. Not only as his mother, but as the only person who had always been there, even when he locked himself away in his own world.
His cellphone vibrated on the bedside table. Ren looked at it with swollen eyes. It was Miya.
He hesitated for barely a second before answering.
"Hello?" his voice came out hoarse.
"Hi, Ren… how are you?" Miya asked in a soft, almost careful tone. "I was wondering if… would you like to go out for a bit? Just to distract yourself."
Ren closed his eyes. A few weeks ago, he would have said no without thinking. The old Ren preferred solitude, silence, his room. But now, that same loneliness weighed too heavily.
"All right," he murmured. "I'll be out in a bit."
At noon, the sun was blazing, almost blinding. Ren went out wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, not paying attention to the heat. In front of his house, under the shade of a tree, was Miya. She was holding a light-colored parasol and wearing a small smile.
"I thought you'd melt waiting for me," Ren said, trying to sound normal as he approached.
Miya laughed softly.
"I'm resilient. Come on, let's eat something first. I'm hungry."
They went to a small restaurant near downtown. The conversation was simple, unhurried, as if both understood there was no need to fill every silence. When the bill arrived, Ren took out his wallet, but Miya placed her hand over his and shook her head.
"Today, I'm paying," she said firmly. "You invited me to dinner at your house when I needed it most. Now it's my turn. And next time… if you want to go out again, you pay. All right?"
Ren looked at her for a second, surprised, then nodded with a half-smile.
"All right."
After eating, they walked to the movie theater. In front of the ticket booth, Miya checked the options in silence and then turned toward him.
"Which one do you want to see?"
Ren lowered his gaze.
"I don't know… you choose."
"Ren, you're the guest. Please choose the movie."
He shook his head, a little nervous.
"Really… you choose."
Miya smiled perversely; it was a small, brief smile that Ren didn't manage to see.
"All right. Let's go with this one."
Miya bought tickets for an animated movie. The story was about a duck who lived in a perfect lake, an oasis surrounded by the desert. He had food, water, friends—everything necessary to be happy. Even so, something inside him told him he wanted more. He wanted to see the world and find others like him.
During the screening, Ren found himself smiling at first. Seeing the duck happy with his friends warmed his chest a little. But when the duck decided to leave, when he crossed the desert and nearly died of thirst and exhaustion, the tears returned.
Miya noticed. Without saying anything, she rested her hand on Ren's on the armrest. It was a simple but warm gesture. Ren tried to smile to hide it, though it didn't help much.
Then came the final scene. The duck, exhausted, on the edge of death, lifted his gaze. In the sky, a flock of ducks flew freely. Suddenly, the desert disappeared. Before him stretched a green valley, full of water and life. The other ducks surrounded him and accepted him.
The duck was no longer alone; he was not going to die.
Ren smiled for real. A sincere smile, with tears still running down his cheeks.
When they left the theater, the sun was already beginning to set. They walked slowly toward their homes, unhurried. Just a few meters from Miya's door, Ren stopped.
"Thank you," he said softly. "Thank you for today… for being with me. Really, I don't know how to thank you."
Miya looked at him gently.
"I already told you. You're paying for the next outing," she replied, winking at him. "And stop crying, okay? You said you had a good time."
Ren let out a broken laugh, his eyes still shining.
"Yeah… I had a good time."
"Then smile."
Ren did. With tears, but he smiled.
"All right."
They said goodbye with a simple gesture. The sun finished setting, painting everything orange. Ren went inside his house, closed the door, and rested his forehead against the wood. For the first time in days, he felt like he could breathe.
Then the door knocked again. Two soft knocks.
Ren smiled without being able to stop himself.
'It's probably Miya, she forgot to tell me something,' he thought.
He opened the door with that same smile.
But it wasn't Miya.
Standing in front of him was someone he never thought he would see again.
The world stopped. Ren's hand froze on the doorknob.
There, under the light of the sunset, staring at him, was his father.
Chapter 8: My Wife