No Goodbye, Just Gone

"Mr. Gilbert, I want to try for that women's federation job," I said.The village head, Mason Gilbert, sounded surprised over the phone. "Gisselle, are you sure? Life in the village isn't like the military base. Wouldn't it be better for you and Darryl to stay there with Kyson instead?"It would be better.Aside from the fact that my husband, Kyson Hale, wouldn't let our son call him "dad", everything was perfect.I glanced at the poster on the wall and forced a bitter smile. "I'm not used to it. I want to go back to the village."Not wanting to waste money on calls, Mason didn't push it. "Well, you've been raising Darryl alone all these years anyway. Kyson's presence doesn't really matter. Come back next week. I'll take you to report for duty."After thanking Mason, I returned clumsily to my temporary home. It was a small single-story house.In the yard were two freshly tilled plots with a few scattered seedlings.On my very first day on the military base, I borrowed seeds fro

Kyson set the fabric aside and crouched down in front of me before reaching out his hand. "Is your hand okay? Let me see."I instinctively pulled back, and his hand missed.He stared at me in shock. A strange mix of emotions swelled in the air between us."Dad?" Darryl's timid voice broke the silence.I stood up and carried the barefoot Darryl to bed. "Go to sleep, Darryl."He held my hand. Without asking anything, he just nodded and closed his eyes.When Kyson walked in, his gaze was complicated. "I didn't mean it just now."I gently patted Darryl through the blanket and hummed in acknowledgment.Kyson paused, then sat beside me. His tough expression slowly softened. "I didn't mean Darryl can't wear nice clothes. He's just young and grows fast. There's no need to waste—"My hand paused mid-air, and I couldn't help but cut him off. "You don't think buying moisturizing cream for Jodie is a waste?"Kyson snapped up, like I hit a nerve. "Gisselle, you followed me? So, that's why

"Gisselle! Gisselle! Darryl!"Kyson pushed open doors, checking room after room, but saw no signs of us.Darryl and I were really gone without even saying goodbye.Kyson sank onto the couch, his mind a turbulent mess of conflicting emotions.This was the silence he had always craved, yet he couldn't understand why his heart wouldn't settle.Was it that he had grown used to having us around in just a few days?But wasn't Jodie the one he loved?Yes. He loved Jodie. Only a woman like Jodie was worth his liking."Gisselle is just a hick from the countryside. Just a hick," he thought to himself.After convincing himself, Kyson went back to the bedroom and pulled his bedding out of the wardrobe.On the first day that Darryl and I followed him to the military base, he had told me clearly, "Gisselle, you can have the bedroom, but we won't be sleeping together. I've put away my old bedding. Take Darryl and buy new ones."Back then, I had been so caught up in the joy of being reunite

Kyson didn't know how Jodie performed that night. Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.Stepping out of the hall, he leaned heavily against the wall and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.Only as he lit it and drew in the smoke did he finally exhale a long breath, feeling a little alive again.The music still drifted from the hall, but Kyson glanced back only once before walking away.He thought he was starting to miss home. He pushed open the gate and entered.The moon shone extra bright that night.By its light, Kyson's eyes fell upon the messy vegetable patches in the yard. The two modest plots of land now looked abandoned.It was clear they had been tilled by a seasoned farmer. The soil was perfectly leveled and meticulously planned.However, the harmony was fractured by a few stray, messy sprouts pushing through the surface.His hand itched in his pocket.Kyson pulled out his lighter, then paused before flicking it open.Darryl and I didn't like the smell of smoke.

The woman's expression softened a little. "I don't know about others, but my husband is not like that. At first, I was worried I'd embarrass him. Those educated youth from my village looked down on people like us. But…"She lowered her head, gently looking at the baby in her arms."But my husband said that since he married me, he would treat me well for life. He said he's the head of the family and was a country boy himself. If anyone looked down on me, it was because they looked down on him first."He also said that since he's away in the military and I handle everything at home, he owes me a lot. No matter how much he makes it up to me later, it'll never be enough."The baby, now full, rubbed his eyes with his little hand.The woman gently brushed his hand away and softly sang a lullaby, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are."Kyson held his breath. The woman before him seemed to turn into me.I sat under the tree by the old house, holding Darryl while soft