Chapter 2: Wives' Tales

A couple of weeks passed and Ayomi got a job as a waitress in a café in the middle of town. The place was small with a cozy aura to it. The locals would often joke about how the tea was ridiculously better than the coffee. They were honestly right. The smell of tea leaves mixed with the aroma of coffee beans set the atmosphere for the little café. Ayomi complained day and night about her boss and the low pay. however, I could easily tell that she was enjoying herself in this little town. She liked being the new face that attracted everyone's attention. "To be loved by all," Was the essence of the person named Ayomi. When we were young, all of the other kids at the orphanage adored her. She was the mother figure they yearned for. Regardless of the fact, she was also just a child dealing with the memories that brought her to that place along with the rest of us. but she wasn't alone. Even she had one person that she could rely on.

Had... is the keyword.

Under the flow of time, I became close to our landlady Sandra and Jasper. Sandra was a very kind older woman who took over the apartment building from her deceased husband. We don't have a very talkative relationship, but I do help her with little jobs Like tending to the garden and helping her clean the building. Jasper on the other hand... After getting to know him a bit, our personalities just naturally attracted to each other. His looks and surprisingly charismatic personality made him popular with the other girls in town. However, he was lacking in the friend area since sometime he could be quite distant...

We started to just automatically hang out together since he also spent a lot of his free time helping out our landlady. He told me that he has known her since he was a kid and that she was like a second grandmother to him. His love for her was as plain as day. His smile sometimes even rivaled Ayomi's when he was helping our landlady.

Whenever I leave the apartment; which is not very often. I usually tend to avoid Jasper's mother. During my first week here, his mother made it her mission to make both of us friends. So she would often visit while dragging  Jasper along. It has gotten to the point where I even recognize her way of knocking. I learned very quickly the best ways to avoid her. Preferably, I would like to enjoy my time uninterrupted by others when I'm outside. Being ambushed by people during my outings is not what I consider fun. I don't spend a lot of time outside other than when I visit Ayomi at work. So, I would like that time to go by unbothered.

The Pedro, which is the name of Ayomi workplace. Opens at 8 AM and closes at 10:30 PM. Usually, Ayomi would end up staying a lot later since she usually got stuck with cleaning duty. Whenever I waited for her to get off work, we always ended up heading home pretty late since my sister works the morning and evening shifts. This was just one of the many late nights we walked home together...

"You girls are home late again..." Our landlady Sandra comments as our feet stepped through the first-floor lobby doors.

One day when we were cleaning together she told me she decided to move into the apartment after her husband's death. Being in her house where she shared many memories with her deceased husband was too much for her to handle. She liked living here and socializing with her tents. She said that the people here were like a second family to her... Her only family now.

It wasn't surprising to see her waiting up for us since this is something she did for most of her tenants. No one really minded it though and would call her ahead of time if they knew they would be coming back later than usual. The wrinkles on her face deepen worryingly as she came to welcome us home.

"Sorry about that. We had a rowdier bunch tonight, and there was more to do than usual. But, don't worry yourself so much Sandra, I won't let anything happen to our adorable little Rosey." Ayomi grins as she places her arms protectively over my shoulders.

"I believe you, dear. There have just been some very disturbing disappearances around these parts... A bunch of unsolved cases that the police couldn't be bothered to look more into." Sandra mumbles with an annoyed tone. the last part was mostly to herself, however, her words still reached our ears.

"Unsolved cases? " I asked nervously as we waited patiently for her reply.

"You two haven't heard of the cases..?"

"No, I have been too busy with work and hardly have the time to sleep. Is it something we should worry about?" Ayomi replies as her grin quickly dissipates, and her hold around my shoulders tightens. I did hear talk of some unsolved cases around town here and there, but I only assumed that they were mostly just old wives' tales.

"Well... There have been all kinds of stories of young women disappearing. It's been going on for decades now. But since there were never any bodies found, many of the cases were treated as if the girls skipped town on their own..." Sandra quickly caught the wave of unease that filled Ayomi and me. "Don't worry too much about it. Most of the stories are only rumors that give the old ladies like myself something to talk about. I tend to get a little over-emotional over these things. So please, just humor this old lady's heart and be careful." Sandra's forced smile did not do much to settle the atmosphere. Ayomi, on the other hand, was a master at dealing with these types of situations. She flashes a bright smile to set Sandra at ease.

"You have nothing to worry about. Both of us will try to come home earlier from now on."

" Alright then. I will let both of you get some rest. Thank you for indulging me with your time." Sandra's posture seemed to brighten up a bit as she heads back to her apartment.

Ayomi and I quickly made the hike up the stairs. Both of us were too tired to give the conversation we just had another thought.

Even though we were unsettled by the unsolved cases of the missing girls. The thought did not bother to linger as we continue on with our daily lifestyles.