Epilogue pt 1.

Mila slowly opened her eyes, her eyelids still felt a bit heavy. She could see the first sparks of the daylight had already started slipping in between her curtains. For how long have I been asleep exactly? Mila sat down on the side of her bed, yawning the last bit of sleep away. She looked at the clock, it was about time to head out for school. She dressed up, grabbed a bag, and made her way to the bus stop. But Mila didn’t intend to go to school today. She jumped off the bus a couple of blocks earlier, from where she went on a short walk. Not long after, she arrived at the gate of the park. Luckily, she could just walk in this time, without any acrobatics.

The park's atmosphere was totally different during the daytime. The desolate, eerie vibe was replaced by a peaceful, quiet one. An older man was feeding some breadcrumbs to the pigeons, a mother was pushing a stroller, and some preschoolers were playing around the swing set. Mila walked toward the tall apple tree that towered over the park like any other day. It looked like Mila was in luck, a branch with a few, fresh apple’s still on it had broken off since the last time she came here. She bends down to the ground and picked off four apples, which she carefully put in her bag. Having accomplished the task she came here for, Mila quickly made her way back to the park's exit. No time to stroll around, she thought.

Back at the bus stop, Mila continued her journey toward her school. Just before arriving at her school, she picked a pair of sunglasses and a hat out of her bag and put them on. I hope the bike hasn’t been stolen! Luckily the red bike was still in the same place Mila hid it last night. She jumped on and quickly rode back home. A few streets from her home, Mila made a stop by the doctor’s surgery. A visit that was well overdue. She then made her way back to her homestreet.

*ring ring*

Mila was standing before the neighbor's door with the neighbor’s son's bike standing behind her. In her hand, she was holding one of the apples. Her heart was pounding out of her chest.

When the door opened, Mila bowed, and then looked at her neighbor.

His eyes immediately fell on the red bike standing on the pavement.

“I knew it was you again, you little..”

But Mila interrupted him.

“My apologies mister, there was an emergency late at night and I borrowed… stole your son's bike. Please take this as a token of my atonement”

Mila shows him her apple.

The neighbor looked quite surprised by Mila’s unusual behavior. A short silence fell.

“That apple… it reminds me of… the apple my wife gave me when she first asked me out”

As the neighbor sighed, his anger seemed to have disappeared.

“Miss Kinoshita, I accept your apology but promise to not do stuff like this again”

“My son when into a frenzy after missing his bike yesterday morning. I had to buy him an expensive new video game to cool him down.”

“I feel sorry for your son, sir”

“Don’t get it all twisted, you are alright”

“How has your old man been, I haven’t seen him around lately”

Mila looked down at the ground. The neighbor hit a sensitivity matter. A tear rolled down her cheek. The neighbor got a bit aggravated at himself.

“We have been neglecting you two for way too long”

He is said to himself, he then cursed at himself.

“I have only been treating you like a nuisance, while you clearly need help. How stupid!”

Mila was still silent, listening to her neighbor's anger outbreak.

“I see it must not have been easy for you girl, living like that for all these years”

“Can I be of any help? We can contact a professional to check on him.”

“Thank you, I’d appreciate that”

Mila said with a really quiet voice. She pondered a lot about calling in help. Fantasized about going out with her dad, watching a game, and going on a road trip together. She dreamed of him getting back to his past self, the dad she grew up with. She ran through the scenario many times in her head. Visiting the doctor's practice, telling her story, and getting heard. But she never went through with it. Shame, guilt, and fear of what could happen.

The neighbor tried to comfort Mila.

“It will be alright, let’s keep in touch. Feel free to come in any time you want.”

Mila thanked him for his offer and then head back home.

X

There sat her father, in the same armchair he always sat in. He didn’t seem to have noticed Mila coming home, as usual. He was watching a rerun of an old sitcom that was popular in his youth. He must have seen this show over one thousand times. The father was playing a game of baseball with his family. A perfect little family…

“Dad?”

Mila said quietly.

No reaction.

“Dad!”

She tried once more.

“Would you listen to me?”

Mila said with a vibrating voice.

He turned around in his chair, looked in Mila’s direction for a second, and then turned his back towards her again and continued watching TV.

Mila didn’t know how to start this conversation.

She put down her bag, grabbed one of the apples and walked toward the tv, and turned it off.

Standing right in between her father and the tv, she offered him the apple.

At first, he didn’t seem to notice the apple, but then he couldn’t seem to take his gaze from it. His eyes were locked on it.

“Dad? Dad?”

Mila waved her hands in order to grab his attention, but he only seemed locked on the apple only, even when it was waved through the air.

Having come this far, Mila decided to speak to him anyways.

“Dad… I brought this apple for you as a sign of a..apology.”

Her eye’s teared up as she tried to finish the sentence.

“I have been… how can I have been neglecting you all this time…”

She kneeled down and passionately hugged her father.

“How could I have let you become like this father”

“Mi-la”

Did she hear it correctly? Did her father really speak her name?

“Mila-chan”

Mila’s father now said loud and clearly.

Tears started to trickle down her father's cheeks.

“It is nice to hear your voice father”

“My angel”

Her father responded. Even after this long time, Mila couldn’t really think of anything to say to him. In some situations, there are just no words.

After sitting there for what felt like hours, Mila left her house for the neighborhood restaurant and ordered some ramen which she and her father ate. After dinner, they watched a couple of hours of television, and then Mila brought her father to his bedroom and tucked him in.

“Good night dad”