Its windy today, as I lay down on our hill. Our hill. Ha! Chiharu and I used to sit on this hill and stare up into the night sky and watch the stars twinkle and appear. Its windy just like the day she left. But its spring now, and a couple of years have passed. Li-kun and Sakura-san have returned to Tomoeda and Tomoyo-san and Hiiragizawa-kun will be returning too for the spring festival at the shrine. Its amazing how memories come back at the time when they happen. I'm hurting deep inside, remembering what Chiharu said to me. I'm hurting deep inside because I let her leave. I let her leave without explaining it all to her. Its funny in a way. I knew she liked me when she gave me that teddy bear. But I didn't like her any more than a childhood friend then. When she moved on, I then started to like her, finally loving her.
I sigh deeply taking in the fresh air before I stand up and brush off my pants to leave. Tomoyo-san have asked all of us to be over at her mansion of a house, for dinner, when she and Hiiragizawa-kun return. I'm excited and but kind of sad at the same time. To see us all there again, its sort of sad. We haven't really seen each other for a year. Well in true fact, I haven't seen them for a year. I've sent them gifts, and some letters during the spring after our graduation, but after that, I severed all communication between us. My mother and father have been covering up the fact that, I've been away. They've been telling the others that I've been in Osaka finishing some of my studies. And yes, away. Away in another country. I've been in America for about a year now, with my older sister. Learning to become a psychiatrist, to help other people with their problems. And to see if I could solve mine. Or if not, to at least avoid them.
I turn around and walk home with a small smile on my face. I change and pick up the presents I've brought back from the states and head towards Tomoyo-san's family house in my new car. Other cars are parked in the driveway when I arrive and I brace myself as I see Tomoyo-san stand up from where she was sitting looking worried. A smile reaches her lips as I jump out of the car, juggling the presents in my arms. A maid nearby takes the presents and stands by the door waiting. Tomoyo-san was, other than my family, the only other person who knew I was out of the country. In fact, she saw me.
I hug her and she squeezes me tight. She pulls away and frowns. "You're late.." I shrug my shoulders and we head inside. The sitting room is packed with people and when they see my figure, they stand and I am bombarded with bodies. Some stay back of course, and laugh in the background. Sakura-san, Naoko-san and Rika-san hug me all at the same time and by the time they've let go, my glasses have fallen off. Someone hands me back my glasses and I start answering some of their questions. "Where have you been?" I scratch my head and think of an answer. "I've been traveling." They glare at me. "Where?" "Why does that matter? I was there that's all you guys really need to know." More questions are shot at me, and before I am killed, Li-kun and Terada-san pull the girls away.
continued in the next post..
