Chapter 77
I waited and watch the solid green light of the phone charger glow before finally pulling it out of the wall. Preparation for the next meal had already finished so the kitchens were quiet with only a single kettle still whistling away.
I coiled up the charging cable and put it in my pocket then walked to the side door that opened out onto a small terrace. I imagined the space had a purpose at some point in time but now it seemed to just be here to dry the odd handcloth. That and give easy access to the roof.
After climbing up and carefully balancing across the narrow beam that joined the roof of the kitchens to the building next to it, it was a straight line to the rooms where you and I slept.
I took my time traversing the route, sometimes stopping to peer at an oddly shaped cloud or follow an eagle’s course through the sky, but eventually I reached that bit of roof where I told you I loved you. Barely any time had passed since then yet I felt like that moment was oceans away.
I paused at the edge of roof, then sat, my legs hanging out over the edge. Finally, I held your phone out in front of me with both hands and pressed the power button.
A few moments passed, almost as if the phone itself was groggy after having slept for too long, then a logo I hadn’t seen for almost a decade popped up on the screen. No, that wasn’t quite right. I saw the OS logo quite often, just not that version. My father had been hesitant to let me have a smartphone so I’d arrived on the scene a bit late.
I waited and watched and was eventually rewarded with the lock screen. I stared at it, barely believing that the ancient bit of tech still worked, but also hesitant to take the next step and unlock it. What if it had a passcode? It had to have a passcode, and I had no idea what yours would be, so that unwarranted feeling of rejection was just one step away.
I shouldn’t have been feeling like that. I knew Aunt Yeung wanted the best for you, and would do all she could, but I was seriously falling apart here. What could I do? Nothing. Just like before. I was just...
My hand closed more tightly around the phone as my chest throbbed painfully and my finger brushed against the screen.
Click.
The screen faded in and out and suddenly I was staring at the clock at the top of your homescreen.
You... didn’t have a passcode for your phone.