But I know that you feel like a piece of you's dead inside

 

Poppy didn't want to say it, but she'd seen her Aunt at her worst. Yes, she visited quite often these days even if it were a drive. She'd spend her Saturdays with her tidying up her Aunt's place and making her some food for the week. Her aunt had been complaining she didn't have any energy lately. Of course, this worried Poppy.

Naturally, her Aunt was worried about her own travels she'd had to put on hold. She'd wanted to visit some relatives back in Shanghai. She'd seldom ever mentioned them, but as of late she recalled things when she was a little girl and the foods and sweet times.

"And what about my mom?" Poppy asked her several times, but her Aunt only looked at her as if Poppy was being strange.

It wasn't until they picked up medications from a nearby pharmacy that her mother went off the deep end. She suddenly looked at Poppy as if she'd been awakened. "I don't know who you are!" She suddenly yelled. It was all so frightening. Poppy didn't know what to do. But she didn't call her dad because a few minutes later her aunt told her that her blood sugar must have been low, so Poppy got out some snacks for her.

Poppy, didn't know what to make of the situation. It was so unsettling. If only she knew what exactly was going on. But she went back to her place trying to not think about her day with her Aunt. It was crazy though. Poppy thought she might be the one going mental.

She just couldn't stay cooped up, though. Yet, she didn't really feel like going out either so she went out to the playground near the apartments to take in the fall sun. It was there on the playground she saw a little girl who had been playing with friends, but she was alone now. 

Honestly, Poppy found it quite sad. She looked a little lost.

"Do you know your way home?" Poppy hoped it was OK to ask that question.

"I think so," but she said the apartment complex had a lot of buildings.

"How did you get here?" Poppy wanted to know.

"Dad was out doing laundry," she shrugged.

"Oh." She asked her what number was the apartment. Maybe she could help.

"I better get back before he finds out," she nodded.

"Well, he might already know, you've been here a good thirty minutes," Poppy said as she checked her watch. "Let's see if we can find where you live."

At least, Poppy had a pretty good idea where she lived. It was a floor above her. She hoped. So they went up the elevator. After all, the little girl had managed to get on the elevator and knew what floor she lived on. Poppy was impressed. 

Of course, as soon as they got to the floor and her father saw her, who had been talking to the neighbor across the hall, he looked so stressed and was alarmed when he saw her. "Niah! Where have you been?" Yet relieved he rushed to embrace her.

Poppy looked at him blankly. She remembered him from the University. She remembered him with Natalie.

"I found her on the playground," Poppy said. She wanted to ask about Natalie because she wasn't there. She remembered she was going to have a baby, but lost track of her friend. Poppy had always looked up to her. She'd always imagined Natalie and Joon as the perfect couple. But here he was alone. She wondered what happened. Yet, was afraid to ask.