Struggling Love

There was still another hour before 3pm but I was already seated outside of the childcare. I was not the only one who was there; mothers who were there extra early to chitchat were there earlier than me. I tried my best to ignore the stares and murmurs of the mothers as I waited patiently for the gates to open.

It was not long before I heard the bell followed by chattering children. I got up and immediately saw my 2 beautiful girls. I could not help but smile from ear to ear. They ran when they saw me and hugged my waist. It was only natural to pick them up and plant big kisses on their cheeks as they nuzzled against my neck. They giggled cheerfully and I wished that time would just freeze for a moment for me to appreciate my little angels. Many eyes were on us but I just couldn’t be bothered. I let them down and they automatically took my hand, one on each side.

“Is Maxim coming home too today?” asked the angel on my right.

She was dressed in a baby blue playsuit accompanied with a big blue bow atop her head. Her eyes were round and they gleam when the sunlight reflected on them from the right angle. They were a really light hazel and if I did not know better, I would have thought she had yellow eyes.

I was not sure of the answer myself so I just smiled at her and shrugged. Then the angel on my left tugged my hand for attention.

“You didn’t answer Reine’s question, Doux” she said.
“Well, honestly, I don’t know if Maxim will be coming home either, Gene” and I smiled at her too.

She was wearing a maroon version of what Rei was wearing. She nodded, said she understood and did not ask anymore. We went to Wendy’s to grab lunch before heading home. When we got home, the door was not locked and the television was switched on.

“Maxim?” Gene called out.

Since we don’t know who was in the house, I grabbed her and made her stand behind me. I walked cautiously towards the kitchen. If it was Maxim, he would have started peeling off his uniform from the moment he stepped into the house and drop a piece of clothing along the way to his bedroom just to annoy me. My heart was beating so fast I had to count to 10 between breaths to calm myself down. But while holding Gene close by me, I was careless with Rei and she walked directly into the kitchen towards the stranger.

“Heeeyyyy!”

I was about to attack when I realized it was only Shin. I relaxed and felt the tension leave my body.

When I am not at the rehab center, I work with the local police in a confidential division where unsolved or unnatural deaths were dealt with. The police would call me to lend them my abilities. Growing up, I was known as a freak for my ability to communicate with souls of a person who has been dead for no more than 3 days. I could also read people’s auras and tell what kind of person they are. I don’t talk much about it because people get uncomfortable with unfamiliar things. But one day, I stumbled upon a crumpled body in one of the alleys I have to walk by to get home. I phoned the police right away and they arrived 15 minutes after the call. I think I must have panicked and started pacing the place while waiting for the police. I actually found another person near the body. I began asking the person if he knew how it happened and if he saw the whole thing. The person was a little hesitant to talk at first but after telling him that the police was on their way and he could talk to them when they arrived made him relax a little. He started talking about how he was alone and did not sense anyone else in the alley. He said he was having a bad day and he only wanted to be at a quiet place where the buzz of the city would not be able to reach him. He was about to tell me more when the police sirens were heard.

I was approached by 2 officers who directed me away from the body so they could take down my statement.

“Officer, I think you should speak to a witness instead. I only happen to walk by this alley to find the body when it was too late”
“A witness, you say?” said one of the officers.
“Yes, he’s right by the body. He’s a little shocked by the murder but he might be able to help you out,” I pointed to the person I was speaking to a little earlier.
“What are you talking about?” the other officer turned to where I was pointing.
“He’s right…” I stopped myself.

It did not cross my mind that the person I spoke to had the same clothes as the man lying there in a pool of blood. No wonder he knew more than he could have if he was just a witness.

“I’m sorry officers. But I don’t think I can explain to you nicely about this”
“You will have to follow us back to the station for further investigation, young man”

I nodded and told them to give me a minute. I walked back to the “person” and told him that I will be back for him. He smiled and there seem to be a kind of trust in his eyes.

At the station, I was brought to a room that was at the end of the hall. The room was painted green with very minimal furniture. The officers told me to take a seat while they go get Officer Faust. I looked around the room and inhaled the air, everything in it felt stale and I was sure it was rarely used.

Moments later, a man dressed in a brown suit walked into the room accompanied by the 2 officers from before. I stood up to shake his hand. He smiled at me but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was like he smiled to try and calm me down but I could feel him being all “business only”. I sat myself back down and he took a seat opposite me. He crossed his legs and propped his blue file on his knee. He opened the file and looked at me with intent eyes. The first thing he said was,

“How do I know that it was not you who murdered the man?”

All smiles were gone now and his eyes were blank. I stared at him a little longer before sighing and clasping my hands and placing them on the table in front of me. I could tell he was not happy with my reaction but he kept his cool. He spoke again.

“Convince me that you did nothing to that man, Mr Hartmann.”

So the file he has in his hands is mine. Otherwise I don’t see how he could have known my name since I was fairly new in town. I was about to speak when he interrupted me.

“Mr Hartmann, murder is a very serious offence. If you are found guilty, it is automatically a death sentence”

I nodded.

“I am glad you are cooperating, Mr Hartmann.”

I was beginning to not like this Officer Faust.

“Well, tell us your side of the story”

The fact that he wanted my side of the story meant that he has his own version and it was annoying. I closed my eyes, counted to 10 and inhaled. I cannot truly describe how it works but in order for me to feel and know the other person, I sort of have to breathe him in. I got flashes of Officer Faust when he was younger and how he worked hard to get where he was. What shocked me was he was almost similar to me in some way.

“…Mr Hartmann!” his voice broke my concentration.

He told the other 2 officers to wait outside and only come in when he said so. They did what they were told without even flinching indicating Officer Faust’s rank in the division.

“Are you a psychic?” I asked. It was my turn to speak.

His eyes widened and showed too much white. When he caught himself reacting in such a way, he cleared his throat and rubbed his palms on the front of his suit.

“We’re the only ones in this room, Officer. I don’t think the other officers are close enough to this room to hear”
“Mr Hartmann, you have no business to know what I am”
“So it’s true”
“What?” he pushed his chair back.
“You’re not denying it and you just told me to mind my own business. It’s clear that you are a psychic. I could feel you in my head. You were trying to stop me from seeing into you but you did not know how.”
“Wh…What are you?”
“I don’t know, Officer. But as cliché as it may sound, I see dead people”

So the hard exterior was just for show. He saw his ability as a flaw and was trying to conceal it. Fortunately, I have come to terms with my abilities and I fully embrace them. Unlike him, I think my abilities were given to me for a greater purpose.

“Look, this is confidential,” said Officer Faust in a hushed voice.
“What is?”
“My psychic ability. It’s classified confidential under my division for people with ‘talents’ like yours and mine to help out with investigations.”

He was looking around like he was afraid someone might be eavesdropping when there were only the two of us in the room.

“Then you should know that I did not murder that man,” I said as a matter of fact.
“I don’t know that. I mean, I am not allowed to use my ability unless I have supporting documents from my superiors. Or else I will be suspended for God knows how long”

I took his word for it. I mean, if he did not know I was not the murderer at a glance when he first entered the room, I take it that he did not and could not use his ability without permission.

We spoke about my ability for a bit before he decided to send me back down to the murder site. All I had to do was get as much information as I could from the wondering soul of the murdered man and conveyed them to the police. Well, more like Officer Faust’s people. They were all dressed in suits and had blank looks. I could read some but not the others. I just assumed we were all in the same category.

About a week after the investigation was closed with me aiding them in whichever way I could, I received a letter. A personal letter addressed to me from Officer Faust. In the letter, he had expressed his interest in having me in their confidential division. I took up the offer without much hesitation. Thanks to the job, I was also able to get a proper apartment for my family.