2 The Final Stage of Love[1]

Hello everyone

Happy reading!

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25 years later.

"Jess, wake up. Jess!"

The woman named Jess immediately got up and looked at the woman who called her with a surprised look while the woman she was staring at just stood there with a wide grin. It was as if she had done nothing wrong before. Jess growled in annoyance that her dream had to stop halfway through. Last night she thought of her parents who had died twenty-four years ago in an accident. Why did she survive alone?

According to the head of the orphanage who was at the accident site, she told her that at that time she was found in the arms of her dead mother. Thanks to the protection that her mother gave her at that time, she was able to survive and stay alive today in a healthy manner. The story broke Jess's heart because indirectly she was the main reason her mother died, but she believes that her mother did all this so that she could experience life in the world even though she had to live alone without parents.

Jess believes that the life she is living now is a gift that she must live. No matter how hard and how hard she struggles to stay alive, Jess will still try to live this life as best she can. She did not want his parents' hopes and efforts to be in vain.

She really missed her parents. In fact, every day she always dreams of the two of them. Even though they don't have any memories that Jess can remember until now, Jess still misses her parents. There is only one photo taken when she was just born in the hospital and that photo is the only memory she and her parents have that she has.

"Why did you wake me up when class weren't over? I told you to wake me up after the class!" Jess said with an annoyed face.

"Sleeping while class is going on isn't great, Jess." Said the girl named Tara at the end of her laughter.

"You know that I have a hard time sleeping at night." Jess said, rubbing her face roughly.

"Are those creatures still bothering you?" Tara asked curiously.

"They come to me all the time." Jess answered with a tired looking face.

"Until now?" Tara asked.

"Right, behind you." Jess replied as she looked at the long-haired creature that was standing right behind tara.

"Don't scare me!" Said Tara who was getting scared.

"That's not all. There's one ahead of us, one next to the professor and one hovering above." Jess said, pointing to all the places she said.

"Oh my God! That's too bad." Tara said as she followed where her friend was looking.

"But if you see them often, things like this will become something very common for people like you right?" Tara said again.

"Anything that isn't normal can't become something common, Tara. Do you think seeing something creepy is normal and common?" Jess said, looking at Tara.

"Oh my God, you're right." Said Tara agreed.

Jess stared at the creepy creature standing behind Tara. Their eyes met for a moment before the creature tried to attack Tara and herself. Jess grabbed Tara's hand so that Tara's body moved forward until the creature hit the man in front of them. The man's belongings immediately fell under the table and it immediately attracted all the attention of the students and professors in this room. Tara looked at Jess with a look of fear and surprise. She never felt ready for anything like this and unfortunately Jess did things like this to her a lot. So pity!

"Shit! What happened?!" Tara said in surprise.

"The creature that was standing behind you was trying to annoy you." Jess said, looking at Tara.

"Shit!" Tara said in fear.

Their life as students at this college is going very well. Their grades are still good even though things like this happen a lot to them. Tara looked behind her repeatedly warily and in the end Jess took the initiative to swap their seats so that Tara would stop looking back. Jess repeatedly told Tara that the creepy creature had left but her best friend Tara is still didn't believe her and told Jess to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings.

Jess could only laugh when she saw the funny behavior of her friend. Their friendship started when she was first taken to the orphanage after the accident. There she met her new family after her parents left her forever. After she grew up, Jess had a hard time getting along with the other children at the orphanage until a little girl named Tara came up to her and asked her to play together even though Jess always refused the offer.

But Tara, who is stubborn and never gives up, always tries to get close and befriend Jess and in the end they become close friends until now. The head of the orphanage and the caregivers at the orphanage were also relieved that Jess was finally overcoming her nightmare. Although sometimes Jess still cries at night because of fear, at least during the day she can smile and laugh with Tara.

"Are you still working after this?" Asked Tara who was still busy putting books and several sheets of paper into her bag.

"Yes as usual." Jess replied.

"Mom always told you to stop working part time but you never listened to her." Tara said when she was closing her bag tightly.

"I can't depend on her forever. I'm an adult now and have to start earning a living on my own." Said Jess.

"I can understand it too but tomorrow is your 25th birthday and today you are still working like a slave." Tara said as she followed Jess.

"My birthday tomorrow has nothing to do with my job today, Tara." Jess said as she rolled her eyes.

"Even though we've prepared a surprise party for you!" Tara said casually.

"You guys did it again this year." Jess said as she looked at Tara with a tired look.

"I'm sorry but I have to go now. See you at home, Jess." Tara said very hurriedly.

"Okay then be careful on the road. Watch your footsteps!" Jess said as she looked at Tara who almost fell.

"I'm fine! Don't worry!"

Jess just shook her head with a smile. She decided to keep working at a convenience store not far from their campus. Jess has been doing her job there for two years and she is very grateful to be able to work there and get extra money for her school fees. At least she can reduce the expense of the orphanage that has been home to her for 24 years.

"Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Jess."

Jess immediately changed her clothes where the employees put their belongings and replaced other people's shifts who had been working from the morning. She chose this job because only this job could give her more time to study because when she was at home, she would be busy taking care of the orphanage children who had not found a new family that could love them wholeheartedly.

"Welcome to the Star Market." Jess said friendly when a grandmother walked into the minimarket.

"Do you sell cinnamon?" Asked the grandmother to Jess.

"Cinnamon?." Jess asked with a confused face.

"Yes, cinnamon." The old grandmother answered seriously.

"Looks like we don't sell stuff like that. I'm sorry." Jess said honestly.

"Then I want to buy salt." Said the grandmother suddenly.

"Okay, wait a minute. I'll get it for you." Jess said as she stepped her feet onto the grocery shelf.

"After this your life may be very difficult to live." Said the old grandmother suddenly as Jess was busy looking for salt which had somehow disappeared from the shelf.

"Sorry, I don't understand what you mean." Jess answered confusedly.

"I feel sorry because you had to be born with such a sad fate. I hope God will always protect you." Said the grandmother again mysteriously.

"Sorry but I-." Jess said as she looked at the grandmother who had suddenly disappeared from her sight.

Jess stood up in panic and ran to the cashier with a confused look. He looked around in panic. If it's true that grandmother is a ghost but why doesn't she notice the weirdness in that grandmother? All this time she had always been able to distinguish between ghosts and real humans but why this time she couldn't tell the difference between humans and ghosts at all?

"But what was the meaning of what grandmother said earlier?" Jess asked herself with a confused face.

Jess shook her head and then resumed her work until it was finished. After that incident she had no more ghost customers and the ghosts that had been bugging her did not appear around her today either. She felt strange because that creature usually always appeared and bothered her like a normal day. Jess breathed a sigh of relief because it was the first time she was able to work normally without being annoyed again. But behind all this, Jess doesn't know that the fate that will change her life will soon come.

"Thanks for today. Good job." The minimarket manager said proudly.

"Thank you." Jess replied politely.

"This is your salary this month and I have given you a bonus in it because tomorrow is your birthday." The convenience store owner said while tucking the envelope in Jess's hand.

"I hope you can buy food and nice clothes for your birthday tomorrow." Said the man again with a friendly smile.

"Thank you very much." Jess said politely.

"I hope that as you get older, you can have a better life."

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To be continuous.