3 — How Do You Take Care Of a Cactus?

"Ms. Hugh?"

"Yes?"

"How do you take care of a cactus?"

"Huh?"

"How do you take care of a cactus?"

"Huh?"

"Can't you understand what I'm saying?"

At this point, Bay doesn't even know what she's doing anymore; Just yesterday, she was seen arranging books at the library and buying cat food for the stray kittens on the way home. And that's how it is— it seemed those were normal tasks, but for Bay, she kept thinking her life, no, someone's life depended on it. And now, here she is, asking the head of the school cafeteria how to take care of a cactus.

So, maybe somehow she had felt as if she had done something for him at least, just to fill that empty space in her chest she lost that night when she read his note.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, can you repeat that again?"

"It's fine. Anyways, how do you take care of a cactus?"

Bay felt really stupid. She could have just searched on Google.

"Well, it depends on the cactus!"

But maybe knowing about cacti wasn't her true intention of talking to Ms. Hugh.

"What do you mean?"

"There are different types of cacti. Some need more sunlight than others, while there are others that take a lot of... are you listening?"

"Yes."

Bay blinked thrice, Ms. Hugh four times.

"Okay."

"Okay!"

"Okay!"

"Okay?"

"What do you need the cactus for?"

"Okay! What?"

"What do you need the cactus for?" If you were there, you'd see that Ms. Hugh looked at Bay like she's the one getting old and having hearing problems. This time. Ms. Hugh was the one who blinked thrice, Bay four times. "Well, because I want one."

"I don't think you can take care of one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bay stretched her lips into a frown. Ms. Hugh formed her eyes into something like a puppy saying "sorry". Upon seeing this, she immediately stopped scowling.

"Why do you want one?"

Haha. She didn't prepare for this. "Erm."

For ten solid seconds, all she did was stutter, nibble her hands, and feel her sweat dripping. Like how when he was still here with her and she tried to talk to him.

Maybe if Bay smiled when she said this: "I just want one. Because cacti are fun", then she'd convince her.

But she didn't.

"Is it for—"

"Okay, yes! Fine! I'll admit it! It was in his stupid note that he wanted a cactus so I was planning to buy one for him!"

Ms. Hugh's jaw cackled,

"What?"

"Yeah! I'm being weird lately! But they don't understand, and you don't either! Maybe I'm guilty! I'm not even sure if he's alive, or something!"

"What?!"

"Yeah! I'm desperate! So just tell me where to buy a damn cactus and I'll leave!"

Their eyes met. One's eyes were shaking, the other's pupils looked like they were about to pop.

"You killed someone?!"

"What? No!"

"Where did you hide his body then?!"

"I didn't kill anyone!"

"Then what?!"

At this point, Ms. Hugh was taking slow steps away from her. "Well, it's hard to explain! But I promise, I didn't kill anyone!" To give detail, Bay said that in the most suspicious way possible.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise!"

"Then what is it all about?"

Bay cuffed her hands. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me", is what she would say. After fifty-nine years, you have experienced every war, breakdown, and sweat many don't know about. But perhaps age doesn't equal experience. Take for example thousands of children suffering in their own comfort of their home. Take for example teenagers trying to get jobs because of their family debt. Take Bay as another example.

And Bay practically knew Ms. Hugh's life story, by every single detail. Yet, she felt like she would still see her as a murderer trying to hide a body inside of a giant cactus.

Hugh took a breath before responding, "You know that time when my father—"

"Went to jail but he was innocent?"

"So I wanted to got to law school—"

"But you didn't have any money and you couldn't apply for a scholarship."

"... And so I–"

"Married a man fifteen years younger than you, that you didn't even love?"

"How did you know?"

"It gets in your head automatically once you've heard it twenty times."

"Well," Ms. Hugh continued as she nibbled her hands just like Bay did, "I think I may not be able to relate to what's happening right now, but I'll still try to help." After fifty-nine years, you'd think you have the worst life. But Ms. Hugh learnt that after we hear someone's side of life and see their ugly parts, all of a sudden we think our own ugly parts turn out to be alright after all. Because we realize they have uglier ones but still live with it.

"Right now, I don't really want to talk about it though. But I do have a question."

"Go ahead."

"How do I take care of a cactus?"

"You're really pushing it!"

"I am."

Hugh slapped Bay at the back so hard, it sounded like a gunshot.

"Before I tell you, go find this person named Jesse Hope."

"Why?"

"He sells plants."

Ms. Hugh continued, "And then, once you found him, ask for a Barrel Cactus and tell him about your friend."

"Why?" Bay frowned and bit her lip.

And this was when Hugh smiled wide like a mastermind. "He knows a lot about cacti, veganism, sculpting,

and some information about your friend."