Ghosts
The high grating sound of the wind chime could only mean one thing -- Ai-oon is home.
My grandmother and I were in the kitchen when we heard it.
She was busy making lunch so I ran to answer the door.
What stood in front of me was a big surprise.
My twin sister whom I haven’t heard from in years was with my ex.
They were both shocked to see me.
A few days ago, I received a missed call from May.
There was no message so I debated whether to call her back or ignore it.
We broke up already and I was dating Paul now.
It was a rebound I know but he was good company.
I could tell that he really liked me.
But curious as I was to see what was going on, it was better to leave it alone.
I didn’t see the point in returning the call.
If she needed something from me, she could have left a message.
Despite my determination to ignore what happened, it hung in my mind leaving me distracted and intrigued.
“What are you doing here?” I asked my twin.
“Is that how you welcome a guest?” Ai-oon pushed the suitcase inside.
May stood by the door.
“You really have a twin?” The question was directed at me.
“She didn’t tell you?”
Ai-oon looked at May.
Before she could answer, my grandmother appeared.
“Ai, you’re home.” She was about to hug my sister when she noticed May.
“Oh. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming with a guest?”
“I never do,” My sister went over to embrace our grandmother.
May and I looked at each other confronted with all the awkward feelings between us.
I saw all the questions in her eyes.
I felt uneasy.
“Grandmother, this is May. She will be staying with us for a few days,” Ai introduced her.
“Hi. Welcome to Nam Jai,” She bowed before May and my ex did the same thing.
“Ai-oon, why don’t you bring the suitcase upstairs? You arrived at the perfect time. I just made lunch,” My grandmother sounded so happy.
Before I answered the door, she was telling me how she hoped my twin would show up so we could all be together.
She manifested it plus more.
“I’ll do it,” I grabbed the suitcase before Ai-oon could do anything.
She frowned but I was already walking towards the stairs.
“May, could you follow me please?”
“Okay.”
***
I opened the door to the guest room, the one with the view of the ocean.
The bed and breakfast barely had any guests but my grandmother cleaned the rooms everyday in case someone showed up.
The yellow sheer curtains were open letting the midday light come in.
It was bright inside the room but dark clouds hung over my head when I saw my twin with my ex-girlfriend.
“We were together for years and you didn’t tell me you have a twin?” She asked as soon as the door was closed.
“What are you doing here, May?”
“Answer my question.”
“This is not the courtroom. I’m not on trial.”
“Did I mean anything to you at all?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Because you never told me anything. Not about your twin, your grandmother or this place.”
“I told you. You must have forgotten.”
“Oom, don’t make me look like a fool. You know I have a good memory. I would remember if you said something about your sister.”
“I did. When you saw me at your study reading the children’s book. You asked what I was doing and I told you about my sister.”
She frowned, thinking back on the conversation we had a long time ago.
It wasn’t surprising if she didn’t remember.
Even if I wanted her to meet Ai-oon, I didn’t know where she was.
When I left Nam Jai to work as a flight attendant, I seldom come home to visit.
My grandmother told me Ai-oon left to go to school.
After that, she barely heard anything from my sister.
There would be the occasional phone calls but my twin didn’t really give much information.
Somehow I sensed that she was hiding important things from us.
There was one time when I was at work and the plane was about to depart.
My chest tightened I thought I was having a heart attack.
The discomfort passed but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something bad happened.
When the plane landed, I called my grandmother to check on her.
She was fine.
I asked if she heard from Ai-oon but there was nothing.
Thinking that maybe there was something physically wrong with me, I saw a doctor.
The test results came back normal.
It took a while for that heavy feeling to go away.
***
“Now I remember,” May was staring at me.
“You said you couldn’t wait to show me off to the people you knew. But it didn’t happen. Why?”
“It’s not important.”
“Oom, you always do this.”
“Do what?”
“Avoid.”
“Maybe there is a reason why I do that.”
“What is the reason then?”
“Nothing.”
“God. You are so exasperating.”
“You only know that now?”
“I’ve known for a while but now that we’ve broken up, why are you still doing it?”
“Where are you going with this?”
“We’re no longer together, Oom. Couldn’t you at least be honest with me this time?”
I was saved by a knock on the door.
“Is everything alright?” Ai-oon was looking at May.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Oom, where are your manners? You didn’t even gave May towels so she can freshen up?”
My sister walked over to the closet and took out fresh towels and a robe.
“Here,” She gave it to May.
“Lunch is ready but you can change first if you want. We will wait.”
“It’s okay,” May put the towel and the robe on the bed.
“I’ll do it later.”
“Are you sure? It was very dusty on the way here.”
“I’m fine.”
“Okay, then. Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
Ai-oon let May out first.
“Are you okay, Oom?” She put an arm on my shoulder.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“May said something about you having a twin. What was that about?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s go downstairs before the food gets cold.”
I left Ai-oon before she could ask more questions.
***
My grandmother was happy.
May was a charming guest.
But I felt like her and my sister were withholding important information about this sudden visit.
The first thing I needed to figure out was why she was with Ai-oon.
I couldn’t think of any reason why these two should meet.
Other than what happened to them years ago at the planetarium, what happened in this universe for my twin and May to finally be together?
I couldn’t concentrate on the food and the conversation going on around me.
I felt as if the years I’ve kept things a secret from May was finally coming to a head.
When we fell apart, I was determined not to say anything.
Knowing that May’s first love was my sister was heartbreaking.
I truly loved her but she loved someone else.
How could I fight with that when after she told me about it, all I could think of was how everything was just pretend?
It was devastating to find out that after years of being together, I was just a stand-in.
Now, the three of us shared a meal with my grandmother.
My sister was her usual self -- easygoing, casual and happy.
There was a light in her eyes whenever she looks at May.
The feeling was mutual.
I haven’t seen that smile in May in a while.
The one that showed her dimples and reached her eyes.
Whatever circumstance brought them to Nam Jai, whether it’s for a vacation or something else, I have to find out.
The visit was too sudden to be considered a coincidence.
Grandmother told me that everytime Ai-oon came back, she looked as if she carried a big burden.
She was the opposite of that now but there was definitely something important for her to come running to Nam Jai with May in tow.
My plan to tell them about Paul’s proposal had to wait.