Chapter 6: Emma, The Roommate
After returning home from the restaurant, Tsui lay on her bed, drifted into a peaceful sleep. Once again, she found herself immersed in a dream from her past, reliving her adolescence years.
In the dream, she was in her childhood room, playing with her beloved dolls. Clutching an elephant plushie in her left hand and a lion plushie in her right, she was lost in her own little world of imagination.
“Oh, I’m dreaming again…”
As Tsui found herself in the dream, she became fully immersed in the perspective of her younger self. Even though she knew it was just a dream, she couldn't control the actions of her adolescent self. Throughout the dream, she experienced everything as if she were truly living it, perceiving the world through the eyes and body of her younger version.
“Oh, that’s Mr. Snuffy and Leo Jr.”
“Mr. Snuffy…I lost him when I brought him to the school. Some kid stole him from my bag, I think.”
Tsui reminisced as she stared at the lion plushie, Leo Jr.
“We went to picnic, but I fell asleep…when mum and dad were packing everything up, they accidentally left Leo Jr. behind. I remembered I cried for hours the moment I woke up and realized Leo Jr. was gone.”
In her dream, Tsui was playing with dolls in her room. However, in a sudden blink, the scene changed as if a switch was flipped. The dolls she was originally holding had disappeared, and her hands now held a shinai, a bamboo Japanese sword. The room had completely transformed, and all traces of the previous setting vanished.
The adolescent Tsui had transitioned from playing with dolls in her room to earnestly practicing her swordsmanship, striking a straw dummy with all her might.
“Hya!”
The young Tsui yelled out as she swung her sword, striking the straw dummy with force. There’s a strict but familiar voice nearby, accompanying with each swung she made. It’s her father’s voice.
“Swing harder, Tsui!”
“Hya!!”
“Do not disgrace our family with such weak strikes!”
“Hya!!!”
Tsui was confused by the sudden shift in her dream.
“Wait, what’s happening?”
In this peculiar dream setting, Tsui found herself in what appeared to be a backyard. To her surprise, her father, who was known for his gentle demeanor, now wore a stern and serious expression she had never seen before. Adding to the oddity, his attire was different—a vintage military uniform.
As Tsui slowly regained consciousness in the real world, the dream began to slip away from her. Tsui opened her eyes immediately after waking up from her sleep.
“That…was…weird.”
It was now morning, Tsui got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up by washing her face and brushing her teeth. When brushing her teeth, she heard sound of the door to her home being unlocked.
[Beep][Beep]
Worried that it was an intruder, Tsui hastily left her bathroom to see who had entered her home. It was a girl, appearing to be around the same age as Tsui. The girl was noticeably shorter than Tsui, with a difference of about one head in stature.The girl entered with two huge luggages in tow, as if she had just returned from a long trip. As their eyes met, the girl stared at Tsui dead in the eyes.
“Why are you wearing my pyjamas, Tsui? Don’t you have your own in the closet?”
“Huh-uh, I’m sorry. Who are you?”
“Ya, real funny. Come help me unpack my luggage when you are done brushing your teeth.”
“O…oh…okay.”
Tsui hesitantly went back to finish brushing her teeth, her mind still processing the unexpected encounter. Despite the girl's sudden appearance, she didn't feel threatened or unsafe. There was something about the girl's voice that felt oddly familiar, even though Tsui couldn't recall ever meeting her before.
Tsui exited the bathroom after she was finished brushing her teeth, and went to help out the girl. She found the girl sitting on the floor in the living room, unpacking her belongings from one of her large suitcases. While unpacking her suitcase, the girl looked around the living room.
“Oh, you helped me tidy the room. Thanks!”
The girl thanked Tsui and reached into her suitcase, pulling out a beautiful lei crafted from shells and colorful flowers. Handing the lei to Tsui, she smiled and giggled like a child. But the surprises didn't end there. The girl then presented another souvenir from her trip: a bobbing head figurine of the samurai girl with violet hair from the comic Emerald Blade.
“These are for ya! I bought the bobbing head because you look like the character when you cosplay as her, haha!”
“Oh, uh, thanks.”
The girl had long pink hair tied in pigtails, and she wore glasses with a pink frame. Her pink jacket had a light blue interior, matching her eyes. Apart from the ribbons adorning her hair and the pants she wore, her outfit was predominantly pink.
Despite Tsui not knowing the girl, the girl maintained a very friendly demeanor throughout the conversation, sharing her travel experiences with Tsui. Tsui, on the other hand, remained mostly quiet, focusing on assisting the girl with unpacking her suitcase.
With the unpacking complete, the girl turned to Tsui and asked.
“Why are you being so quiet, Tsui? Is there something bothering you?”
“Uhm…umm.”
“You can tell me, y’know?”
“I…don’t actually know you…I lost my memory recently.”
“Eh, what?”
“I lost my memory.”
Tsui explained her situation to the girl, sharing every detail she could recall since the incident when she woke up in Sunnyvale Park. Upon hearing Tsui's explanation, the girl rushed over to Tsui and embraced her in a warm and tight hug.
“Have you gone to the hospital to check yourself yet??”
“No, I didn’t know how to get there, and I was worried I might be lost if I wandered too far.”
“No worries, I can bring you there now that I’m back! But how are you feeling, anything uncomfortable?”
“I feel fine, other than my partial memory loss.”
“That’s good then. So the memories you’ve lost are mainly names and faces…Then I guess I’ll reintroduce myself again. My name is Emma! Emma Ranthine! Nice to meet you, I’m your roommate!”
“…Emma Ranthine. Hi, Emma, I’m Tsui. Can you tell me anything you know about me in the past so that I may be able to regain my memories back?”
Tsui bowed down her head slightly, humbly asking for her favor in helping to regain her lost memories.
“Eh, haha haha!! You don’t have to be so formal with me! Of course I would help you!”
“Thank you, Emma.”
“Let’s talk over the sofa, I’ll grab some snacks from the fridge first!”
Tsui settled down on the sofa while Emma fetched some snacks and poured drinks for both of them to enjoy during their conversation. Emma arranged the snacks and drinks on a tray and carried it over to the small table near the sofa.
“So where do you want to start?”
“Can you start with how did we come to know each other?”
“Oh, sure! We first met each other working as saleswoman for a car company.”
“Fjord motor company, is that right?”
“Yep! Oh, you remember that?”
“No, I read it from my files.”
“Your files?”
Tsui explained to Emma where she had obtained the file and what had happened to it since then.
“I plan to go back to the restaurant at a later time today, to pay for my meal. So that the restaurant will return me the files.”
“Okkie, I’ll go with you since my leaves are until tomorrow.”
“Thanks, can you continue where you left off?”
“Okkie, so we met at the company. You had worked there earlier than me, so you were kinda like my senior, haha. Teaching me the basics and skills to become a better salesperson.”
“Where did I live back then? My files only had my current address, so I don’t know where I lived.”
“I think you lived in an apartment somewhere in the 11th District.”
“So…that is why I went to the wrong apartment. I had my old memory mixed in with my present one. But how did we ended up living together?”
“Haha, actually. We worked together so well that we became pretty close with each other. It was around almost a year ago, we both agreed that rents would become too expensive living alone. So, we saved enough money to buy a condominium here with our life savings and moved in together!”
“I see, that would explain it. When I came back to here, I thought to myself [How did I manged to afford this by myself?].”
“Haha, you even wore my pyjamas! I was surprised to see you wearing them because you had your own in the closet.”
“Yeah…sorry about that. Now that I noticed, most of your clothes are in pink.”
“Haha, I just love the color pink. Look, I even dyed my hair pink because of it.”
Emma gently caressed her hair, signalling Tsui to feel its soft texture too. Tsui ran her fingers through the hair, and it felt as smooth and luxurious as silk.
“Anyways anyways, after that, you quit from your job 6 months ago, and had been unemployed since then. You never told me why’d you quit though…”
“I see, that’s alright. Thanks for telling me all of these.”
“No problem! Sorry I can’t be of more help…”
“It’s okay, knowing that I have someone close to me in these times makes me feel better.” Tsui replied with a smile.
“Aww…you! Let’s go and grab lunch, my treat!”
Feeling touched by Tsui's words and the fact that Tsui considered her a close friend, Emma playfully pinched Tsui's cheek.
After Tsui finished changing into her outdoor outfit, she and Emma left the condominium and made their way to the restaurant, Family Bistro Nook.
Upon entering, she was greeted by the waitress, Amelia.
“Good afternoon! Welcome t – oh, hi, miss. You’ve returned!”
“Hi, Amelia. I brought the money for my payment. It was $38.70, is that correct?”
“Yes, that would be the correct amount.”
Tsui handed Amelia the exact amount, in both bills and coins. Amelia graciously received the payment and placed it in the cash register.
“Will you be having your lunch here?”
“Yes, a table for two, thank you!”
Emma, who was with Tsui, interjected into the conversation. Amelia then brought the pair to an empty table and handed them the menu. Amelia poured drinks for them while they looked at the menu options.
“I will be right back with your documents, Miss. Please take your time to decide your order in the meantime, thank you.”
Amelia stepped into the staff break room, where her dad, who was also her manager, was taking a break at. Amelia went directly for the shelf to retrieve Tsui’s documents.
“Oh, did the girl come back?”
“Yes.”
“Hah! Told you she wasn’t that kind of person, your father is correct! Woohoo!”
Amelia ignored her father’s teasing and proceeded to gather Tsui’s files before swiftly leaving the room. She returned to the table where Tsui and Emma were seated, ready to take their order, handing Tsui back her documents at the same time.
“Here are your documents. May I take your order now?”
“Yes, I’ll have a chicken chop with black pepper sauce while she’ll have a cheeseburger!”
Emma said excitedly, followed up by Tsui.
“For our drinks, we will have 2 glasses of iced lemon tea. Thank you, that is all, Amelia.”
While waiting for their food, Tsui and Emma engaged in casual conversation, discussing their favorite foods, hobbies, and interests. Although it was Emma that did most of the talking, as Tsui had forgotten many of her memories.
After Amelia had served them their meal, Tsui mentioned to Emma that she had lost all her belongings such as her wallet and her phone. Emma assured Tsui there was nothing to worry about as she can guide her in applying for a new identify card and getting a new phone. The duo delved into another conversation about different methods they could try to help Tsui regain her memories, and an idea crossed Tsui’s mind.
“What do you think of applying for a work here, Emma?”
“Hmm, as what?”
“I was thinking of working here as a chef, or roles that would be involved me working in the kitchen.”
“Why though?”
“Look at my documents here, it says I have a degree in culinary arts. Even if I had never worked as a chef before, there should be a time where I had handled knife continuously, right?”
Emma coughed loudly as she accidentally choked on her food while talking and eating at the same time.
“But – *cough*!! do – *cough*!!”
“Don’t talk while you are eating, Emma! You are going to choke!”
Emma quickly took a sip of her drink to help swallow the food stuck in her throat.
“But…*gulp* do you even remember how to cook? Or even handle a knife?”
“Well, there is something called muscle memory. I may have forgotten how, but I’m sure as soon as I worked with them, I would know how.”
“I feel like you are being to –”
“Alright, it’s decided. I’ll ask them if they would hire me later.”
Tsui patiently waited for a lull in the customer flow to avoid disrupting the restaurant's workflow. When the opportune moment arrived, she approached Amelia and inquired about any job openings in the restaurant. This prompted Amelia to have a brief discussion with her manager in the staff break room.
“So, how do we deal with this, dad?”
“We are hiring, no?”
“Yea, but hiring her, are you sure about that?”
“I don’t see why not, she’s around your age. She’s well-mannered and pretty, I’m sure that her working as a server would attract more youngsters to our restaurant, hahaha!”
“Dad, this is serious…we are running a restaurant.”
“Alright alright, geez, you are no fun. As long as she qualifies, I don’t see why not.”
Amelia and her father, the manager, left the break room and had further discussion with Tsui. Enquiring about what kind of job offer was she looking for and when can she start.
“A chef if the role is available.”
“Do you have any culinary experience?”
“Yes, I have a degree in Culinary Arts.”
The manager seeing that Tsui was serious and sincere about working in the restaurant, scheduled an interview with her for tomorrow.
“Okay, Miss Tsui. Do you have anything else you want to clarify before the job interview tomorrow?”
Tsui shared her present circumstances with the manager, openly talked about her memory loss and the primary reason motivating her desire to work in the restaurant. She explained she had a culinary arts degree, which likely involved practical experience in a kitchen line during her studies. Tsui expressed the belief that being in a familiar environment could potentially aid in triggering her memory and facilitate her recovery.
“I see, I hope you will succeed in remembering your memory. If there’s no further question, then you can come back here tomorrow before opening time. We’ll conduct a quick cooking trial for demonstrating your culinary skills. Don’t worry, if the kitchen role proves too hard for you, you can work as a server alongside Amelia and Ron.”
While Tsui and the manager were concluding their discussion, Emma proceeded to the counter to settle the payment for their meal. The manager and Amelia waved the pair goodbye after they paid for their meal and left the restaurant.
“So, how was it?”
“Poor lass, got into some sort of accident and lost her memories.”
The manager relayed everything Tsui told him to Amelia.
“Then how would she be able to work in the kitchen?”
“We’ll see, if she’s not able to work in the kitchen, then I’ll just assign her a serving role in the dining area.”
On the way back, Tsui and Emma came across a public restroom.
“Tsui, wait for me! I’m going for a wee.”
Tsui waited outside the restroom for some time, looking around her environment. For a short moment, she was certain she spotted a humanoid figure standing at the top of a tall building. She peered closely at the rooftop, but there was nothing; the building’s top was empty. Emma exited the public restroom, wiping her wet hands on her jacket.
“Okkie, thanks for waiting. I’m ready, let’s go!”
“Why didn’t you dry your hands? You shouldn’t just dry your hands with your clothes, Emma.”
“I know, it’s just that I didn’t want to keep you waiting. The drying machine always takes so long to dry the hands…”
The duo continued their way onwards. Tsui didn't dwell on the humanoid figure she thought she had spotted on the rooftop, and instead headed home with Emma.
