The city planted many trees in the Tairean Public Park. Leaves always littered the ground, especially now, after the autumn season. When I reached our meeting point, Hazel stood out in front of the shadows of the colorful trees. The wind swept the leaves off the trees, and Hazel swayed. She stood upright when she noticed me, making sure to fix her hair.

“Hey, Hazel,” I greeted, “sorry if I made you wait long.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” Hazel replied, “I only got here myself.”

I doubted the truth of her words. She looked deep in thought when I arrived. I guessed she went the extra length to keep me from worrying.

“How about we start going to the cafe?” Hazel asked.

“Yeah, let’s,” I agreed. “Just follow me for now.”

I began walking to the cafe, with Hazel in tow. We passed by the packed, run-down buildings of the east-side of the city. Both the community and the pay tended to be tighter here. Some of the best small businesses opened up in the east part of the city, and the Hangman Cafe was one of them.

“The people here look so lively,” Hazel remarked, “everyone where I live looks so depressed all the time.”

“Well, all the good stores are in the east area,” I reasoned, “so people probably can spend more time with others here.”

I also lived away from the east area. My father and mother used to live there, but moved to the more suburban neighborhood when my mother gave birth to me. My parents kept their energy with their job, but my father lost his motivation when my mother died.

“I think everyone has their own reason to be depressed though,” I added.

“You’re right,” Hazel agreed, “but I think everyone deserves a reason to be happy too.”

I slowed my pace. I allowed Hazel to enter my field of vision, while continuing to go forward. A reason to be happy, I processed her words. Hazel tilted her head, slowing down with me.

“What’s wrong?” Hazel asked.

I just wanted to see her face, I thought. Instead, I answered, “I’m just making sure we don’t get separated.”

“Oh, okay,” Hazel replied. “You look lost in thought.”

“You said everyone deserves a reason to be happy,” I explained, “...I can’t stop thinking about it.”

On the surface level, her kind words sparked a warmth. Then I thought about Tesha and the other murderers. Even after all they’ve done, did they deserve happiness too?

“I mean it,” Hazel responded to me, “I think everyone should be allowed a reason to be happy.”

“No matter what?” I asked.

“No matter what,” Hazel confirmed.

“Even if someone hurts others?” I questioned, thinking about Tesha.

“Yes,” Hazel answered.

I thought of me and my father. I asked, “Even if you never properly cared for what gives you happiness?”

“That’s right.” Hazel nodded. “Even you and I deserve happiness,” she added, “there’s a right to happiness. Although, I guess, it’s more like ‘the pursuit of happiness,’ if you’re not happy.”

“Right…” I mumbled. I liked the idea of deserving happiness. I thought Tesha was a complicated matter though. Beneath her murdering, she was human, like me.

“Oh, but hurting people is still bad,” Hazel interrupted. “Because hurting others makes it harder to let others pursue happiness.”

And Hazel came up with a conclusion completely wiping away all my doubts. Just like how she gave her opinion on the play, she put down all the opposing viewpoints with her neutral perspective. Despite being quiet, as she usually was, Hazel had words worth sharing. I didn’t understand why she didn’t share her ideas more.

“You’re smart,” I complimented, “Your point of view is always so mind-opening…”

“What? Oh, I’m not that amazing,” Hazel turned away, “I’m just… – hey, is that the cafe?”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

We stopped in front of the Hangman Cafe, a tall building between a couple other run-down stores. In front of the doors, heavy-built men in leather jackets chatted. To enter the building, we had to ask them to make way for us. I could have sworn that I heard a gulp come from Hazel.

“E-excuse me, sirs,” I greeted, “we’d like to get inside.”

Tiredly, the largest of the group turned over to me intimidatingly saying, “Huh?”

“I-it’s just that,” I responded, “we’d like to go inside…”

An intense air surrounded us, as the large-bodied man contemplated an answer for us. He eyed the two of us, studying us, figuring out whether he should make way for two children.

Breaking the silence, he went, “Well why didn’t you say so! Go on in! We didn’t mean to block the door, sorry.”

Shockingly, the guy ordered his goons to make way from the door. Hazel and I must have shown our confusion, because the man chuckled and faced us again.

“Sorry for being inconsiderate,” he apologized, “go on in, enjoy your time together.”

“Uh, well,” Hazel remained frozen in front of him, but I pulled her forward.

“Let’s just head in,” I spoke, hurrying away from the intimidating crowd.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the guy winked at me. While I didn’t know the man well, I decided to accept his good will. I wanted today, the first time I hung out with someone, to go smoothly, plus I still didn’t know if we were having a date.

Entering the cafe, Hazel and I were greeted by an even larger man, at least six and a half feet tall. He had the body of a lumberjack, as if he honed his muscles to carry trees from place to place. Unlike the bikers outside, though, I knew this man, Mr. Hangman.

“Neuire!” Mr. Hangman waved to me. “It’s been a while! Come on in, have a seat.”

An employee, Hangman’s daughter Erfia, immediately got out from behind the counter to meet us. She was a couple years younger than me, so she’d join our school next year. I needed to wrap everything up with Tesha before then. I didn’t want her to spend her high school life where she may become another mystery disappearance.

“Drinks?” Erfia asked curtly. She still got stuffy with newer customers, but Mr. Hangman and Erfia treated me like family.

“I’d like a hot cup of jasmine tea,” I answered, “with generous sugar.”

“So the normal order then.” Erfia wrote down my order on her notepad. “How about you?”

“Um,” Hazel looked at the billboard menu by the counter and back at me. “I’ll have what Noi’s having.”

“Noi?” Erfia looked up from her notepad to me and Hazel. She narrowed her eyes on the two of us. “I guess you’re at that age, huh.”

Neither Hazel or I refuted any kind of misunderstanding Erfia had. Instead we stayed shyly silent. After all, we still never confirmed whether we were on a date or not.

“I’m guessing you also want the lunch special?” Erfia asked, “Today, we’re declaring war on our potato stock. We have hashbrowns, fries, mashed potatoes, and bacon bits.”

Hazel never learned the menu, so I decided to choose our meal. “Yes, I’d like to eat your potato hostages.”

“For both of you?” Erfia questioned.

“Um, yes, sure,” Hazel confirmed.

Erfia closed her notepad. “Okay, sit wherever you like.”

Hazel and I found a set of seats by the window. We had a small table, fit only for two chairs, and we sat across from each other. We saw the bright sun outside the window on one side, and the rest of the restaurant to our other side. I grabbed a couple napkins from the holder and set them near Hazel.

“Oh, thanks,” Hazel said, “You’re pretty thoughtful.”

Mr. Hangman delivered our food, smiling. “Enjoy your meal.”

Hazel and I ate our food together.

“How do you like the food?” I asked her as I took a bite of my mashed potato.

Taking a bite of her potato fry, Hazel answered, “it’s very…potato.”

Honestly, the potatoes weren’t bad. It had a kind of taste that begged us to eat more, but only so much taste could fill our mouths. I wondered how much salt intake we would have by the end of the day.

“Hey, Noi,” Hazel piped up, “who…would you say you are?”

“Who I am?” I parroted, “What do you mean?”

“I just…I was thinking,” Hazel explained, “I never really knew you, so…I wanted to learn.”

“Oh.” I swallowed an extra potato fry. “Honestly, I don’t know if there’s much about me to tell.”

“Just try,” Hazel suggested, “I’d like to know.”

“Okay then,” I began, “for the longest time, I wanted to be like my parents. My mother and father were amazing investigators.”

Hazel smiled. “That’s so nice.”

“They were,” I responded, “but my mo…” I stopped.

“Your mo…ther?” Hazel finished my word. “What’s wrong?”

My vision became blurry, and drops of water dripped down my face. I knew I was supposed to grab a napkin to wipe my face quickly, but I froze.

“A-oh, Noi…did I…? Are you okay?” Hazel stammered, “H-here, let me…”

Hazel grabbed the napkin I gave her, leaned over the table, and wiped my eyes. I closed my eyes. We didn’t speak. I heard her sink back into her seat. For a moment, neither of us dared to say a word.

“I’m sorry…” Hazel apologized. “I guess I shouldn’t have pushed you to say something…”

No, she didn’t do anything wrong. I wanted to tell her, but I couldn’t. Instead, I said, “...I wouldn’t mind going out again.”

“Huh?”

Apparently I caught Hazel off guard again. I continued saying, “What do you say? The mall next time?”

“Uh, um…sure,” she agreed, “same time as now?”

“Yes.”

I agreed to another meeting with Hazel, finished my food, and went home. I wished I could tell her the rest of what I wanted to say. “My mother was killed. And I wouldn’t mind if I shared her fate, if I got to solve the case she was in.”