Time After Time

The next morning, Rose woke up and she found herself lying on her bed, with Lestat sleeping next to her as usual. She saw a folded white paper on her side table and Rose reached for it. There was his handwriting in that paper.

'Hi Rose. Thank you for letting me come to your house last night. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I do. You were crying for a while before you fell asleep. Then Lestat started to growl at me, as he thought I might do something bad to you (but I can promise you, I won't). He only stopped growling when I put you on your bed and leave your bedroom. I hope you're feeling well in the morning when you read this. It's saddens me as well to see you cry. Best wishes, Gustav. P.S.: Lestat looked as he was about to swallow me in whole when I went back to your bedroom to put this note.'

She smiled widely, happily and pull that paper into her lips.

Oh God, oh God, he wrote this for me. I will keep this paper forever!

Rose jumped down from her bed and touched her iPhone dock to play music. As she cooked Lestat's and her breakfast, the shuffle mode mada her iPhone played a cover of Cyndi Lauper's song "Time After Time" by Matchbox Twenty. She remembered she heard a lot of version of that song, included the original one.

She believed the song is about a pair who can't keep up with the same pace. One person is moving forward while the other is left behind. Despite this circumstances, they're still very dear to each other. They're still very good friend and care about each other. Then she remembered about someone told her that that song can also tell a story of someone who is about to die.

Then that dying person told someone they really love that even though their body is dead, they will still be there for someone they love. They will never really leave that person.

What a way to start your day, Rose, she rolled her eyes to herself.

Then she thought about Gustav.

She sneered at herself straight away. Maybe that's what people in love usually do, trying to connect a song they heard with their condition, not that she was in love, though. She couldn't even tell whether Gustav and her are in the same pace. But at this point, she believed that nothing will change much.

Rose spent that day by cleaning her house, start from change her bed sheet, washing all her clothes and give bath to Lestat.

Gustav didn't show up that day. He didn't even walk out from his house.

At 2 pm, after most of her tasks are finished, Rose started to worry.

Is he alright? He lives alone, so no one knows what might possibly happen. I don't even know whether he knows how to get immediate help! I should gave him my number yesterday…

At 4 pm, she decided that she needs to check whether he was fine or not. So she took Lestat with her, told him to behave, then they both stood outside his door while Rose knocked the door.

That place sure wasn't the best place to live. Rose still remember that no one had care the lawn for a couple of years now. Sometimes the mown it when necessary, but other than that, the yard looked like a big lump of nature and human carelessness. The Granny House where Gustav lived itself looks gloomy, small and uninteresting. Rose had no idea why anyone would be interested to live in a place like that.

"Um… Gustav?" she knocked again. "I'm sorry if I bother you, but… you're okay there?"

She heard sounds of something creaking in distance. Maybe a door. But it sounded more like wooden bed. After sounds of footsteps, the door was open and Gustav stood there, looked worse than his usual cold and sad self. His hair was a mess, he had massive black circles under his eyes and he coughed louldy when he was trying to speak.

"What happened?" Rose could even hear horrid in her voice.

Gustav managed to chuckle before he started to cough again, "Probably just catch some flu. The…" He coughed again, "The man who rented me this place told me that I need to be careful in winter like this that this place might not be completely… okay to live in. Hasn't been used for years now."

"Have you eat anything today?" she asked.

"Yeah. Canned spaghetti."

"No."

"What?"

"I said 'no'. He shouldn't let you live in a place like this in the winter. The wind gets really really cold sometimes. Stay in my place… at least until you get healthier. Meanwhile, let's find someone who can fix this place so you can live properly here. I can cook food for you as well. Decent food. Healthy food. Not canned spaghetti… oh God."

She saw a massive pile of canned food behind Gustav's back.

"What? Oh…" he followed where she stared. "You're not gonna expect me to cook something, right? I'm not…" he coughed loud this time. "… not a very good cook. I always had someone cook for me for a few years back…" Gustav sounded a bit different when he said that and Rose felt that she wanted to know what happened in his past. But that wasn't the most important thing right now.

"Come," she offered her right arm and shoulder.

"Are you sure?" he sounded unsure. Or maybe slightly angry. She couldn't tell. Again.

"What? Of course. Do you think I'm going to let you stay within this cold place and canned food while you're clearly unhealthy? No."

Gustav chuckled before he leaned to her. At that moment, Rose was a bit terrified when she realized that Gustav was indeed huge. He was tall and everything. Rose had difficulty to walk normally back to her place. She was glad she brought Lestat, though. That dog was barking around her legs as they walk together, probably giving her support.

"Alright, you need to sit on the sofa for a while. I haven't put any bed sheet back, I just finished cleaning this place…" they walked together inside and she couldn't remember she could be this happy when she saw the sofa. "I'll get them on in a second, then you can lie down… whoa!" Gustav fell to the sofa like wet sock. He literally had no energy to even sit properly.

She felt something in her eyes, again. Something that would be dropping tears if she didn't wipe it straight away. Rose sighed. How miserable someone could be? He was sad, he was alone and now he was sick.

"Lestat, take care of him for one second while I get the bed ready, okay?"

Lestat barked.

Rose couldn't remember sweating so much in winter like that evening. After she finished with preparing the bed, she needed to drag Gustav there, because she couldn't lift him properly, to be obvious. There was a spark of proudness when she realized that she saved Gustav, but that feeling disappear completely when she stared at him, powerless and ill.

"Now you're in a better place," she told him.

Gustav blinked his eyes.

"Are you hungry? Do you want to sleep first? Is there any kind of food that you might desire to swallow so you can drink the medicine later…?" she tried to speak as clear and as slow as possible.

But he didn't answer. He was smiling and she felt like she could melt into the floor below her.

"Gustav…?"

"Do you know who I am, Rose?" he asked.

Rose didn't understand that question. "Well… you're Gustav."

"Just Gustav?"

"Gustav Wood. My new neighbor. Live in Granny Flat in 78 Liverpool Ave, maybe?"

He stared at her, as if he waited for Rose to say something.

Rose felt she didn't say something he wanted her to say, "No…? Did I miss something? Your age? Your favorite color, maybe?"

He smiled again, scoffing in order to hold his laughter.

"I'm 28 years old. My favorite color is black. And I'd be really happy if I can eat chicken soup right now."

"Huh? Oh… right. Chicken soup. Sure. Hang on there, Gustav. You can have Lestat while I'm cooking. I'll be right back."

"Sure, I'll have Lestat," he chuckled once again while Lestat sniffing his hand, probably wondering why was this new guy from across the road sleeping in his owner's bed.

While Rose was cooking the chicken soup, she couldn't help but wonder what did Gustav meant when he asked whether she knows who is he.

He IS just Gustav, right? Or was he some kind of dangerous hiding criminal that currently run away to this quiet place? Was he killed someone during his bad evil law-breaking activity and then he felt guilty? No. He can't be that kind of person. Or maybe he was an actor. Or someone famous. And then there was nasty scandal or something so he couldn't live as that kind of person again… or maybe he was married? Like Keanu Reeves. His wife passed away and he couldn't live in the place where he spent the majority of his time with her… although he doesn't really strike me as a man who once married… but, who knows? He's 28… but that's not the main issue now. He's ill and needs to be treated properly.

Rose poured the chicken soup into a bowl.

Beside, she thought as she smiled. I think it'd be better if he tells me himself when he feels like it. She was still thinking about it until she saw him eating her chicken soup and he told her that it tasted good.

Sometimes, it's good to relax and focusing on your present time rather than worrying about the future or regretting the past. And Rose currently enjoying her present time where she was taking care of an ill Gustav Wood.