A Place to Belong. (Part 2) [Short Story]

This story is the second part of the short story mentioned above, "A Place to Belong."

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A night illuminated by a hazy moon. During a rest stop on the night bus journey, under the faint light of a streetlamp, a man approached Ken, who was sitting on a bench with hollow eyes. The man spoke to him, as if gauging Ken's condition.

“Um, are you okay? Did you get motion sickness on the bus?”
He lowered his waist slightly, as if peering into Ken's face.
“No, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something...”
“Oh, I see... You looked like you were in pain, so...” Saying this, the man sat on the same bench and sipped his coffee.
“I'm sorry for worrying you...”
“No, well, when you're alone, you tend to think about a lot of things, don't you... I also end up thinking about all sorts of bad things when I'm alone like this...”
The man seemed to be looking at something far away. His eyes, while holding a hint of loneliness, seemed to be looking firmly ahead. Ken naturally began to speak his inner thoughts to him, feeling an atmosphere somewhat similar to his own.

“That's true... I also have someone I just can't forget... She passed away a few years ago, and I've decided to move out of the house we lived in together. Now that I think about it, it feels like I'm throwing away her existence... I've been wondering if this was really the right thing to do... These thoughts have been circling in my head lately...”
“I see... Actually, I was in a similar situation until recently...”
Saying this, the man began to tell Ken about his current situation. It turned out that he had lost his only family, his beloved dog, just a few months ago. And he, too, was on this night bus, intending to move away from this town, just like Ken.

“So, I was also hesitant. Just like you, I wondered if it was okay to leave this house full of memories... It felt like I was throwing away the memories of my dog... But now, I feel like that's not the case, and that it's okay to move forward.”
“We really are similar. Even though I decided to move forward, I still haven't sorted out my feelings... My heart hasn't caught up yet...”

To Ken, the man who shared similar worries felt like he was looking at himself in a mirror.

“I was the same when I was thinking about it alone. But the people around me who support me taught me. They told me that the place where my dog belongs and the memories are not in the house where we lived, but inside me, so it's okay.”
“I see... That's true, isn't it.”
“Yes, I'm sure of it. As long as we don't try to forget, they will continue to exist within us. Just because we leave that place doesn't mean we are throwing away or erasing our precious loved ones. So, I think it's okay to take the plunge and move forward. That's what I realized through the words of the people who are important to me.”
Ken felt a sense of relief at the man's gently smiling expression.
The suffering that only those who have lost their only family can understand. The sight of him trying to overcome it and move forward. The words that saved him were like a warm ray of light for Ken, who was in the same situation. Ken felt his heart saved and a little lighter.
“I see. Thanks to you, I realized something important. Thank you.”
“No, thank you too. I'm glad if I could be of any help. It's almost time, shall we go back to the bus?”
“Oh, you're right. I'm sorry. Thank you for listening to my long story...”
“No, we're in the same boat. See you again sometime.”
“Yes, indeed.”
The two of them returned to the bus while talking.
Ken's expression, which had remained clouded since he decided to move, had changed into a gentle smile by the time he finished talking to him.

When Ken reached his seat, he checked behind him and reclined his seat slightly. As he lay down and closed his eyes, he was quickly overcome by sleepiness and drifted into a dream.

It was that seaside of memories. Rays of light shone through the gaps in the clouds, glowing fantastically and warmly. He found Misaki a little way off.

Misaki was about to move forward. Ken immediately realized that he could not go with her. Misaki climbed one step of the stairs in front of her and placed her foot on the next. Ken looked up at Misaki. That was all he could do right now.
Misaki stopped, turned around, looked at Ken, and smiled. However, Ken could only watch Misaki go with sadness. Misaki returned to Ken and gently and softly hugged him. Ken was enveloped in that warm light, and it felt as if his heart, which had been grieving, was being purified.
Misaki gently stroked Ken's tears and cheek, and slowly moved away from him. Ken felt that he would never cross paths with Misaki again. Misaki walked on without looking back.
He felt no small amount of sadness at being separated. Even so, Ken, who was watching Misaki go, was smiling gently, unlike before. Misaki's warm light existed within the smiling Ken.

He woke up to the vibration of the alarm on his watch that he had set the night before. When he realized it, sunlight was streaming in through the bus curtains. He must have slept well, as the hands of the clock were about to point to 6 o'clock. When he peeked outside through a gap in the curtains, the cityscape of the city spread out before him.

The bus arrived at the Shinjuku terminal, and the arrival announcement played. On the bus, there were various people, regardless of age or gender, some still looking sleepy, some eating breakfast, and some preparing to get off.
When Ken stood up from his seat and looked around at the passengers, he made eye contact with the man he had talked to at the rest area last night. They both smiled and gave a slight nod, then picked up their luggage and lined up in the aisle.
Unlike before he boarded, Ken's eyes, having realized something important on this night bus, were firmly looking ahead.

After Ken got off the bus and received his luggage, he took that step toward a new place without hesitation.

The End.

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Themes I participated in this time:
1) #Kei Mamashima
Theme: "#Riding the Night Bus"

2) #Aobura Literature Club (Akira Yamane)
Theme: "Mirror Reflection"

3) #Shirokuma Literature Club🐻‍❄️ (Kosuke Komaki)
Theme: "Hazy Moon"

A true story I partially quoted.
#Mr.Torakichi

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How was the main story?

How about some dessert after this?

So, if you would like to know the background and intent behind why I wrote this, as well as my thoughts and feelings at the time, please be sure to read "Prompts, Quotes, and Foreshadowing Resolution. [Dessert]" at the link below.