When will I be able to forget... I can't be a dreaming girl anymore (crying)

[Idle chatter at a certain snack bar]

It was an incredibly cold night.
I could see Miyu, who was late, through the glass door, but she wouldn't come inside at all.
Even though she's late, is she chatting with the mama next door again?
Before long, the door opened, and Miyu appeared in the shop with a smile, her face buried in her scarf just like Totonou-kun from 'Do Not Say Mystery'.

"It's cold, so cold!! Good evening." (It seems it's the custom in this world to say 'good evening' even at night. I don't know for sure, though.)

Standing behind her, looking cold and small, was the daughter of the mama next door (though when I say 'daughter,' she's probably in her late 40s, I guess?)

"Um... thank you for everything the other day."
"Don't worry about that, it's fine. It's cold, so hurry and come inside."

Miyu and I invited her (let's call her Y-chan from here on) into the shop.
The reason Y-chan was thanking us was because we had sent incense money when we heard her husband had passed away suddenly on New Year's Day this year.

"That must have been so hard. You've lost so much weight."

When I said that, Y-chan's large eyes welled up with tears.
Beside her, Miyu said,
"It's okay! We're both seniors in the widow club, right? (laughs)"
As she said that, she hugged her shoulders (I lost my husband about six years ago, and Miyu lost hers about three years ago).
At that point, Y-chan's tear ducts, which she had been holding back, collapsed. Sobbing, she timidly asked us,

"Um... how long did it take? ...How should I put it, until you stopped being like this..."

I wonder if she wanted to know how long it took until she stopped breaking down in tears in front of others. Or perhaps how long it took to get back on her feet? As we hesitated to answer, Y-chan muttered,

"Um... I guess you could say, until you forget?"

Hearing those words, Miyu instantly snapped,

"You can't forget!!"
"Huh?!"
"No matter how many years pass, you can't forget! Even I still remember now. You don't have to forget!!"

I added to her words for the bewildered Y-chan.
"That's right. At first, just like you, Y-chan, I cried every single day. Then, gradually, I only cried whenever I remembered... I still cry when I remember now, but I've finally reached a point where I can endure it."

"Even now?"
"Yes, even now... but you know, someday it will turn into a beautiful memory."

I know that this wasn't much comfort to Y-chan right now. But as if she sensed something, she said,

"Please come drink with me sometime! There's no one waiting for me at home anymore. I'm going to be a little rebellious (laughs)."

With that, she went back to the shop next door.

You don't have to forget. Don't forget, just overcome it.

It's okay to go out drinking. If that's how you can distract yourself from the loneliness...
We are human, and there are times when unbearable events strike us. We can't live forever just saying pretty things.

It's okay to be a little bad if it's to protect your own heart.

In time, you will surely realize that 'time is the best healer' will help you get back on your feet.

"It's cold, it's cold."
Miyu finally took off her thick coat.
Now, it's time to work.

Someday, time will form a 'scab' over the scars in your heart. You peel it off yourself, and then time forms a scab again... I wonder if that's how we finally manage to keep standing?

Janune♪