For the umpteenth time this week, Arthur came to Liliana's safe house. This time his visit was a little different because it was Liliana's sixtieth birthday.
Arthur was stunned for a moment with a bunch of white roses in his hand. He really didn't expect to celebrate his mother's birthday in a hiding place like this.
"Mr. Wang, have you come?" Liliana's voice broke Arthur's reverie. He turned to his mother and flashed a smile.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm early," Arthur said as he moved closer to his mother.
"Happy birthday, ma'am," Arthur said as he handed Liliana the bouquet of white roses he had brought with him.
Liliana was stunned for a moment with a look that could not be described in words, before she finally accepted the flowers from Arthur.
"Thank you very much, Tuang Wang. How did you know it was my birthday today? Honestly, I forgot," Liliana said as she inhaled the scent of the white roses Arthur had given her.
"It was definitely Arthur who told me. He kept telling me not to forget it was your birthday," Arthur said.
Liliana smiled with teary eyes. It seemed like she was touched because she didn't expect to get a birthday greeting in a situation like this.
"Come on in, I made Arthur's favorite fruit pudding today. You should try it," Liliana invited.
Arthur nodded and followed Liliana into the house where she had been hiding.
Liliana invited Arthur to sit on the back porch that overlooked the strawberry patch the woman had told Arthur about the previous day. She served him the usual camomile tea. This time it was accompanied by fruit dizzies drizzled with vanilla fla sauce.
"Please enjoy, Mr. Wang. As a child, Arthur loved this pudding. Especially when it was hot," Liliana said.
"Thank you." Arthur grabbed the fork and tasted the pudding, nodding his head as if it was the first time he had tried it.
"It tastes very good indeed, ma'am," Arthur complimented.
Liliana smiled as she caught a glimpse of Arthur enjoying his pudding. Every time she saw Arthur eating something she had made, she often felt that this Arthur in front of her was her son in hiding. Liliana didn't know why she had such thoughts.
"Did Arthur not send letters and gifts this time?" Liliana asked later. Usually, as soon as Arthur Wang arrived, she would immediately receive a letter and a gift from her son. But this time it seemed Arthur had only left her a bunch of flowers.
"Arthur left me something better than that, ma'am. After this, I will show it to you." Arthur replied with a smile.
"Very well," Liliana replied, smiling as well.
After enjoying Liliana's fruit pudding and camomile tea, Arthur took out his cell phone. It was time for him to give a special gift to his mother as he had said earlier.
"Madam, Arthur didn't write you a letter this time because he wanted to wish you a happy birthday in person," Arthur said.
Liliana was slightly taken aback.
"What does that mean?" she asked, not understanding.
Arthur didn't answer. He immediately played a video of himself singing a birthday song as Arthur Greens and pointed his phone screen at Liliana.
"Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday, mom. May you live a long life." Arthur Greens' distinctive voice came over the video, leaving Liliana stunned with an incredulous look.
"Arthur?" murmured Liliana in a voice that sounded a little shaky. She pressed the play button once more, causing the video to repeat itself from the beginning.
Liliana's eyes were perfectly round. In the video, she could clearly see her beloved son singing his birthday song to her. There, Arthur looked healthy and fresh, lacking nothing.
"Arthur... my son ...." Liliana mumbled softly with tears rolling down her cheeks. Her defenses were down when she saw her son's face, even if only through video.
"Arthur, I miss you," Liliana said as she sobbed in a somewhat stifled manner. Her fingers were stroking the phone screen, as if she was caressing Arthur's face.
"Madam," Arthur called out.
Liliana lifted her face. She wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. Because she was too carried away, she forgot that she wasn't alone. Arthur Wang was with her.
"Arthur made one more video recording. It's longer than the previous one. There Arthur will tell you what really happened to him and who the people were who conspired to do it. He wants to tell you everything." Arthur said.
Liliana gasped slightly. All this time, she had guessed that Arthur's disappearance was because of someone else. But she really didn't expect to hear that directly from Arthur.
"I would like to ask Madam, are you ready to hear Arthur's story?" Arthur asked.
Only a sigh was the answer to that question. Liliana felt very curious, but on the other hand she was also afraid. She was afraid that she would hear something horrible. She was afraid that she might think something terrible about her son's safety.
"Can Mr. Wang transfer the video to my phone? I think I should watch the video at a really good time. When I'm alone." Liliana finally asked. Honestly, she wasn't ready to watch the video right now.
"Alright. I will send this video to Madam's cell phone. But, Madam, you never call someone on their cell phone, right?" Arthur asked with some concern. He was afraid that his mother's hiding place would be traced by Dave's men.
"No, no. No need to worry. I've never called anyone. Besides, this cell phone doesn't have a contact number." Liliana said.
Arthur nodded.
"Bring your cell phone. I'll send the video using bluetooth to make it more secure," Arthur said.
Liliana said yes, then got up to retrieve her cell phone and handed it to Arthur. When he saw the phone, Arthur's heart ached again. The cell phone Liliana was using was the one Arthur had given her five years ago. Even the accessories were exactly the same as when Arthur had given it to her as a birthday present.
Arthur Wang began sending the video explanation that Arthur had given. Because without using data mode, the sending process took a little time.
"Mr. Wang. What exactly has happened to my son?" Liliana asked later in a tone that sounded so sad.
"Arthur has explained everything in the video, ma'am. You will get the answer after watching the video," Arthur replied. He couldn't hide the sadness that was now pinching the corners of his heart.
Arthur wanted everything to end immediately for his mother's sake.
"Already, ma'am. The video is already on your phone. Whenever you feel ready, play this video immediately," Arthur said later.
Liliana stared at her phone screen and nodded weakly. She really needed to strengthen her heart so that she could open the video as soon as possible.
"My message is, don't take too long, ma'am. It would be best if you saw the video as soon as possible," Arthur said again, smiling at Liliana.
Once again Liliana could only nod. Sometimes she hated her weak side like this. The feeling of being scared first, when what she was about to face wasn't necessarily going to be as scary as she imagined.
Arthur finally excused himself after giving his mother what he wanted to give her. He only hoped that this time his mother would be braver. Because dealing with crazy people like Dave, Chloe and Eve was not only about strategy, but also about courage. Liliana had chosen too many paths that made her take the role of the weak. Arthur hopes his mother will get out of that zone soon.
"You are a person with guts, Madam. Let's show your guts once in a while to the people who have made you weak." That was Arthur's message before leaving Liliana that afternoon.