Her Opposite Reflection

Chapter 2

Around 5 a.m, Letha Lee will get up early in the morning. She'd do her morning routine—take a run, make a small portion of breakfast, check if she needed to do some laundry, and lastly, check her emails from work. She moved to Brooklyn one month ago. She was busy handling her things to her new apartment, double-checking if everything had a complete set, just like what she ordered. Her luxury apartment has 3 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms, too big for a single person. But that's what she wants. Her best friend will visit her soon, and she needs extra rooms if her family finds an opportunity to visit her, too.

In the past, she was happily married, but it was selfishly taken from her when her wife died because of a car accident. The 3 years of her wife's absence, it was torturous, and she was so lonely. She thought she'd also lost herself because of the unbearable pain. Their family didn't give up on her, trying to give her motivation to live. When she found the courage to watch the wedding video, she couldn't stop the flooding tears from her eyes while weakly laughing. Watching the wedding video, seeing her wife's happy face as they dance as a newly wedded couple—all the memories she had with her wife were pulled back together.

There are things she doesn't like about her wife: her wife's favorite band singer, dancing and partying, exploring places and taking lots of pictures, drinking alcoholic drinks for fun until she'd got drunk, and being surrounded by strangers.

She was born in a conservative household. Her parents taught them about how important time is. They should always arrive at the exact time they'd agreed on, not wear clothing that would show too much skin, be respectful to elders, always be polite when they are speaking, and never forget to pray. She and her wife, Ollie, are opposite but find each other in certain circumstances.

Even though she has conservative parents, they didn't stop supporting and loving her when she told them she was only attracted to girls. They only give her one condition—she shouldn't change her body just because she is attracted to girls. She found it funny because why the hell would she do that? The relief in her parents' expression is priceless when she tells them she loves being born as a female and that she is thankful to God that she was born this way. She is lucky to have a loving family, even though they are sometimes strict with her.

Though she was only attracted to girls, she didn't date anyone during her school days. She wants her first kiss, and first sex would be special with the woman she loves until she meets Ollie. Her family owned a ranch, and they had a winery, too. She was on her way to deliver the wine bottles to their usual customer when she saw someone in the distance frantically waving at her. The rented car's hood is releasing a thick smoke. Ollie rented it but broke it. She knew from that day Ollie would become a big part of her life.

Ollie is new in their town, a traveling woman who wants to start a new life. They became friends, started meeting daily, and couldn't leave each other alone until they realized they were in love. She was only 24 when she married 23-year-old Ollie. When she lost her, she had a hard life, and she never moved on from her death. After 3 years of struggling from Ollie's death, she finally found the courage to face the world again without her wife. She made a list and promised herself she'd do what her wife wished her to when she was still alive. For 2 years, she started fixing herself. She attended her wife's favorite band singer's concert no matter how much she disliked their music. She visited crowded places where her wife had taken photos when Ollie was still traveling and still hadn't met her. By simply doing those things, she can feel that she's always with her wife and Ollie is watching over her.

And now, after talking to her family and fixing important documents—she moved to Brooklyn. It's the place where Ollie was born and where Ollie grew up. Is she planning to stay here forever? That's still undecided. It's very different from the green scenery and fresh air where she was born. Brooklyn is always crowded with people and tons of buildings, and it's always noisy, especially at night.