The Wife Who Escaped
A Photo

The next day, Kirana left the house early in the morning. Today is the day of the south tour.

The south tour departs from Rome and travels around small towns in southern Italy such as Sorrento and Positano, due to the long travel time, meetings are held in the morning.

Kirana went to the meeting place, the fountain of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Kirana was the first to arrive at the agreed location, and after that, the guides and guests who registered for the tour arrived one by one.

Finally, when we almost reached the agreed time, before the tour, everyone started to take the bus.

The person in charge of this southern tour guide has a long experience on the tour, and is also one of the representatives of the company he founded with Michelle. The driver on the bus spoke to Kirana.

“Nona Kirana can you check the number of people?” Ask the driver who took the bus to Kirana

“Total there are sixteen people.” Kirana replied after counting the number of people on the bus.

“I only need one more person to come.”

“Isn't there a total of 16 people applying?”

As Kirana looked at the diary again, wondering if she misread it, the guide said.

“Oh, there was an additional person who applied last night.”

Just then, Kirana was filled with an uneasy feeling. He endured with feelings of despair.

"Was.... The name of the additional person who applied was James?”

"Huh? How do you know?" The guide asked back with a surprised face, and Kirana fell silent.

Just in time, someone got on the bus, and Kirana and the guide turned to him at the same time.

There's a man standing there. It was Reynand. Unlike Kirana whose eyes widened, Reynand entered naturally and sat on a chair by the window. The driver approached his seat and asked.

“Are you James who signed up for the tour last night?”

Reynand glanced at Kirana and replied calmly.

"Yes, you're right."

****

"The place we're heading to right now is the ruins of Pompeii, located in Naples. Pompeii is the most famous ancient Roman city that has collapsed, and is a very prosperous city as a resting place of the Roman nobility. People who've seen movies about this it seems like there's a lot....."

Inside the bus, the guide uses a microphone to continue explaining the first destination. Everyone noticed and listened to the guide, but Kirana's mind was elsewhere. It was because of Reynand who was sitting in the back seat.

I didn't expect him to show up for today's tour after last night's scenic tour. I was so embarrassed and dumbfounded that I wanted to immediately ask her what she was doing, but I couldn't. In front of him, there were guests waiting for the tour excitedly. However, I could not suddenly get out of the tour requiring an assistant guide.

In the end, Kirana treated Reynand like a stranger and sat down.

I don't know what Reynand's intention was to follow me on this tour, but I promised myself that I wouldn't be affected by his actions.

Just then, the woman sitting next to Reynand looked at him. She is a woman in her 50s who signed up for the tour with her 30-year-old daughter. He looked at Reynand's face and spoke to her warmly.

“Young did you come alone?”

Reynand, who was looking out the window, looked over. Then he glanced at her and replied.

"Yes." Yeah."

“No. I wonder why a handsome young man like you came alone.” said the woman with curiosity and interest in her eyes.

The woman continued chatting while looking towards Reynand.

"The more I look at you from the side, the more funny and handsome it looks. Do you have a lover?"

"I'm married."

“You are married, but where is your wife and why are you coming alone. Did your wife die?”

“I did not leave it, my wife left me here and came here.”

The woman tilted her head as if she did not understand Reynand's words.

"What does that mean?"

"Ah. Mamma. Do not ask such a thing to others.”

As the princess next to him stopped him, the woman stopped asking Reynand again.

Although she did not want to hear it, their conversation in the back seat also reached Kirana's ears. Kirana suddenly turned her head and looked at the window.

Sometimes, I felt Reynand's eyes on my back, but I pretended not to notice and only saw the scene outside the window.

Warm sunlight seeped through the window and shone on Kirana's face. It was a day where the temperature was neither hot nor cold and the wind was refreshing. A white cloud was strewn across the blue sky. In contrast to the refreshing weather, dark clouds appeared on Kirana's face.

I have to spend the next half day with him. Thinking about it made me dizzy.

****

“I'll have two hours free time from now on and then I'll meet you here at 5!”

Contrary to concerns about Reynand, the tour went well and we have reached the last tourist destination, the village of Positano.

Positano is famous as the most beautiful place in the Mediterranean, is a city where colorful houses built on cliffs are in harmony with the vast blue sea and evoke admiration.

"Wow. It's gorgeous!"

Tour guests admire different parts of the village. The wide beach seen from above is beautiful, but there is also a funny beach that looks like in a fairyland. The home and shop attract the attention of the public.

Buy something in the souvenir shops scattered everywhere, There are also people who take pictures of unforgettable scenery, There are also people who call it.When the show displays a beautiful spectacle as usual, there are also people who call it, someone approached me and spoke to me.

“Guide, can you take our picture?”

When I turned my head, one of the tour guests was standing there. She is a 30-year-old guest who travels with her mother. His mother stood facing the sea view.

He was the one who spoke to Reynand on the bus and was a guest who never stopped talking throughout the tour.

"good. I'll take a picture of him.”

Kirana receives the camera and her mother and daughter pose affectionately.

“Bu, try smiling.”

“Ma smile a little, Even if Mama takes pictures when Mama is old, Mama will look beautiful when photographed.”

"Geez, why do I have to take photos like this? When should I take a photo?"

Throughout the tour, the mother and son always argue but still take care of each other. Wherever they went, they held hands tightly, and while eating, they put delicious food on each other's plates.

Kirana took several pictures from different angles and then gave her camera to the guest.

"Thank you."

"same. You two look really good."

Kirana smiled happily, as if it was a pleasure to see her loving mother and daughter.

“My daughter is getting married in June of this year. She said it would be difficult to leave after marriage, so make sure to travel now. He took me like this because he had to go to school.”

“My daughter is a dutiful daughter, my father spent 6 years in the hospital. I stayed there and then left, but until then I had to take care of everyone."

"Ah. Mamma. Why even talk like that? Anyway, thanks Guide.”

Kirana saw the mother and child walking away while hugging, Kirana's eyes became sad as she looked at him. He imagined if only he and Sarah could be like that

If Mama was alive, I'd come here with her. I'm sure Mama will like it too... … ...

A longing for Sarah filled his heart and his tears filled his eyes. That's when her eyes became red.

“Guide, please get me the picture too.”

A deep and low-pitched voice sounded from beside him. Kirana. He saw Reynand sticking out his phone.

Kirana was embarrassed. Throughout today's tour, Reynand has never spoken to Kirana or taken any action.

I followed the guide's instructions and secretly admired the tourist attractions and historical sites, and even ate in silence at lunch. Then, there are times when I look carefully at Kirana.

Every time, Kirana pretended not to notice that gaze. I'll look elsewhere or take a step.

Reynand did not say a word, as if she was a stranger, then suddenly stretched out her phone to ask for a photo.

Kirana felt embarrassed and ignored her words and turned her head again.

Then Reynand spoke in a louder voice.

"He discriminates against customers. He's photographing some people and not photographing others."

Kirana looked around with a confused expression. Passing tour guests heard Reynand's words and looked at them with puzzled eyes.

Kirana was aware of the other people's gazes, reluctantly answering the phone. Then Reynand nodded to one side and said.

"Please take a picture of it from there, not from here. When viewed from there, I hear this is a famous place.”

Kirana walked in the direction that Reynand pointed. The place where the steps stop is a place that is a little touristy and the beach view is clear.

As she stood there, Kirana quickly took a few pictures with her cell phone camera. Then he approached her and handed her his phone.

“What are you doing?” Kirana asked while looking at Reynand

"What?"

“Why are you doing this here?”

“Am I not free to choose where I will travel?”

Reynand responded calmly and turned to the side. He looked at the large beach.

"I always wanted to come here. I've been to Europe a few times for work, but I've never really taken any vacations. At this point, I want to see the scenery well through a guided tour. I see the face of the person I want to see and walk around, so it's like killing two birds with one stone.”

The eyes containing the ocean are cobalt blue.

“I heard this is a place you should visit before you die. I mean. I'm glad I could come here before I die."

Kirana looked at him for a moment. The warm sunlight shaded his face and made the look of his face glow sharply, His black hair fluttering in the sea breeze, covering his forehead naturally.

With a blue sea background the view of Reynand stands like a painting It looks beautiful.

Reynand has not changed. The facial features seen even from a distance were the same, and the shoulders were as wide as the sea, too. Its sharp and dark eyes were the same, and its unique atmosphere was the same as well. The only thing that changed from before was that her weight dropped and her jawline became slightly sharper.

At that moment, Reynand threw her face away and looked at Kirana. When their gazes met each other, Kirana immediately turned her head. Reynand gestured as she looked when she ignored him.

"Do you know?"

"No"

“I don't have your picture on my phone.”

Reynand looked at the photo album on her phone with bitter eyes.

“After you leave, I want to see your face, so I thought I'd see your photo.............. I searched on my phone, but there wasn't a single one of your photos.”

Instead of Kirana's photos, the ones in my phone storage are just work-related documents.

Reynand's eyes became increasingly dark.

“I regret it.”

"....."

“I should have taken at least one picture.”

The voices dyed with regret slowly spread out one after another.

“We should eat together at least once a day.”

"....."

“We should have talked a lot.”

"....."

“I should have taken the time to visit the nice places in the nearest area at least once on the weekend.”

"....."

“Since you left, every day is filled with regrets. Every day is a series of regrets. I hate my own indifference and stupidity so much that I can't bear it."

"......"

“I know this is painful and difficult for you. I don't trust myself enough to tell you."

"......"

“Now I don't want to do anything I'll regret again.”

Reynand said as she looked straight at Kirana.

“I will never repeat the same life as before again.”

After he left, I kept the promise I had made many times in seriousness.

“I won't let you bear it alone from now on.”

"......"

“I won't leave you alone.”

Her sad yet strong eyes met his.

“Kirana.”

"....."

“Give me one more chance.”