What Separates Me and You

What Separates Me and You

Chapter 24 He Doesn’t Want Us Anymore

Mr. Casio sighed. His heart ached for the young lady in front of him. Pushing the food to her, he urged, “Go on, tuck in. We don’t want the food to get cold.”

Josephine wiped her tears away and forced a smile.

She picked up a fork and ate hastily, stuffing her mouth.

From Mr. Casio’s point of view, she must have been starving for days.

As Josephine wolfed down the stroganoff, her tears kept falling into the plate and mixing in with the food that she ate.

The diner was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Casio, a middle–aged couple in their forties. They used to have a child, but the child had passed away due to a traffic accident.

They ran the diner and did what they could by trying their best to help people who couldn’t afford their meals.

Josephine sat in the diner for the entire afternoon and stayed on until after dark.

Mrs. Casio was quite worried about her, so she asked her husband, “This poor child, looks quite pitiful. Has she nowhere to go?”

“She can’t speak. I guess she’s looking for a job here.”

When most of the diners left for the night, Mrs. Casio approached Josephine. “Young lady, where do you stay?”

Josephine shook her head. She didn’t have a home. She hadn’t had one since she was five.

Mrs. Casio sighed. “Why don’t you stay here and work for us if you don’t have a place. to go? We have a storage room in the back where you can sleep. All you have to do is wash the dishes and keep the place clean during the day.”

Josephine was stunned. She looked at Mrs. Casio in wonder.

Mrs. Casio chuckled. “But we don’t make much too, so you’re not going to get any wages.”

Josephine nodded in agreement, and even though Mrs. Casio did not understand. sign language, Josephine still signed her a “Thank you“.

Mrs. Casio looked at her dazedly. She seemed to look past Josephine to a faraway place. “If my daughter was still alive, she’d be around your age.”

Josephine’s gaze was downcast as she kept silent.

They cleared out the storage room which had a metal bed frame in it. That was where they usually took a break after a long day in the diner.

in the cramped storage room, and though it wasn’t as spacious and luxurious as Lewis‘ mansion, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.

would be if Lewis didn’t come for her and she

down at his wristwatch. to find that it was almost midnight. And…the mute wasn’t

all to no avail. As he searched

walk–in wardrobe, pushed open the door, and found Josephine’s clothes still

the living room and gave his

Mrs. Alvarez

cigarette and took a long drag. With a laugh, he said, “She’s enjoying a taste of freedom.”

tell from his tone that something wasn’t

was to check the CCTV

down at the last station,

part

of

that Josephine had to

fixed on the footage. displayed on the

I bring

off the CCTV footage and

she’s had enough of a hard

did not seem to go as he wished.

business wasn’t great per se, but still, it buzzed with customers after work hours. However, as they did not charge much for food, they did not make much.

diligent. Not only did she wash the dishes in

the tables after diners left without being

was very pleased with her work, and they even felt bad for not paying

did not go back because she was

very well. They had their meals and went grocery shopping together. She had never

that she

teach her how to cook basic meals, but Josephine already knew how

eater who could taste the most minute difference in each dish, so Josephine was always practicing

after Josephine showed them what she could cook, Mrs. Casio

nodded as she smiled brightly.

like we’ve wasted your talent by having you wash dishes! Should you be a chef here?”

the smell of food these days, so she was worried that she might just throw up in the pot

say something, Josephine felt her stomach churn. She immediately rushed over to a corner where the rubbish bin

retched for quite a while, but all that came

to pat her on the back at the sight of that. “What’s

few breaths to steady herself before she straightened up and wiped her mouth. She touched her belly to gesture that she was pregnant.