The girl asked a mature financier in her late 30s. She drinks a red wine while the girl licks her favorite lollipop.
"Not really, I had been to one in daycare centers when I was a child. I hardly knew anyone outside my house since I finished elementary school."
The woman sips her drink as she finishes her answer.
She was the only legitimate hire to a wealthy business couple with multiple estates across the country. All of her siblings came from either her father's or mother's side, and things have never been more difficult than being part of this greedy family.
Raising under a homeschooling education system since the age of 12, the woman began her career in finance at 18. She was almost able to retire both of her parents, but a few obstacles prevented her from achieving it. Her 10 years of experience have taught her that money can solve every problem in the world, except for herself.
"I always studied in the villa library, a special place where I felt most comfortable in my house. Envy was the driving force behind all of my half-siblings' desire to impress my parents, even though they only cared for those kids when they missed their ex. I'm just a tool to make both ends satisfy."
"That was absurd. I never thought someone in such a dominant position would be the victim of their own family's fault."
The bartender makes a point as he refills the woman's glass with red wine from a new bottle.
The girl with a blank face start to inspect the woman's jewelry on the woman's body. The sparkling light from those necklace gems and the silver ring caught her attention.
"I believe those accessories were paid by your income, correct ?"
"Yes, my parent believes that a house with a roof and food is the best thing that I deserve. Everything else had to be paid in return as soon as I got my first job, think of it as an unidentifiable debt. As long as I can pay off my "unknowingly born" mortgages, then I would be free from this nightmare, unless the debt has never been fully identifiable in quantity for haha hahaha."
She laughed out loud with a bright red face on her cheeks. She pulls out a financial pocketbook from her purse. Inside, it was a complete record of how much she had spent: food, utilities, bribes, and luxury services. All of these transactions had never been noted as something she paid for herself. Only a few of them belong to her.
The little girl notices a last page in a woman's small pocketbook, the picture of a beautiful beach with a cliff by the sea in the southern part of another country. There was an open field at the top of the canyon. It is a stunning place to visit.
"Are you considering moves abroad?"
"Hope so, I went there during business trips and I was quite impressed by the sight of the sea and the skyline. It was the first time that I saw the horizon line, the diving ocean, and the skyline apart. Sadly, I have never been able to return there ever since."
The woman sighs as she takes another sip of wine.
"You know, I remember vividly that the joyful moment in my childhood was when I played on the swings, looking up at the sky. Dreaming of the possibility awaits outside of my reach. A realm where I get to express my feelings and build relationships of my own. A world where no money ever exists."
A glimpse of her thought has slipped out as she becomes slightly drunk. Resting her chin on her hand, she smiled softly at the girl. The bartender handed over a glass of water to ease her down from dizziness.
"Does money matter more than happiness?"
"What?"
The woman let out a surprised face as she turned to the girl, who looked away from her at the moment.
"If you told me that money matters in every aspect of life, including a ticker to get yourself out of internal conflict, then can it really give you the freedom you had been seeking?"
The girl look up and hold a lollipop under the light from the ceiling lamp. A bright rainbow light shines through half-dissolved candy, reflecting into the girl's eyes.
The woman is too stunned to speak.
If money is so influential in life, then why did she choose to spend it on something that doesn't matter to her from the very beginning, or even lose its worth after a year?
"I understand that as a child. It is your responsibility to take care of those in bloodlines, but that doesn't mean they will immobilize and bleed you out for every single dollar. Frankly, I would rather spend that hard-earned money on something that I enjoy, since we only live once, and you can't afford to spend it afterwards."
The girl slowly turns around her lollipop before licking it again.
A breakthrough moment occurs for the woman, who understands the true meaning behind the little girl's words. She realizes that she had always pushed her boundaries to satisfy others, overlooking the limits of her mind and devising intricate schemes within a place she always calls home.
She start to feel a sense of clarity in her heart.
An overwhelming urge to live as a bird in the sky.
A desire to fly away from this torture, caged.
A breeze of salty air above vast oceanic waters.
"I am free. Free from a person that someone forced me to be."
The woman spoke softly, then turns to the girl and huges her tightly.
"Thank you for talking with me today."
"No worries, it takes time to appreciate little details in life. Just like these candies."
The girl hand over a package of lollipops and a dime. She gladly accepts it, then puts it into her purse.
"I am looking forward to hearing back from you. I am so excited for the journey you are going to take."
"Sure, I will write you a postcard from time to time. Goodbye"
The woman left through the back door.
"She seems brighter than the moment she comes in. At least, she can live a life the same way she enjoys her drinks now."
The bartender talks about the woman as he cleans the wine glass.
"Life finds its ways, Mr. Bartender. If you overlook something simple like this candy, then you never know how colorful life could be."
The girl licks a lollipop before chewing it.
"I wonder if there will be a review on life after rainfall in future nights?"