He walked quikly to the
control station, where they
agreed to meet at 9.45a.m.
It was already 10.10 a.m.
He found her listening to
songs from her discman,
leaning against a pillar.
She was wearing a white
shirt and dark blue skirt.
Abnormality from the normal.
"Sorry, I'm late," he apologised.
She stared hard with a pair
of tired eyes.
Silence.
"Have you eaten?" he asked
in mandarin.
"No," she replied in the same
language.
"Then lets go eat."
She nodded.
He wasn't too familiar
with that area but he walked
in front.
The girl, though lived in
that area, followed behind.
The scene was just like when
they where going to his house
4 months ago to do her work
as her computer was down.
During that period she had no
time for him and he was rather
sad and disappointed with her.
The scenario was almost the
same on this sunny friday morning.
They arrived Tampines Mall.
"Swensen?" he pointed at the
signboard over their head.
She looked at him, astonished
and nodded carefully. Still,
she haven't spoken a word since
they met.
They settled down at a table which
was meant for four person.
She sat down,and he rested at
a seat diagonal from her.
The waiteress handed them a menu each.
He scanned through it quickly
and looked at her.
"Hey, you din speak a word today.
Whats wrong"?
They both knew what was going on.
"No," she replied, "I said thx to the
waiter".
"Got meh?" he questioned, and
returned to the menu.
He could sense her gazing
intensely at him.
"Have you decided?" he asked.
"Ya. What are you going to eat?"
"uh, omelette"
"Filling meh?"
He formed a "no problem" hand
sign to her.
The waiter came.
"Egg omelette with chesse and
chicken pls"
"Fish and chips"
She got a free drink, soup and
dessert from a promotion.
She looked at him and he noticed it.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing"
"You are very weird today."
"You are weird yourself."
This went on for a few minutes,
asking telling each other that
the other was weird.
"Why am i weird," he asked
finally.
"Your eye keeps looking around,
your hand keep rubbing your
temple, you keep swinging
your knife."
"Ok den," he said as he put
down his knife.
She gave a hiccup.
The soup and drinks came,
and she finished the soup
silently.
"You see your face," he said,
"so white. Learn to take care
of yourself k."
"Why? Everyone wants white
skin. Isn't this nice?"
She gave a hiccup.
"Just learn to take care.
You have your brother, mother
and father to look after next
time."
"I can die and bless them"
"You think this is practical?"
She did not answer and played
with a hanging display on the
table.
She kept looking at him. His
eyes looked around the restaurant
but he knew she was looking at
him.
She stopped playing with the
floating display.
"Can I ask you something?" she
leaned forward slightly and
asked.
"What?" He Finally looked at him.
"Do you still like me?"
The hanging displayed slipped and
made a noise. They both looked at
it with wide eyes with a shocked
expression.
"No. Why ask?"
"Just asking"
His omelette came.
"Eat," she said.
"No I'll wait for you."
Not long later her fish and chips
came.
They tucked in. He kept pressing his
temple hard in between mouthfuls
while she looked at him, which made
him looked like wanting to vomit.
While she looked at him for almost
all the time they spent there.
"Are you ok? Why you keep pressing
your head?"
"I'm ok what. Ok la, I dont's press
la ok?"
His hand left his head.
They finished their main course,
with half the time she guessing
that he wasn't ok and him
protesting that he was ok.
"You arh," he said, " must learn
to be happy. Smile more. Ronnie
likes ppl who are happy. Smile
more when you are with him."
She looked at him, stunned. And
gave another hiccup for the
umphteen time.
"You arh, Must take care k.
Meals must take regularly. Don't
always either don't eat or eat
alot at one time. See la, now
your stomach spoilt le. Keep
hiccuping."
He looked at her. Her eyes were
shiny.
Or rather, wet.
"Hey, you crying arh, dun
cry arh," he said in a
fatherly tone.
"No, I'm not," she replied.
Her sight nvr left his eyes for
a moment as he looked back at
her. Her eyes became wetter and
wetter.
A tear formed and continued
its path a little on her face.
She din wipe it away. Her sight
remain on his eyes.
He did not say anything, stood
up, and asked the waitress at
the nearby counter for a tissue.
She gave him two.
He sat down, passed one to her,
and shoved the other one into
his pocket.
She dabbed away the tear.
"Relax arh. Don't cry le. Go
home, rest well, listen to
music or discman lo k?"
"Discman is spoilt already.
The button is coming out"
Hestitation.
He took his bag, unzipped a
compartment of the bag and
took out the MP3 discman that
accompanied him for almost
two years.
"Take it," he said in a soft
tone, and offered her the discman.
"No," she said, "if i take then you
will not have songs to listen to."
"Take it."
He shoved the discman gently
into her hands.
"I have a spare one."
She could not control her
tears anymore. Two streaks of
tears flow down her face as
she looked into his eyes.
"Wipe away your tears la huh,"
he comforted.
She did.
He dug into his bag again while
she stuffed her new possession
into her bag.
"Your earpiece is almost spoilt
right? Take this."
He shoved his earpiece into her
hands as tears poured profusely.
He forgot all about the desert,
and said,
"Finished? Lets go."
"Are you in a hurry?"
"Not exactly."
He wondered whether she wanted
to have the desert.
Or that cos he mentioned that he
would leave her life one day
before.
The desert came, and she ate
it between tears.
He paid for the bill and
they left for the interchange.
She followed closely behind
again.
"Why are you walking so
slowly today?" he said jokingly
and walked beside her.
A gap formed, which wasnt the
usual way before when they went
out together.
They stopped at the waiting
point.
"Must take care k," he said
for the 5th time that day.
He wanted to continue "I
won't be there for you anymore".
But no words came out. He
gabbered like a goldfish.
The bus driver went into the
bus.
"Take care arh," he said
for the final time and bit
his lips.
"Uhm," she answered.
As she went up the bus, he
left for the MRT station,
he never look back.
His hand reached for his
pocket, pulled out the tissue,
and dried his eyes.
