That day at the top floor of the lab building, Joseph and I sat there through a few periods.
When we returned to class, our monitor informed us that our physics teacher, who’s also our form teacher, wants to see us after school to know where we disappeared to during her period. We ended up going for detention that day after school.
Things between Joseph and I resume to normal the next day, and we never bring up the incident anymore. Like it didn’t happen at all before, or actually both of us are consciously suppressing it under our tongues, preventing it from coming out of our mouths.
However, I can feel that something is slowly changing as time goes by. Slowly, little by little. But I also cannot pinpoint what is it actually, just that our conversations are starting to get more and more vague and our actions less and less relaxed.
I’m starting to wonder whether this current state of friendship we’re keeping, is it maintained because of the habit of having each other around for 7 years, or is it due to us purposefully avoiding some issues?
But one thing I know for sure is that, as we grow older, both of us, our own secrets also become more.
On the other hand, Amelia and I start to become closer. Also not that kind of closer, just closer than before, when we were only strangers in the same CCA.
It’s during one particular moment when our eyes met and we exchanged smiles. And another moment when I had to discuss some choir concert thing with her that we started talking.
It seems like it’s only naturally for us to become closer ever since I know she’s L.Y. But it’s happening a little too smoothly.
Making friends is never this smooth for me, except that time during Primary 3 when I met Joseph and received a friendship. That was the only time and it was different. It was fated.
And I believe that fate is not so kind.
Maybe fate is now breaking up one friendship to forge another one.
I bite my lips at the thought of that. A little too hard I think. I taste blood.
I sit up from my bed and look at my clock. 3.21am. I’ve been tossing and turning on bed and just simply cannot fall sleep. I don’t feel like moving but my legs bring me to my balcony.
Looking out of the window, I gaze into the sky. It’s a cloudless and starless night and that makes me feel a little lonely.
I look down at the vegetated land below my house and see the trees sway to the night breeze, and a scene from the past flashes across my eye.
I was at the top floor of the lab building one afternoon after school. I was actually supposed to be at the field supporting Joseph at a soccer match, but I didn’t feel up to it and came here to look at the view.
I was feeling a little down, though I do not know why.
Some time passed and I was going to leave the place to go to field to look for Joseph until I felt a hit at the back of my head. I rubbed my head and turned to see him grinning.
“You are supposed to be rooting for me at the field, not here.” He said.
“No mood today.” I replied.
He just smiled and looked out to the view.
“How come you’re here?” I asked.
“I guessed you’ll be here.” He said.
“What about your other friends?” I asked.
“What other friends?” He asked, in puzzlement. I got an impression he acted that.
“Your team mates? All those supporters down there at the field?” I said, and was surprised at the way it sounded out.
“They’re not my friends.” He said, as a matter of factly.
I gave him a look.
“Why do I need so many friends for? I just need one.” He said.
I turned my head to look out to the view.
He gave me a nudge with his elbow.
“You’re the one.” He said, as a matter of factly again.
“And you decided that yourself?” I shot back, kind of jokingly, though I kept my straight face.
“Hasn’t it been like this since the day I ‘saved’ you?”
You didn’t ‘save’ me. But it’s true. But I kept mum.
“So you’re that one friend for me. And I’m that one friend for you.”
He decided that himself again.
He gave a thumbs up. I returned a thumbs up.
I don’t know whether is that considered a promise or not, but to me it feels like one.
Joseph tried to keep a promise even when he was having a fever the last time. I’ve got no excuses not to keep it.
But I also know that as we grow from little boys to teenage boys, promises between us are hard to keep anymore. Because I think to others, promises are only made between a boy and a girl.
A promise is a promise. Between whomever, it still is deserving to be kept.
Saturday morning. And the 3 hours of choir practice ends. I am walking out of the room when Amelia comes up to me. I stop in my tracks and smile to her. And she returns a radiant smile.
“Will you be going for lunch later?” She asks.
“Er… Most probably?” I think the question is a bit odd, but I didn’t show my amusement.
“Do you want to lunch together?” She asks.
“Er…” But I’m lunching with Joseph. We always lunch together.
“At Parkway? There’s a new food place there and I feel like trying.”
“Er… ok.” She didn’t say that Joseph can’t come along right?
“Ok.”
And we stand still for a good 6 seconds looking at each other. I am wondering what the next action should be.
“Ok. Let’s go then.” She finally says. And smiles.
“Er… I need to go do something first.” I reply.
“Ok. We’ll meet at the side gate?”
“Er… ok.” I run out of the room, and to the field.
She didn’t say that I can’t bring a friend along, did she?
But will it be rude to just bring someone along without letting her know?
She will not mind, will she?
I always lunch with Joseph. She should know that.
Should I even tell Joseph that she asked me out for lunch?
My mind is racing with all sorts of questions. And it didn’t occur to me that I already reached the field and Joseph is standing in front of me.
“Where should we go now?” He asks. It’s a routine question.
“Hey boy, I can’t go anywhere today. We’ve got a choir committee meeting. And it’s going to be quite long.” I lie. I don’t know how come I lie. But I lie. And I realize that I’m always lying to Joseph.
“Hmmm. Ok.”
He says he’ll be going home, and I look at his back view as he leaves.
A few hours passed, and I’m walking with Amelia around Parkway after the meal. She said she wanted to shop around and I felt I had the obligation to accompany her.
As we are walking, I sense a familiar presence in front of me. I look ahead and my eyes meet this pair of familiar eyes looking back at me. Joseph’s.
I stop walking. Regret fills me the very instant.
He is standing very still, looking at me blankly. This time, it is a total blank. Not a slight emotion which I can sense.
He turns and walks away.
I look at his back view for the second time as he leaves.
I cannot run up to him.
Because regret paralyzes.
~End of Chapter 8~
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, March 02, 2007
Chapter 7 [we won't]
I peer into the classroom. No one still.
It's 6.58am in the morning, I am squatting beside the window, and Joseph is sitting on the grass, leaning against the wall. Again.
Joseph hasn't given up on his plan yet and now that he has "done his research", he says he's more confident that L.Y will appear. Though I see no link in the two.
"I don't want to wait anymore." I tell him, and turn to walk away.
"She'll be here soon. Trust me." He says while pulling me back.
I know. I have a feeling L.Y will show up too. But as the seconds ticked by, I grow more and more uneasy, and I have a swelling feeling that something is going to happen. I can't bear to witness what that will be. I want to escape from here.
"I'm leaving." I say and turn away, when I heard it, a sound, from the classroom. I turn back to look at Joseph. He heard it too.
Too late to escape now. Plus my curiosity gets the better of me, and the desire to find out L.Y's identity is burning my other thoughts to nothingness. I tell myself I’m going to regret this repeatedly in my head, but my body is acting against my will.
Joseph and I peek into the classroom. There is a girl. She's standing at my desk, bending slightly to slot something into one of my textbooks under my desk. Her short hair is covering her side profile, hiding her face from us.
"Come on, show us the face." I can hear Joseph mumbling.
That girl stands up straight after a few seconds, I think she's done slotting. She looks around, as if checking whether anyone saw what she did. And then she uses her right hand to bring her short hair to the back of her ears.
And we see it. Her face. Very familiar. I know that face.
I know who L.Y is.
"She's not bad looking." Joseph says after L.Y walks out of the classroom.
"Yah. She's very pretty." I say. And I try to recall her face from all the other times I see her.
"Hmmm. I don't think I see her before. Our batch? You know her?" He asks.
"Yah, our batch. I know her." In fact, I see her quite often.
L.Y is Amelia Ng from class 3-2. She's in the same CCA as me. I see her every Saturday.
Amelia's very pretty. Short hair, big eyes, and a sunshine personality. She's a girl that many guys fall for in choir. I'm really stunned to find out that she's L.Y. What does she see in me?
"You like her?" Joseph asks.
I have to admit, I was quite smitten by her when I joined the choir.
"You like her?" Joseph asks again, louder, when I didn't respond to his previous.
"Maybe I"ll like her." I say, although that came out unintended. I am still a little bewildered about what just happened and I'm not thinking clearly.
Silence.
I turn to look at Joseph. He's looking at me, blankly. But within that blankness, I feel I can see some emotions.
It's like silence. Silence though doesn't have a sound, you can hear happiness or sadness from it.
There seems to be a little sadness, a little anger, and a little disbelief in his eyes.
However, it is that little sadness, more than the anger and the disbelief, which pierces me the hardest.
He look at me some more, and then turns and walks away. I pull him, but he loosens my grip and walks away without turning back. And he is out of sight.
What happened? What did I do or say wrong?
In class, Joseph is exceptionally quiet. Like the calm before any storm.
I already figured out why he reacted that way earlier. How can I be so stupid to not realize sooner?
How can I, when those emotions are so familiar to me? Whenever I walk along the corridors with him. Whenever I'm one of those many cheering for him on the soccer field.
I must tell him that he has nothing to fear.
I blame myself for not being able to figure this out at that very moment. I blame myself for letting Joseph go through this fear that I hated.
I try many a times to make eye contact with Joseph during lessons, but he has his face buried in his arms on his desk and looking at the other direction. I want to talk to him very much at that instant, so many things that are going through my head I want to tell him. I am waiting for the recess bell to ring. The seconds pass like minutes, and the minutes pass like hours. After what seem like eternity, the bell for recess sounds. I turn to Joseph and I find his seat empty.
I walk to the canteen, feeling heavy within. Walking to the canteen without him around seems unfamiliar. Joseph and I always have our recesses together. Since the day we became friends during primary 3. Together, just the 2 of us.
Our classmates like to tease us about this, then and even now, calling us unpleasant names. We were angry initially but we grew out of that anger, because we realize that they do not understand anything at all.
What's wrong with just the 2 of us eating together?
What's wrong with just the 2 of us hanging out together after school?
What's wrong with us coming to school together and going home together?
What's wrong with us waiting for each other after our CCAs?
These people do not understand the bond and the dependence Joseph and I established during these 7 years. We only have each other for these 7 years. And these people come and stain this relationship Joseph and I share. They know nothing. And that's why they are, and will always remain, mere classmates.
I can sense a surge of anger rising. I don't know why. But I start to feel that it's partly these stupid people's fault that things have developed into this state.
Maybe I just want to find a target to vent my anger.
He's not in the canteen. I actually want to return to class when I pass by the ice-cream stall. I buy a Panapop and decide to find him, wherever he is. I go to the sick bay, he's not there. I search the toilets, he's not there. I go to the soccer field, he's not there. I hold on to the Panapop all this while and am determined to seek him out.
Then it dawn on me. Surely he is there.
I run across the soccer field, heading towards the corner of the school compound to the lab building and run up the stairs. I reach the top floor and I walk across the corridor.
The view over the parapet is the best one you can find in school. It overlooks the whole school compound and the wind is the strongest up here. I can see even the crests of the tallest trees swaying in the wind.
Joseph and I like to come here when we're feeling down.
The last time he came was when he lost an interschool soccer match which he told me he'll win.
I see Joseph at the other end of the corridor. He's sitting down with his back leaning against the parapet wall. He sees me, and smiles. Not the beaming smile he usually gives, but one that looks as if it took him lots of effort to muster.
I walk to him wanting to pass him the Panapop. But I know it's already melted in the wrapping, and thus I try to slide it into my pockets instead.
He sees that, takes it from me and holds it. He gives me another weak smile.
And it feels like we're just trying to hold on to whatever that is already lost.
All the words that I want to tell him very much vanish. Or they couldn't find the courage to come out from my lips. We are barely a metre away from each other, but I feel that the distance between us at that moment is very far apart, and if I really mutter the words out, they will resound to me in echoes.
I sit down beside him and we both keep silent for quite some time.
"Do you think we will grow sick of the people around us eventually?" He asks.
A familiar question. I think I asked myself this before.
I think eventually we will, but that should be after many many things have happened.
"No. We won't." I answer, contrary to what I truly think.
"You think so?" He asks again.
"Definitely we won't." I say.
We remain there for a few periods after recess. Not speaking, not doing anything. Just to sit beside each other.
Though I'm sitting still, I somehow feel that Joseph's presence is inching away.
I somehow feel that I'm going to lose this important friend.
Only friend.
~End of Chapter 7~
It's 6.58am in the morning, I am squatting beside the window, and Joseph is sitting on the grass, leaning against the wall. Again.
Joseph hasn't given up on his plan yet and now that he has "done his research", he says he's more confident that L.Y will appear. Though I see no link in the two.
"I don't want to wait anymore." I tell him, and turn to walk away.
"She'll be here soon. Trust me." He says while pulling me back.
I know. I have a feeling L.Y will show up too. But as the seconds ticked by, I grow more and more uneasy, and I have a swelling feeling that something is going to happen. I can't bear to witness what that will be. I want to escape from here.
"I'm leaving." I say and turn away, when I heard it, a sound, from the classroom. I turn back to look at Joseph. He heard it too.
Too late to escape now. Plus my curiosity gets the better of me, and the desire to find out L.Y's identity is burning my other thoughts to nothingness. I tell myself I’m going to regret this repeatedly in my head, but my body is acting against my will.
Joseph and I peek into the classroom. There is a girl. She's standing at my desk, bending slightly to slot something into one of my textbooks under my desk. Her short hair is covering her side profile, hiding her face from us.
"Come on, show us the face." I can hear Joseph mumbling.
That girl stands up straight after a few seconds, I think she's done slotting. She looks around, as if checking whether anyone saw what she did. And then she uses her right hand to bring her short hair to the back of her ears.
And we see it. Her face. Very familiar. I know that face.
I know who L.Y is.
"She's not bad looking." Joseph says after L.Y walks out of the classroom.
"Yah. She's very pretty." I say. And I try to recall her face from all the other times I see her.
"Hmmm. I don't think I see her before. Our batch? You know her?" He asks.
"Yah, our batch. I know her." In fact, I see her quite often.
L.Y is Amelia Ng from class 3-2. She's in the same CCA as me. I see her every Saturday.
Amelia's very pretty. Short hair, big eyes, and a sunshine personality. She's a girl that many guys fall for in choir. I'm really stunned to find out that she's L.Y. What does she see in me?
"You like her?" Joseph asks.
I have to admit, I was quite smitten by her when I joined the choir.
"You like her?" Joseph asks again, louder, when I didn't respond to his previous.
"Maybe I"ll like her." I say, although that came out unintended. I am still a little bewildered about what just happened and I'm not thinking clearly.
Silence.
I turn to look at Joseph. He's looking at me, blankly. But within that blankness, I feel I can see some emotions.
It's like silence. Silence though doesn't have a sound, you can hear happiness or sadness from it.
There seems to be a little sadness, a little anger, and a little disbelief in his eyes.
However, it is that little sadness, more than the anger and the disbelief, which pierces me the hardest.
He look at me some more, and then turns and walks away. I pull him, but he loosens my grip and walks away without turning back. And he is out of sight.
What happened? What did I do or say wrong?
In class, Joseph is exceptionally quiet. Like the calm before any storm.
I already figured out why he reacted that way earlier. How can I be so stupid to not realize sooner?
How can I, when those emotions are so familiar to me? Whenever I walk along the corridors with him. Whenever I'm one of those many cheering for him on the soccer field.
I must tell him that he has nothing to fear.
I blame myself for not being able to figure this out at that very moment. I blame myself for letting Joseph go through this fear that I hated.
I try many a times to make eye contact with Joseph during lessons, but he has his face buried in his arms on his desk and looking at the other direction. I want to talk to him very much at that instant, so many things that are going through my head I want to tell him. I am waiting for the recess bell to ring. The seconds pass like minutes, and the minutes pass like hours. After what seem like eternity, the bell for recess sounds. I turn to Joseph and I find his seat empty.
I walk to the canteen, feeling heavy within. Walking to the canteen without him around seems unfamiliar. Joseph and I always have our recesses together. Since the day we became friends during primary 3. Together, just the 2 of us.
Our classmates like to tease us about this, then and even now, calling us unpleasant names. We were angry initially but we grew out of that anger, because we realize that they do not understand anything at all.
What's wrong with just the 2 of us eating together?
What's wrong with just the 2 of us hanging out together after school?
What's wrong with us coming to school together and going home together?
What's wrong with us waiting for each other after our CCAs?
These people do not understand the bond and the dependence Joseph and I established during these 7 years. We only have each other for these 7 years. And these people come and stain this relationship Joseph and I share. They know nothing. And that's why they are, and will always remain, mere classmates.
I can sense a surge of anger rising. I don't know why. But I start to feel that it's partly these stupid people's fault that things have developed into this state.
Maybe I just want to find a target to vent my anger.
He's not in the canteen. I actually want to return to class when I pass by the ice-cream stall. I buy a Panapop and decide to find him, wherever he is. I go to the sick bay, he's not there. I search the toilets, he's not there. I go to the soccer field, he's not there. I hold on to the Panapop all this while and am determined to seek him out.
Then it dawn on me. Surely he is there.
I run across the soccer field, heading towards the corner of the school compound to the lab building and run up the stairs. I reach the top floor and I walk across the corridor.
The view over the parapet is the best one you can find in school. It overlooks the whole school compound and the wind is the strongest up here. I can see even the crests of the tallest trees swaying in the wind.
Joseph and I like to come here when we're feeling down.
The last time he came was when he lost an interschool soccer match which he told me he'll win.
I see Joseph at the other end of the corridor. He's sitting down with his back leaning against the parapet wall. He sees me, and smiles. Not the beaming smile he usually gives, but one that looks as if it took him lots of effort to muster.
I walk to him wanting to pass him the Panapop. But I know it's already melted in the wrapping, and thus I try to slide it into my pockets instead.
He sees that, takes it from me and holds it. He gives me another weak smile.
And it feels like we're just trying to hold on to whatever that is already lost.
All the words that I want to tell him very much vanish. Or they couldn't find the courage to come out from my lips. We are barely a metre away from each other, but I feel that the distance between us at that moment is very far apart, and if I really mutter the words out, they will resound to me in echoes.
I sit down beside him and we both keep silent for quite some time.
"Do you think we will grow sick of the people around us eventually?" He asks.
A familiar question. I think I asked myself this before.
I think eventually we will, but that should be after many many things have happened.
"No. We won't." I answer, contrary to what I truly think.
"You think so?" He asks again.
"Definitely we won't." I say.
We remain there for a few periods after recess. Not speaking, not doing anything. Just to sit beside each other.
Though I'm sitting still, I somehow feel that Joseph's presence is inching away.
I somehow feel that I'm going to lose this important friend.
Only friend.
~End of Chapter 7~
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
chapter 6 [Because it's so far away]
I know I'm dreaming.
About a little boy who gets lost in the woods. He walks around barefooted trying to find his way out. He grows tired and decides to rest in a cave. The cave is dark but the boy can see the moist cave walls glimmering faintly. He squats down to touch the ground. Wet. But not cold. Is warm. The boy lies down to the comfortable warmth and closes his eyes to rest. He turns to lie on his side, curls up his body and hugs his legs.
This is a lousy dream, I open my eyes, look at the clock. 4.36am. So early.
I close my eyes and pull my blanket over my head. Let's try again.
I dream another dream.
About a boy who walks out of a black cave, and outside the black cave there is a white river. In the white river there is a blue mermaid swimming. The boy walks towards the mermaid and notices that she is saying something, but he doesn't understand. He asks her what is she speaking and she replies that she's just reading out the periodic table.
This dream is lousier.
I wake up again, the sky outside is still dark. 4.58am.
I toss over and drifts off to sleep.
I dream yet another dream.
About a boy who wants to find the North Star and then befriend the star. He keeps asking the people around him, 'Where can I find the North Star?', 'Where can I find the North Star?'
But nobody answers him, they only mock him, they tell him, 'Who do you think you are to befriend the North Star? If you want to befriend the North Star, you need to consecutively score 58 goals, complete a 100m sprint in 8 seconds, fake ill to visit the sick bay 15 times and above. Only then can you find the North Star and be friend with it.'
But the boy will not give up. He continues to walk around asking for directions to find the North Star.
He ventures upon a lake, feels thirsty, and wants to have a drink. He lowers his head and notices that there is a bright reflection of a star on the surface of the lake. He thinks that that is the North Star he's been searching for and slowly walks into the lake towards the bright reflection.
However, his movements in the water break the still water surface and the ripples he created scatter the bright reflection to all around him.
He stops in his track, afraid that the North Star will disappear like that, and remains very very still for a long long time.
And so, the boy stops in the middle of the lake, silent and motionless, like a statue, beside the bright reflection.
He closes his eyes and gives a satisfied smile. For he knows that he can stay at the North Star's side forever like this.
And I know that I dreamt the lousiest dream I've ever dream.
"Dylan! Wake up! Dylan!"
I am wakened by my mum's calling.
"I thought you said you're meeting Joseph at 10 o'clock?" She says.
I look at my clock. 9.48am. 9.48am?! Isn’t it only 4 plus am just now? Sickening.
I wash up, change into my clothes in a jiffy and rush out of the house.
It's during times like this that I'm glad Joseph and I live only 2 streets away.
I'm meeting Joseph to go Queensway Shopping Centre together, after we have breakfast at Mac's near our place. He wants to get a new soccer ball and insists we go there to shop for it.
I complained about the distance actually, but he said I promised him before that I'll go down with him. Though I still cannot recall when I made such a promise, it doesn't really matter.
The weather today is terrific, cloudy with a slight breeze. I look up the sky and see that the clouds look like scales and covered the entire sky. Just like yesterday.
For a split of a second, Joseph's voice rings in my head, saying these words,
'Because it’s so far away…'
Truthfully, I was bothered by these 5 words after I hear them. I still am.
Why did he say that? What was he feeling when he said that? I want to know.
Yesterday afternoon's conversation with Joseph suddenly flashes across my mind and that makes me realize that actually the both of us never really have this kind of conversations often. This kind of 'heart to heart talks'. A few, probably. But it's those, the fewer it is the more you cannot remember, kind of talks.
"Hey boy." I hear Joseph call.
Unknowingly, I reached our meeting venue, and without realizing, walked past him.
"You're late." He says. It's 10.07am. I'm late for 7minutes. And 54 seconds, to be exact.
"Sorry." I apologise.
"I woke up late. Overslept. Didn't sleep well during the night. Keep on having weird dreams." I feel I need to explain for being late, and for making him wait. 3 hours yesterday is quite enough.
"You too?" He says.
Too? I look at him.
"I didn't sleep well during the night. The past keep coming back to me." He says.
"Which past?" I ask.
"Remember your 12th birthday? The present I gave you?"
Of course I remember. That I'll never ever forget.
It happened when we were in Primary 6. One day after school, he came to me and pulled my hand, out of the classroom towards the direction of his bicycle. He said we're going to his place, he's got a 'secret plan' he wants to tell me.
After we reached his place, I followed him into his room. His room then was very messy, with comic books all over the place. I saw on his study table, a drawing block and on it were drawings he drew, mostly were comic characters. Some of them I saw him doodled on his textbooks before. However, I thought that he didn't have what it takes to be a cartoonist.
He asked me to first close my eyes, and reminded me like a thousand times not to open them. He then led me under his bed, asked me to lie there, face up facing the underside of his bed. I really had no idea what 'secret plan' he was going to tell me, I just obeyed his instructions.
"Can I open my eyes already?" I asked.
"Not yet." He said, and I heard him draw his curtains and switch off the lights in his room.
"Can I open my eyes already?" I asked again.
"Not yet." He said again, and this time I felt him crawl under his bed and lay beside me.
"Can I open my eyes already?" I was quite impatient by then.
"Not yet."
"I'm opening my eyes." I announced.
"Wait! After I count to three. Ready? One, two, three."
I opened my eyes, the black underside of his bed before me, and I saw some things. Some little little things, glowing.
I squinted my eyes, and thought that I was dreaming. But I wasn't. Those little glowing things on the black underside of the bed resembled a starry sky which you can see when you lift up your head during the night.
A starry night sky.
Those little glowing things were actually glow-in-the-dark stickers which Joseph cut into little pieces and pasted them underneath his bed.
However, during that time, I was like under an illusion, I really thought I was looking at a starry sky. A boundless starry night sky.
"This is the Big Dipper, this is the Little Dipper, this is the Orion, this is Draco, then over here is Polaris. Polaris is the North Star, I purposely make it a little larger. I like the North Star. Hmmm, ok never mind. Over this side is where the 12 constellations of the Zodiac are. This is Aries, my constellation. And this over here is Scorpius, your constellation." Joseph told me.
I found out later that he followed a constellation map he found in an Astronomy Magazine, and copied it onto the underside of his bed.
"This is your birthday present from me this year." He said.
I kept silent.
"Actually, I did save up some money to buy you a proper present, but I spent it all last week to buy a collection of comics I've been searching for very long. So I can only give you this." He explained, kind of embarrassed.
"You won't be mad at me right?" He said.
"Don't keep quiet leh, I also spent 3 days sticking these stars, my eyes are strained!" He said.
"But I think I still did it wrongly, because if I am to give you the underside of my bed, my mother will kill me, so I can only bring you here to see." He said.
I couldn't utter a word. Not a single one.
I just gazed at those stars, those stars which he spent 3 days sticking.
I told myself, I'll never ever forget this.
But why? Why did this past come back to him last night?
I am bothered.
It's like something is going to happen. It's like something is coming to an end.
It's like how before any graduation, videos of events from the past will be played during the ceremony, for us to reminisce, and then your life in that school will end.
It's like how they say, during a person's last brink of life, scenes of the past will flash before them, and then their lives will end.
Joseph and I spent the whole day at Queensway Shopping Centre and he managed to get his soccer ball.
As for me, 5 words kept ringing in my head throughout the day.
'Because it's so far away…'
~End of Chapter 6~
About a little boy who gets lost in the woods. He walks around barefooted trying to find his way out. He grows tired and decides to rest in a cave. The cave is dark but the boy can see the moist cave walls glimmering faintly. He squats down to touch the ground. Wet. But not cold. Is warm. The boy lies down to the comfortable warmth and closes his eyes to rest. He turns to lie on his side, curls up his body and hugs his legs.
This is a lousy dream, I open my eyes, look at the clock. 4.36am. So early.
I close my eyes and pull my blanket over my head. Let's try again.
I dream another dream.
About a boy who walks out of a black cave, and outside the black cave there is a white river. In the white river there is a blue mermaid swimming. The boy walks towards the mermaid and notices that she is saying something, but he doesn't understand. He asks her what is she speaking and she replies that she's just reading out the periodic table.
This dream is lousier.
I wake up again, the sky outside is still dark. 4.58am.
I toss over and drifts off to sleep.
I dream yet another dream.
About a boy who wants to find the North Star and then befriend the star. He keeps asking the people around him, 'Where can I find the North Star?', 'Where can I find the North Star?'
But nobody answers him, they only mock him, they tell him, 'Who do you think you are to befriend the North Star? If you want to befriend the North Star, you need to consecutively score 58 goals, complete a 100m sprint in 8 seconds, fake ill to visit the sick bay 15 times and above. Only then can you find the North Star and be friend with it.'
But the boy will not give up. He continues to walk around asking for directions to find the North Star.
He ventures upon a lake, feels thirsty, and wants to have a drink. He lowers his head and notices that there is a bright reflection of a star on the surface of the lake. He thinks that that is the North Star he's been searching for and slowly walks into the lake towards the bright reflection.
However, his movements in the water break the still water surface and the ripples he created scatter the bright reflection to all around him.
He stops in his track, afraid that the North Star will disappear like that, and remains very very still for a long long time.
And so, the boy stops in the middle of the lake, silent and motionless, like a statue, beside the bright reflection.
He closes his eyes and gives a satisfied smile. For he knows that he can stay at the North Star's side forever like this.
And I know that I dreamt the lousiest dream I've ever dream.
"Dylan! Wake up! Dylan!"
I am wakened by my mum's calling.
"I thought you said you're meeting Joseph at 10 o'clock?" She says.
I look at my clock. 9.48am. 9.48am?! Isn’t it only 4 plus am just now? Sickening.
I wash up, change into my clothes in a jiffy and rush out of the house.
It's during times like this that I'm glad Joseph and I live only 2 streets away.
I'm meeting Joseph to go Queensway Shopping Centre together, after we have breakfast at Mac's near our place. He wants to get a new soccer ball and insists we go there to shop for it.
I complained about the distance actually, but he said I promised him before that I'll go down with him. Though I still cannot recall when I made such a promise, it doesn't really matter.
The weather today is terrific, cloudy with a slight breeze. I look up the sky and see that the clouds look like scales and covered the entire sky. Just like yesterday.
For a split of a second, Joseph's voice rings in my head, saying these words,
'Because it’s so far away…'
Truthfully, I was bothered by these 5 words after I hear them. I still am.
Why did he say that? What was he feeling when he said that? I want to know.
Yesterday afternoon's conversation with Joseph suddenly flashes across my mind and that makes me realize that actually the both of us never really have this kind of conversations often. This kind of 'heart to heart talks'. A few, probably. But it's those, the fewer it is the more you cannot remember, kind of talks.
"Hey boy." I hear Joseph call.
Unknowingly, I reached our meeting venue, and without realizing, walked past him.
"You're late." He says. It's 10.07am. I'm late for 7minutes. And 54 seconds, to be exact.
"Sorry." I apologise.
"I woke up late. Overslept. Didn't sleep well during the night. Keep on having weird dreams." I feel I need to explain for being late, and for making him wait. 3 hours yesterday is quite enough.
"You too?" He says.
Too? I look at him.
"I didn't sleep well during the night. The past keep coming back to me." He says.
"Which past?" I ask.
"Remember your 12th birthday? The present I gave you?"
Of course I remember. That I'll never ever forget.
It happened when we were in Primary 6. One day after school, he came to me and pulled my hand, out of the classroom towards the direction of his bicycle. He said we're going to his place, he's got a 'secret plan' he wants to tell me.
After we reached his place, I followed him into his room. His room then was very messy, with comic books all over the place. I saw on his study table, a drawing block and on it were drawings he drew, mostly were comic characters. Some of them I saw him doodled on his textbooks before. However, I thought that he didn't have what it takes to be a cartoonist.
He asked me to first close my eyes, and reminded me like a thousand times not to open them. He then led me under his bed, asked me to lie there, face up facing the underside of his bed. I really had no idea what 'secret plan' he was going to tell me, I just obeyed his instructions.
"Can I open my eyes already?" I asked.
"Not yet." He said, and I heard him draw his curtains and switch off the lights in his room.
"Can I open my eyes already?" I asked again.
"Not yet." He said again, and this time I felt him crawl under his bed and lay beside me.
"Can I open my eyes already?" I was quite impatient by then.
"Not yet."
"I'm opening my eyes." I announced.
"Wait! After I count to three. Ready? One, two, three."
I opened my eyes, the black underside of his bed before me, and I saw some things. Some little little things, glowing.
I squinted my eyes, and thought that I was dreaming. But I wasn't. Those little glowing things on the black underside of the bed resembled a starry sky which you can see when you lift up your head during the night.
A starry night sky.
Those little glowing things were actually glow-in-the-dark stickers which Joseph cut into little pieces and pasted them underneath his bed.
However, during that time, I was like under an illusion, I really thought I was looking at a starry sky. A boundless starry night sky.
"This is the Big Dipper, this is the Little Dipper, this is the Orion, this is Draco, then over here is Polaris. Polaris is the North Star, I purposely make it a little larger. I like the North Star. Hmmm, ok never mind. Over this side is where the 12 constellations of the Zodiac are. This is Aries, my constellation. And this over here is Scorpius, your constellation." Joseph told me.
I found out later that he followed a constellation map he found in an Astronomy Magazine, and copied it onto the underside of his bed.
"This is your birthday present from me this year." He said.
I kept silent.
"Actually, I did save up some money to buy you a proper present, but I spent it all last week to buy a collection of comics I've been searching for very long. So I can only give you this." He explained, kind of embarrassed.
"You won't be mad at me right?" He said.
"Don't keep quiet leh, I also spent 3 days sticking these stars, my eyes are strained!" He said.
"But I think I still did it wrongly, because if I am to give you the underside of my bed, my mother will kill me, so I can only bring you here to see." He said.
I couldn't utter a word. Not a single one.
I just gazed at those stars, those stars which he spent 3 days sticking.
I told myself, I'll never ever forget this.
But why? Why did this past come back to him last night?
I am bothered.
It's like something is going to happen. It's like something is coming to an end.
It's like how before any graduation, videos of events from the past will be played during the ceremony, for us to reminisce, and then your life in that school will end.
It's like how they say, during a person's last brink of life, scenes of the past will flash before them, and then their lives will end.
Joseph and I spent the whole day at Queensway Shopping Centre and he managed to get his soccer ball.
As for me, 5 words kept ringing in my head throughout the day.
'Because it's so far away…'
~End of Chapter 6~
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Chapter 5 [Mars and Pluto]
It's a Saturday morning and I'm having choir practice in school.
Joining the choir isn't my initial intention, joining the NCC is. However I went for the first NCC meeting and was disgusted by how the seniors taught us nothing constructive and only made us do push ups and run around the school compound like monkeys. Following that, I had a compulsory choir audition during one of my music lessons and I was chosen. The next thing I knew, I was in the choir, just like that.
I actually asked Joseph to join the choir together with me. I requested for him to sing for me during one of my birthdays and he sang Jacky Cheung's "Xin Ru Dao Ge", and I was astonished to hear him sing so well. He never looks like one who has a nice voice to me.
He came for one Saturday's practice and then no more. He told me later that it's too 'inactive' for his tastes.
I understood what he meant. He's a person so energetic, he cannot bear to keep still for a few minutes. What's his source of boundless energy? I wonder to myself so many a times. The sun? Panapop perhaps.
Or maybe he's just so dense, he doesn't know he's actually tired. Haha.
3 hours of practice ends and I head towards the field. There's only one person on the field playing soccer alone.
"Joseph!" I call out to him.
He turns over, smiles, kicks the soccer ball in my direction and jogs towards me.
Joseph doesn't have anything on Saturday mornings. He just accompanies me to school, sending me here on his bicycle and waits 3 hours for me to end. Every week without fail. During those 3 hours, he'll play soccer with himself. I've told him before that he doesn't need to do this but he says it's ok since he has nothing on and he doesn't want to stay at home by himself (his mother works on Saturdays as well) and do nothing.
"Where should we go now?" He asks when he's beside me. He asks me this every Saturday and it has become sort of like a routine question.
Normally I'll say 'Anywhere' and he'll start throwing me his suggestions that I believe he comes up during that 3 hours of wait. No matter how ridiculous some of his ideas were, I'll go along with him, sort of like compensating him for making him wait.
Once, we went to a park nearby to pluck mangoes. I was so nervous the whole time, afraid of getting caught, but we managed to pluck 4 juicy ones and we had a mango feast at his place after that.
Another time, we went to the canal behind our school to catch fish. We got ourselves wet and dirty while playing with the drain water and playing catching in the canal. At the end of the day, we caught zero fish. I remembered I got a scolding from my mum later that day, and Joseph got it from his mother.
Other times we would just laze at his place or mine, to play video games, to watch VCDs, or just to do nothing. It's like it doesn't matter what we do, as long as we do them together we're happy.
Today, however, I don't feel like going anywhere and I ask him whether we can just stay in school. I am hoping that he'll not feel disappointed.
"Ok." He says. With a smile. Phew.
We choose a spot by the field, under a tree, and lay on the grass side by side.
I look up at the sky. Today is a cloudy day. The clouds look like scales and covered the entire sky. There is a slight breeze and it's making the leaves on the trees around us rustle. Somehow, the rustle is comfortable to the ears. And the breeze is so refreshing and cooling, it doesn't feel like a summer afternoon at all.
"Hey boy. I did some research on L.Y. " Joseph says suddenly.
He did what? Did I hear 'research'?
"I've checked the year book and I found only 3 girls in our batch bearing the initials L.Y. There are 2 in the sec 2 batch. Sec 1 batch, I couldn't find anything because our year book doesn't have them yet. I didn't bother to check the sec 4 batch because I don't think you'll be interested in girls older than you."
He got to be joking. And did he decide for me that I'm not to be interested in older girls? Smart aleck.
I am quite amused actually.
"So now, we've narrowed our targets to 5, currently. And that should make our plan an easier task." He reasons.
Yes, I remember. This is the kind of things that makes Joseph serious. Though I honestly feel that the plan will not become any easier since L.Y may not be initials of names, it can be purely made up. And L.Y may not be a girl, but I hope that is not the case.
I try to comprehend all the things Joseph just told me and I chuckle to myself. I am really really amused.
"Hey boy, say something leh. Do you want to find out who L.Y is or not?" He questions me.
No. I've no interest to find out who L.Y is from the start. I carry out his plan just to play along with him.
"I don't know." I reply him. I don't know why I lie.
We continue to laze down there and just enjoy the moments.
"Do you think there are aliens out there?" He asks after some time, pointing to the sky.
I turn to look at him and nearly burst out laughing.
"I think there are aliens living on Earth even." I tell him.
He turns to look at me and smiles, like he knows that I'm referring to him.
No, he wouldn't know. I hope.
"I think so too." He says.
His reply surprises me. Surprises me that he thought about 'whether there are aliens on Earth?' before. I always think of him as a person who doesn't give much care to the things around him, let alone caring 'whether there are aliens on Earth?' I'll already be surprised if he cares something like 'whether there is a test tomorrow?' But 'whether there are aliens on Earth?' It is so not something to be up his head.
More importantly, I am surprise that Joseph and I are more similar than what I thought we were.
Seems like he still surprises me after these 7 years.
"If I'm an alien, which planet do you think I'm from?" He asks.
"Mars."
"I think you'll be from Pluto if you are an alien." He says.
I want to tell him that Pluto is no longer a planet, but I never. I don't think he cares.
Actually... maybe he does. Never mind.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because it's so far away... "
I don't understand what he is trying to say. I feel that there is more to what he wants to say, but he never say anything after that. And I never ask.
"Don't you think it's better if Mars is next to Pluto?" He asks.
"Yah."
And after that, the both of us never say anything to each other. We just lie on the grass side by side and look at the sky, enjoying the clouds, the breeze, the rustle.
I remember once, we also laid side by side, to look at something. But that happened a very long time ago.
It is a wonderful afternoon and we spend it doing nothing, but it doesn't matter.
We're happy.
~End of Chapter 5~
Joining the choir isn't my initial intention, joining the NCC is. However I went for the first NCC meeting and was disgusted by how the seniors taught us nothing constructive and only made us do push ups and run around the school compound like monkeys. Following that, I had a compulsory choir audition during one of my music lessons and I was chosen. The next thing I knew, I was in the choir, just like that.
I actually asked Joseph to join the choir together with me. I requested for him to sing for me during one of my birthdays and he sang Jacky Cheung's "Xin Ru Dao Ge", and I was astonished to hear him sing so well. He never looks like one who has a nice voice to me.
He came for one Saturday's practice and then no more. He told me later that it's too 'inactive' for his tastes.
I understood what he meant. He's a person so energetic, he cannot bear to keep still for a few minutes. What's his source of boundless energy? I wonder to myself so many a times. The sun? Panapop perhaps.
Or maybe he's just so dense, he doesn't know he's actually tired. Haha.
3 hours of practice ends and I head towards the field. There's only one person on the field playing soccer alone.
"Joseph!" I call out to him.
He turns over, smiles, kicks the soccer ball in my direction and jogs towards me.
Joseph doesn't have anything on Saturday mornings. He just accompanies me to school, sending me here on his bicycle and waits 3 hours for me to end. Every week without fail. During those 3 hours, he'll play soccer with himself. I've told him before that he doesn't need to do this but he says it's ok since he has nothing on and he doesn't want to stay at home by himself (his mother works on Saturdays as well) and do nothing.
"Where should we go now?" He asks when he's beside me. He asks me this every Saturday and it has become sort of like a routine question.
Normally I'll say 'Anywhere' and he'll start throwing me his suggestions that I believe he comes up during that 3 hours of wait. No matter how ridiculous some of his ideas were, I'll go along with him, sort of like compensating him for making him wait.
Once, we went to a park nearby to pluck mangoes. I was so nervous the whole time, afraid of getting caught, but we managed to pluck 4 juicy ones and we had a mango feast at his place after that.
Another time, we went to the canal behind our school to catch fish. We got ourselves wet and dirty while playing with the drain water and playing catching in the canal. At the end of the day, we caught zero fish. I remembered I got a scolding from my mum later that day, and Joseph got it from his mother.
Other times we would just laze at his place or mine, to play video games, to watch VCDs, or just to do nothing. It's like it doesn't matter what we do, as long as we do them together we're happy.
Today, however, I don't feel like going anywhere and I ask him whether we can just stay in school. I am hoping that he'll not feel disappointed.
"Ok." He says. With a smile. Phew.
We choose a spot by the field, under a tree, and lay on the grass side by side.
I look up at the sky. Today is a cloudy day. The clouds look like scales and covered the entire sky. There is a slight breeze and it's making the leaves on the trees around us rustle. Somehow, the rustle is comfortable to the ears. And the breeze is so refreshing and cooling, it doesn't feel like a summer afternoon at all.
"Hey boy. I did some research on L.Y. " Joseph says suddenly.
He did what? Did I hear 'research'?
"I've checked the year book and I found only 3 girls in our batch bearing the initials L.Y. There are 2 in the sec 2 batch. Sec 1 batch, I couldn't find anything because our year book doesn't have them yet. I didn't bother to check the sec 4 batch because I don't think you'll be interested in girls older than you."
He got to be joking. And did he decide for me that I'm not to be interested in older girls? Smart aleck.
I am quite amused actually.
"So now, we've narrowed our targets to 5, currently. And that should make our plan an easier task." He reasons.
Yes, I remember. This is the kind of things that makes Joseph serious. Though I honestly feel that the plan will not become any easier since L.Y may not be initials of names, it can be purely made up. And L.Y may not be a girl, but I hope that is not the case.
I try to comprehend all the things Joseph just told me and I chuckle to myself. I am really really amused.
"Hey boy, say something leh. Do you want to find out who L.Y is or not?" He questions me.
No. I've no interest to find out who L.Y is from the start. I carry out his plan just to play along with him.
"I don't know." I reply him. I don't know why I lie.
We continue to laze down there and just enjoy the moments.
"Do you think there are aliens out there?" He asks after some time, pointing to the sky.
I turn to look at him and nearly burst out laughing.
"I think there are aliens living on Earth even." I tell him.
He turns to look at me and smiles, like he knows that I'm referring to him.
No, he wouldn't know. I hope.
"I think so too." He says.
His reply surprises me. Surprises me that he thought about 'whether there are aliens on Earth?' before. I always think of him as a person who doesn't give much care to the things around him, let alone caring 'whether there are aliens on Earth?' I'll already be surprised if he cares something like 'whether there is a test tomorrow?' But 'whether there are aliens on Earth?' It is so not something to be up his head.
More importantly, I am surprise that Joseph and I are more similar than what I thought we were.
Seems like he still surprises me after these 7 years.
"If I'm an alien, which planet do you think I'm from?" He asks.
"Mars."
"I think you'll be from Pluto if you are an alien." He says.
I want to tell him that Pluto is no longer a planet, but I never. I don't think he cares.
Actually... maybe he does. Never mind.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because it's so far away... "
I don't understand what he is trying to say. I feel that there is more to what he wants to say, but he never say anything after that. And I never ask.
"Don't you think it's better if Mars is next to Pluto?" He asks.
"Yah."
And after that, the both of us never say anything to each other. We just lie on the grass side by side and look at the sky, enjoying the clouds, the breeze, the rustle.
I remember once, we also laid side by side, to look at something. But that happened a very long time ago.
It is a wonderful afternoon and we spend it doing nothing, but it doesn't matter.
We're happy.
~End of Chapter 5~
Monday, December 11, 2006
Chapter 4 [Secret Admirers]
I peer into the classroom. No one still.
It's 6.45am in the morning, I am squatting beside the window, and Joseph is sitting on the grass, leaning against the wall.
"You sure she'll be here so early?" I ask him.
"Trust me." He replies.
We are carrying out his plan. To find out whom L.Y is. According to him, there are only two possible times that L.Y can put her letter into my textbooks without anyone noticing, early in the morning before everyone arrive, or during recess when most people are away.
"She can also do it after school when everyone is not around. Just have to slot it into one of those textbooks I keep under my desk. Actually she can do it anytime if she's careful enough." I tell him for the nth time. I lost count.
He just twitches the side of his mouth and will not heed my words.
Forget it, anyway we're here already, no point spoiling his fun.
"Why are you so eager to find out who L.Y is?" I want to know.
"Because she's your first secret admirer." He emphasizes on the word 'first'.
True. It's the first time I receive a love letter but I'm not excited about it at all. Is that always the case? Because I remember Joseph's not excited about the love letters he received too.
Yes, love letters. He's got numerous.
I think he started receiving them ever since he joined the soccer team. He's very good at soccer, and is one of the higher scorers in the team. I guess he attracted a lot of girl fans after winning a few inter-school matches.
Joseph's never that kind of person who likes to be in the limelight, but his good looks (I hate to admit that), plus his happy-go-lucky character, his heck care attitude, and a 'he thinks he's always right' personality, allows him to stand out among people. And the verdict is that, even when he doesn't want to, every action he does attracts people's attention.
I recall walking down the corridors with him and find groups of girls look at him and then chit chat happily among themselves.
I recollect one of those times.
"Do you know that girl standing at the water cooler?" I asked.
"Nope." He didn't even turn to look.
"But I think she said hello to you when we walked past."
"Do I need to know everyone who says hello?"
"But she's still looking at you." I turned to steal a peek.
"Do you know her?" He asked me back.
"No."
"Then why do I need to know her?" He said.
True.
Eh, wait a minute.
That's not true.
How come I always get stumbled by his weird reasoning?
I recall I let it go at that.
The bell sounds and marks the end of the last period of the day. L.Y didn't appear in the morning, nor did she appear during recesses. Maybe she'll appear after school like I say, but I'm not going to squat by the window and await her appearance anymore. Nor will Joseph this afternoon because he has a match, inter class soccer, and I'm suppose to be present at the field to root for him.
I don't know when it began, but I'm like Joseph's all time supporter now. He requested at that time, I cannot remember when exactly, that I'm to be present at every of his matches.
I make my way to the field and pick a shady spot under a tree. I see Joseph at the far end of the field doing his stretches. Maybe his match is the one after this, and I watch the one currently playing.
I probably will not understand in this lifetime, why on this planet, can there be so many people passionate about soccer? A group of sweaty people chasing after one ball, under the hot sun, tackling one another, and whether victory or not, let out cries like animal cries and then tackle one another again.
Joseph's match has been going on for about more than half an hour, and though I'm under the shade, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable from the heat. I decide to go to the canteen to get myself an iced drink, and perhaps get Joseph a bottle of Gatorade.
On the way to the canteen, I notice a lot of girls standing sporadically around the field area, watching Joseph's match. I sort of find them all familiar looking, like I've seen them before along the corridors. I'm not aware that there are so many of them.
I buy my drink, sit down in the canteen, rest my head on both of my fists and sip the iced drink with a straw. Nothing beats a cooling beverage on a warm day.
I am just complaining about the freaking heat, and delighting over the drink repeatedly in my mind, when someone sits down, opposite me. A girl. I've never seen her before.
She's got big eyes like the Xiaoyanzi in "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" and straight long hair that flows over her shoulders like those you see in Head & Shoulders' commercials. Who is she? And why is she sitting opposite me?
I try not to look at her. I place my eyes on the cup in front of me and just continue sipping.
"It's a hot day isn't it?" She starts a conversation.
"Er... Yah." I answer. I avoid eye contact.
Silence.
"You're from Class 3-5 right?" She asks.
"Er... Yah."
Silence again.
I am kind of anticipating her next question. Will she ask me whether I'm Dylan? Maybe she's L.Y?
"You're his best friend right?" Her next question comes out like this, different from what I am expecting.
"What?" I look at her finally. I don't quite understand.
"You are."
"I am?"
"You are."
"I am what?" I'm totally confused.
"You are his best friend."
"I am not." I say, although I still haven't a clue who she's referring to.
"You are Joseph Chan's best friend." She reveals her motives finally.
I'm just about to say something to her when I observe that she's blushing and her eyes are fixed on something behind me. Or someone.
"DY-LAN-CHENG-IS-FLIR-TING." I suddenly hear this familiar voice call out behind me, emphasizing every syllable.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and Joseph sits beside me. He's wet with perspiration and has a towel around his neck. He eyes me for a moment, eyes the girl opposite us, and then eyes me back.
"What are you doing here?" He asks me in a very low tone, which makes his words sound like a growl.
I point to my cup of iced drink and pass him the bottle of Gatorade I bought.
He gives me a smile, then like remembering something, takes it off his face and gives me 'the eye'.
"Who is she?" He 'growls' again.
I shrug my shoulders.
"Who are you?" He turns to the girl and 'growls'.
"I'm... er..." She's blushing some more. Her eyes start to look everywhere and she's playing with her hair. I think she's not aware that she looks quite comical in this state.
"It's alright if you don't want to say." Joseph tells her.
"Orh." She makes a sound.
"Let's go." Joseph says.
"Ok." She replies.
"Not you, you." Joseph points at me.
Without waiting for me to acknowledge, he stands up, holds my hand and pulls me away, out of the canteen towards the direction of his bicycle.
"We won the match. Let's go 7-11 for ice-cream, my treat." He says.
"But the girl..." I feel a little sorry for her.
"I don't know her."
"I don't know her too." I say.
"So let's go 7-11."
"Ok."
And he holds and pulls my hand all the way to where his bicycle is.
~End of Chapter 4~
It's 6.45am in the morning, I am squatting beside the window, and Joseph is sitting on the grass, leaning against the wall.
"You sure she'll be here so early?" I ask him.
"Trust me." He replies.
We are carrying out his plan. To find out whom L.Y is. According to him, there are only two possible times that L.Y can put her letter into my textbooks without anyone noticing, early in the morning before everyone arrive, or during recess when most people are away.
"She can also do it after school when everyone is not around. Just have to slot it into one of those textbooks I keep under my desk. Actually she can do it anytime if she's careful enough." I tell him for the nth time. I lost count.
He just twitches the side of his mouth and will not heed my words.
Forget it, anyway we're here already, no point spoiling his fun.
"Why are you so eager to find out who L.Y is?" I want to know.
"Because she's your first secret admirer." He emphasizes on the word 'first'.
True. It's the first time I receive a love letter but I'm not excited about it at all. Is that always the case? Because I remember Joseph's not excited about the love letters he received too.
Yes, love letters. He's got numerous.
I think he started receiving them ever since he joined the soccer team. He's very good at soccer, and is one of the higher scorers in the team. I guess he attracted a lot of girl fans after winning a few inter-school matches.
Joseph's never that kind of person who likes to be in the limelight, but his good looks (I hate to admit that), plus his happy-go-lucky character, his heck care attitude, and a 'he thinks he's always right' personality, allows him to stand out among people. And the verdict is that, even when he doesn't want to, every action he does attracts people's attention.
I recall walking down the corridors with him and find groups of girls look at him and then chit chat happily among themselves.
I recollect one of those times.
"Do you know that girl standing at the water cooler?" I asked.
"Nope." He didn't even turn to look.
"But I think she said hello to you when we walked past."
"Do I need to know everyone who says hello?"
"But she's still looking at you." I turned to steal a peek.
"Do you know her?" He asked me back.
"No."
"Then why do I need to know her?" He said.
True.
Eh, wait a minute.
That's not true.
How come I always get stumbled by his weird reasoning?
I recall I let it go at that.
The bell sounds and marks the end of the last period of the day. L.Y didn't appear in the morning, nor did she appear during recesses. Maybe she'll appear after school like I say, but I'm not going to squat by the window and await her appearance anymore. Nor will Joseph this afternoon because he has a match, inter class soccer, and I'm suppose to be present at the field to root for him.
I don't know when it began, but I'm like Joseph's all time supporter now. He requested at that time, I cannot remember when exactly, that I'm to be present at every of his matches.
I make my way to the field and pick a shady spot under a tree. I see Joseph at the far end of the field doing his stretches. Maybe his match is the one after this, and I watch the one currently playing.
I probably will not understand in this lifetime, why on this planet, can there be so many people passionate about soccer? A group of sweaty people chasing after one ball, under the hot sun, tackling one another, and whether victory or not, let out cries like animal cries and then tackle one another again.
Joseph's match has been going on for about more than half an hour, and though I'm under the shade, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable from the heat. I decide to go to the canteen to get myself an iced drink, and perhaps get Joseph a bottle of Gatorade.
On the way to the canteen, I notice a lot of girls standing sporadically around the field area, watching Joseph's match. I sort of find them all familiar looking, like I've seen them before along the corridors. I'm not aware that there are so many of them.
I buy my drink, sit down in the canteen, rest my head on both of my fists and sip the iced drink with a straw. Nothing beats a cooling beverage on a warm day.
I am just complaining about the freaking heat, and delighting over the drink repeatedly in my mind, when someone sits down, opposite me. A girl. I've never seen her before.
She's got big eyes like the Xiaoyanzi in "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" and straight long hair that flows over her shoulders like those you see in Head & Shoulders' commercials. Who is she? And why is she sitting opposite me?
I try not to look at her. I place my eyes on the cup in front of me and just continue sipping.
"It's a hot day isn't it?" She starts a conversation.
"Er... Yah." I answer. I avoid eye contact.
Silence.
"You're from Class 3-5 right?" She asks.
"Er... Yah."
Silence again.
I am kind of anticipating her next question. Will she ask me whether I'm Dylan? Maybe she's L.Y?
"You're his best friend right?" Her next question comes out like this, different from what I am expecting.
"What?" I look at her finally. I don't quite understand.
"You are."
"I am?"
"You are."
"I am what?" I'm totally confused.
"You are his best friend."
"I am not." I say, although I still haven't a clue who she's referring to.
"You are Joseph Chan's best friend." She reveals her motives finally.
I'm just about to say something to her when I observe that she's blushing and her eyes are fixed on something behind me. Or someone.
"DY-LAN-CHENG-IS-FLIR-TING." I suddenly hear this familiar voice call out behind me, emphasizing every syllable.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and Joseph sits beside me. He's wet with perspiration and has a towel around his neck. He eyes me for a moment, eyes the girl opposite us, and then eyes me back.
"What are you doing here?" He asks me in a very low tone, which makes his words sound like a growl.
I point to my cup of iced drink and pass him the bottle of Gatorade I bought.
He gives me a smile, then like remembering something, takes it off his face and gives me 'the eye'.
"Who is she?" He 'growls' again.
I shrug my shoulders.
"Who are you?" He turns to the girl and 'growls'.
"I'm... er..." She's blushing some more. Her eyes start to look everywhere and she's playing with her hair. I think she's not aware that she looks quite comical in this state.
"It's alright if you don't want to say." Joseph tells her.
"Orh." She makes a sound.
"Let's go." Joseph says.
"Ok." She replies.
"Not you, you." Joseph points at me.
Without waiting for me to acknowledge, he stands up, holds my hand and pulls me away, out of the canteen towards the direction of his bicycle.
"We won the match. Let's go 7-11 for ice-cream, my treat." He says.
"But the girl..." I feel a little sorry for her.
"I don't know her."
"I don't know her too." I say.
"So let's go 7-11."
"Ok."
And he holds and pulls my hand all the way to where his bicycle is.
~End of Chapter 4~
Chapter 3 [Wednesday Afternoon]
I place the untidy pile of comics lying on his study table to the side and take out my E.Math textbook and exercise book from my bag.
I'm at Joseph's house. Wednesday afternoons are 'Going-to-Joseph's-house-to-pretend-to-study-with-him time'.
He asked me to do this. Firstly, it's to show his mum that he studies, and secondly, it's to copy homework from me. He says it's a 'might as well' kind of thing.
Anyway, we've got this practice since primary school, and so I'm not really bothered.
Just that I've got to give him intensive tuition before any major tests or exams. For every subject, except Chinese, which he is naturally good at, maybe because he reads comics?
It's tiring, but when I see that he is able to pass and gets promoted together with me, I feel that my efforts are paid off.
3.06pm.
We reached his place 10 minutes ago, and he is having a shower now.
His house is a 4 room flat and he stays with his mother.
His room isn't big but has just enough space for a single size bed at the corner of the room, a wardrobe at the other corner, and a study table at the window with a soccer ball underneath it. The walls have posters of comic characters on them. Though Joseph told me so many times their names, I cannot remember.
Wait, I think one is Goku, or is it Moku?
Whatever.
Joseph walks in, drying his hair with a towel, sits on the chair beside me and looks at me solve a math problem. He then throws the towel on his bed, picks up the soccer ball beneath him and starts to play with it.
"Are you going to start on your work?" I ask.
"Shall we go Queensway Shopping Centre?" He says.
"Now?" I think it's not possible.
"Not now."
"I've a piano lesson tomorrow."
"I didn't say tomorrow." He explains.
"Then when?"
"A day when you don't have piano lesson."
"Do you want to start on your work first?" I ask again.
"Later."
I don't wish to bother about him. I continue my problem solving.
"Or shall we go ice skating?" He says after some time.
"You know how to ice skate?" I didn't know that.
"It shouldn't be that difficult."
I don't wish to bother about him still, and I continue to problem solve.
He, too, never say anything. He just sits on his bed and then lies down, and keeps playing with the soccer ball.
"Don't you think Math is a very strange thing? There are only digits 0 to 9. No matter how you write it's still 0 to 9, just jumbled up." He says.
"Keep on seeing the same 0 to 9 is very boring." He adds on.
His theory is flawed, but I cannot think of anything on the spot to rebuke him.
"You can take a nap first if you're tired." He says.
"You want to start on your work already?"
"Later."
4.27pm.
I am just going to ask him again whether he is planning to start his work, when I turn and see that he's asleep on his bed hugging his soccer ball.
I am actually thinking of waking him up, but after much thought, I give up the idea.
Carefully, I walk to his side, and carefully take the soccer ball away from him. How can anyone sleep hugging such a dirty thing, stained with mud and smells of people's soles?
He turns to lie on his right side. He seems like he's having a sweet dream.
I think, probably, I'm a little tired too.
I remember he said just now, that if I'm tired, I can take a nap.
Yes.
I'm tired.
I slowly lay down beside him, lying on my left side, and look at his face. He grins even when he's sleeping. I can hear his breaths, deep breaths. I close my eyes and fall asleep.
I was wakened by the sound of the door outside. I think I heard the door open and close. I look at my watch. 6.37pm.
I sit up. Joseph is still sleeping, but lying on his back now, still facing his right though.
Haha. He's drooling. I must capture this image in my mind and remember it forever.
"Hey boy, wake up." I shake him. No avail.
I shake him harder. He didn't even stir.
"I think your mother is back." I bend over and whisper into his ear.
It's like magic words.
Joseph immediately opens his eyes, sits up, rubs his eyes, rubs his face, wipes off his drool with the back of his hand, looks at the clock, stands up and walks towards his chair, sits down and takes out his textbook and exercise book.
I sit down on my chair, look at him, and laugh. What just happened was quite amusing.
"Oh, Dylan you're here too." It's the voice of Joseph's mother.
I turn over to greet her. Joseph greets her after me.
"Are you going to stay for dinner?" She asks.
"No auntie. I've got dinner at home." I reply.
"So how's school today, boys?" She continues to inquire.
"Ok. Not too bad."
"Did you all get back any tests today?"
I look at Joseph and widen my eyes. I hear him say 'she's a psychic' under his breath. I think so too.
Joseph takes out the test paper we got back from Mdm Lee earlier this afternoon, the one that he thinks he'll fail, and passes it to auntie. He failed. 38/100.
"How much did you get, Dylan?" Auntie asks me while flipping through Joseph's paper.
"Er... 87."
She glances at Joseph, and Joseph looks down.
"I thought both of you study together?" She asks.
"I thought you've been giving him tuition?" She turns to look at me.
"Er... Joseph's quite poor with differentiation and integration concepts then. But he's better at them now." I try to salvage the situation. I'm quite scared of Auntie actually.
Auntie didn't say anything. She walks out of the room and carries on examining Joseph's test paper.
'I think I better leave first.' I mouth these words to Joseph.
He makes a pitiful face, like asking me why I have to go now. Looking at him, I can't bear to leave, but I've got dinner at home.
I pick up my E.Math textbook from the table and before I can put it into my bag, a piece of folded paper falls out from between the pages. Those pinkish, scented kind of paper.
Before I can reach down to pick it up, Joseph already got it in his hands, opens it and starts to read.
I snatch it over and read it myself. I cannot believe my eyes.
"It's a love letter. From L.Y. Who's L.Y?" He says.
I have no idea. I look at Joseph. His grin tells me he has a plan.
And I've got a bad feeling about that.
Like our friendship will start to change because of this plan.
~End of Chapter 3~
I'm at Joseph's house. Wednesday afternoons are 'Going-to-Joseph's-house-to-pretend-to-study-with-him time'.
He asked me to do this. Firstly, it's to show his mum that he studies, and secondly, it's to copy homework from me. He says it's a 'might as well' kind of thing.
Anyway, we've got this practice since primary school, and so I'm not really bothered.
Just that I've got to give him intensive tuition before any major tests or exams. For every subject, except Chinese, which he is naturally good at, maybe because he reads comics?
It's tiring, but when I see that he is able to pass and gets promoted together with me, I feel that my efforts are paid off.
3.06pm.
We reached his place 10 minutes ago, and he is having a shower now.
His house is a 4 room flat and he stays with his mother.
His room isn't big but has just enough space for a single size bed at the corner of the room, a wardrobe at the other corner, and a study table at the window with a soccer ball underneath it. The walls have posters of comic characters on them. Though Joseph told me so many times their names, I cannot remember.
Wait, I think one is Goku, or is it Moku?
Whatever.
Joseph walks in, drying his hair with a towel, sits on the chair beside me and looks at me solve a math problem. He then throws the towel on his bed, picks up the soccer ball beneath him and starts to play with it.
"Are you going to start on your work?" I ask.
"Shall we go Queensway Shopping Centre?" He says.
"Now?" I think it's not possible.
"Not now."
"I've a piano lesson tomorrow."
"I didn't say tomorrow." He explains.
"Then when?"
"A day when you don't have piano lesson."
"Do you want to start on your work first?" I ask again.
"Later."
I don't wish to bother about him. I continue my problem solving.
"Or shall we go ice skating?" He says after some time.
"You know how to ice skate?" I didn't know that.
"It shouldn't be that difficult."
I don't wish to bother about him still, and I continue to problem solve.
He, too, never say anything. He just sits on his bed and then lies down, and keeps playing with the soccer ball.
"Don't you think Math is a very strange thing? There are only digits 0 to 9. No matter how you write it's still 0 to 9, just jumbled up." He says.
"Keep on seeing the same 0 to 9 is very boring." He adds on.
His theory is flawed, but I cannot think of anything on the spot to rebuke him.
"You can take a nap first if you're tired." He says.
"You want to start on your work already?"
"Later."
4.27pm.
I am just going to ask him again whether he is planning to start his work, when I turn and see that he's asleep on his bed hugging his soccer ball.
I am actually thinking of waking him up, but after much thought, I give up the idea.
Carefully, I walk to his side, and carefully take the soccer ball away from him. How can anyone sleep hugging such a dirty thing, stained with mud and smells of people's soles?
He turns to lie on his right side. He seems like he's having a sweet dream.
I think, probably, I'm a little tired too.
I remember he said just now, that if I'm tired, I can take a nap.
Yes.
I'm tired.
I slowly lay down beside him, lying on my left side, and look at his face. He grins even when he's sleeping. I can hear his breaths, deep breaths. I close my eyes and fall asleep.
I was wakened by the sound of the door outside. I think I heard the door open and close. I look at my watch. 6.37pm.
I sit up. Joseph is still sleeping, but lying on his back now, still facing his right though.
Haha. He's drooling. I must capture this image in my mind and remember it forever.
"Hey boy, wake up." I shake him. No avail.
I shake him harder. He didn't even stir.
"I think your mother is back." I bend over and whisper into his ear.
It's like magic words.
Joseph immediately opens his eyes, sits up, rubs his eyes, rubs his face, wipes off his drool with the back of his hand, looks at the clock, stands up and walks towards his chair, sits down and takes out his textbook and exercise book.
I sit down on my chair, look at him, and laugh. What just happened was quite amusing.
"Oh, Dylan you're here too." It's the voice of Joseph's mother.
I turn over to greet her. Joseph greets her after me.
"Are you going to stay for dinner?" She asks.
"No auntie. I've got dinner at home." I reply.
"So how's school today, boys?" She continues to inquire.
"Ok. Not too bad."
"Did you all get back any tests today?"
I look at Joseph and widen my eyes. I hear him say 'she's a psychic' under his breath. I think so too.
Joseph takes out the test paper we got back from Mdm Lee earlier this afternoon, the one that he thinks he'll fail, and passes it to auntie. He failed. 38/100.
"How much did you get, Dylan?" Auntie asks me while flipping through Joseph's paper.
"Er... 87."
She glances at Joseph, and Joseph looks down.
"I thought both of you study together?" She asks.
"I thought you've been giving him tuition?" She turns to look at me.
"Er... Joseph's quite poor with differentiation and integration concepts then. But he's better at them now." I try to salvage the situation. I'm quite scared of Auntie actually.
Auntie didn't say anything. She walks out of the room and carries on examining Joseph's test paper.
'I think I better leave first.' I mouth these words to Joseph.
He makes a pitiful face, like asking me why I have to go now. Looking at him, I can't bear to leave, but I've got dinner at home.
I pick up my E.Math textbook from the table and before I can put it into my bag, a piece of folded paper falls out from between the pages. Those pinkish, scented kind of paper.
Before I can reach down to pick it up, Joseph already got it in his hands, opens it and starts to read.
I snatch it over and read it myself. I cannot believe my eyes.
"It's a love letter. From L.Y. Who's L.Y?" He says.
I have no idea. I look at Joseph. His grin tells me he has a plan.
And I've got a bad feeling about that.
Like our friendship will start to change because of this plan.
~End of Chapter 3~
Chapter 2 [Alien]
I'm sitting in the sick bay and Joseph lay next to me on the bed.
The sick bay is a small room at the corner of the admin block, and it is one of the few places that are air conditioned and accessible to students.
No wonder Joseph likes to come here, sometimes during recesses to enjoy the air conditioning, and sometimes faking illness to skip some periods he dislikes, especially E.Math and A.Math periods. This place is really comfortable. Even the old leathery sofa I'm sitting on is extra comfortable, and anytime I close my eyelids for more than a few seconds I'll doze off.
"Hey." Joseph makes a sound.
His face is not as pale as earlier.
"Sorry." I apologise to him. I feel I need to. For what, I do not know. Maybe for making him fulfill our promise when he's ill. Maybe for making that stupid promise in the first place.
He shows me his stupid grin and a face that says he already expected me to apologise.
Idiot.
"Hey. Why don't you go back to class first? I'll be fine after a nap." He says.
That, I absolutely believe. He has always been a fit and healthy person since I knew him, and every time he's down with an illness, he'll be fine after waking up from a sleep. Not only that, he has an indestructible stomach. He never ever suffers tummy aches from eating spoilt food, expired can food, bread with a little mould, etc. That, I'm amazed.
Also because of that, I'm strengthened in my belief that he is an alien.
Back in class, I sit on my seat which is next to the window and look out of it. The morning turned out to be very nice. Blue sky, a few clouds here and there.
It's only the third period of the day and I'm restless already. Two periods of E.Math earlier followed by another period of A.Math is really draining. I hate Wednesdays. I kind of suspect Joseph sort of timed his fever.
Though my eyes are on the whiteboard full of formulae, I'm not absorbing anything at all. This morning seems a little quiet.
"Where's Joseph? I'm not used to teaching your class without somebody asking me stupid questions. Too quiet suddenly." Mdm Lee turns around to ask our class halfway while scribbling some answers on the board. The whole class laughs.
She also notices the difference. Haha.
There are three things that Joseph does best in class, asking teachers stupid questions, sleeping, and doodling in his textbooks. These habits of his never change and they have been in him since the day I know him during Primary 3.
I remember when I was made to sit beside him then, I was utterly disgusted by his irresponsible behaviour. I didn't want to be his friend. And truthfully, nobody else wanted to be his friend too, because he was not only irresponsible but extremely naughty.
But he wasn't the only one friendless. I was too.
Back then, I was a shy and quiet person, never dared to voice out my opinions, always keeping them to myself. I was never proactive in finding friends and preferred to remain passive. I was never good at sports and was weak and skinny. And Primary school boys only make friends with the strongest, sportiest and coolest other boys.
Those kind like me? Targets for bullying and teasing.
Once when I was being bullied by four other bigger boys, Joseph happened to be nearby, and he fought with them. One against four.
In the end, both of us were beaten up.
"Why did you do that?" I asked him.
"Do what?" He asked back.
"Fight for me. It wasn't your concern and you wouldn't have gotten hurt if you didn't."
"Because you're my friend." He said, as a matter of factly.
"When did we become friends?" I couldn't recall.
"Since the day you sat beside me." As a matter of factly again.
And so after that day, the two friendless persons in Class 3-C became good friends. For the next 3 years in primary school, the both of us were always in the same class. After PSLE, we went to the same secondary school, and again are in the same class for 3 years. As if it's fated that we're to be classmates and good friends.
Four periods passed and the recess bell rings.
I stand up and begin walking towards the door and a person hits me at the back of my head. Very painful. I rub my head.
I don't even need to turn to see who he is. He always uses violent methods to let me know of his presence. Always.
"Going to eat without me?" It's Joseph. He looks like he never had a fever at all.
"When did you come back?"
"During the fourth period, when you were daydreaming. Thinking of me?" He laughs at his own words.
"You wish. Feeling better already?"
He shows me a thumbs up and a stupid grin. I feel his forehead. Normal.
Alien.
"Oh, Mdm Lee says we're to stay back after school today for a short while. She wants to return us the test paper we took last week." I tell him.
"I'm going to fail that one." He says.
"You better not. I'll be the one in trouble. Your mum will give me an earful." I remind him.
He sticks out his tongue.
"Eh, not much time left. Let's go eat. I'm so hungry I can eat 2 bowls of fishball noodles." He shows two fingers in front of my face.
"Panapop? My treat." I remembered I wanted to reward him.
I can see his eyes glow.
Sometimes I feel he's really just a simple person.
~End of Chapter 2~
The sick bay is a small room at the corner of the admin block, and it is one of the few places that are air conditioned and accessible to students.
No wonder Joseph likes to come here, sometimes during recesses to enjoy the air conditioning, and sometimes faking illness to skip some periods he dislikes, especially E.Math and A.Math periods. This place is really comfortable. Even the old leathery sofa I'm sitting on is extra comfortable, and anytime I close my eyelids for more than a few seconds I'll doze off.
"Hey." Joseph makes a sound.
His face is not as pale as earlier.
"Sorry." I apologise to him. I feel I need to. For what, I do not know. Maybe for making him fulfill our promise when he's ill. Maybe for making that stupid promise in the first place.
He shows me his stupid grin and a face that says he already expected me to apologise.
Idiot.
"Hey. Why don't you go back to class first? I'll be fine after a nap." He says.
That, I absolutely believe. He has always been a fit and healthy person since I knew him, and every time he's down with an illness, he'll be fine after waking up from a sleep. Not only that, he has an indestructible stomach. He never ever suffers tummy aches from eating spoilt food, expired can food, bread with a little mould, etc. That, I'm amazed.
Also because of that, I'm strengthened in my belief that he is an alien.
Back in class, I sit on my seat which is next to the window and look out of it. The morning turned out to be very nice. Blue sky, a few clouds here and there.
It's only the third period of the day and I'm restless already. Two periods of E.Math earlier followed by another period of A.Math is really draining. I hate Wednesdays. I kind of suspect Joseph sort of timed his fever.
Though my eyes are on the whiteboard full of formulae, I'm not absorbing anything at all. This morning seems a little quiet.
"Where's Joseph? I'm not used to teaching your class without somebody asking me stupid questions. Too quiet suddenly." Mdm Lee turns around to ask our class halfway while scribbling some answers on the board. The whole class laughs.
She also notices the difference. Haha.
There are three things that Joseph does best in class, asking teachers stupid questions, sleeping, and doodling in his textbooks. These habits of his never change and they have been in him since the day I know him during Primary 3.
I remember when I was made to sit beside him then, I was utterly disgusted by his irresponsible behaviour. I didn't want to be his friend. And truthfully, nobody else wanted to be his friend too, because he was not only irresponsible but extremely naughty.
But he wasn't the only one friendless. I was too.
Back then, I was a shy and quiet person, never dared to voice out my opinions, always keeping them to myself. I was never proactive in finding friends and preferred to remain passive. I was never good at sports and was weak and skinny. And Primary school boys only make friends with the strongest, sportiest and coolest other boys.
Those kind like me? Targets for bullying and teasing.
Once when I was being bullied by four other bigger boys, Joseph happened to be nearby, and he fought with them. One against four.
In the end, both of us were beaten up.
"Why did you do that?" I asked him.
"Do what?" He asked back.
"Fight for me. It wasn't your concern and you wouldn't have gotten hurt if you didn't."
"Because you're my friend." He said, as a matter of factly.
"When did we become friends?" I couldn't recall.
"Since the day you sat beside me." As a matter of factly again.
And so after that day, the two friendless persons in Class 3-C became good friends. For the next 3 years in primary school, the both of us were always in the same class. After PSLE, we went to the same secondary school, and again are in the same class for 3 years. As if it's fated that we're to be classmates and good friends.
Four periods passed and the recess bell rings.
I stand up and begin walking towards the door and a person hits me at the back of my head. Very painful. I rub my head.
I don't even need to turn to see who he is. He always uses violent methods to let me know of his presence. Always.
"Going to eat without me?" It's Joseph. He looks like he never had a fever at all.
"When did you come back?"
"During the fourth period, when you were daydreaming. Thinking of me?" He laughs at his own words.
"You wish. Feeling better already?"
He shows me a thumbs up and a stupid grin. I feel his forehead. Normal.
Alien.
"Oh, Mdm Lee says we're to stay back after school today for a short while. She wants to return us the test paper we took last week." I tell him.
"I'm going to fail that one." He says.
"You better not. I'll be the one in trouble. Your mum will give me an earful." I remind him.
He sticks out his tongue.
"Eh, not much time left. Let's go eat. I'm so hungry I can eat 2 bowls of fishball noodles." He shows two fingers in front of my face.
"Panapop? My treat." I remembered I wanted to reward him.
I can see his eyes glow.
Sometimes I feel he's really just a simple person.
~End of Chapter 2~
Chapter 1 [Dylan and Joseph]
How I wish there're other seasons in this country. I'm sick of summer. Summer mornings are always hot, even after a cold shower, I'm still perspiring at my back. I'm really really sick of summer.
Maybe it's human tendency that one will grow sick of something that's always at one's side, that's always happening around oneself.
Will it be the same for the people around us? Will we grow sick of them eventually?
I think eventually we will, but that should be after many many things have happened.
At least for now, I'm not sick of anyone yet.
Maybe Joseph. Haha.
Speaking of that Joseph, isn't he supposed to be here like 7mins 54secs ago? The ride to school takes about 20 plus minutes and assembly starts at 7.30am sharp. Our discipline master has this favourite phrase which he always repeats during announcements after flag raising,
"On time is late!"
And so anyone who arrives on the dot will be considered latecomer as well.
Great, 1 more minute deducted from our countdown.
I look at my watch, 7.14am. Surely we'll be late again. We've already been late twice this term, twice last term, and every time it's because of him. One more time this term and it'll be detention for an entire week.
Stupid Joseph.
Stupid stupid stupid.
"Dylan! Hop on!" I hear him from afar, with the sound of his bicycle chain rattling.
As soon as his bicycle is in front of me, I place my right hand on his right shoulder and do a hop onto his rear wheel and my right foot steps on the 'stepping cylinder at the side of the wheel' (which I can never remember what it is called, though Joseph told me so many times before), in one smooth action.
It's really quite a stunt, but I manage to perfect it from all the practice I get every morning taking a ride from Joseph.
Standing at the back of the bicycle is the only time that I enjoy the summer mornings. The air rushing at me, cooling off the perspiration from my body, the things around me becoming a blur as if they are not at all important anymore.
Today, the air seems to be rushing stronger and the things around more blur, I think because Joseph is riding faster?
I look at him and see beads of perspiration at the back of his neck. He seems to be quite serious in wanting to get to school in time.
Weird.
There are not a lot of things in this universe that can get Joseph serious, and getting to school on time is definitely not one of them.
As I hold onto his shoulders, I've a slight feeling that his body temperature is a little higher than usual. Or is it because the rushing air is stronger and I'm colder?
"You don't have to go so fast." I say.
No reply. Maybe he didn't hear me.
"So why are you late this time?" I say louder.
"Forgot to set my alarm clock."
No apology. Not even apologetic. Why am I not surprised?
I guess after 7 years of being classmates and good friends, since Primary 3, nothing he can do will surprise me anymore.
Although initially he does, and once I believed that there are really aliens living on Earth, and Joseph must have came from some weird planet.
"What's the time now?" He asks.
"7.21."
No reply. Maybe he didn't hear me again.
Some minutes passed and I begin to see the school at a distance. I take a peek at my watch, 7.28am. Both of my hands start to pat him on his shoulder as if to tell him to go faster, that we're reaching. I guess he knows what I'm implying and he pedals faster.
I only realize now, that his whole back of his uniform is wet with perspiration and sticking to his body. I must remember to treat him his favourite Panapop ice-cream during recess for his effort and seriousness.
We reach the gate and I hop off the bicycle. I run towards the gate which the prefect is closing.
"Joseph! You hurry go lock your bicycle at the fence, I'll stall the prefect for some tim--" I didn't finish my sentence because I heard the sound of a bicycle fall.
I turn to see Joseph sitting on the road with his bicycle lying on its side. He is facing down, eyes closed, and has both hands on his head. He looks a bit pale from where I'm standing.
I run towards him and squat next to him. I touch his hand, very warm, and wet from perspiration. His face looks very pale and covered with beads of perspiration. I use my left hand to feel his forehead and my right hand to feel mine. He's burning. Why it didn't occur to me earlier that he's having a fever?
Suddenly, I feel ashamed of myself. I don't know why. But I'm ashamed of myself for not being able to detect his fever earlier.
Joseph opens his eyes, and points to my watch. 7.29am.
"I promised you that we'll not be late anymore for this term." He says, with his trademarked silly grin.
We did make such a promise.
Stupid boy.
Stupid stupid stupid.
~End of Chapter 1~
Maybe it's human tendency that one will grow sick of something that's always at one's side, that's always happening around oneself.
Will it be the same for the people around us? Will we grow sick of them eventually?
I think eventually we will, but that should be after many many things have happened.
At least for now, I'm not sick of anyone yet.
Maybe Joseph. Haha.
Speaking of that Joseph, isn't he supposed to be here like 7mins 54secs ago? The ride to school takes about 20 plus minutes and assembly starts at 7.30am sharp. Our discipline master has this favourite phrase which he always repeats during announcements after flag raising,
"On time is late!"
And so anyone who arrives on the dot will be considered latecomer as well.
Great, 1 more minute deducted from our countdown.
I look at my watch, 7.14am. Surely we'll be late again. We've already been late twice this term, twice last term, and every time it's because of him. One more time this term and it'll be detention for an entire week.
Stupid Joseph.
Stupid stupid stupid.
"Dylan! Hop on!" I hear him from afar, with the sound of his bicycle chain rattling.
As soon as his bicycle is in front of me, I place my right hand on his right shoulder and do a hop onto his rear wheel and my right foot steps on the 'stepping cylinder at the side of the wheel' (which I can never remember what it is called, though Joseph told me so many times before), in one smooth action.
It's really quite a stunt, but I manage to perfect it from all the practice I get every morning taking a ride from Joseph.
Standing at the back of the bicycle is the only time that I enjoy the summer mornings. The air rushing at me, cooling off the perspiration from my body, the things around me becoming a blur as if they are not at all important anymore.
Today, the air seems to be rushing stronger and the things around more blur, I think because Joseph is riding faster?
I look at him and see beads of perspiration at the back of his neck. He seems to be quite serious in wanting to get to school in time.
Weird.
There are not a lot of things in this universe that can get Joseph serious, and getting to school on time is definitely not one of them.
As I hold onto his shoulders, I've a slight feeling that his body temperature is a little higher than usual. Or is it because the rushing air is stronger and I'm colder?
"You don't have to go so fast." I say.
No reply. Maybe he didn't hear me.
"So why are you late this time?" I say louder.
"Forgot to set my alarm clock."
No apology. Not even apologetic. Why am I not surprised?
I guess after 7 years of being classmates and good friends, since Primary 3, nothing he can do will surprise me anymore.
Although initially he does, and once I believed that there are really aliens living on Earth, and Joseph must have came from some weird planet.
"What's the time now?" He asks.
"7.21."
No reply. Maybe he didn't hear me again.
Some minutes passed and I begin to see the school at a distance. I take a peek at my watch, 7.28am. Both of my hands start to pat him on his shoulder as if to tell him to go faster, that we're reaching. I guess he knows what I'm implying and he pedals faster.
I only realize now, that his whole back of his uniform is wet with perspiration and sticking to his body. I must remember to treat him his favourite Panapop ice-cream during recess for his effort and seriousness.
We reach the gate and I hop off the bicycle. I run towards the gate which the prefect is closing.
"Joseph! You hurry go lock your bicycle at the fence, I'll stall the prefect for some tim--" I didn't finish my sentence because I heard the sound of a bicycle fall.
I turn to see Joseph sitting on the road with his bicycle lying on its side. He is facing down, eyes closed, and has both hands on his head. He looks a bit pale from where I'm standing.
I run towards him and squat next to him. I touch his hand, very warm, and wet from perspiration. His face looks very pale and covered with beads of perspiration. I use my left hand to feel his forehead and my right hand to feel mine. He's burning. Why it didn't occur to me earlier that he's having a fever?
Suddenly, I feel ashamed of myself. I don't know why. But I'm ashamed of myself for not being able to detect his fever earlier.
Joseph opens his eyes, and points to my watch. 7.29am.
"I promised you that we'll not be late anymore for this term." He says, with his trademarked silly grin.
We did make such a promise.
Stupid boy.
Stupid stupid stupid.
~End of Chapter 1~
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