A year ago today (I can hear moans and groans and rotten tomatoes and eggs being thrown this direction-- NOT another one of her "a year ago" posts!)

Anyway, a year ago today I was freezing my butt off in Copenhagen, sipping champagne outside P's flat with J, N and P and watching an amazing display of fireworks right before our eyes (literally).

In less than 3 hours, I will be attending E's party and sampling the fruits of his legendary culinary skills. I am so looking foward to the party!

So... what plans do I have for 2006?

1) Lose weight.

2) Go to Melbourne!

3) Participate in Nanowrimo 2006

4) Love my job

5) Find meself a decent fella

6) Complete my personal development programme by end of 2006

Well... enough of all these resolutions.

Have a Wonderful  year ahead!

This post initially made its debut at my personal blog, where access is restricted to close friends. I am posting it up here for my own viewing pleasure. Should you come across this story, just bear in the mind the usual disclaimers: Characters and story line are strictly fictional. Any resemblance in real life is purely coincidence and I will not be responsible for any hurt/injury caused as a result of reading this story.

Now that the preliminaries have been dealt with, you may read this story at your own risk.

Rating: PG-Parental supervision required.

Karen sipped her soda in silence. Alicia told her something which totally threw her off balance.

"Owen's been seeing Uricka for over a year now. Did you know that?"

"No. It doesn't matter anyway. I've gotten over him now."

"But doesnt it bother you that he actually lied to you? That he proudly proclaimed that he was single and available? That he actually made advances on you and gave you hope?"

Of course it bothers me.

She needed an answer. So she called Owen up.

"Hey you havent called in a while," chirped Owen cheerfully.

"I've been busy." Karen wanted to say "I couldnt give a damn even if you were dead" but she wanted answers. And she needed to ask the correct question.

"So, I heard some things about you."

Owen got excited. "What?"

"That you're finally unavailable."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on. Everybody knows you've been seeing Uricka for over a year. Everyone except me."

"Where did that come from?"

Oh for f**k's sake.

"Owen, just be a man and admit it. Everybody knows already. You're the talk of the town."

And I am the class clown.

Silence ensued.

"You wanna go out for dinner?" he asked.

"No. I don't want to get too chummy with you and get slapped by somebody for no reason."

"Do you have to be like this?"

And she lost it.

"Yes! I am mad at you! You asked me to give you a chance. You asked me to get over my "hating men" phase and give you an opportunity. You gave me hope. When I asked you whether you were seeing anyone, you said no. All your friends knew you were dating her! And all of them kept quiet about it! What did you want from me, you bastard?"

Owen kept quiet.

"I just treated you as my friend, thats all."

"Go f**k yourself."

And she slammed the phone down.

What a crappy year, she thought to herself. First there was a guy who appeared out of nowhere, showered her with attention for one week and dissappeared. Then he made the occassional cameo appearance and expected her to be just as enthusiastic about him as he was about her.

Then Owen came in, pursuing her like a hot dog, encouraged by his friends, them knowing very well that he was going out with Uricka.

Karen felt sick.

Alicia patted her back.

"Time to join the pickled cucumber club love...."

Karen glanced at the shelves full of pickled "cucumbers". John's, Kian's, Wesley's...

Alicia drew out a marker and scribbled on a new jar.

"There you go."

It read: "Owen".

to be continued....

Continued from the last entry...

Karen looked at her watch. Alicia's words rung like church bells in her head.

"Get even, my dear. Let him know you're not the type to mess around with."

And so, heeding her ever so witty friend's advice, she graciously accepted Owen's invitation to dinner at Mackay's, his favourite restaurant.

He only goes there because the waitresses have 38C boobies and skirts so short they barely skim their butts.

As usual, Owen was late.

"Would you like another glass of warm water ma'am?" the waitress asked, her cleavage so deep it looked like she was going to bust out of her outfit any moment.

"No, thank you. I've had three glasses already. That should be sufficient."

Finally she spotted him in the distance.

"Darn, he IS good looking," she thought to herself. That was the exact reason why she fell for him in the first place.

He glided over to her table, flashing his megawatt smile as he hovered over her shoulder.

"I am so sorry to keep you waiting Karen, really. I had a meeting with my client earlier on, and he just won't stop talking!" Whatever...

The dinner went on rather uneventfully. Karen of course could not enjoy her meal as usual, partly because she still hated Owen's guts for two timing her (and being totally nonchalant about it) and partly because of her plans which she had in store for Owen.

In the car..

Karen touched Owen on his thighs.

"Come over to my place tonight", she whispered in his ear.

Owen could not resist. As long as he could remember he had never crossed the paremeter when it came to physical contact with Karen. She was always slow to warm up and he always ended up going home with an erection and no action.

Therefore without thinking twice he agreed. And conveniently forgot about the promise he made to Ulricka to meet up with her later that night.

At Karen's place...

If there was anything Karen was proud of, it was her bachelorette pad. A dwelling place of her own, bought using her hard earned savings and decorated according to her whims and fancy, it was her sanctuary, her nest, her home.

And tonight, she would give Owen a night to remember.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"Oh, I'll have a Scotch please."

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable in the living room while I take a shower," she smiled.

Owen felt a throb in his crotch.

"Ah, sure. Take your time."

There was an evil glint in her eye as Karen walked towards the mini bar in her apartment and poured a glass of Scotch for Owen. As he lazed in her couch, oblivious to the surroundings, she conveniently popped two sleeping pills into the drink and waited until the pills had dispersed.

"There you go Owen," she offered him the drink, coupled with her honey sweet voice.

Without second thoughts he wolved down the drink and smiled.

"Thanks Karen."

"I'll be right back," she smiled back, teased his greasy hair and went into the bathroom.

Owen could not believe his luck. Sure he believed that things were going well for him and Ulricka, but being a Catholic, there was no way he was going to get any closer to her before they tied the knot. Now he finally had the chance... even though it was clearly a two-timing act.

He felt his head getting heavier by the minute, although he was too overcome by lust to think any further.

I must have drunk too much, he though to himself, and before he knew it, he had lost consciousness and dropped on the floor with a loud thud.

Karen saw her chance. Without wasting any time she called up Alicia.

"He's passed out! Request for assistance!"

Within minutes Alicia arrived at her apartment with Gordon, her gay confidante.

"Oh isn't he a hottie?" Gordon exclaimed.

"Hush Gordie, you can have him later. Let us have some fun first."

"Aww man, why do I always get the leftovers? stamped Gordon.

Gordon was a personal trainer and in no time, he'd lifted Owen on Karen's four-poster bed. Gordon licked his lips as he tied Owen on all fours to the sides of the bed.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gordon asked.

"Look he may be good looking but he's an arse anyway. Besides, this won't hurt him a bit so relax. You can have him to yourself later."

Alicia opened up her backpack of goodies.

Video cam, bottle of pickles with Owen's name, anasthetic solution, needles, corn syrup mixed with red colouring,ice cubes, knifes. etc...

And they were all set to scare the living daylights out of Owen.30 minutes later...

Owen squinted his eyes and slowly opened his eyes.

And he saw three persons hovering over him. They were wearing white gowns had surgical masks over their faces.

He tried to move. But he couldn't. He felt numbness waist down and when he looked to his left and right, he saw that his hands were bound to the bed. He struggled.

"Now now, calm down love," Gordon cackled in his high pitched voice. "This will only take a while. Relax!"

And he proceeded to sharpen the knives in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Owen screamed.

"Relax love. This won't hurt one bit."

And he started massaging Owen's nether regions.

Owen screamed and tried to break free.

Gordon was having the time of his life. Here was a hot guy, totally at his disposal. Initially, Alicia had suggested to Karen that she did the "honours", but Karen freaked out and decided against it.

"Ah, delicious," mumbled Gordon. He stared to roll an ice cube over Owen's genital areas.

Alicia positioned the video carefully, trying hard not to giggle in the process.

Gordon ran his fingers over Owen's thighs.

"Hottie we have here. Mmmm!"

Owen's face was as pale as a sheet as he screamed his lungs out.

Karen could not wait any longer. Clad in a white coat and surgical mask, she walked up to him and slapped

him continuously.

"WHOSE YOUR MOMMY NOW?" she growled.

"Who are you?" Owen demanded, albeit in a weak voice.

"Shut up. This is what happens to guys who try to be Casanova!", she growled.

Gordon was having the time of his life. He started going trigger happy and sharpened the knives even harder, making a screeching sound.

"I like my cucumbers spicy and nice, I like my cucumbers spicy and nice."

And finally, he rolled the ice cube over Owen's p**** and roared in laughter. Quickly he dipped the knives in the corn syrup and laughed.

Owen was tired from screaming and could only make whining sounds. He had no idea what was going own in his nether regions, as the wicked trio had cleverly put up a veil over his waist.

Gordon jumped in joy as he gleefully spluttered corn syrup all over the veil.

And he triumphantly displayed the bottle of pickled cucumber in front of Owen with his left hand, while his right hand grabbed the two knives splattered in blood.

"Isn't it a beauty? Now you won't need to worry about "entry" anymore? Buahahaha! That wasn't too difficult, was it?"

Owen saw the blood stained veil, stared at the bottle of pickled cucumber, felt numbness in his crotch, stared at the "blood stained" knife, managed one last feeble scream and passed out.

***

Two weeks later...

Owen was dumped by Ulricka, who received a CD compilation of the events that took place that night. The cover of the CD read " To Ulricka with love, my honest tribute to you from Owen". Needless to say, the aftermath of him passing out was of course, the deflowering ceremony by Gordon. And until today, he still has no idea why he had piles after that evening.

Karen managed to meet up one of Gordon's straight friends not long after the incident. She still keeps the bottle of pickled cucumbers in her closet, lest he two times her again and she would need to change the label to read whatever the unfortunate soul's name was.

The End...

Chapter 7: A story untold

 

"Hi Mommy", Freda hugged her mother as she got off the platform. Mrs. Gee looked as radiant as ever. She lovingly gazed at her daughter, her heart aching as she saw how tired and sad Freda had become.

 

"Lets go for some tea honey. You look really tired."

 

At the coffee house, both mother and daughter looked into their cups, stirring furiously, not saying a word.

 

Finally Freda broke the ice.

 

"Mom, Toby proposed."

"Really? Well its about time now isn't it? You've been engaged long enough already. I wonder what took him so long to ask."

"I won't actually say he was asking me, I would rather think of it as a directive/order from his parents. He asked me to read a pre-nuptial agreement a few days back told me to sign it since he won't be negotiating the terms with me anymore."

"So did you sign it honey?"

"No Mom. I am not sure if I actually want to marry him. I mean, I wasted 5 years for daddy. I am not sure if I actually want to do it anymore."

"Sighs. I would have thought that the both of you would have fallen in love with each other already after 5 years."

"There is no love Mommy. You know that. We did it out of family obligation. I mean, come on. We may be staying under one roof but we have separate rooms. We lead our own separate lives. This is how we have been living for the past 5 years. You don't know because you never visited us. All these years… you and daddy have never visited us. Don't you even care?"

 

"Honey, I am really sorry. I didn't know that it would be so difficult for you. Honestly."

"No Mom, you didn't want to know. I gave up everything for this family. My life, my dreams, my hopes. To be engaged to a guy who does not even care whether I am dead or alive. Why?"

 

Her mother looked very shaken at this point. Her lips quivered.

 

"Freda, you are not the only one who had to give up everything for this family. It runs in the family ok? So before you start feeling sorry for yourself why don't you think about what I had to do for this family?"

 

And tears welled up in her eyes.

 

Freda was a bit taken aback. She did not expect her mother to react this way. So she toned down her voice.

"I'm sorry Mom. But if you want me to understand your situation, you have to let me know. I can't keep on making guesswork you know."

 

And Mrs. Gee sighed.

 

"I was dating my high school sweetheart for a year, and we were planning on getting married. Your grandfather was a very prominent person in town, monopolizing the transport system as well as the textile industry. Your father was the most eligible bachelor in town and there were girls queuing up just to catch a glimpse of him. It was amazing.

 

For some strange reason, your father took a liking to me and being the spoilt brat he was, he asked his father, your grandfather for help.

 

"So what did granddad do?"

 

"He did what he does best, honey. Extortion. He threatened to shut down my father's business if I did not agree to marry his son. To make things worse… he insisted that my sweetheart be relocated to another town or he would get rid of his family once and for all.

 

With his financial power and influence in the community, there really wasn't much choice for us. Of course, being young and gutsy, I did try to retaliate. So I ran away from home."

 

Freda listened in disbelief. At this day and age… such things actually happened…

 

Mrs Gee cleared her throat and continued.

 

"Anyway, my sweetheart and myself ran away for about a year. We were hunted high and low, my parents were threatened with death threats every other day. Amidst all the running and escape, I fell pregnant.

 

A baby boy was born to us and we hid in the stables of a kind couple. It was very difficult as I did was not nourished enough to give the baby breastmilk..the poor baby was crying his lungs out.

 

My sweetheart had also become quite weak with all the running. We were both tired and had a baby to feed… we just could not take it anymore."

 

And then she started to cry.

 

"I would always remember the day when you father's men discovered us in the stables. The baby, who would have been your brother now if he was alive, was snatched cruelly from my arms. I was very weak and could not do anything as he was snatched away. They dragged my sweetheart and shot him to his death outside."

 

"Where's the baby now mom?"

 

"I don't know. For so many years I tried to track him down, asking around anybody who would know about his whereabouts. I am really certain that he is alive, and he must be here somewhere. I can feel it."

 

"I am so sorry mommy. I never knew… How could you marry daddy?"

 

"I had no choice. I was at my wit's end. My lover was killed in front of my eyes, my parents suffered psychological harm as a result of the threats, and there was only one thing I could do to stop all this madness. So I surrendered and I married him."

 

"Don't you hate him for doing this to you?"

 

"Yes I do. But after you were born, the hatred subsided. You reminded me so much of myself, a kind and gentle girl who would do anything to please her parents. You know… there was a reason why I chose to send you away when you were 16. I wanted you to get away from it all. I didn't want you to go through what I had gone through."

 

"Mom, if it is bound to happen, nothing can stop it."

 

By this time, both mother and daughter were sobbing uncontrollably. Both were sufferers of  ill fate. Both had lost their true love. Only in Mrs Gee's case, she had lost her son as well.

 

Or had she? Only the heavenly stars above could tell.

 

It was an afternoon of confessions and stories untold. Tears were shed, mistakes forgiven, severed ties rebuilt. It was time for Freda to make a decision.

 

"I know what I should do now, Mom."

 

"Yes… this is your life. We should not be telling you what to do. Your daddy has made us suffered enough. I am old. But you are still young, my dear. You must do something for yourself."

Chapter 6: The Proposal and a sea of memories

 

“Have you read the pre-nup Freda?” Toby growled.

“Nope. Why?”

“Well Mom thinks its about time we wrapped up the marriage thingy. We’ve been engaged for 5 years anyway. Time to do something about it. You’re not getting any younger.”

Freda could not believe her ears. Was this Toby’s idea of a proposal for marriage? If it was, it made her feel sick. She was already a prisoner in this house for the past 5 years. Technically, they were engaged, but only on paper. Not one day has passed by where she wished she was never engaged to Toby. She did it for her family, so did he. But there was no love. Nothing at all. She had tried for 5 years. But it did not work.

 

“You better read the pre-nup. If you’re happy with it then just sign on page 10 at the bottom. No further negotiations, just in case you were wondering.”

 

So this was what it was all about then. A marriage proposal which came 5 years later. The tone of his voice was cold as ice. You would usually shake your client’s hand after the successful conclusion of a contract. But in this instant, there were only cold words and a 10 page pre-nuptial agreement to declare his intentions.

 

Freda felt totally disgusted at his proposal. She felt herself tearing apart inside. The years of frustration, her trying hard to suppress her emotions at bay, her numerous attempts to forget the beautiful love story she had so painstakingly built up with the one and only love of her life, all came crashing down on her. She could not take it anymore.

 

Freda slumped into a chair, memories flooding back into her head… as if everything happened only yesterday…

 

She recalled the day when she was summoned into her father’s chambers where he would decide her fate. She was then very much in love with Hayden, someone who totally changed her life forever. They were planning to get married, have children, basically spending the rest of their lives together. He had totally swept her away with his charm. Basically they were totally smitten with each other.

 

She would remember the day that her dad spelt out her fate for her.

“Darling, I hope you can understand what daddy is asking you to do. I am now heavily debt ridden and there is only one person who can help me get through this crisis. I had no choice but to ask Uncle Kelp for help.

The only way we can do this, is to announce an engagement between you and Toby. Although I am still in financial difficulties, by announcing your engagement, we would be able to boost the shares in Kelp Inc. He would then use the proceeds to help me out. That’s the plan.

 

“Daddy, how about Hayden?”

 

“Honey, you have got to help me here. There is nobody else who can do this now. I am now hiding my legacy of bad debts behind a good name. Hayden can’t help me get through this crisis. Only Uncle Kelp can do that.”

 

“Daddy…”

 

“No buts.. Honey. You are the angel of my heart. I would never do anything to hurt you. But this time round, I really, really need your help. I know what I am asking of you is very unreasonable. But Toby is not a bad boy I assure you. And this is just going to be a temporary thing I promise you. We can call off the engagement about a year later, when my finances have restored.”

 

Freda was terribly distraught.. she made a choice which she prayed that nobody in their life ever had to make.

 

It was with much reluctance and heartache that she forced herself to tell Hayden a lie so that he could forget about her. Like a piercing knife through her heart, she broke the news to him when they were supposed to leave for a holiday to Europe. She left him a message at the hotel, packed her bags and quietly went to Victoria Station.

 

Hayden, upon receiving the message had rushed to Heathrow airport looking in vain for her, thinking that she had caught the next flight home. His search was to no avail. He even went to King’s Cross to check whether she was on the last train back to Newcastle. For the whole evening he took the tube, searching for her, his heart sinking every second as he realized that he would lost her forever.

 

Freda stared at her phone at Victoria Station, tears falling down from her eyes as she thought of the cruel choice she had to make. She knew that given the state of their relationship, there was no way she could tell him in the face that she was getting engaged to someone else just so that she could save her dad’s business. She was not strong enough to face him that way.

 

So she chose to run away from it all and accept her fate.

 

Therefore, it was with much reluctance and bitterness that she acceded to her father’s request and got engaged to Toby. The engagement party was a masquerade, to mask the last heartbeats of her father’s once booming empire. She was dressed to the nines, to present what was to her a mere façade of a happy couple to the media. Her heart bled as she shook hands with the distinguished guests, each of them congratulating her in return. She felt no reason to be happy, yet she had to force herself to put up a megawatt smile. The show had to go on. For the entire evening, Toby did not even look at her. They knew each other as friends, but neither of them had ever imagined that they would end up engaged to each other under such circumstances. It was a merger of two empires at the expense of the happiness of both Toby and Freda.

 

For five years she had stayed under one roof with a man whom she could not bring herself to love. Looking back, she wondered how she did it in the first place… not one day went by where she did not think of Hayden and the children that they were never going to have.

 

And now… after five years… was she going to stay put and accept what has been bestowed upon her? Was she going to waste another 5 years? Most importantly, did she want to continue living like this?

 

With a heavy sigh, Freda got up went into her room. She walked towards the safe which she kept all her prized possessions, locked by a combination number so long and complicated that sometimes she confused herself while trying to open the safe.

 

She retrieved a thick journal from the safe, looked at it adoringly started to leaf through the pages.

 

A random entry in her diary made her eyes well up in tears. This was written the day after she left on a jetplane while he traveled to Europe alone, his heart broken into a thousand pieces.

 

Dear Hayden,

Here I am at Heathrow airport writing this to you. The past one year had been such a wonderful one. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that both of us would cross paths.

I still remember the day when I first saw you at the union. You were quiet, as if there were a thousand thoughts going on in your mind.

 

Walking down with you along River Tyne in November was fantastic. Never would I have ever imagined that you would ask me out. My heart was leaping with joy… and I really really had a good time.

 

Being in your arms on a cold winter evening in early December, where you kindly took off your jacket and wrapped it around me really warmed my heart. It was also the day when we officially started dating. The lovely flowers, your warm hands, your strong shoulders… every single detail seems so clear in my mind.

 

We spent our first Christmas together, roasting turkey, sipping rose wine, eating minced pies…those were really happy times.

 

Our weekend trips down to Whitley Bay, sharing tv dinners, going for movies… etc… every single thing that we did together, be it a simple chore or a trip to get away from it all, was magical. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.

 

And so did you too.

 

I prayed so hard that you would be accepted into your new job. I prayed that we would have many more Christmases together, I prayed so hard for us.

 

But, perhaps, my prayers were not heard, or I did not pray hard enough.

 

I pray that no one, no one in this world, especially those who are so deeply in love would ever have to make such a decision. It is so cruel, so cruel.

 

Daddy is in trouble. We are going to lose everything. Only Uncle Kelp can help us. Oh but why does it have to be me who is going to be sacrificed?

 

Why is it that I always have to be at the frontline?

 

Why?

 

Why?

 

My heart is aching.. its as if there are a thousand knives piercing me continuously, and it will not stop. It bleeds, blood dripping slowly, steadily, drip by drip, each drip reminding me of every moment that we spent together.

 

Forgive me my dear Hayden. For I must leave you… I know there is no way you are going to agree to my sacrifice if I see you in person. I know you too well… you would not let me go. My family needs my help.. if this is the one thing I can do to save daddy.. I don’t think I have a choice.

 

But it hurts so much, I feel as if the skies are crumbling down…

 

I know perhaps, you will never forgive me. I can only ask that you lead a better life, perhaps one which is not based on business relationships and exchange of contracts. I am but just another chess piece in my father’s life. It is so sad, but it is my destiny.

 

My heart will always be with you.

 

Love always

Freda.

 

And she sobbed uncontrollably, tears rolling down from her eyes, falling onto the diary page in the progress. She had tried so hard to suppress her feelings all these years, her duty towards her family taking precedence over her personal feelings. She had to do it.. she had no choice.

 

For so many years, she tried to find out where Hayden was, to no avail. It was as if he had disappeared from the face of this earth.

 

Her heart ached as this part of her history resurfaced. It was something so painful, she wished she could forget.

 

But, like many things in life, some things are not meant to be forgotten.

 

She closed her diary. “No use mulling over the past”, she thought to herself.

 

Then she suddenly thought of her mother. She had not talked to her in weeks… she wondered how her mother was. She remembered when she cried her heart out over her father’s draconian decision, her mother comforted her by saying,

 

“My dear girl, when you were born into this family, you were born with a responsibility even heavier than that of an average person. It is with this duty that you must obey your father’s wishes…as much as it hurts, it is only by obeying him, that you can fulfil your obligations. We do not have a choice. Cry, cry your heart out. Let the tears wash away your frustration. Let your soul be cleansed. And accept your fate, and move on.”

 

She picked up the phone and called her mother.

 

“Mom? Could we meet up somewhere this weekend? I haven’t talked to you in a while”

“Yeah sure. I’ll meet you at the train station.”

 

And so she packed her bags, took her diary with her and left a short note for Toby telling him that she would be back after a few days.

Chapter 5. The beginning of it all

 

“It was back in December 1995, when I would leave home for the first time. I was offered a scholarship to continue my studies in another high school. My mother thought that I needed a change of environment… a new school, new friends. Of course my then headmaster wasn’t too happy about it… he was far from happy. After all, he was losing one of his good students to another school. And he knew the reason why I wanted to leave. I was angry with the system, unsatisfied, etc. I wanted to leave.

 

It was with that frame of mind that I packed my bags, said goodbye to my family, my piano and everything else. Left on a jetplane with hopes, aspirations and dreams.

 

The school was absolutely beautiful. Lush greenery, quaint old style British buildings, students dressed in white uniforms… I was absolutely thrilled to be part of this new big family. I was excited, thrilled… I wanted to explore.

 

It was in this beautiful school, that I would meet him for the first time.”

 

“Who?” Lynnette asked eagerly.

 

“Jason. The smartest, cutest guy in the school. I never met anyone quite like him. He totally blew me away. I met him for the first time in the school music room. He was playing William Sinding’s “Rustle of Spring.”

 

“Do you play the piano?”

 

“Yes I do actually. But since I got engaged to Toby I haven’t played much. Even the Wagner sitting out there didn’t seem to relive my interest in the piano. Perhaps because music used to be such an integral part of my life, when I lost my one true love, that part of me vanished as well. Toby never is much of  a music fan anyway. It’s a pity though.. perhaps he would have been a much happier person had he actually slowed down to listen to real music… and not all that crappy heavy metal stuff..”

 

“Forget about him. Lets continue with Jason. So what did you do to him?”

 

Freda looked gobsmacked. “I never did anything to him, honestly.” (with an evil glint in her eyes)

“Yeah right. I don’t freaking believe you.”

 

“Anyway, here’s what happened.” And she took a sip of her coffee. “I had to find out when he would be at the practice room. So I observed him for a week.”

“Stalker!” chuckled Lynette.

“I managed to observe that he usually practices piano every Wednesday. So after “stalking” him for three weeks I decided to make a move.”

 

“Man Fred you sure have some guts in you. Quick, out with the juicy bits. What did you do?”

 

“I played William Sinding’s Rustle of Spring. Hehe… I managed to beat him to it. He usually starts practicing at 2.30pm, so I was sitting in the room like nobody’s business at 2pm. Needless to say, he was pretty confused when he came to the music room and there I was, playing the song that he always played. I bet he felt as if he had been dethroned.”

 

“So what happened next?”

 

“He came to me and said: ‘ Lady, I think you’re in the wrong place here’. So I stopped playing and looked at him. Man was he cute. He looked annoyed, but he was cute. And I could not resist looking at him. I think he was a bit taken aback by me staring at him, he got a bit panicky.”

 

“Bullshit. I don’t believe you actually looked at him that way. I mean, if you were a guy and she was the annoyed gal,  that probably might have been the case. It doesn’t sound right at all.”

 

“You can choose to believe it if you want to. Do you want me to continue or not?”

 

“Yeah sure.”

 

“I apologized to him and took the opportunity to introduce myself. Of course he took it rather coldly.. I would probably have done the same if my hot seat was taken over by some freaky stranger. I tried to strike up a conversation with him. But it didn’t work until a few weeks later.”

 

“Boy did he give you the cold shoulder.”

 

Freda smiled. Clicking on the laptop, a picture of a young handsome man appeared.

 

“Oh my God. Is that him?” asked Lynette, clearly smitten by the picture.

 

“Yeah. That’s him. He’s really good looking isn’t he?”

 

“Drop dead gorgeous man! Wow! Ok ok.. continue your story. So what happened? For goodness sake I wish you’d go faster with your story you know. No offence Fred but at this speed we’re moving, I’d be making a date with Dreamland very soon.”

 

“Right. So it happened on a rainy night…”

“Ah. That’s better.”

 

“I was supposed to go out with a few friends that night. You have absolutely no idea how its like to stay in the school hostel girl. It is literally a prison in there. Forms have to be filled a week in advance before you can get it approved for you to leave the school compound. So yeah, it was my night out in weeks.”

 

“So, did you go out with him?”

 

“Nope. Let me finish my story first yeah?”

 

“So I went out with a few friends for some food and we were having a good time.. when I saw him. He was with a group of friends as well. At this stage of our friendship, it was considered pretty civil… nothing happening yet, but at least he was not as hostile in comparison to the first time we met.”

 

“Well I was with my group of friends and so was he. So the most we did was to exchange a few glances. I was having my favourite duck noodles but honestly, I wasn’t really paying attention to my food. Guess my friends kinda knew how I felt then. They were elbowing each other like mad and suddenly decided to leave me one by one.”

 

“Hahahahahahahha. So they left you in the lurch now did they?”

 

“Well that was not the worst part. It was as if Jason’s friends could read my mind as well. They attacked their food as if there was no tomorrow and quickly left the table. Then it was just him on one table and me on the other. How strange.”

 

“Oh cut the crap Fred. What did he do?”

 

“Coming to it already. Will you be patient?” Freda smiled. “So he came over to my table with his half eaten noodles and sat next to me. I didn’t think much about it, guess he just wasn’t the type who liked eating alone.”

 

“My arse. I bet he was already smitten with you. I mean, surely all guys do things for a purpose?”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

“We started chatting. Evidently, the noodles wasn’t the main thing that was on my mind… I was more interested in what he was going to talk to me about.”

 

I can still remember that conversation.

“You know, I am still a bit surprised at how well you played William Sinding’s Rustle of Spring. I have been practising for ages and I can’t seem to grasp the song right. It is really frustrating at times. Maybe that’s why I was a bit hostile to you when I saw you in that music room. I mean, you were a new kid on the block and there you are, playing my favourite song. I know I shouldn’t have snapped at you, but that song really means a lot to me.

 

So I kept quiet, nodding my head and nibbling at my noodles. Clearly, he really had something to say. And it wasn’t just a few grunts of displeasure.

 

He sighed.

“My mom taught me how to play this song. It was kind of like a family thing.. her mother taught her to play the song, and because I was an only child and I was a boy, she didn’t have a choice but to teach me how to play it. I still remembered her words… play this song, boy, and master it. In time, when you find your one true love and have children of your own, teach them again this beautiful song. It brings us hope, it teaches us how wonderful life is. With the first signs of spring, comes eternal hope. Every new bud that comes to life… is a miracle.”

 

“Wow… you must be really close to her Jason.”

 

Then as if he had a lump in his throat, his voice started to change.

 

“She’s been gone for almost 6 months now. I miss her so much.”

 

I felt a bit taken aback. No wonder he was so upset and cold when I first played that song. It was his mother’s song and probably.. that song kept him going.

 

“How… how did she…”

 

“Die, you mean? She was killed in a freak accident.”

 

“I’m so sorry Jason. I never knew.”

 

“Well, nobody knows except a few guys in class. I just couldn’t repeat the same story over and over and over again. Its absolutely crazy. I well, I really can’t take it.

 

For some weird reason, I actually gave him a pat on his back, telling him that it was ok and I understood how it was like to lost someone close.

 

“I remembered when she was lying on the bed, barely surviving, with tubes and all… I played Rustle of Spring and recorded it down. Then I went to the hospital and played it on a walkman for her to listen.”

 

Freda paused for a moment..

 

“And I whispered softly into her ear: “Mommy, can you hear this song? Its our song. You must be strong.. you must try to overcome the pain and suffering. I need you. Daddy needs you. We all need you. I know I can’t play this song as well as you do, mommy… please give me a chance to practice and play it better for you.”

 

“But she could not pull through.”

 

‘And then the sky started to drizzle. It was as if the heavens above were mourning for him, albeit a few months later. So we both took cover inside the interior of a shop. What started off as a drizzle turned out to be a torrential downpour.. and there we were standing in front of the shop, at a lost as to what to do. We both had curfews and it was exactly half an hour before our time was up. The moment time’s up, school gates would close. The hostel warden, Mrs. “Adam’s family” as we call her (she had an uncanny resemblance with Angelica Houston), would be standing out there in her black and white spotted shower cap, thick glasses and hideous pyjamas.’

 

At this point Lynette burst into peals of laughter.

 

Freda laughed and continued.

 

‘Anyway, the shopowner was kind enough to borrow us an umbrella. Guess he must have read my mind as well! Getting an earful from Mrs “Adam’s family” is really bad on a clear day, let alone when its raining cats and dogs.’

 

‘So we shared the umbrella and walked home. Honestly, it was one of the best walks I ever had in my life. There he was, next to me, holding the umbrella as we walked back slowly to the school. I did not know what to say at that moment in time, as I did not want to agitate him further on the recent demise of his mother. Hundreds of thoughts raced in my mind as we walked back. It made sense at that point, why he was so sensitive and hostile when I played his song. This was the one and only way he could be constantly reminded of his mother. And I had taken it away from him that day.’

 

‘So I apologized.’

 

“I am sorry that I played your song. I really did not know how much this song means to you.

“No… please don’t apologize. The only reason I felt so strongly about it, was because, well…”

“Yeah?”

“You played it just like my mother did. And I was shocked when I first heard it. Perhaps you were not aware… I was standing at the door while you were playing.. and I had mixed emotions at that point. You don’t know how long it has been since I heard my mom playing the piano… and I suddenly thought it was her sitting there, playing our family song. The song which is so familiar to me.., at the same time, I was jealous… jealous that someone could play so well, someone who could play better than I did.

 

I saw another side of Jason which I never knew I would that night. As much as his good looks intrigued me, this was one side of him which I never knew existed. The sadness in his eyes was indeed, heartbreaking so to say the least. Evidently he was still very much in grief over the passing of his mother and he could only seek solace in the song which she always played to him.

 

Before we knew it we had reached the entrance to the girl’s hostel.

 

“Oooh… this is the juicy part!” screamed Lynette.

 

So I thanked him for sending me back and reminded him to return the umbrella to the kind shopkeeper.

I was about to turn away and walk into the hostel when I felt a grip on my arm. So I turned back to look at him and he gave me a quick peck on my cheek.

That really took me off guard because never would I have ever expected that he would do something as drastic as that.

 

“So, so..what happened after that then?”

 

“I dashed back into the hostel, dropped my keys in the process, picked them up again and rushed back into the hostel before I could do or say anything stupid. Man. What a night.”

 

“My goodness. You are telling me that the guy of your dreams pecked you on the cheek and all you could do was to run back into the hostel like a headless chicken? What’s wrong with you Fred?”

 

“Nah… I guess at that age, no matter how calm and cool you usually are, you would still be at a lost for words when something like that happens to you. Seriously.

 

“Oh well. So much for a rainy night experience man. You must have freaked the poor boy out. I bet he never talked to you again.”

 

“Well, we did not talk a lot after that. Maybe it was because both of us were confused as to what actually happened that night. I didn’t want to bring the topic up lest he thought I was interested in him (which I was) and he didn’t want to bring up the topic either for fear of causing even more embarrassment to himself. But we did see each other once a week in the practice room. I needed to practice for my piano exams as well, so I had a good reason to be there. But I never did play the Rustle of Spring again. I was worried that it would trigger yet another series of eerie events.

“So did anything happen or not?”

 

“I would have hoped for something to happen I guess, but unfortunately, you have to believe in the power of fate. Whatever is destined for you, will be for you. Whatever is not, will never be yours. Guess the both of us were too headstrong and proud to admit that we actually did have some kind of feeling for each other, and since neither one of us took the initiative to say it out aloud, the thoughts remained only in our hearts and heads.

 

Soon thereafter, the pilot program which I and my other classmates were involved in proved to be a failure. The school board decided to withdraw funds and that meant that if we wanted to continue studying at the school, we had to pay our own way. In fact, we were even required to repay the allowances we had used up during our first 6 months of classes, but the headmaster, who was the head of the program managed to convince the school board not to recover the amount from us.

 

We were in a state of distress as you could imagine, all 7 of us not knowing what to do next. We had tried our best to adjust to the stringent requirements of the program, working hard to achieve the targeted results… but it is a bilateral problem. There were insufficient teachers, and those who taught, were either very new, or part timers or those who could not be bothered. Therefore I had to train myself to self study at an age when students were expected to be spoon fed with information.

 

Jason was not one of the students involved in the pilot program so he was unaffected. By the end of the 9^th month I knew that our class was going to be dissolved and we would have to either join the normal stream classes or return to our respective schools. The pilot program was declared unsuccessful.

 

Sad as I was, and after much discussion, I knew that I could not go back to my old school. I was a very headstrong girl then and I could not swallow my pride to go back to the place which I had so eagerly left. I had two more years of high school to finish and I was not about to spend it at a place where I would be used as a promotional tool for the school, participating in debates and stuff. I already had enough of that.

 

I was lucky to be recommended to another school which was about 2 hours’ drive from the school which I was studying in, and proceeded to arrange for a transfer. It was very very sad. The 7 of us were deeply distraught over what had happened… and some of us felt as if we had been cheated into this program. I did not think of it that way simply because I knew that I had made a choice. And where you make a choice, there are consequences to bear, both good and bad. Now the time has come and we have to leave.

 

Things happened so fast that I did not even have the opportunity to say goodbye to Jason. I knew he must be pretty confused about it, although I did ask one of the guys in his class to tell him that I had to leave the school because the pilot program was closed and I had no other choice. I was not ready to switch to other streams at that time because I naively and honestly believed that I had the ability to be one of the best. It is rather ironic because I ended up doing something else unrelated anyway.

 

“So basically nothing happened between you and Jason?”

 

“There just wasn’t time for anything to happen at all.”

 

“Where is he now?”

 

“Last I heard, he got a PHD and got married. Good for him then.”

 

“Awww, that sucks. Never mind…” Lynette looked at her watch. “Oh holy smokes! I gotta get some sleep man. See you around Fred. Maybe we can continue your story sometime this week?”

 

“That is, if I feel like sharing when the time comes,” smiled Fred with an evil glint in her eye.