"Zai San De Xie Hou Hui Ling Shi Jie Ting Dun, Hai Shi Yi Wei Zhe Yuan Fen De Kai Shi?"
Chapter 5
Fang Qi wandered around aimlessly until she came to a crowded café. The quaint décor attracted her inside but it was so packed with patrons that the waitress had to usher her outdoors. She asked if she mind sharing a table with others. “Iya heck la, my legs are so tired, whatever la,” she thought to herself and allowed herself to be led to a table already occupied by two guys.
Wei Lian and Jason were deep in conversation when Fang Qi appeared at their table. The waitress asked them if they mind sharing their table. Before they could even respond, Fang Qi had already plonked herself down on the empty seat and started flipping the menu. Jason glared at her then turned to Wei Lian, who had a puzzled look on his face. They were both thinking that this girl is really quite rude but decided to just ignore her.
Wei Lian had just finished his performance at the café and was sharing a chat with Jason and reminiscing about the past and the things that they had enjoyed doing. All of a sudden, they were reminded of Cherie again. Jason and Wei Lian both smiled. But their smiles were that of pain and sadness. Jason’s smile was more obvious than Wei Lian’s as Wei Lian did not want Jason to find out about his feelings for Cherie. He was already so used to bottling all his feelings within himself.
All this while, Fang Qi was listening in to their conversation. She couldn’t help it because they were talking quite loudly. In their momentary pause, she looked up and saw their pained smiles; she couldn’t help interrupting their conversation while still scribbling away furiously on the lottery paper the lucky numbers she was going to buy.
“Wah, mister, why are you looking more miserable than the other guy who loves the girl? Actually it is you who love the girl a lot right?” she gestured at Wei Lian. She had caught the look of tremendous pain in his eyes from a brief glance. Jason and Wei Lian were both stunned by the sudden intrusion.
Jason looked up at the girl with curiosity and was stumped by the stack of lottery papers and numbers scribbled on pieces of blank paper all over the table. Wah big time gambler ah? He thought. She was nibbling playfully at the top of the pen she was holding. She took a sip of her iced fruit tea and slammed the glass back onto the glass table with a loud clank.
Wei Lian, being unable to see, kept mum right from the start. He was angry that someone he didn’t know could actually see through him. He somehow felt uncomfortable with the girl’s remarks and wanted to get out of the café very badly.
As he awkwardly stood up suddenly, just as the girl was putting down her glass, his glass of milk tea overturned and the tea spilt onto the front of his shirt. Jason being the normally jovial and good-tempered guy finally snapped and told the girl off.
She had not only interrupted their chat but also upset the glass of milk tea. “Eh, Miss. Miss Gambler ah, don’t you think you should apologize ah?” Not knowing her name, Jason took the opportunity to take a dig at her. The girl ignored him and continued doing her stuff---shading the number combinations off the pieces of crisp betting paper. Jason fumed.
“Wei Lian, eh, you okay?” Jason passed him some tissues. “I ya, okay la, nothing much la.” Wei Lian said as he wiped away the drops of cold milk tea on his hand. But he was thinking to himself, “This girl is damn rude man. Better don’t let me run into her again…”
Two days later, Wei Lian was back at the same café whiling his time away before his next performance at Jose’s Place Café. He was enjoying his time alone when someone just plonked down next to him in the tiny booth he was occupying.
“Eh? You again ah! Sorry ah…” the girl exclaimed and trailed off. All Wei Lian could hear was ruffling of paper and sounds of pencil against the paper.
“Not again.” he thought. How many times is he going to meet this clumsy and rude girl? This time round, WL prepared himself well. He quickly held on to his glass of drink and removed all his stuff from the table in case she dirties them again.
Luckily this time he was unscathed, and he left without a word when it was time for him to go. The girl was too pre-occupied with her betting slips and did not even notice his departure.
On the way to Jose’s Place Café, Wei Lian received a call from a close friend of theirs. Cherie is coming back. This friend happened to bump into Cherie’s mother recently and found out. She hasn’t called them yet. Is she still thinking of Jason or is she just afraid of meeting him again? He does not know. Yet he could not contain his excitement despite the uncertainties that lay ahead. He can’t wait to hear Cherie’s voice again.
After his stint at the café that very day, Wei Lian headed for the beach house. News of Cherie returning to Singapore somehow made him eager to visit the beach house. Ever since Cherie left, he has been coming to this beach house at least once every week to relax. He loves the feeling of freedom and enjoys listening to the sea breeze and water lashing against the sea rocks. He loves the quietness surrounding him.
As he came in through the back door and into the living room, he thought he heard someone weeping. Who is that? No one else comes here anymore except for Jason and him. And of course Cherie, before she left. He is sure what he heard was a female crying voice, no matter how muffled the sobs are. But that can’t be Cherie. She is only coming back two weeks later. Who is that?
He followed the weeping voice and came to the main door leading to the front porch. He feels for the door-knob and opened the front door. “Hello? Is there someone crying out there?” he asked, half his body out of the house.
The startled girl stopped sobbing and looked up at the sudden intruder. “Err..who are you?” she asked.
“This is my beach house lor. Who are you ah? Why are you hiding here and crying?” Wei Lian answered matter-of-factly.
“Er…I didn’t know this place is occupied…” the girl stared at the guy whose gaze did not meet hers while he was speaking the whole time. She wiped away her tears furiously and tried to pick her weak body up. She has been crying so much that she felt so feeble.
“Err..you look quite familiar? Have I seen you somewhere before?”
“Eh, you sound familiar leh, we talked before is it?”
Both of them asked at the same time.
Wei Lian is very sure he can’t be wrong. He has heard this voice somewhere, somehow, but he just can’t remember exactly where he heard it. He is proud of his excellent memory as he can remember lots of details. After a moment of silence, it struck him. “Eh, you… you don’t happen to be that one who likes to gamble is it?”
“Huh?!” Before the girl could start to think where else she could have met this guy, Wei Lian stumped her with his fast reaction. “You mean you…are that blind guy?!” No wonder she thought she found him familiar. Realizing this guy was the same one whom she met twice in a row in three days, she sprung to her feet and wanted to leave. She had scolded and quarreled with this guy twice and now that he has caught her in this pathetic state, all she wanted to do now is to leave immediately.
“Oh, you are really that girl ah?” Wei Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, he just stood there and waited. His face remained indifferent. Realizing that she had revealed her identity, her face flushed furiously. “Ya whatever. Can you leave me alone?”
“Huh? I was actually thinking of coming here to relax lor, and I thought it is you who came and hide in my front porch to cry hor.” Weilian answered her back swiftly before realizing it. “You cry what ah?” Wei Lian continued asking in his usual fast speed.
Hearing what he asked, the girl’s tears came streaming down her cheeks again, this time more furiously than before. The girl’s sobs just grew uncontrollably louder.
“Eh…can you don’t cry or not ah?” Wei Lian was a little stunned by her reaction. He didn’t know how to react. All he could manage was that sentence. “Eh…I ya, whatever.” He gave up. He is already confused enough himself and has no energy to bother about other people’s matters now.
As he turned to enter the house, he heard the girl pick herself up and ran down the porch onto the sandy pathway, still sobbing. He heaved a sigh and closed the door.
Chapter 5
Fang Qi wandered around aimlessly until she came to a crowded café. The quaint décor attracted her inside but it was so packed with patrons that the waitress had to usher her outdoors. She asked if she mind sharing a table with others. “Iya heck la, my legs are so tired, whatever la,” she thought to herself and allowed herself to be led to a table already occupied by two guys.
Wei Lian and Jason were deep in conversation when Fang Qi appeared at their table. The waitress asked them if they mind sharing their table. Before they could even respond, Fang Qi had already plonked herself down on the empty seat and started flipping the menu. Jason glared at her then turned to Wei Lian, who had a puzzled look on his face. They were both thinking that this girl is really quite rude but decided to just ignore her.
Wei Lian had just finished his performance at the café and was sharing a chat with Jason and reminiscing about the past and the things that they had enjoyed doing. All of a sudden, they were reminded of Cherie again. Jason and Wei Lian both smiled. But their smiles were that of pain and sadness. Jason’s smile was more obvious than Wei Lian’s as Wei Lian did not want Jason to find out about his feelings for Cherie. He was already so used to bottling all his feelings within himself.
All this while, Fang Qi was listening in to their conversation. She couldn’t help it because they were talking quite loudly. In their momentary pause, she looked up and saw their pained smiles; she couldn’t help interrupting their conversation while still scribbling away furiously on the lottery paper the lucky numbers she was going to buy.
“Wah, mister, why are you looking more miserable than the other guy who loves the girl? Actually it is you who love the girl a lot right?” she gestured at Wei Lian. She had caught the look of tremendous pain in his eyes from a brief glance. Jason and Wei Lian were both stunned by the sudden intrusion.
Jason looked up at the girl with curiosity and was stumped by the stack of lottery papers and numbers scribbled on pieces of blank paper all over the table. Wah big time gambler ah? He thought. She was nibbling playfully at the top of the pen she was holding. She took a sip of her iced fruit tea and slammed the glass back onto the glass table with a loud clank.
Wei Lian, being unable to see, kept mum right from the start. He was angry that someone he didn’t know could actually see through him. He somehow felt uncomfortable with the girl’s remarks and wanted to get out of the café very badly.
As he awkwardly stood up suddenly, just as the girl was putting down her glass, his glass of milk tea overturned and the tea spilt onto the front of his shirt. Jason being the normally jovial and good-tempered guy finally snapped and told the girl off.
She had not only interrupted their chat but also upset the glass of milk tea. “Eh, Miss. Miss Gambler ah, don’t you think you should apologize ah?” Not knowing her name, Jason took the opportunity to take a dig at her. The girl ignored him and continued doing her stuff---shading the number combinations off the pieces of crisp betting paper. Jason fumed.
“Wei Lian, eh, you okay?” Jason passed him some tissues. “I ya, okay la, nothing much la.” Wei Lian said as he wiped away the drops of cold milk tea on his hand. But he was thinking to himself, “This girl is damn rude man. Better don’t let me run into her again…”
Two days later, Wei Lian was back at the same café whiling his time away before his next performance at Jose’s Place Café. He was enjoying his time alone when someone just plonked down next to him in the tiny booth he was occupying.
“Eh? You again ah! Sorry ah…” the girl exclaimed and trailed off. All Wei Lian could hear was ruffling of paper and sounds of pencil against the paper.
“Not again.” he thought. How many times is he going to meet this clumsy and rude girl? This time round, WL prepared himself well. He quickly held on to his glass of drink and removed all his stuff from the table in case she dirties them again.
Luckily this time he was unscathed, and he left without a word when it was time for him to go. The girl was too pre-occupied with her betting slips and did not even notice his departure.
On the way to Jose’s Place Café, Wei Lian received a call from a close friend of theirs. Cherie is coming back. This friend happened to bump into Cherie’s mother recently and found out. She hasn’t called them yet. Is she still thinking of Jason or is she just afraid of meeting him again? He does not know. Yet he could not contain his excitement despite the uncertainties that lay ahead. He can’t wait to hear Cherie’s voice again.
After his stint at the café that very day, Wei Lian headed for the beach house. News of Cherie returning to Singapore somehow made him eager to visit the beach house. Ever since Cherie left, he has been coming to this beach house at least once every week to relax. He loves the feeling of freedom and enjoys listening to the sea breeze and water lashing against the sea rocks. He loves the quietness surrounding him.
As he came in through the back door and into the living room, he thought he heard someone weeping. Who is that? No one else comes here anymore except for Jason and him. And of course Cherie, before she left. He is sure what he heard was a female crying voice, no matter how muffled the sobs are. But that can’t be Cherie. She is only coming back two weeks later. Who is that?
He followed the weeping voice and came to the main door leading to the front porch. He feels for the door-knob and opened the front door. “Hello? Is there someone crying out there?” he asked, half his body out of the house.
The startled girl stopped sobbing and looked up at the sudden intruder. “Err..who are you?” she asked.
“This is my beach house lor. Who are you ah? Why are you hiding here and crying?” Wei Lian answered matter-of-factly.
“Er…I didn’t know this place is occupied…” the girl stared at the guy whose gaze did not meet hers while he was speaking the whole time. She wiped away her tears furiously and tried to pick her weak body up. She has been crying so much that she felt so feeble.
“Err..you look quite familiar? Have I seen you somewhere before?”
“Eh, you sound familiar leh, we talked before is it?”
Both of them asked at the same time.
Wei Lian is very sure he can’t be wrong. He has heard this voice somewhere, somehow, but he just can’t remember exactly where he heard it. He is proud of his excellent memory as he can remember lots of details. After a moment of silence, it struck him. “Eh, you… you don’t happen to be that one who likes to gamble is it?”
“Huh?!” Before the girl could start to think where else she could have met this guy, Wei Lian stumped her with his fast reaction. “You mean you…are that blind guy?!” No wonder she thought she found him familiar. Realizing this guy was the same one whom she met twice in a row in three days, she sprung to her feet and wanted to leave. She had scolded and quarreled with this guy twice and now that he has caught her in this pathetic state, all she wanted to do now is to leave immediately.
“Oh, you are really that girl ah?” Wei Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, he just stood there and waited. His face remained indifferent. Realizing that she had revealed her identity, her face flushed furiously. “Ya whatever. Can you leave me alone?”
“Huh? I was actually thinking of coming here to relax lor, and I thought it is you who came and hide in my front porch to cry hor.” Weilian answered her back swiftly before realizing it. “You cry what ah?” Wei Lian continued asking in his usual fast speed.
Hearing what he asked, the girl’s tears came streaming down her cheeks again, this time more furiously than before. The girl’s sobs just grew uncontrollably louder.
“Eh…can you don’t cry or not ah?” Wei Lian was a little stunned by her reaction. He didn’t know how to react. All he could manage was that sentence. “Eh…I ya, whatever.” He gave up. He is already confused enough himself and has no energy to bother about other people’s matters now.
As he turned to enter the house, he heard the girl pick herself up and ran down the porch onto the sandy pathway, still sobbing. He heaved a sigh and closed the door.
