Bubbles getting, BURST here, because he’s no longer, that HOT, that handsome, but a, middle aged, large bellied, bald, man…see, everything IS better in memories, so let’s not, destroy that…translated…
How long can someone stay in a person’s, heart? The answer is, very, very, long, so long as we don’t see each other again, the image of the individual became, cast iron, the longer the time passed, the more clearer it’d, appeared. But at the same time, this image is, extremely, fragile, like the ancient scrolls in those movie scenes, you can’t pry open the chest, unearth them, once these items get brushed across by the wind, they would, rot away so quickly and suddenly, turn into dusts, in a miniscule of a, second.
Due to chance I’d begun working in the traveling industries in my twenties, and was blessed with those who helped me grow, in a few short decades, I was, given the opportunity to travel around the, world, from Iceland of Northern Europe, to the southern hemisphere to Australia and, New Zealand, it’d toured to a dozen countries in the world.
As I set my sights higher, I’d, become, more sophisticated too, took my clients all over the world, made a ton of friends from all over the world, and I’m, enjoying this life, never felt it was, hard work. I’d become, more worldly, heard a ton of tales, and, if I must say, being in this life, is like taking flight over, over, and over, again, today, with this group of people, we’d stand for that photo op, in smiles in front of a cathedral, tomorrow, I’d climbed to the peaks, and, ushered in that new dawn of the, brand new, year with another group. And, with people coming and going, passing me by, there was that young boy, who’d, always, stayed with me.
how you remembered him as…photo from online
From first to fourth grades, every time there’s new seating arrangements, I’d prayed real hard, that there’s a, miracle, prayed that god can sit me next to, him. And once, it’d, happened too, I was overjoyed for that, entire, semester. During that semester, I’d always, stalled a few minutes after the bell rang for our nap time, just so I can, stuff a lollipop in his, desk drawer, as everybody put her/his head down, onto her/his, desks, and there’s silence spreading through the, classroom, without anyone knowing.
After fifth grade, we weren’t in the same class anymore, but I’d still see him every now and, then, his usual sunny disposition, with his handsome baseball team uniform, practicing on the field with his teammates. Into high school, he’d looked, even better to me, and I’d always, taken a farther route of bus to get to school, praying that I could, bump into him by, chance.
Had it not been that I was assigned the tour group to San Francisco that year, when I saw his business card at a local connecting travel agency, I’d never imagined, that that prince could, ever, reappeared into, my, life again. Turns out, he’d been, a naturalized American citizen already, started his family, and he’d owned a travel agency too. As I hung up the call, I’d started, piecing together in my mind, what that prince to me would, look like as a, grown, man.
We’d set up a time to meet in a café in L.A. As I entered into the store, I’d ignored the waiter who’d greeted me, started, scanning around the, room, there were, a couple of middle aged Asian men, and I couldn’t identify which was him.
“How may I help you?”, the waiter inquired.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m meeting someone here………”, I’d not given him a second look.
“XX Chen?”, someone called out behind me. I’d looked back, the man before me had on black-rimmed glasses, with his hairline, receding to the top of his head, that handsome face lacked the angles now, there’s the, short moustache above his lip, his neck which was thicker, connected straight to his, back, with his waist, working really hard, to hold up his, protruding, belly, he’d reminded me of the owner of that small grocery shop of my childhood home.
“Are you, XXX?”, where’s that prince in a cape as I’d, remembered him, as?
“Yes I am, hi, it’d really been, too, long!”
and now, this is, him…and that, is what you get, for still remembering him as you two first, met up in elementary school…photo from online
And, this is why, sometimes, things are better, staying in our, memories, because, we always have that image of whom we had a crush on back when we had the crush on that individual and, many years after that, we’d, found their names, and, our hearts go pitter-patter, because we feel the rekindling of that, strong attraction again, until, until we see the individual, face-to-face then, WHAM! Fairytale dream is OVER, and, goodbye, hope I never see you again!
Because that is, how reality works, it takes a TOLL on us all, and, after so many years had passed, you can’t possibly expect that s/he stays, exactly the same as you remembered her/him, can you now?
Of course not!
Mirroring the World 