ABBY
"Don't come home too late. We have to attend a healing mass at 6 pm"
I sighed as I set my phone down on the table. To be honest, I didn't want to go home early. I still wanted to hang out with my coworkers.
More like ex-coworker now, since I resigned yesterday.
I worked as a part-time barista at Poseidon Cafe. I quit because of the toxic workplace and difficult senior staff. Mom told me not to resign, but my mental health was more important, so I chose to leave.
"You look deep in thought today." I looked up at Farah, my ex-coworker and best buddy at Poseidon. She had also resigned yesterday because of the toxic environment.
"Is your mom always like this when you hang out with friends?" asked Hubson, another coworker who'd resigned yesterday. We were having lunch at MamaMia to celebrate our departure from Poseidon.
"Nah, she's usually like this only when we have events," I leaned back in my chair as we waited for our food. "And what's the event?" asked Hubson.
"Healing mass at St. Gabriel church."
"Didn't know you were this religious," Farah joked, taking a sip of her drink. I chuckled as I sipped mine. "I've always been religious." we laughed.
Our food arrived, and mine looked so delicious I nearly drooled. Farah quickly handed me a tissue when she noticed. I glared at her but accepted it anyway. "Seriously, Abby, how do you manage your time between studying and working?" Hobson asked between bites.
"Yeah, it's impressive how you balance everything. If I were you, I think I'd have given up halfway," said Farah.
"Well, I have classes on weekdays and my weekends are free. So I work weekends, though sometimes I pick up weekday shifts when I don't have classes."
"See? Told ya she's cool. Respect." Farah playfully saluted me, and I gently slapped her arm, shaking my head.
"But now you're jobless. What are you gonna do with your weekends?" Farah looked at me, and I stared back. A staring contest began.
"I don't know, maybe I'll go back to just being a student. Being an adult sucks."
"Sucks or not, you're an adult now and will only get more adult in the future," said Hubson. And once again, we laughed.
---
"Okay mom, I'll be back before 6pm. Don't worry," I said as I drove back to my dorm. I'd forgotten to tell my roommate I was going home today.
I studied in another city, so I usually went home on weekends before I started working at Poseidon. Now I rarely go home because fuel is so expensive. No money lah, especially since I'm jobless now. Where would I get money? Mom definitely kick me out. Nah, I'm just kidding.
"Don't be late, or we'll leave you outside the house." Sure, she wouldn't really do that, but as a good daughter, I'll be home before 6pm.
"Alright mom, I'm ending this call. Just arrived at my dorm."
"Alright, see you then. Drive safe," she said, ending the call without saying goodbye. I stared at my phone screen and made a face. How dare she hang up without saying bye! I parked outside the female dormitory and headed inside.
"Yo, what's up Daphanne and... where's Rachel?" Daphanne, busy playing PUBG on her phone, looked up as I walked in. I grabbed my water bottle from the table and headed back to the door.
"Rachel? She's in the bathroom. You look in a hurry—something happening at home?"
"Yeah, I'm heading back. St. Gabriel Church has an event this evening and my family doesn't want to miss it. Mom invited me to join."
"And the event is?"
"Healing mass. It starts at 6 pm and I need to hurry home."
"Alright, see you on Sunday?"
"Sunday, gotta go now. Bye!" Daphanne nodded and returned to her game. As I left the room, I ran into Rachel outside.
"Where are you off to? Going on a date with Christian?" she teased. I rolled my eyes. Rachel, I know Christian was my favorite ex-boyfriend, but don't bring him up every time you see me heading out. It gets annoying.
"Come on Rach, stop mentioning him every time I go out."
"Well, I won't stop until you tell us why you two broke up, especially since you said you were made in heaven," she said. I rolled my eyes. Man, so annoying.
"Thought you were already at Kanowit," she said.
"Nah, just missed you two so I stopped by. Okay, I'm kidding—I came to get my mom's water bottle. Plus, I've got that church event. Anyway, see ya!" I said goodbye to Rachel as she waved back. I walked to the car park and got in my car.
One-and-a-half-hour road trip, baby. Sibu to Kanowit only takes that long. It's no big deal now since I love long drives, even though they make my back and butt ache.
---
"You're late." Ah yes, my favorite younger brother, Dayne. He's annoying,the most annoying brother in the world.
"Oi, go freshen up or whatever. We want to leave now," said Solemn as he put on his shoes. Dayne's my little brother and Solemn's my younger brother. I'm the eldest.
"I can go to church like this, Nobody will know."
"Nobody will know but people might smell that you stink," Dayne joked, pinching his nose. I rolled my eyes but didn't bother freshening up. I still smelled nice.
After that, we went to church. I felt oddly bored today, like I didn't have the energy to be alive. Maybe I was tired or stressed. I don't know.
But then I saw someone familiar. Very familiar, though I'd never spoken to him. He had just received Holy Communion and was heading to his seat to pray.
A tall man with a slim build and a goatee. No sideburns or mustache. Tired eyes and a deadpan face. Why did he seem so familiar, like he held some special memories in my life? I tried to remember who he was but couldn't.
I kept staring at him, trying to place him.
Holy shit!
He caught me looking! I quickly looked away, embarrassed. Of course he noticed. I was being so obvious, staring for that long.
After receiving Holy Communion, we had to queue for the oil of the sick, pure olive oil used for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. If you want to know more, google it. Don't spread false information about Christians before I smack your face.
It was annoying because my parents dragged us to the longest queue. They were impatient and eager to get the oil. Being a good daughter, I followed behind, ending up last in line.
But hey!
I saw him again, and this time I held his gaze since he was staring at me. The more I looked at him, the more familiar he seemed. I hadn't noticed him walking up to queue behind me. He kept looking at me before glancing away as he stood there.
Weird, did we know each other? He looked so familiar. I tried again to remember his name but couldn't. I looked over my shoulder to see him, but he was already staring at me. I didn't smile or act surprised. We just had a brief staring contest before I turned back around.
My mind told me to ask for his number—why not? He was cute. Maybe I could learn more about why he seemed so familiar, but nah. I'll let it go, even though I'm dying to know more about him.
Why is he so familiar to me?
This one, I swear I know him, but I can't remember his name. I took out my phone and opened the Facebook app. My family and I were having dinner at a restaurant after mass, and I was waiting for my food.
I decided to search for Daria. I have a strong feeling that Daria Shawn is connected to him. However, when I searched for Daria on Facebook, I found nothing.
I continued searching, scrolling through her photos, landing on a familiar face. He's handsome, but he's short. Clearly, that's not him. That's Yones, Daria's little brother. I remember how girls were crazy about Yones back then because of his looks. All the girls wanted to be with him, yet he had no idea how to date anyone.
Forget about Yones and Daria; they're not relevant here. Then I remembered Jackson. If I'm right, he and Dave used to walk home together after school. I decided to check Jackson's friends list; Dave might be there.
Bingo!
I found him, although his display picture was blank. I scrolled down his profile and discovered his Instagram username. To confirm it was him, I clicked on the username and, there he was.
It's him.
I finally recalled his name: Dave Michael Manson. Wait a minute... I also saw Brenda in the choir earlier, and if I remember correctly, Brenda shares the same last name as Dave. They are both Mansons.
Now, I've connected all the dots. Dave is Brenda's older brother, and Daria is Dave's former classmate, which explains my feeling of connection to Daria. As for Yones? There's no link to him because there's no evidence he ever hung out with Dave.
Now I feel like a detective! Damn.
Then it hit me, I once had a crush on him when I was about 11 or 12 years old. It's amusing to think I was too young to really fall in love back then. If memory serves, he was an altar server, and I always had my eyes on him. But after he graduated from secondary school, I lost track of him. He was my senior in secondary school. Has it been 8 or 9 years? I'm not sure how long it's been, but running into him today brought back a flood of memories. Old love, indeed.
He's grown up now, sporting a mustache and goatee like an older man. He still has that slim build but with a bit more muscle—he used to look like a stick. He has grown his hair out but keeps it neat. Like he always did before. His deadpan expression and nonchalant attitude are still the same.
The funny thing is, I never attempted to talk to him or even greet him at school. We were strangers with familiar faces, and I have no doubt he felt the same.
Let's confirm a detail: he's two years older than me, which makes him the same age as Jackson. They were classmates after all. Jackson was my senior in secondary school but became my junior in university. Interestingly, he still remembers me, even though I didn't recall him during our university days. Now, he's a working man and rarely gets in touch.
"Sis, your food is served, and it's getting cold," my brother Dayne said, pulling me back to reality. I nodded and started eating. And then we went home.
I locked my door as I entered my room. I lay down on my bed and grabbed my phone. I searched for Charlotte's name on WhatsApp. If I recall correctly, Dave was Charlotte's senior in primary school, so I'm confident she knows him.
I began a chat with Charlotte.
Char Kueh Tiau (Abby save Charlotte name as Char Kueh Tiau, also note that the bold font is Charlotte text)
Charlotte
Charlotte
Charlotte
Charlotte
Charlotte
For Peter's sake
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
STOP SPAMMING PLEASE
Do you remember Dave?
Who is Dave?
Your new target?
Dave Micheal Masons
*middle finger emoji*
His name sound familiar
Remember Brenda Nasha Masons?
Yeah.. she was our senior and prefect back then at school
Why?
She is Dave's younger sister
Okay, why is that related to me??
Dave
He, once my crush back then
But then we lost contact for many years and I almost forgot about him
But today I met him at church. He all grown up and become man now.
Of course he become man. He is man after all.
*middle finger emoji*
HAHAHHAHA
So, you're telling me that your old crush is back and you like him again?
I thought you with Chris.
We had broke up. Remember. Stop talking about Chris.
K
We talk about Dave here.
Dave huh
How is he look like
Handsome
Bruh, you fall for every handsome guy you see.
Beside handsome, what else do you see in him?
He is religious.
He is catholic man.
How do you know that he is religious person. I mean, where did you get that information from.
You two never talk, I guess.
You are hater.
I am always your number one hater when it come to your love life.
Anyway, did you ask for his number?
No.
Why?
I am too shy to ask. He is so handsome that I couldn't bring myself to ask for his
number. Also, people come to church to pray not looking for lover.
You came to church because you want to seeking for a man of God
It is a perfect place for you to ask his number.
Why can't he ask for my number. Why is it always me asking for a man number. It is so frustrating.
I want a man to approach me.
Last time a man asking for your number.
You ran away.
He is scary.
HAHHAH. I got no comment for that. Anyway goodluck for..I don't know.
You are not helping at all.
Bye.
I turned off my phone and put it on the nightstand. I turned off the light and stare at the ceiling. All of a sudden, his face crossed my mind. His deadpan face was still the same as ever. He never smiled, I mean, I never saw him smile. He was always a nonchalant person, a soulless person. And I don't understand why I liked him back then. Maybe because he was an altar boy? I don't know. But seeing him today made me happy, he had grown up and become a man. I feel like I fell in love all over again after I saw him today.
I sighed and closed my eyes. I was tired and needed sleep. Maybe tomorrow is a better day, maybe we will meet again. I don't know, but I want to meet him again and maybe interact with him.