Tuesday 1st February 2022
CHEN
"This is strange, how is this possible? I know it could be static, but... the dream came back," I muttered to myself with a face of disbelief. I shook my head side to side to stop thinking about it. I took a tissue and started cleaning the spilled drink on her dress. As I cleaned, I apologized, but she had a calm and collected reaction towards me. She didn't seem to care about her dress, but instead was asking if I was okay. Was she even a woman or an angel? Her kindness reminded me of someone I knew, someone close. I couldn't help it but look into her eyes. Those shiny pearls were familiar.
"I am really sorry, ma'am," I said. She smiled and said, "It's okay, no worries. It's an old one anyway. I was planning to give it to the dry cleaner, but now I have a reason." She said with a confident, sarcastic tone.
I had a long coat in our storeroom. I rushed to get it.
As I handed her the coat, I couldn't help but ask, "Have we met before?"
She replied, "No, why do you think that?"
I said, "No, ithought i have seenu before i guess not"
She replied, "That's strange. I am new to this part of town. There is no possible way I would have met you before. In fact, I finished my schooling in the US."
Disappointed but hard to accept, I replied, "Sorry, I had this feeling. I couldn't help but ask." but i had this strong feeling that i knew her from childhood,i just cant figure out because those eyes wont seem familiar without a reason .. i need to find out wat is it
She took the coat and said she would return it tomorrow. But I rushed to the cash counter, took out some cash, and bowed my head so much I felt like I was Japanese. I asked her to take the money.
She refused at first, but I insisted. Finally, she took the money anyway.
and she left the cafe
The day almost ended, until Ken, our manager, found some hefty cash missing. I looked at Huang, and he looked at me with disgust. I bowed down, and Mr. Ken, who had served in the North Korean army, found out that I was the culprit. He asked me why I did it, and I told him the truth. He was angry with me, but told me to get some rest. It was unusual for Mr. Ken, the strictest owner in the entire world, to be so nice to me today.
I returned home, wiping my tears. My room was dirty as usual, unorganized. I found my wall clock was broken; it had fallen down and was no longer working. The window was open; probably the wind had blown it open too hard. I sighed and started to clean up the mess. As I was cleaning, I thought about all the things that had gone wrong that day.
I spilled a drink on a customer at work and had to pay for their dry cleaning. I also took out some cash from the register without asking the owner's permission. I felt like I had let everyone down, and I was ashamed of myself.
I knew that I couldn't change what had happened, but I could try to make things right
after a long exhausting day i looked at the bed it called me like mermaid i hit the bed to sleep,
( Wednesday 2nd February )
As I woke up in shock, I realized my alarm was ringing incessantly. The dream still lingered in my mind—a girl falling from a building, the same recurring nightmare. But there was something different this time. The mask the man wore looked oddly familiar, like a traditional opera house mask, but I couldn't quite place it. The dream felt incomplete, leaving me with a sense of unease.
I had to shake off the lingering thoughts and get ready for work. Today, for once, I was early. As I rose from my bed, I noticed Huang sprawled on the floor, sleeping like a sloth. I must have had a good sleep not to have noticed him come home. Huang and I shared the same room, so I playfully kicked him in the butt and said, "Wake up, you bitch . It's time for work."
Huang's eyes fluttered open, as if he had been in a deep winter hibernation. I opened the window and saw children joyfully playing outside. It dawned on me—it was the second day of the lunar new year. A tinge of sadness washed over me, knowing that this festive time brought families together. It was ironic because Huang and I were outcasts, abandoned by our own families. We had no one to celebrate with.
Well, it's nothing out of the ordinary for me. Every year seems to be a repeat of the same old routine. But you know what? I've got Huang by my side, and he's got me. That's all the company I need, really.
So, we both got ourselves ready and headed off to work. I couldn't help but notice that our neighbors' doors were all locked up tight. Looks like they must have gone off to visit their parents too. We made our way to the bus stop, and let me tell you, the streets were decked out in a striking display of red and gold. The sight of those red lanterns hanging everywhere and the red papers scattered across the road had this undeniable aesthetic charm to it. I must admit, the whole vibe was quite pleasing.
Finally, we arrived at our café and wasted no time getting down to business. Cleaning duties were at the top of our agenda as soon as we stepped through the door.
I was really looking forward to Mei showing up at the café today. But, damn, I gotta admit, I felt a bit disappointed and worried when she didn't make an appearance. After all the craziness that went down, I had this nagging feeling that she wouldn't come back. And that insane spark we felt when our hands touched... it's been messing with my head. Ugh, why am I so hung up on her anyway?
Lost in my Mei thoughts, Huang slapped his hand on my shoulder and snapped me out of it. "Hey, buddy, what's going on in that brain of yours? Still thinking about the girl from yesterday, huh? Well, trust me, my gut says she won't be gracing us with her presence today." I've learned to trust Huang's gut instincts; they've rarely steered us wrong. Reluctantly, I accepted his prediction.
After a long day of work, we were ready to leave the café when Mr. Ken intercepted us. "Hey, guys, where do you think you're headed?" he called out. We froze in our tracks, thinking we had messed something up. Slowly, we turned to face him. He reassured us, saying, "Don't worry, I'm not here to scold you. We're going out for dinner. Join us!"
His words caressed our ears like sweet honey. We couldn't believe that Mr. Ken was actually talking to us. It was the first time someone had invited us for dinner. At first, we declined the offer, but Mr. Ken insisted.
We ended up having a blast. We met Mr. Ken's closest buddies and our fellow employees, and everyone was having a great time. Laughter filled the air, and it was a night to remember.
Later, after the feast, I couldn't hold back my emotions any longer. Tears streamed down my face as I embraced Mr. Ken tightly, expressing my gratitude for inviting us to dinner. With his characteristic calmness, he spoke, "Ever since you two joined our café, you became a part of our family. And you always will be, my children."
Those words pierced through Huang's icy exterior, and a single tear escaped his eye.
we both had to leave because darkness was engulfing the streets. As we walked, the beautifully decorated roads lit by lanterns . Huang, with his characteristic confidence, chimed in, "Hey, bro, I know a shortcut. It'll get us there faster." Without questioning him, I followed his lead. He led me down a dark alley, a place so quiet that it seemed like you could get away with murder. But at the end of the alley, a flickering light caught our attention. It was like a beacon drawing us closer, unable to resist its allure. As we approached, we realized it was a small store of some kind, and among its wares were masks. And there it was—the same mask from my dream. Its gaze locked with mine, and I felt an inexplicable connection. Slowly, I reached out to touch it, but then a sharp pain pierced my head. I couldn't bear it and instinctively grabbed my head, collapsing to the ground. The vision struck once again, and amidst the pain, I saw it clearly... Wait... I...
The mysterious girl is...