MEMORIES

Fara and I had another impromptu outing today. We decided to stop by Toa Payoh for an artery clogging meal at Burger King while she waited to leech off a free ride home with her mum after work. While she pondered over which burger had a heftier portion of vegetables, the devil in me egged her to forgo the green stuff and indulge in juicy, additive laden, processed meat and pure carbs.

As you might have guessed, that woman broke down and ordered her burger weeping.

On the long bus ride to Toa Payoh, I passed by someone that I never would have thought of seeing alive ever again on the face of the earth. I was expecting something more along the lines of being startled while browsing through the obituaries.

There on the pavement, walked someone, whose face is deeply etched into a buried past.

Someone that I shared many first experiences with.
Someone that hadn't really changed as much as I had always pictured.
Someone that, once upon a time, I had thought would be with me till I was old and probably dying.

HAHA. Such bullshit.

What folly youth brings. Clouded by raging hormones and inexperience, that person, once meant so much. And it was strange how willingly I was able to give him up.

He's since stayed loyal to Beng-dom.

Although this time, with a strange twist that made it appear kind of awkward. My brain chose to burn this into memory : He was wearing a polo tee with thick horizontal stripes which reminded me of an imitation Ernie more then anything else.

I could recognize his persistent haughty swagger.
He still exhibited that smirk with such a 'heck the world' attitude.
His, all too familiar bunny teeth that greeted the world as he spoke on the handset.

Apart from the lighter hair colour, a little added weight, and a total revamp of wardrobe, he was still easily recognizable.

It was like someone turned back time.

We never stayed friends after we parted. We did try, but failed miserably. Hohoho. It's easy to hate me lah.

Seeing him today brought back a lot of memories. Though not the best looking, drool worthy man alive, not even the most intelligent. But he was the one that could force a smile out of me and someone I could vent out my frustrations on, once upon a time.

He suffered a lot with me. I made him cry buckets. It's something that still ignites a tinge of remorse in me.

He looked different today. He looked happy. Like the period where we shared happier, lamer times. We hung around like roaches all over the island, staying out till the wee hours of the morning and creating havoc that only thick skinned teenagers could. Chalking up fair share of drama and stroking our egos. Desperately searching for a special spot where our, then close knit group could call our own.

We partied as though we would not see the next sunrise. We watched 2 movies a week just because we could. Which cost bombs whilst still attending secondary school. We talked about an empty future, imagining all the people we knew then, would most definitely continue into tomorrow.

Such innocence, or lack of.

Sometimes I'd wonder if fate would allow us to cross paths again. This man on the street threw light on how much change there has been in my life. Through the years and relationships, life has thrown me a curve ball, and gave me an opportunity to be where I am now. Once, where life carried no responsibilities, nor sufficient grey matter to analyze the consequences of my actions, now has bloomed into one with priorities and goals.

Dreams that have helped evolve me into a person I am today, of course with much guidance from the people I love and continue to love me.

It was good to see him again. It was even better that only I could see him, and not the other way around. I wonder if he would recognize me. Most people can. Hahaha.

And like the bus that continued to roll on down the street, so does my life.

Again, he reverts into a figure in the distance, highlighting the fact that someone new is beside me. Someone mini. Someone whose life has been entwined with mine for close to 7 years. And perhaps this time, we'd care enough to go all the way, and continue till we're grey, and wrinkly like rotting raisins.