Darkness falls. Wind, blowing ferociously. Silhouette of trees loomed over the quiet street. Everything is so dark that he could barely see her face. She just came out from the Parkson supermarket building after getting some snacks with M and Y together with two jrs. As usual, his attention is always on her. For all these years, she never knew or maybe she knows and pretend that she doesn’t. He wouldn’t know.
They just ended their annual gathering. He seemed to be on the wrong side as the rest of the guys are at the opposite bus stop. He insisted to be on this side so that he can be with her just for a little while more and escort her back home. No sign of any busses. Thunder is growling in the background with the violent wind accompanying the occasion lightning streaks forming the perfect thunderstorm orchestra. She complains her hunger grumpily as she did not eat enough during the gathering itself. The rest of the girls joined in as well. He tries to calm her down by asking all of them to eat what they have just bought.
Heavy rain pours mercilessly. He gaze into her eyes again subconciously, but quickly avoided when she feels it. Everything seems familiar yet foreign. After all, he hasn’t been back to this town for quite some time. Things changed. Even people changed. But things between her and him have never changed. She is thirsty… He ran into the supermarket right away to get her a drink after gathering everyone else’s order. He could only think of her order. The supermarket has changed. What he remembers seemed so vague. Almost all of the shelfs’ locations are different now.
The entrance guard stopped him from entering the store without leaving his bag outside. He followed obediently after unloading everything out of his bag, afraid that his stuff will get stolen. It’s no longer a safe place that you can simply leave your things around. It felt like a night in Gotham City. Siren screeching from near to far. He just wish to quickly grab what he needs to get and go back to her side. He is worried of leaving her outside of the supermarket. A Ribena pack is all he is looking for. Giving up, after searching high and low, he went out. There is a sudden urge of emptiness in his hand just like his heart. Her cellphone that he was holding earlier on is gone.
Panic, he went back to the supermarket frantically. Sweat beads are forming on his forehead like the raindrops falling on the windscreen of cars. He saw a familiar face, a lady that he saw earlier one before he went into the supermarket. He asked the lady whether she saw any cellphone dropped at the area, the lady ignored him. Left with no choice, he went around scouting on the floor to search for the lost cellphone. The lady saw his anxiety. She waved to him and ask him over. She then carried out a big bag in black from her left. She put the bag in front of him. “Check whether your phone is inside.” He was shocked to see so many cellphone inside. “They dropped it, I picked them up.” She tries to defend herself. He can’t judge anymore whether is that right or wrong. All he knows is that he needs to get THE phone back or else he will need to bear a serious consequence like her not forgiving him. He is just thankful that the lady is willing to help him.
Just when he was about to look through the bag, the rest came and joined him. He left the crowd and went on trying his luck one more round inside the supermarket. By the time he returned, they surrendered the lady to the manager of the supermarket. Apparently he passed the phone to a jr earlier on and the jr who was holding the phone earlier on went off during the whole paranoid situation. He sighed out of relief.
Guilt rushed through his veins as he looks at the lady being summoned by her manager and being fired in front of everyone. Everyone stopped what they are doing at that moment to look at the on going. Some were pointing fingers while some were whispering to each other.
He wish he could have done something. He wish he hasn’t cause such a scene and that the lady will not be brought under the spotlight just because of him. He couldn’t bare looking into the lady’s eye. His empathy is fooling his mind. Helpless, he knows that he will never be able to redeem that piece of guilt he felt inside. But it is too late for him to do anything now. Too late indeed…
