Fiction: Group 4
‘Well, have a great time,’ I say, grinning.
‘Thank you,’ the girl says, beaming, and they walk away, hand in hand.
I am looking at the two lovebirds overflowing with joy and glee.Then suddenly,
‘HEY, FOCUS ON YOUR WORK, GIVE ME AN EGG TART.’
I grin, fake as it is. My, my do you know who I am? I am the
boss
of this shop. But it
doesn’t matter, soon enough my thoughts drift off to an image of Aaron and I walking, hand in hand like
the two lovebirds, in the battered stone-paved streets of France, orVienna? Doesn’t matter.
My god, you have only known him for two months, Linda.You don’t even know if he likes
you. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!
‘EGGTART.’
Aaron
6 months after my first visit, I return to Macau. It’s warmer now; spring is everywhere –
the trees, the birds, the flowers and the sky, all singing the tune of life, of rejuvenation. But this time, the
reason isn’t solely a vacation,
It’s her.
At 7 pm I stand in a corner opposite her shop, waiting, concealing myself, and looking at
Linda: Her swift movements, her quick responses, her agile fingers: an independent woman. Over the last
6 months she and I have talked on the phone almost every day. Sometimes I called, sometimes she called.
Always talking about ourselves and how we feel and what special things we have seen. Every 2 to 3
weeks she would come to Hong Kong, or I would go to Macau, to see each other and hang out. I think
I am starting to like her. But no, why would she like a man like me: absorbed in work, doesn’t know
how to have fun. I don’t think she would even miss me.
Finally, she’s closing her shop. I walk up to her and say,‘Need a hand?’
She turns to me, eyes widened, beaming with joy, and laughs.
‘Of course! Do you think I’m a superwoman who can do everything on her own?’
After she’s done, I say,‘Come, let me buy you dinner.’
‘Nah I’d actually prefer a pork chop bun.’ She smiles shyly, embarrassed.
‘Ok, pork chop bun it is.’ I take her hand, and her face glows immediately with a tinge of
pale crimson.And then off we go to buy ourselves buns.
We sit arm to arm on a stair in front of the façade.We look down, and see haphazard
patches of golden yellow on buildings and streets.
‘Finished?’ I ask as I see her squash her paper bag into a ball.
‘Yeah.’
‘Come on, walk to the top with me.’And I take her hand.
Linda
YES, HE HELD MY HAND, HE HELD MY HAND, HE HELD MY HAND.
My mind transforms into a bird, fluttering at every step I take, willing for altitude.
When we arrive at the front of the façade, he holds both of my hands. My cheeks are
suddenly scorching.
‘Linda, I… want to tell you something.’
Oh please do.
‘Yes?’ I answer.
I gaze into his eyes, and he gazes into mine. I can hear a train rushing by. Is it a train? Or is
it my heart? Doesn’t matter.
‘I… have to leave Hong Kong.’
Wait what.
‘I have business in Europe. So it may take a while before I can return.’
I can feel a lump of spikes in my throat, I can feel the pain throbbing and magnifying.
‘So… what you mean is… you’re leaving? I can’t see you in 2 weeks’ time?’
‘Yes.’
That’s it, the dam broke.The heat in my eyes is too overwhelming and tears start to flood
out. I look at him, and I can see his eyes are wet, too. I turn away from him.
‘Linda,’ he says.
