Posted 11:23 PM

Suddenly.

I was crossing the traffic light outside park mall after camp when I found this oncoming girl really familiar. We stared at each other while crossing the road. Then we both realised who the other was.

I tracked back to the pavement where I started from, signalling to my friends that I'll catch up with them in a while. We talked a little bit, sorta like the usual where-are-you-how-are-you stuff, and her bus (she was with a friend) came and they left. That was slightly less than 5minutes, I reckon.

I met her through my first ex-girlfriend. They used to play table tennis together for the same community centre and I was there to support both of them. We didn't become close, but she became a very good friend with my ex-girlfriend all the way till now.

I recall myself sms-ing her waiting for a reply that never came, and I remember writing emails and sending those virtual e-cards. She seldom replied the smses, claiming that her bill was maxed out and it was her mother who was paying and will not be happy at her. She didn't like to write emails too. So then I gave up after awhile, and there was no contact. I became to feel ok with that because there was a period of time which I disliked my ex-girlfriend for what she did and since this girl was a good friend of the ex, it's only natural to have the very same feelings for her.

It was almost 3 years ago since we last met. It was at the airport to send my ex-girlfriend (then still my girlfriend) off to USA. Back to reality, I saw her sit on the bus and disappear out of my vision, with mixed emotions about the coincidental meeting we just had.

Yesterday night I saw her appear online on icq. I've never seen that name online for 3 years. I messaged her, and we got a conversation going. She sounded really enthusiastic, inviting me to play volleyball with her friends this Sunday, which I politely declined. She said she got a new handphone number, and she will be paying the bills herself, plus it's free incoming calls, so I can contact her and she will reply this time. I asked if we had not met on the road would she have told me about this new number, she said she don't know. Heh.

It's all so surreal, meeting a friend that you've thought lost. We mentioned my ex-girlfriend, now attached with a doctor undergrad. Listen to this: She actually said that the way he treats her now is a far cry from how nice I treated her back then. And that I should hope they break up, and to get her back. She then added please don't tell this to the ex-girlfriend. Haha.

We talked for a little more than 3hours, and it was already 4am. We got off the computer, and I knew she will sms me something, which she did.
It was one of those forwarded friendship messages, goes like this:

A friend is like simple mathematics:
someone who adds comfort.
subtracts fear,
divides grief,
and multiplies joy.
Appreciate you always.. (",)

I don't remember exactly what I messaged, but something alone the line of 'it's nice to receive messages with your name on it once again.'
And she sent one more (message edited into full spellings):

No problem.. Once I start treasuring you, you'd be in my heart always. I mean it. Hope I'd be in yours too for a long time. :) Nitez!

You can probably classify it as mushy, but at that point of time I really didn't have anything to say.
You suddenly meet your lost friend off the street, suddenly see her online (she revealed she was invisible all the time and only recently became online because she wanted to talk to everyone before she starts her job on monday), suddenly see her so keen in talking to you and keeping in contact with you, suddenly sms-ing you...

Did I mentioned the word surreal? That's what I can conjure up now from my limited set of vocabulary, and I think it fits. I always believe that if my life was a drama serial it would be the most exciting / boring (depends how you see it) with 500 episodes per season and 500 seasons and still on going, and going, and going.

So, this is the episode of the suddenly.


triggering Mr Ng HS |