“You know, you make me look like a driver,” he began.
Liz chuckled, “Yeah, that is so cool.”
Josh grinned, “You know, I haven’t seen my dad for centuries.”
Liz placed the bookmark on the last page she read and closed the book. She said sarcastically, “Yeah, it’s really hard to believe you’ve been here for centuries. It kinda explains why you seem to know everything about Cleopatra.”
Josh lowered the volume of the radio and defended, “I read a book about it, okay? Did you read about King Tut? I found that book on one of the cubicles.”
Liz laughed, “Looks like you might have meet your match…the mummies’ lova, who knows that mummy freako is a pretty girl from the ballet club.”
“Oh, come on! It’s okay to read about mummies.”
Liz giggled, “Yeah-hah!”
Josh teased, “You know, I met William Ouchi. Remember theory Z?”
Liz waved him off. She continued reading.
He looked into the rear-view mirror and notices that Liz was lip-reading the book and joked, “I can’t believe your mouth and your brain move at the same speed.”
Liz moved to the other end of the seat so that Josh couldn’t see her.
They reached the airport and Liz noticed her mother (Hillary) and Josh’s father (Franklin).
He joked, “Your mom looked fatter.”
Liz replied sarcastically, “Thanks to your dad.”
He asked, “What does that mean?”
She grinned, “Drive faster.”
Josh drove slower.
Liz, Josh, Hillary and Franklin are dining
at the hotel restaurant at 8.00pm. Franklin
asked, “How are your studies? The both
of you.”
Josh said proudly, “My beloved sister
is a four-point-oh student.”
Franklin lifted his glass and clinked his
glass together with Liz’s. He congratulated
her and she thanked him. He turned to Josh
and asked, “Are you too?”
Josh smirked. Liz said, “Josh is an
exceptionally bright student.”
Their foods arrived and they started eating.
Liz asked, “Do you want to meet with
grandma?”
Hillary looked gloomy in a split second. Liz
realized that she said the wrong thing and
turned to Josh sadly. Josh frowned.
Liz’s face flushed. She took a deep
breath and continued to eat her food and tried
to hold back her tears.
Josh and Liz were sitting on the bench at
the riverbank garden at about midnight. It
was quiet and peaceful. They could near music
played at the open-air restaurant nearby.
He consoled, “You know, sometimes you
don’t have to blame yourself for everything.”
Liz snuffled, “It’s not about
what I said. It’s about my whole life.
Sometimes I just wished that my parents were
still together…and my mom gets along
with her own mother.”
Josh glanced to her and took a deep breath.
He didn’t know what to say so he just
kept quiet.
Liz and Hillary were in the sauna. Hillary
asked, “What do you think of Frank?”
Liz turned to her and shrugged.
Hillary asked, “I think it was falling
out.”
Liz was confused. She questioned, “What
was falling out?”
Hillary replied, “My marriage.”
Liz looked indifferent. Hillary explained,
“Even though we looked happy in front
of the two of you, there seemed to be too
many conflicts behind…in our bedroom.”
Liz sighed.
Hillary continued, “He kept making my
decisions for me just because he’s my
husband. Do you think that’s fair?”
Liz sighed and said, “Don’t you
think it’s time to act like a grown
up? You chose to divorce dad to marry a jerk
who’s like ten years your junior. Then,
you realized that he was far too immature
for you and then you met Frank and you marry
him in two months. Don’t you think you
should at least think about the people around
you…and not just yourself?”
Josh and Franklin were fishing at the countryside.
Franklin took two cans of drinks from the
icebox and handed one to Josh. They unsealed
the cans and drank from it.
Franklin asked, “Got a girlfriend?”
Josh laughed and replied, “Come on,
look at me. Do you think I’m single?”
Franklin chuckled and sipped his drink. He
advised, “When it comes to steady, take
your time. The longer it takes, the better
it is. Tell me honestly, how’s your
studies?”
He caught a fish and they cheered.
Liz was walking towards her car at the parking
lot near the Business Faculty Building. Roi
was running towards her. She heard something
and turned over her shoulder. He stopped in
front of her and handed her a file.
“You left this at the library,”
he said.
Liz took the file from him and thanked him.
She turned off the car alarm and walked nearer
to her car. He followed her and asked, “Are
you free this Saturday?”
“I’m in a hurry,” she said
and walked faster. He ran after her and stood
in front of the driver’s door.
She pulled him away and said, “Go away!
Leave me alone!”
Roi asked angrily, “Why do you treat
me this way?”
Liz sighed and tried to push him away.
He said sternly, “You still like me,
if you tell me that you don’t...I will
leave you alone.”
Liz pushed him away and got into her car.
She looked out of her window and began to
cry. She started the engine and drove away
from the parking lot.
She drove towards the jogging park, which
was only crowded early in the morning or evening
but it was afternoon and the place was quiet.
She walked towards the hut near the lake and
cried her heart out.
Someone sat beside about a metre away from
her. She turned and saw Roi. He looked at
her concernedly.
Liz asked, “Why are you here?”
Roi replied, “I was afraid that you’ll
do something stupid.”
Liz’s tears kept falling. She sniffed
and said, “It’s useless, okay?
I don’t know how a relationship works...and
I might never know.”
Roi handed her a pack of Kleenex and she pulled
a piece out of it to dry her cheeks.
Liz coughed and continued, “Sometimes,
it’s kinda true that...that all the
commotions are hurting people. I don’t
get it, why people make vows when they can’t
even keep it?” She pulled another piece
of Kleenex and sighed.
Roi began, “Sometimes things just always
worked out.”
Liz sighed, “Have you ever watched your
parents getting divorced, fighting over who
should take custody of you and they end up
marrying someone else and you rarely see them
anymore? Have you?”
Roi lowered his head and said, “I’ve
never seen my parents.”
Liz turned to him, “What do you mean?”
He replied solemnly, “I was adopted
when I was a baby. The social worker told
me that someone found me crying beside a rubbish
bin, behind a building. I was just a month
old...and I was sick. At least you know who
your parents are...I don’t.”
Index | #3
Columbia House DVDs