the thong edition.

and there he was, the silhouette i saw, of that stout little man. my heart raced, as he drew closer from the sports complex. the man i dread; ah thong.
please, dont come here.
small yet fast steps he took, and finally, with a sigh of relief, headed to the general office.
it wasnt like i was afraid of the man or anything, but rather, wanted to stay away from him, as far as possible.
the sky was dark, and stars were only handful, as were the students in the canteen.

i slumped back on the steel chair, with my head laid back. closing my eyes, i thought about my life, my family, and my friends. thoughts about my life floated to the surface in my head, hitting me like waves, one after another. i felt tired, really tired. compared to those living in africa, kenya, i agree, im much better off. but then again, who really understands what a sad life im living, now? and surprisingly, it has nothing to do with love relationships.

the swirling of the fan blades was soon accompanied by the approaching of foot steps.
ah thong?
with a cross of the fingers i opened my eyes. in front of me were two well, rather short girls. not thong. phew. it was vivian and hong mian.
they invited me to dinner, just opposite the compounds of the school, which after much contemplation i had rejected, because i seriously felt tired. and the need to go home; a place, i realised, where only had the services of a 3 star hotel, yet the comfort even a 6 star couldnt provide. a place, i didnt treasure, not even now.

at the same time, i had hoped by staying a little later, i could reduce the risk of running into ah thong on the way out. afterall, the man wouldnt stay in school that late, i figured.

i took off, about 5 mins later, with a tablet in hand. the canteen was empty, besides a few packet drinks, which were left lying around the tables. and to think just this afternoon the place was bustling with students. on the way out, i spotted gavin, someplace close to the bouldering area. my voice was already rather hoarse, for i had a really bad sorethroat, topped up with a flu. i called out to him, nevertheless. i stopped my exit for a few minutes, for he had asked me to wait for him. after a glance at his watch, he said, nevermind.

we said goodbyes, and parted. i felt slightly better, after seeing him. for he is a good friend, someone i can share even my darkest secrets to. come to think of it, i couldnt really remember when we started talking, but my guess was when we were all retained, under the same trc.

alas, i walked out of the front gate. with a deep breath, i took in the fresh air. and i smiled, for the first time, today. it felt like i was released from something, something opressing. i tucked out my shirt, and took off my tie. i felt so much more comfortable. then i paused, when i heard familiar voices behind me. looking behind, i saw kai jie, zhong ting and keng sheng. with a smile, we all intended to cross the road when a voice, somewhat high pitched, yet a little hoarse, said,
"zhihao."

it was distinct. and i was sure, it was thong.

"tuck in your shirt properly, now!"

i turned around, and saw that square jaw inside the frame of the car window, staring right at me.

i tucked in my shirt, with the tablet clipped between both my legs.

amidst all the tucking in, i asked myself, is this destined? after all that i tried to hide away from him, he still had to get me, in the end. i had purposely waited longer, wasted some time talking to gavin, even keng sheng and the bunch. then there he was, at the right time, right place. what are the chances, bumping into him, right OUTSIDE the school gate, at this time?

"see me tommorow, at the flag pole. 7.20, is that clear?"

he took off, and as soon as he drove out of sight, i tucked my shirt out, again. i couldnt believe myself, it seemed to me as though it was my fate, my fate to be caught by him, no matter how hard i tried to avoid.

the trip home was a long one, and a sad one, too.