A special entry dedicated to a special friend

[Hans Zimmer - … And then I kissed him]

Six years ago, a boy was out with his clique. It was nothing special, just the usual outing. For some reason and as impromptu as they always were, they ended up at Great World City, watching Bring It On. It was a very ordinary show but what made the show special was the fact that the boy was sitting beside his secondary school sweetheart. Now, you must know that for years, he had liked and eventually grew to love her. So now perhaps you can imagine how he felt as he sat next to her, sharing popcorn and ice lemon tea with her.

After the movie, the clique proceeded for dinner as per normal. But something unusual happened that very night, something that he’d never expect.

And so there he was, with her, at that bus stop. They were waiting for their buses to go home. They chatted. Surprisingly, when their buses arrived, they were not done. “SMS me when you’re back and done with your shower. I’d call you then,” he said as she boarded her bus. When he got home, he had a quick shower and waited for his phone to sound.

That night, they chatted. They chatted about all sorts of stuff. Of all the stuff they talked about, one subject he never brought up was the fact that he still had feelings for her. Nonetheless, they chatted for hours and not even the flat battery of his cordless phone could stop them. This long chatting session because a daily routine. And before you knew it, they became very close friends, spending a lot of time together. Usually, it was Serangoon Garden's CBTL for coffee or her house to catch PowerPuff Girls on SCV. Sometimes, not wanting the rest of the clique to sprout any nonsensical rumours, they would go to the weirdest and furthest places to hang out, like Causeway Point to watch movies.

Once he had to go for his class chalet at East Coast. As usual, he called her and again, they chatted into the wee hours of the night. He brought the conversation to the beach and as the waves washed ashore, she uttered, “You’re like my soul mate.” Did she know she had just made his night?

But at the end of the day, what truly matters was her reply when he asked her to be his girlfriend. With lots of "erms" and pauses, she said, “I like you. But I don’t like you enough".

With that, the short story of theirs drew to a close. All evidence of these memories is sealed away in an envelope, tucked neatly away in his drawer. Once in a while, he would take the envelope out, untie the seal and look at the contents - the unusual assortment of letters, the ticket stubs, the Christmas card that she had made, the film negatives of the photos he'd taken for her farewell gift when she left for UWA.

Till today, they're still very good friends and they will be for many more years to come.

Why am I so sure? Because I am him.

So Iris, thanks for all the memories. Thanks for always being there when I need a listening ear. You’ve been a great friend. Here's wishing you all the best in every aspect of your life (family, friends, health, wealth, work, relationship etc.). Happy 23rd Birthday!