James called his childhood friends and ex-crush, Cat, who had been sitting at the bus stop in front of their school. It was 8.00 pm. already, a moderate traffic jam was still present occasionally based on how piss of the patrol staff became. The construction in the middle of the road is still ongoing for the upcoming underground train. A cold breeze passes by as the rain just stopped half an hour ago.
“Yeah, the paperwork is so problematic, and the kids in class are causing trouble again. Another visit to the principal's office for me.”
She replied in a dry voice, with a scaring sound in her mouth.
“Ha Ha, seems like karma is in function, right. Need water?”
“No, and yes felt like torture for me teaching last year's middle school students.”
Cat and James have been neighborhood friends since pre-kindergarten. They live in the same slum close by. They were inseparable, a hell-bent twin, as people would call them at the time. They were good friends who helped each other out in emergencies until one day Cat had a boyfriend. Cat was known as a last-resort option for many irresponsible men seeking to avoid responsibility for a previous crime. Whether it's a drug, a cigarette, or an impregnated grown woman, they all blame it on her. She was called a slut throughout her entire high school year; some despise her while others support her for who she truly is, including James.
“By the way, I am talking with someone now. He is a Navy military trainer. Quite shy to be honest, but I want you two to meet sometime.”
”Wow, Finally. You open up to someone after all the red-flag boyfriends of yours tear you apart a million times. Why do you want to be in love again?”
James asks her with excitement for his best mate to be with a gentleman like her friend for once. She looked back at him with blank eyes, staring into his shining blue eyes and oval face, which she was familiar with since she was a kid.
“Since you graduated from college and were abroad for a mechanical job, I was stuck with retaking a long-overdue failed class. I happened to have a deep conversation with my advisor over dinner at a small restaurant on campus after work.”
She paused for a moment to take Strepsils, a sweet throat lozenge, then continued while holding it in her cheek.
“I found myself alone with no direction. Friends grew apart from me one by one, and so did my family. No matter how many times I have met them or visited their grave, it always felt empty. Maybe because I was never able to understand the so-called love everyone talked about. Then she asked me, “What do you think I see in you about love life?” I was stunned. I always thought of love life as a trophy for love accomplishment. I had not thought about what another person saw in me.”
”You are so naive about love, Cat. What was the answer?”
“She said that she sees a woman enduring multiple unfortunate romantic events but still has a beating heart. At the very least, I am lucky that I know what I am good at, and I should perfect it. The rest was beyond my boundary. She mentioned that love does not require attention, just a feeling of care for someone you love, whether it's a romantic interest or an instructor-student relationship. Maybe that's why schools still need a homeroom period, a time for students to open up about what struggles them when no one listens.”
James was shocked by what he heard, as if it were an unconventional lesson he expected from his friend.
“Well, if you didn’t say it was your advisor who said that, then I would clap so hard for you being wiser than the last time we met.”
“Mate, that’s just part of what we talked about. At least, she pushed me back on my feet again. It takes time to learn about a person, not limited to yourself. What about you? Did you finally start a proper relationship as you pray in the temple now and then?”
Cat quickly questions James, leaning toward him under the flashing light of the bus stop.
James remained quiet, then smiled in the corner of his mouth.
“I think we both know that it would be impossible between us, so while I was away becoming a mechanic aboard. I happened to explore my sexual preference one day when I met this charming person, with very compelling charisma and a funny face. He was a customer of mine, but somehow I became the subject of his affair. The whole situation is more or less a dark humor, but eventually, I hooked up with his colleague, and I became friends with his mom until nowadays.”
“Shut up!!! James. This is spicy. We definitely have to catch up sometime for a tea. Are you still with him?”
“Well, speaking of the devil. He arrives.”
An early 1995 Mustang slowly approached the bus stop. A window rolled down, and a clean-faced driver called out to James.
“Seems like we have to continue this over a tea and biscuit next time. I’m glad I met you today, Cat. Good luck and kick that kid's ass next time.”
Cat laughs as she waves goodbye to her new best (girl)friend. Who would expect a small talk to cheer her up after a tiring day? Maybe if she had looked to her friend by her side at the time, they wouldn’t have had a random conversation like this. They would live together off in another part of the world or break off for good. No one knows what would happen. The only factor that makes it impossible is timing, but at least that is the best for both of them.
“It's for the best of us to be impossible, James. If it were possible, I would have died a long time ago.” Cat thinks to herself as she walks out of the bus stop to catch an approaching air conditioning bus.
