I'm not a brilliant story writer, but since I've been reading a lot and so I thought I'd give it a try. I know it's pretty amateur but I'm pretty happy with this short story. I'd appreciate any feedback you may give. Enjoy :)
Silver
Platter
Millions. Maybe even billions, I
don’t know. Daddy never really talked about our wealth, all I know is, we had
it; lots and lots of it. He dealt with foreign dudes and was away a lot, but at
least he comes back.
Which is more than what I can
say about my mum. I never really knew why, and I never cared why she left.
Being an only child, you could sum up my life in four words: I had it all.
Though, like any cliché in life, the twist happens like a typhoon. We expect it
to come, but the question of intensity will haunt us until it arrives.
I go to a school where the
kids have more green on them than the school grounds do, still it was my kinda
crowd. Parties, guys, drugs, alcohol and money; lots and lots of money. I was
in my third year – as an ambitious kid hoping to make it big in fashion – when
it happened. No, when he happened. Don’t worry, he’s not poor.
This isn’t that typical,
and neither was he. I think his daddy was into ships and exports, or something
like that; and they were pretty loaded.
When we met, cigarettes
were our cupid’s arrows and the sound of the rain was our song.
After our org(anization)
had just finished an event for charity at some hotel in Makati, I stepped out
for a smoke. The ballroom was freezing, and my blood vessels could spell
‘permafrost’ with no trouble. It was a huge mistake after, since it was just as
cold outside the hotel. This was the best mistake I’ve ever made.
“Cigarette?” Cigarette.
That was his first word. He had me at ‘cigarette’. I took it instantly
and he was such a
gentleman to light it as well.
“Not your crowd?,” he
asked.
“It is. I mean, they are.
It’s just friggin’ cold inside, but I can’t really contrast that with this,” I
said, holding out my hand
as a mini-puddle formed in my palm.
“You’re Emma, right?”
I instantly died. Those
depictions of how these moments are like don’t even come close to how it really
feels like. It was like that perfect bite of a burger with all the layers
perfectly aligned and equally amounted when you start chewing. It was that
perfect. He knew my name. Just my name, but it felt like he knew everything
already. He didn’t, but he will.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure
who you are though,” I replied, hoping it’ll sound more cute than offensive.
Thankfully, he smiled at me.
This young man with a Marlboro Black in his right hand, with his sleeves rolled
up. Tie loosened with the first button opened and messy hair that was so neat
it shouldn’t even be called messy. Yeah, he was smiling at me alright.
“Daniel, but I go by Dan.
It’s much shorter, sharper and precise. It sticks, you know.”
Daniel. His name
was on a Ferris Wheel in my head.
“Ohh. Okay, Dan.
How’d you enjoy our event? How bad was it?,” I was never really good at
small talk, but I was
willing to try with him.
“Honestly? It’s like any
fashion show I’ve been to. People walk, people pose and you’ll get an
occasional side-effect of
blinking too much because of central flashes.”
He was honest. I sensed a
little arrogance, but in the most humble way ever, if that’s even possible.
“The only reason I came
was because our or has this whole ‘tradition’ of being respectful to
other orgs and so they
send representatives to all and every event our school has,” he
continued.
“That bad, huh?” I asked,
a little disappointed actually.
“Well,” as he looked
directly into my eyes. He smiled, “it’s starting to pick up, as of this very
moment.”
Those words wiped the
disappointment off. Clean.
I don’t’ really smoke. At
parties or if the weather suggests, but I’m no smoker. Two or three were
usually my limit.
“Wait,” he said, as I
turned to go back inside. “I think… I really want to see you again, if
possible.”
It wasn’t what he said,
but it was the ‘really’. Really.
“Do you have a pen?,” as I
reached into my purse and got out a small sticky note. He had a pen. Yeah, he
was that guy who seemed to always have a pen to write stuff or sign things. He
seemed to be prepared for anything.
I’ll skip ahead. He
called, I answered. He asked me out, I said yes. He held my hand, I squeezed
tighter. He held me close, I pulled him closer. The only thing we did together
was fall in love. There were moments, lots and lots of it.
Waiting for the twist?
Here it is. There’s no twist; who says there needs to be one? Dan was different
in a sense that he was simple, normal, just some guy who fell madly in love and
finally opened my eyes to what was important. Living.
Life isn’t served on a
silver platter. Even if you have everything and know everyone, but when you
meet the right someone, you won’t care how they serve it, you’ll take it the
way they throw it at you. Even if the world will flood you with problems, even
if it doesn’t hand you lemons and even when you’re fighting a war armed with
nothing but belief; swim, live, fight. Even Da Vinci knew there isn’t a perfect
circle, there’re only attempts. Trying is half the battle. If you want it, aim
beyond it. After you finish reading this, you’ll realize that there is so much
more to life.
