Crushed Memories

2.30 am, 18th February
Charlize's Apartment

Matt lied down on the sofa and stared at the poster across the wall. His tummy still bulging from the food that was served just now. Everyone have left the apartment but Andez and him. Andez is in Charlize room chatting and having more wine but he had too many so he rathered just lay back in the living room.

Somehow that poster of a girl looked so familiar, she is so beautiful just like ... and then he remembered. It looked like his first crush when he was 12 or was it 13 or 14. It was too long ago. Even he drank a lil too much today, he still can recall. And his mind wandered back to the time when his heart skipped the first beat.... on the empire seat... in a badminton court.... at the clubhouse.

That was when it happened. It was just another day of badminton with Andrew and William. He was counting the scores on the empire seat while both of them are playing. Across them there were two little girls playing badminton and the third one which is older on the empire seat. Matt couldn't help noticing that she turned around and smiled every 10 minutes. It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

Matt: Hey..got leng lui looking at both of you playing
Andrew: Wah... ok ok...I play better.
Matt: haha...



For some reason, that moment felt special. He tried to smile back each time she turned. He tried to make it not so obvious that he was actually looking. But it was so unnatural, especially when he didn't want to miss the smile when she turn.

When the game got more intense, his mind was preoccupied with the girl on the empire seat in the opposite court. A few times he had to be reminded of the score. It was hard, and the last time he looked up she was gone.

When the game was over, Matt's mind was still not in its place. While both Andrew and William went for a shower, He decided to walked to the bowling alley towards the video arcade to play a game or two. After he walked down the stairs and turned left to the arcade, immediately she walked past him. For some reason, his legs couldn't move. His heart that was beating awkwardly the whole day stopped beating for a good few seconds. He waited a few seconds to grasp the air around him and turned around, she was gone again. But for some reason he stared at the empty alley beside the staircase, still unable to move. And suddenly, her head bopped out from the corner and smiled the same smile he could not forget til now. He almost fell down on the floor when that happened.

Since that day, he always looked forward to the weekend where he will be able to go to the clubhouse. Each time he meets her, each time he would feel that crush on his chest. Each time unable to move or continue doing the thing he was doing. It was his first time liking a girl, he didn't even know what it felt like til he met her. It was his first crush. The silly feeling that you'll only get when you're young.

Matt opened his eyes and smiled back at the girl who seemed to be smiling directly at him in the poster. He wandered where could the envelope which contains the letter and the comic strip he had drawn for her but never had the courage to give her.



It was a strip bout every moment that he had seen her, drawn up in his favourite anime when he was young. He also laughed to himself when he remembered keeping the mentos wrapper in which he had found in the bushes for more than 5 years til someone threw it away. It was the only thing he could find in the bushes where he saw her throwing something there.



It was so silly of him to have thought that she was writing her number or something there. Every moment was still fresh in his mind even after more than 10 years. He have always wondered 'How would she look like now and what would it feel like to be able to meet her again?'. It would have been nice to even just know her name. But then again how could that be possible when he wouldn't know how she looked like now. Unless her twin sisters were there with her,... or unless she remembered me ... so sily and impossible'. He smiled to himself and rest his mind finally.

Welcome Back

7.30 pm, 18th February
Charlize's Apartment

"ANDEZZZZZ!!, I can't believe it!" Charlize ran across the carpark towards the taxi parked at the guardhouse outside her apartment. The moment, surreal. Matt stood steadily at the carpark elevator as his eyes and Andez greeted one another. Both of them gave a brotherly smile. Both of them knew that these few days will be like yester years.

As the three of them enters Charlize's apartment, the crowd looked at Andez momentarily with question marks on their heads. All of them shook their curiosity off quickly and welcomed him to the party. "Happy Chinese New Year...welcome back" the crowd introduced themselves one by one before they sat down on the dining table. All but one was not seated. Charlize was busy and frantically running in and out the kitchen to get utensils and photo albums from her room to show to the crowd. She misses him so much. As memories started to flood her willful self, tears are becomin' visible at the corner of her eyes. For some reason, her heart could not stop beating. This is so unlike her.

The food started to dissapear from the table, along with the bottle of wines. What a feast.

Festivities

7:15 pm, 18th February
Charlize's Penthouse

'Snap!' A picture of all of Charlize's colleagues and friends displays on Matt's new camera. "Hey Matt, come take with us !" Charlize cried out to him from the crowd. "Its okei la! Later later.." he smiled back. The crowd began to dispurse and sat accordingly on the long glass table that seems too fragile to hold the amount of food catered. "Gong hei fatt choi..Gong hei fatt choi...sek fan sek fan" Charlize took her chopsticks and everyone started eating. Matt ate quitely throughout the whole dinner and occasionally steered his head to Charlize whenever she started to joke around. He doesn't really know everyone, in fact other than Bernard whom he had seen once at Charlize's birthday party...he can barely remember the others.

"Hey Matt!, why so quiet...anyways... I haven't seen you in a long while...what happen to you la? Got a girlfriend already isit?" she laughed. "Hhuh?! No la! Been busy with work and the 'night shift'....no time to sleep also" he grins. Charlize always knows how to dig in and she remembers things very well. He can never hide a single thing from her. They were best friends for years. Yet, he can never tell what is on her mind. "What night shift? Entertain boss's clients isit? I know those Japanese can be 'hamsap' (horny)le" she glance at the crowd with a naughty grin and looks back at him. "Yea man, those buggers are crazy drinkers and my boss always needs me there to interpret for him" he tried to reply without showing any signs of shyness. The crowd laughed out loud.

Slightly after, Charlize phoned ranged. "OMG OMG!! Its Andez!!" she opened her eyes wide and stared straight at Matt. "Oh...I forgot to tell you....he is coming back for holidays" he laughed. She picks up her phone and shouted "ANDEZZZZZZZZZZZ.....you coming back!!!". The crowd kept quiet in anticipation for her next reply. "What!?!? ....you're outside my place?!" she stood up and ran straight to the security video installed next to her bedroom. "OMG!!" another scream is heard from a distance. The crowd laughed like mad and still don't know what is happening. Who is Andez?

Leavin on a Jet plane

7.20 pm, 16th February.
KLCC Convention Centre

Andez Tan: "Hey bro, do you still remember me? Happy Chinese New Year man... How is life?"
Matt: "Heheh....gong hei fatt choi! Wow...never expected the man from NYC to call. I'm fine...How is New Years in the big city wei?
Andez Tan: Okei only le. Actually I'm just hitting some balls right now at the golf club. You know what?... I might wanna come back to visit you man. Can house me or not?
Matt: "Really? Wei, this kinda things need to ask one meh? Just come down la..my parents are away anyways."
Andez Tan: "Hmm.. alright then... I'll make sure the jet is available. I'll be back within this week."
Matt: "Yea la rich man. Just gimme a call alrite?"
Andez Tan: "Will do man! Send my regards to your sis"
Matt: "Hahaha...very funny"
Andez Tan: "hehehe... ok den. I miss KL man ...keep ya posted. Ciaoz. "
Matt:"Bye."

Matt hangs up the phone. That is some great news. Now back to the camera. 'Which one was it that he is going to get again?' he tried to recall.'Oh yah, Canon'. He rushed quickly to the Canon store and with just brief negotiation and inspection of the Powershot SD550, he bought it. It was the best he could afford. The Leicas would have to wait. He headed straight to the exit. It is already 7.30pm. Mindy would be furious if he is late again.

Matterials

6.15pm, 16th February,
KLCC Convention Center

Finally, he got through. The turn out for this Top Gadgets' exhibition was more than he thought. At least he is in now, he fan himself with the ticket in relief. 'Now, where do I go, oh yes... camera section'.

It has been a hectic week, plus Chinese New Year starting the day after tomorrow. As it turns out, it may be a good thing after all since his parents and most of his relatives decided to take a trip to China this year. Least he would have the weekends to rest. Matt could still taste the alcohol in his breath, what a crazy crazy night. He wouldn't even have taken this job if not for the perks it offers and not to mention the company sponsored car. Least his mom could use the Proton from now. Guess he would have to start drinking more often than he thought. Those Japanese clients are hard to please, entertainment is almost always necessary to shorten the process. Least he got the contract signed, after 4 crazy months of negotiating.
'Leica, Lumix, Sony, Nikon' Matt skims through the banner and displays bobbing out of every tent. 'So many choices' he sighed while lookin at his watch. He better be quick about this as he got to fetch his sister in about 2 hours time from tuition. Judging from the budget he has, it should limit most of these high-end choices. As he browse through every tent, the flyers from the promoter girls kept piling up in his hands. Although he knew he couldn't afford Leicas, he stopped by for a quick look at his favorite models, the D-Luxs. 'Wow, D-Lux 3 is out' he frowned in amazement with his face almost touching the panels. He has been eyeing the D-Lux model and trying to save for it since D-Lux 1 but never succeeded.

First was because of his father's hospital bill and now his sister's tuition fees. Before he could turn around, a sudden white light flashes right into his pupil. Suddenly his vision blurred for a few seconds. "OMG, sorry sir ...are you alright??" a girl holding a camera was talking to him. At first he could barely make out her face because of that flashing incident. "Are you okay? Look! Your picture" she turned the camera around to show him the LCD display. "This is our latest model, the one you're looking at...I think" she smiled. For some reason, he couldn't open his mouth for a brief moment.

Her eyes were extremely enthusiastic and her smile plain sweet. "OHh... nice pic" he took the camera for a closer look and smiled back. Right about then, she started her sales pitch. "This camera is our latest model, has 2..8 er..er ..apeture..." she said nervously while looking back into this small pamplet to check for correction. 'How cute', Matt watched her and tries to keep an interested look at what she is saying. He could probably do the sales pitch himself as he knows so much more than her about Leicas. But he didn't stop her, he just couldn't. She was trying really hard. "So, are you interested in getting one for yourself? We have promotion today...it is only $1,899 today!" she closed her pitch. Matt almost stumbled when he heard that price. "er...I'll look around first okay?" he replied. "Alright, if there is anything I can help you with ...please tell me okay? I'm Mandy" she hands him a flyer and smiled abruptly before walking away to the next customer. 'MAn, soooooo expensive' he whispered to himself as he turned to walk away. All of a sudden, he felt a strange vibration in his pants. It was a phone call, from someone that haven't called in a long time. 'AndezsTand?'.