He received the call with a cup of coffee in his hand.
She said, ‘What are you doing?’
He said, ‘I’m drinking coffee and watching the rainstorm. And you?’
She said, ‘I’m drinking coffee too by the window, watching the raindrops falling on the trees in my garden. Enjoying it.’
He said, ‘How’s your treatment going on?
She said, ‘fine.’
He said, ‘Well, that’s good to know. Why did you call now?’
She took a moment. Then …
She said, ‘I missed you.’
He took a moment. Then …
He said, ‘Do you miss me just as a friend or as a guy?’
She said, ‘As a guy!’
He took a pause. Smiled a little bit.
She took a sip from her coffee cup as if to relax a bit with the words spoken finally to him.
The pouring rain was making a beautiful breeze.
They both felt it on their way.
From here to there.
From there to here.
He said, ‘I’m done with the house. I even sleep here sometimes. It’s pretty. I did a pretty nice job.’
She said, ‘I plan to visit soon.’
He said, ‘What?’
She said, ‘May be in about ten days. Next weekend!’
He said, ‘Why are you coming? Are you coming to jump into the sea here? Don’t you even think so. You’ll freeze to death, you know. The water gets cold in winter. You know that, na?’
She said, ‘Why are you saying this and that? Why will I jump into the sea? I’ll be coming to visit you. Not for any other reason.’
He said hurriedly, ‘Okay. Let’s hang up. I’m busy.’
Then he smiled a sweet smile after such a long time.
Then he started singing, ‘If you ever need me, just give me a call. I’ll run over to you whenever. Whether it’s raining or hail-storming, I don’t care.’
Then she smiled a sweet smile as if she was hearing his song. 🎵
⁃ Then try not to hurt me. And why are you determined to hurt me? Do you need time? To think?
⁃ No
⁃ Okay. I asked you to go on a trip with me but why haven’t you replied? What’s with that look? This is boring. Forget it.
⁃ Have you ever lied in your life?
⁃ I don’t lie. But to be truth to you I have lied when I was little.
Oh, wait! I guess I’m lying right now?
⁃ Now?
⁃ The fact that you still haven’t given me an answer about going on a trip together is really getting on my nerves right now. And I’m honestly a little hurt. But I’m acting like I’m fine, so I guess that counts as a lie. Heyyyy, why are you laughing? If you don’t like me that much, let’s just end it here.
⁃ You can’t just thoughtlessly trust someone when they haven’t done anything to gain your trust. We are not kids.
⁃ You have a point. Right!
⁃ Let’s go on a trip.
⁃ What? But I didn’t do anything to gain your trust.
⁃ You did.
⁃ When?
⁃ Just now. You told me you don’t lie. That’s good enough.