Taste of A Lifetime

A double-pane window full of mist, threw wide as a strong gust of wind invades my room with a swooshing sound. From the open window, I could only gaze at the conspicuous night sky exhibiting an ever-changing landscape of fascinating objects to see, it gives me a nostalgic vibe.

The swing chair I’m sitting on moves a bit as I stand, I walk in front of the sliding glass door and pull it to the side to make an entrance into the balcony. I step outside welcoming the cool breeze with the hint of moisture that touches my lips and cheeks. My white loose dress sway as the wind blew off my scrunchie causing my hair to flutter in the air. I lean on the railing and the scent of the plants awaken my senses.

“You got tons of plant there.” a voice of a man butt in, probably he’s the pesky tenant next door. I didn’t bother to glance and let him hinder my meditation but I can see him in the corner of my eye, he’s always in his balcony watching the vicinity and looks like his painting again—he slurps his tea prominently, I can’t enjoy the scenery because of his small noises. I looked at him that made him shook but in an instant, a smile started to curve in his face— so weird, I cross my arms and frowned at him.

“Want some tea?” I rolled my eyes and walk back inside then slam the door.

“I’m glad to be your neighbor,” he shouted

“You seem to be glad also—” I impeded him by turning off the lights. I lie down in the cushiony bed and cover myself with a blanket.

“Tomorrow is another day, thank your God.”

An ear-splitting noise, rouse me from sleep. I yawn and stretch my elbows as I sit upright in my bed, the noise next door keeps getting loud— I jump out of bed and went straight into the balcony, the sound caused by a hammer hitting a wall. He looks at me faultlessly so I pointed two fingers toward my eyes back to him.

I leave the balcony door open while fixing my messy bed, but the thumping sound starts stabbing my ears again. I run slowly into the balcony and he’s just standing there casually. I turned my back taking the empty cup on the table as I pass by and walk through the kitchen.

After washing the dishes, I get one slice of pizza in the refrigerator and put it in the tray with the tea I made. I need something to read so I scan my dusty bookshelf, I would love to read something that can make me think differently—aha I’m going for Mark Twain’s Mysterious Stranger. This book relates the adventures of Satan in Eseldorf, an Austrian Village in the year 1720—it gives me chill but I enjoy reading it, not noticing the time running. 

I’m in the middle of reading when my tea runs out and my pizza too, it’s time to do my chores.

  After cleaning inside, I watch the sun subside as I water the plants. The tenant next door is sitting in front of his easel board and holding a paint palette, facing my direction where the sun is withdrawing.

“So beautiful” he muttered.

“The view”

“And you” but I didn’t hear the last word clearly. 

“Excuse me, you are blocking the view” I finished watering the plants, I sneaked a peek at him and rolled my eyes before I walk inside and locked the door.

  I went straight to the bathroom and enact my rituals, my stomach grumbles loudly as I come out with a white satin robe so I ooze my oatmeal in a clear glass bowl, adding coffee syrup on top. I burp loudly as I finish eating.

I turned the lights on on the balcony, but I guess the light bulb burnt out. The ceiling is too high for me to even reach the mouth of the socket, I utter a deep sigh as I feel my hands starting to numb.

“There’s no way you can firm that bulb in its socket” I don’t have time for annoyance but I can’t flex my arm any longer.

“Let me do it,”

“But if you’ll be uncomfortable with it, then go inside and lock the door while I’m replacing the bulb” I step my feet off the chair and put the bulb on top of it, he gives me a tiny smile— I immediately run inside and lock the door. He jumps off from my balcony railing, he’s taller than I expected. 

“Turn the switch on” he went back to his balcony.

“You can come out now!” 

I should repay him somehow, so I made him a tea.

“You’re welcome neighbor!” he added.

I walk into the balcony with a hot tea. He snapped back to reality and accept the tea I’m offering with a friendly grin, I smiled forcibly in return.

“Thank you—” as I expected he cough several times after he quaffed a pint of it.

"This tea is perfect”

There was an awkward silence between us.

“No offense but are you—mute or-or something, I don’t hear you talk ever since I move here” his candidness made me smirk.

“I can talk, just not to you”

“But you just did” I can’t help but smile in his shallowness.

“You are more beautiful when you smile” I stare at him and I see his eye shimmer— I look up at the starry sky, but I still feel his gaze.

“You mean my hair is beautiful?”

“You remind me of her, the charming girl from another section. Every time I watched her laugh with her friends, I always hope that she will gaze at me the same way. One time, she glances in my direction—she caught me staring and smiled, an angelic and priceless one that made me feel like I’m floating in heaven—but I never taught it was the last day I could see her, I want to find her but I never knew her name so I painted her face over and over again just to remember how her smile helps me to stay alive.” he said as he takes a sip

I can feel the longingness in his voice—“make a wish” I yelled out of excitement when a shooting star streaked across the sky, I closed my eyes as I wish. After getting my cup back, I walk inside.

“Thanks for the tea, neighbor”

“See you tomorrow” he shouted as I turn the lights off.

 I didn’t realize that I was smiling, I slap my forehead as I lie down on the bed.

“I hope he’ll see her again--he’ll see her again; God is well” I prayed.

***

“Hey watch it!” someone yelled outside that nodded me off. I rub my eyes as I step into the balcony.

“Good morning neighbor!” I was stunned at the moment seeing him water the plants.

“Those plants weren't there yesterday, how come--” I respond in a muddle and roam around my balcony.

“I buy all of these from the flower shop downtown”

“Hey! Do I look like a plant?!” a masculine bearded man hollered while biking down the street because of the water gushing out from my neighbor’s balcony.

“Don’t let the water pour out, people walking by might get damp” I instruct as I start demoing.

“Wow! watering plants is more relaxing than I expected” he bellowed while grinning, showing his perfect white teeth.

I’m starting to sweat like a pig as the sun mover roughly. After I finish watering the plants, I left the balcony without a word. I went into the bathroom to do my laundry then I took a shower after drying my clothes.

It’s already dark outside so I cooked two eggs and paired them with yogurt for my dinner.

After washing the dishes, I decided to sight the astonishing view up in the night sky with tea.

“You’re not painting”

“that’s odd” I added.

He is just leaning against the railing looking at me,

“I don’t need to paint anymore.”

“Did you lose hope that you will see her again?”

“I saw her,” he said that made my jaw dropped,

“Last night” he sighs.

“After a long time, she smiled at me again” he paused and looks up to the sky,

“A smile worth dying for.” I can see the stars in his eyes when he reminisces about her.

“It felt so real”

“Real? What real?” I asked before quaffing the last sip of my tea.

  “My dream” he mumbled. I squirted my tea off,

“A dream--It was just a dream?” I exclaimed while covering my mouth.

“Yes,” he chortled.

“What does she look like?”

He puts his hand on his chin as he hums,

“Just like you” my eyes widened.

“I-I mean she is tall as you and-and she has wasp waist like an imp-thin figure” I nodded in agreement.

“Are you always looking at her physique? what a pervert—”

“No!” he howled me down and we both chuckled.

“And she had pouting lips” he cooed while looking at my lips,

“She had that ebony-black hair, exactly like yours,” he said dreamily that made me look away.

“Stop relating me to her, you’ll be disappointed.”

“No really, you are both alluring” he urged, “Appealing” I stare at him waiting for his next word.

“And sophis—” his mouth snapped shut as I remove my wig unveiling the bald patches with fuzzy hair forms all over my head,

“ticated” he continued.

“I was diagnosed with lupus, 10 years ago” he gave me a sly leer,

“My parents are too paranoid, so I quit school and stayed at the hospital to be observed by a doctor”

“Now tell me, do you still see her in me?”.

“No” He shook his head.

“You are braver than her”

I was about to put my wig back—,

“Will you hide forever with that fake hair?” it was as if cold water had poured on me.

“Yes, I might die at any moment, though.”

“We’re all going to die, don’t feel special” 

“But dying is facile than living with fatality” he added.

“In the world full of uncertainty” He turns his back and leans on the railing,

“be certain and don’t be a part of that world”

“I need to rest” I was already in my doorway—

“What did you wish for?” he halted. I stare at him for a moment,

“I want to go to a museum just for once—”

“I’ll tour you in my art museum, one day” he promised that made me smile.

“I’m looking forward to it.” 

I emailed my doctor that I want to continue my treatment as soon as possible,

“Thank you God for this wonderful evening” I murmured before falling to sleep.

I woke up early today that is very unusual and my head feels free without a wig. I look at myself in my cute little mirror hanging on the wall before making tea. I peeked a look in his balcony but there has no sign of him, maybe he’s still asleep.

A day passed, but he has never been on his balcony, which is totally very odd. I look outside the balcony and there are three unfamiliar boys putting luggage and some furniture inside a truck. But why are they coming out of our place?

“Hey! Where are you going to bring my neighbor’s stuff?”

“We will transfer all of it to where your neighbor wants to, obviously” the driver answered. I was shocked, did I disgust him?

“What will I expect? people will not love you if you’re ugly” I stared at his balcony wishing this was just a joke,

"That idiot, who will water his plants?”

I walk inside and stares in the mirror— my phone buzzed as I receive an email from my doctor asking me to come to his clinic—

“It will be a waste” I closed my eyes to fall asleep but I keep tossing and turning around the bed. I think one pill won’t hurt a lot, I swallowed one sleeping pill and felt sleepy already.

A normal day I see as I open my eyes from sleep, but I notice something on the floor—a letter. I opened it slowly, “My museum will open soon, watch out!”  I hissed.

***

Another day has come and gone, every time I woke up, hoping you’ll come back to fulfill your promise about your museum, I always water your plant as I water mine, it’s uncomfortable to see your room without lights and your balcony without you painting and sipping a hot tea.

  Someone knocked on my door, probably it’s the faintly aloof landlady. “The tenant next door, ordered me to give you this,” she said while lending a key, “And this” he handed me a letter. She looks at me blankly while chewing her bubblegum, she then turned her back and walks away.

I’m walking back and forth in the hallway. I knocked with hesitation as I put my ear against the door but seems like no one’s inside. I put the key in and it was like a bolt from the blue as I open the door. My mouth opened wide in amusement—a mini-museum, indeed.

  This gives me chill, the first painting was…me going out of a car when I first moved in—but the angle is different, “Interesting.” I opened the letter next to the canvas, “A beautiful girl, I see. Hoping she glances at me” I shook my head. The next painting was I, looking at the sky from my balcony. “I watched you from my window in my apartment before I move here, your beauty never fades,” he wrote— The next one is when I’m arranging my plants on the balcony, I look at the letter, “One day, we’ll water our plants together” I get goosebumps after reading that. I walked to the other side of the room— I opened the letter immediately, “I said you are blocking the view, but you’re the best view” I smiled, he painted this the other day, surely. I proceeded to the next painting when I was replacing the light bulb and letter said, “If you’re just taller, you could do it without my help but sadly you are not hehe” I hissed as I shook my head. The next painting is a girl pointing a shooting star, that girl was me… no doubt, “I’ll make your wish come true, please do the same.” The next painting touches my heart, this was…when I removed my wig— “A brave girl with a good heart, That’s more beautiful.” A tear fell down my face, staring at myself from his painting. The next one was—was me? wearing a school uniform with a youthful smile, “No way” I was astounded, “That girl…” I paused, “That girl is me? the one he’s searching for?” The letter was quite long saying, “From the moment you get out to that car, I know it’s you. But something seems different, you always wear that dull face of yours far from the joyful mood back then. But I promise to bring that smile again, the smile that made my existence worthy. From the moment I moved here, I tried to approach you every day but you’re too reserved so one night I replaced your light bulb expecting you’ll need my help and it worked!! For the first time, you made me a tea and we talked a minute that felt like weeks. It was like a dream to see you smile again much closer than before, I’m ready to die anytime”

I’m sobbing weakly as I roam around his room while wiping my tears off. I opened the letter again “Can you smile for me again? please smile, smile every day” I smiled widely, a real one-- a smile that made him live. “I know you’re smiling, now I’m literary floating in heaven. Let’s just say that this cancer is stronger than me than I thought, but nothing is stronger than you. I’ll wait for you here, neighbor!” I kneeled down, howling.

“No”

“He’s just joking right?” I look at the last painting, but it’s just a flower—a Dandelion. I opened the letter beside it, “It’s funny how I admire you but I don’t know your name. Take my dandelion from the balcony and tell me your name when the dandelion seed heads flit away and I’ll tell you mine. I’ll wait for you!”  the room filled with tears as I hug my knees to my chest.

***

The cool night breeze blows the curtain on the balcony door, awakening my senses.

“That was a beautiful reverie” I saw the dandelion begins to droop.

“Finally, I can tell you my name”

Our long wait will end soon...

The seed heads formed perfectly.

“Just like the moon we need to hide in the light sometime--” A burst of early morning breeze blew the dandelion head seeds away.

“And just like the sun we will rise in time” I closed my eyes as I see the sun peeked, my last sunset has come.

‘My name is Elion, and you are?’ I said as I see him again.

‘I’m Dandy’

What a hilarious name, a name that I’m dying to know.

The End…