Asian Shrine

Highschool is amazing. Wrong! Its a shit hole, where they trampe your hopes and dreams. Demons apparently rule the place because they are rich or hot or if their lucky, they are both. So if you think highschool is okay, chances are you are one of them. Even at that, you're still crazy. And No. I'm not overreacting. I'm reacting just fine.

Yet, everyone is trying to fit in. Spending hours each week day in front of your mirror, deciding on what to wear. There are more important things than that people.

I was born too many centuries too late. It's just my fate to be born in the Internet Age. I'm just unlucky. Imagine being born in a time and place, when there wasn't anything like school or exams or SAT. 

The only upside is I'm not on this Journey alone. I have my best friend, Josie. I don't know how I would live without her, literally. Maybe I would be a patient in a mental assylum or commit suicide from depression.

The death halls welcome me in as always, literally paying no attention to anything or anyone because I could care less. The world might be ending and I wouldn't notice, because I'm in my own world. My little perfect world in my head.

At my locker, I'm trying to remember what I have for third period. Chemistry, English, then what?

" Munchkin," I hear. 

There's only one person I know who says that, Josie. "Pumpkin," I say, hugging her tightly. 

 " Munchkins got a date with Drew. Hot basketball player drew," she teases.

" Josie!" I say in a blush. It's hard not to blush, it's my first real relationship. Just a single word and I'm red like a tomato.

 " What!" she says. "He's hot." 

I literally cannot argue with her there. Drew. Andrew Thomas McClure. One of the hottest guys in school. I know what you're thinking, how did a girl like me, get a guy like that. Frankly, I don't know I ask myself that question all the time.

In Josie's words, " I'm amazing and he's lucky to have me." Well I don't think so. The rest of the school certainly doesn't think so. She's my best friend, her opinion will tend to be bias. Maybe my life isn't all that bad, after all. 

" Today, makes it what since you've been together?

"Five weeks, two days —" I pull my phone from the back pocket of my wripped jeans to check the time. He's my home screen. "Thirteen hours and twenty two minutes, but who's counting."

" Definitely not you," Josie says with a smile.

Guess who's still blushing silly. Me. Get a grip Khloe, you're a mess right now. 

" So?" she asks. "What are the plans?

I shrug in response and grab my chemistry textbook from my locker. I'm going to tell her anyways, why not keep the suspense.

" Don't tell me, the Chinese Restaurant up town. You always go there. Do something different."

" I can eat Chinese food everyday and not get tired." Yangchow fried rice, spring rolls, Hot pot, tofu and my favorite chow mein. I'm salivating just by thinking about them. "But Andrew doesn't like it. I mean he pretends to be happy and he doesn't complain. But I know well enough. So I decided to do something he likes this time."

" What do you have planned then?"

" We just want to hang out at my house. You know get to know each other better. There's a Celtics game this evening, we're watching that. He's really excited about it. I'm not." With a bright smile I say, " On the upside I get to order Chinese takeouts."

" You're never going to let go of this obsession of yours are you?"

" Nope"—I slam the locker—"and it's not an Obsession."

***

So the game is over. The Celtics won. Yay! I really don't know how the date would have gone if they didn't. My first basketball match. Basketball is cool , those guys were pratically walking on air. What I don't get is why you'll want to spend over two hours watching it, it's just the same guys running back and forth with a ball. 

We're on the couch talking about our lives.

Then he says, " Can I see your room?" 

I can literally feel my heart pounding against my chest. I know he just wants to see my room but this is a big deal. Like really big, it's like we're married. Okay Khloe, slow down your horses. " You...you want to see my room?"

He nods slowly. " Well since I'm here, I figured why not?" 

I don't say anything and stare at the floor.

" Well unless you don't want me to. Then it's okay."

" It's no problem...it's just...it's no problem, at all." At this point I'm trying to convince myself not him.

We're walking up the stairs and I'm leading the way. Well this is it, this is the moment I die. While he, he's just calm. I guess this isn't his first time being in a girls room; but it's my first time. I'm room virgin.

The black wooden door is in view, I turn the nob. The door opens, revealing my little world. I dash in and sit on the bed. My nails literally digging into the sheets.

He's looking from wall to wall, then at me, back at the wall, then at me. 

" Wow. It's like... I'm in an Asain shrine," he says. "I mean it's Asain themed. "

" It's China. Ancient China to be precise."

" Ancient China," he repeats.

My room is my little world. It's nothing like any other teenagers room. Well, I wouldn't know, I've only ever been to Josie's room. 

My room has a brick red hand print Chinese wallpaper. Instead of posters, I have calligraphy, wall scrolls, paintings of China and other beautiful pieces. In the middle of my room, I have a little black wooden stool. My handmade Chinese Kungfu tea set is on it. It cost me a fortune but it was worth, every penny. 

My bed is by the left. My pillowcase is made of cotton. The red pillowcase accentuates the white silk bed lining. It's also embroided with a gold folding fan and there's calligraphy on it.

My window sits on the wall adjacent the door. At each corner of the wall is a black ceramic flower pot with a golden dragon print.

I'm looking around my room, trying to figure out what he's thinking. He's still standing by the door.

" Well I knew you speak Chinese fluently and love eating Chinese food; but I didn't know this."

" I might have a thing for the ancient Chinese culture," I say, scratching the back of my neck. " Just a little thing."

" More like a lot."

He's creeped out by me, isn't he? I knew this day would come, didn't think it would be today.

"Great," I say. " You think I'm weird."

" What?"

Overcome with anger and disappointment I got on my feet. " You think I'm weird," I proclaimed.

He starts laughing. Am I funny? Is this funny? I showed him something very important to me and he's laughing at me. Don't cry. Cry, no way. I'm way too mad for that. That son of a—

" I knew you were weird since the very first day I met you; but I like that about you." 

He's standing in front of me now. He holds my hand in his and smiles. That son of an Angel. I guess I over reacted.

" I guess in a strange way, we all have things we're crazy about. My room is all about basketball, with a side of hot mess." He looks around the room and back at me. " But this is beautiful."

He's looking around again, smiling. " So this is why."

" Why what?"

" Why you eat everything with chopsticks."

" I just find the use of cutlery rustic, we're not barbarians. I mean a fork, a cave men could use that."

We're both laughing. I like it when he laugh. I wasn't trying to but he makes me want to.

" So ancient China huh?" He says, staring at a painting, View of Lake Tai.  

I nod and interlock our fingers. " Ancient China is beautiful. The culture, the people, the atmosphere is amazing. It was such a blissful period. The priorities then is not the same as now. The educational system is sure not the same as it is now. 

" Fashion back then was different. Creative motif designs, bright colours, beautiful embroidery and lushful silk. Did you know that the Chinese people invented the silk fabric?" 

" I didn't," he says. 

"I have something to show you."

He helps me to pull out a big red box from my closet. I empty the content on my bed.  

I pick up a purple silk robe. " Look at the embroidery, isn't it beautiful."

" It is."

" Then look at this," I say, lifting up a bright orange piece. " It's an Ancient Chinese traditional Hanfu dress. Look at the embroidery, it's hand sewn."  

We go back and forth among the items, then I notice he's playing with something.

" It's a Chinese hairpin." I grab another piece and place it in my hair to demonstrate. 

" So cool." Finally, another person that understands.

" Everything is really beautiful Khloe. Thank you for sharing your passion with me. "

Passion not obsession, he understands. 

" Sometimes I wish I was born then. If there ever is a time machine, I'll go straight there. I'll witness as they begin building The great Wall. I'll have afternoon tea, eat dumplings all day. I'll have long black hair. Who am I kidding, probably still going to have short hair.

" This is just wishful thinking but I'll also be a Kung Fu master. I'll be a Hero, travelling the pulgilstic world with my Master. I always pictured a bald old man, with long white beard," I say. "And get this he's blind."

" Blind?" He says grinning.

" It enhances his other senses. Don't be fooled, my Shifu is the best. No one dares to mess with us."

" Is Kungfu real? Isn't it like folktale."

" I find your lack of faith disturbing." I say, narrowing my eyes.

A girl can dream, can't she? KungFu is real to a certain point. Jianghu, the world of the Martial arts, on the other hand, sadly isn't real. 

" You," he says. " A KungFu master. You can barely do a sit up."

" Don't doubt me boy. I'll have you know that I can do three," I say, showing him three fingers. " three sit ups in a row."

" Can you now?" he asked with a smirk.

" Yes. But imagine if I was a martial artist. Lexi, wouldn't dare mess with me." 

" I'm sorry about that. Now that am here, she isn't going to cause you any trouble."

" Yes I know. I appreciate that but it would be nice to stand up for myself. To be my hero." Hands on hip, I say, " A fearless Kungfu Master." 

I continue to show off my stuff.

" Who's this dude?" he says back at the paintings.

"Wen Zhengming," I say. " He's one of the most famous calligraphers in the Ming Dynasty. He was also a poet and a painter. He's also regarded as one of the four masters of Ming painting. He's cursive script is an inspiration to my Calligraphy. 

" Calligraphy? " he says, walking towards the Calligraphy and scrolls. " It's so cool."

" This is mine."  

" What does it say?"

" I wrote the poem 'Quiet Night Thought' by Li bai"—I clear my throat—"it says, Before my bed the moonlight glitters, like frost upon the ground. I look up to the mountain moon, look down and think of home." 

" You're amazing," he says. 

" I want to write something for you." 

Grabbing my Calligraphy brush and paper I begin to scribble. I could have used the no ink calligraphy pen, but I just prefer the brush. It's authentic. I hand over the paper, trying my very best to hide by blush.

"What does it mean?" he asks

" Wǒ ài nǐ," I said smiling. " It means I love you." 

"Wǒ yě ài nǐ." 

I'm surprised his able to pronounce it accurately. Everytime he attempted to pronounce the menu of the Chinese restaurant, it always so cute and sad. 

" You actually said it correctly this time," I say.

" Let's just say someone has been taking online Chinese classes," he says bringing me in for a hug. 

" Why?"

" Because of a special someone who just happens to adore the Chinese Culture."

" I wonder who that might me," I say hugging him tighter.

I wouldn't trade this moment for anything, not even for a glimpse of Ancient China. I never thought I would ever say that, but I mean every word of it.