The Art of L̶o̶v̶e̶ More

That’s the thing about this city. It’s a small one, about a two-hour drive from the capital, busy and traffic-filled with honking horns on every dimly lit street. The people are quaint, nodding to each other as they pass by, screaming profanities at motorcycles that zoom by a bit too close for comfort. People from the capital, rich and snobbish, come by here at the edge of the week to find food and comfort at small, traditional, family made shops and restaurants.

Let me tell you of someone from this city, she’s not anyone of importance, just a passerby, a small girl living near traditional markets, starry eyed and innocent, filled with wonder and desire to meet strangers that looked as if they came from a whole other planet.

A little ding had followed in behind April, the little bell above her head swinging from her movements. Her steps are quick and light, a stark difference to her curious nature as she walks into the unusual little store. April is a homebody. She doesn’t travel much, only going out for her weekly trips to the library on the university’s off days, but she knows Golden flower was nothing but bricks and stone only a few days prior. To put it simply, its sudden presence intrigued her, having seemed to come into life out of nowhere, and is said to move every few days and return to whenever the owners see fit.

Little trinkets, snacks, and so-called-spells are on the counter tops. April wonders around, slightly tip toeing away from the things she could break, only touching those that look sturdy enough without glass. The customers that go to and from the stores whisper and tattletale about the store’s trinkets, how they look like they’ve popped out from a story, a little bit too magical looking for their comfort. How does April know, you ask? She got frustrated and slightly cursed at the teenagers that were whispering a bit too loud for her liking at the library. But hey, would you blame her?

Another thing she heard them whispering about was the owner.

Dear reader, you may call April foolish or cliché or whatever you see fit but when you hear about men and, mostly, ladies lining up in front of the store to see the owner who’s “devilishly handsome, with sapphire blue eyes, black raven hair, both ears pierced, and a necklace hanging around his neck.” I think you’d be curious too.

“Hello, welcome to golden flower’s little castle. What can I help you with?”

April smiles at the little boy at the desk. To her, he looks adorable. Brown, almost red hair, sticking up similarly like how durian would, mischievous green eyes, a striking grin, and stature that cannot look any older than 10 years old.

“I’m just looking around for a bit,” April shakes her head with a little laugh, “wanting to see what all the talk was about.”

“I understand.” He nods. “A lot of people are coming in to see the toys.” The little boy’s eyes glint before he grins, “But I think they’re all just waiting around to see the boss.”

“My name’s Mark, by the way!” Mark says before disappearing into the back of the store.

“You thought right,” April chuckles under her breath, before turning her voice into a little shout. “It was nice meeting you, Mark!”

Humming to herself, April continues to look around the store. Modern, homey, with the newest furniture set up. April feels warm, almost as if she’s at home.

“I’m sorry about Mark,” A new, deeper chuckle comes from where the little boy had run to. “He’s new here, working part time, and is still adapting to serving the customers.”

“It’s alright,” April smiles, peeking her head to address the man. “I find him adorable.” The man, probably in his late teens, is dressed charmingly. Even in a white tunic and black jeans, April supposes she’s never met anyone more handsome or attractive than he is.

And that, dear reader, was a snippet of my life, thirteen years ago. I know you’re all probably wondering something along the lines of, “Oh? Was that the handsome owner?” or “Is your name April?” or “Did you ever get his number?” or “Is this one of those cliché stupid, love stories where the main character falls in love and gets married?” or even “Why the heck did I have to read this?”

Well, to answer it shortly, Yes. No. Yes. No, well, probably. And, it’s for the aesthetic.

Kidding. Kidding. 

I just figured, “Hey. Why not talk about the city I was born in?”

Here it comes. The city is small, quaint, and nothing out of novel creativity. It’s not much like Singapore, where people are tidy and life seems perfectly alright. It’s food is nothing as yummy as Hong Kong, assortments of lobsters, martinis, and fancy food missing from the shelves. And it’s a goliath jump away from New York and Paris. My city isn’t known as much nor is it loved by the many. But it’s a city where the moon is calm, the source of long, lost words and the remission of the day. I suppose you could say that it is what makes the darkness of the night so lovely.

The thing about the place, other than the moon, is where I met him. Cliché, I know, but listen. Have you ever heard about soulmates? Or perhaps even believe in them? Well, once upon a time, I thought the ‘handsome owner’ was mine. No, we didn’t have ‘magical chemistry’ or matching tattoos that appeared when we first touched, like in those alternate universes. Oh no, no. I’ve accepted long ago, things like that simply don’t exist in our world. Now, I know you’re probably heartbroken from the dose of reality, or bored and are itching to ask, “Well, how did you know?”

Well, it’s probably because when I saw his smile, I had an epiphany. I suppose I find myself lucky, even just a little bit, to witness such a wonderful thing. Now, let me tell you what I had thought about. I had imagined God under the ray of sunshine, walking through the path of fast-blooming flowers along the mountain road. Not entirely roses, or sunflowers, or daffodils, like how romantic rom coms usually goes. I had imagined him walking through forget me nots, globe thistles, and hydrangeas, all in the shade of sapphire blue. And I believe the birds were chirping and trees were dancing. 

And I know you’re probably already bored of my incessant need for fun facts BUT! A part of the world’s always a shade of cloud gray, so I’d like to imagine that it was a sunny day and God had decided to take a walk and pay a visit to His beloved creatures. He gave the flowers kisses, and they’d given him sweet nectar in return. He patted the heads of all animals he encountered, they hugged Him in return. He gave the leaves permission to grow, and they promised Him to keep spreading life. He gave a soft pat to the sea, from where all strength bloomed. I imagine the wind blowing softly through God’s hair, and it whispered nothing but magic to God’s ear. And He smiled.

I imagine that it was God’s favorite garden near the mountain and sea; where happiness and joy were never quiet, where tears were only liquid that cleanse eyes. I imagine God had smiled, again, and declared, “I will turn this garden into a person.”

Yeah, I suppose this story turned somewhat cheesy and cliché. But I’d like to think that it’s heartwarming, inspiring, and beautiful. To find your soulmate. Oh. Now I bet you’re waiting for some sort of a lesson in love and life? Let me tell you, then, that it isn’t coming. Not yet. 

I vividly remember, when butterflies in my stomach just began to party and the colors in my world suddenly lived―when I thought I found my soulmate―, I saw him dancing with a girl above the lake with fireflies surrounding them. The magic I once felt, he gave it to someone else. I wasn’t mad, nor was I sad. That was because I saw his smile. He was the favorite garden of God brought to earth, for whatever reason, so it wasn’t very surprising that his smile would look like rainbows. That made me smile too.

If you haven’t guessed it yet, then yes, my love was one sided. But that's the whole point. As the years wasted on, nothing special ever happened between us. I had hoped for a miracle, that he would somehow see me more than what I already was. I waited and waited. Stupidly waiting, now that I think about it. But that doesn’t matter, not anymore, because here comes that lesson in love and life that we’ve all been waiting for.

Insert advice from my terrible but also not so bad love life: 

One, nothing will ever happen unless you cause it.

Two, there is more to love than kisses on the lips and cuddles at

night.

Three, love is not just for a lover and soulmate doesn’t always

mean couples.

P.s: we were and are not a couple, but we’re still friends that, I

hope, will last forever!