(Sunday, 9 May 2021. 10 AM, Train Station)
"Have you eat?" En-Hui asks me while she is opening her breakfast set and give it to her boyfriend. I always find them adorable for both of them are cool in their relationship. At first, I thought they were just friends, honestly, before I knew they are in a relationship, I have a crush on her boyfriend, and not long after the declaration to myself, their relationship was revealed. "I'll eat it on the train."
"How about you?" her boyfriend, Ren-Zhai ask Li-Zhuang. "If I ask you, will you answer me?" and the one who is asked nods himself while smiling. "Have you eat?" Ren-Zhai asks for the second times and again Li-Zhuang nods. "Can you count it as a response?" En-Hui's boyfriend nearly gives up still Mark does is smiling. "Speak! Say something!" he dramatically begs Mark. No reply just a dimple shown on his face.
Fifteen minutes later we are all 12 people get on the train. I sit with En-Hui and Li-Zhuang with his beloved senior, De-Yuan, behind our seats. I don't know what happens on the train cause I only open my eyes to eat and go back to sleep after that. Two hours later after the long trip, the train stops. We arrive at the destination. Summer in Southern Taiwan is so hot. The sun pierces my eyes as soon as we step out of the train station. The sweats are falling to the asphalt while we are walking to our accommodation. The sound of dragged luggage fills the quiet ginnel. We're heading to the swimming pool as soon as we dropped the suitcase. Like a crowd of cows, we walk alongside the pathway. The vendors used to attract my sight but at this moment, I can't even gulp my own saliva. Even though today is the only warming up day, I can't get over the thought of tomorrow is the tournament's day. "Are you nervous?" De-Yuan the most senior of the senior asks me. I don't give him the exact way, because I believe he already knows the answer. "It's your first time though, don't worry." he walks ahead.
The moment I step my step into the stadium, the smell of chlorine breaks into my nostril. It's hard to believe, I trained for six months for this nerve-wracking competition. Just one more step and I'll stand on that starting block.
Two hours of cooling off warmed up my courage to give my best for tomorrow. The strong body of the others swimmer shakes my confidence but for this moment, self-doubt won't help me a thing, "How can they have that perfect body?" I mumble to En-Hui. "They have devoted their life for this freaking swimming." she jokes. Deep down in my heart, I miss those times when I was the intimidating one. I've been swimming since 10 and had to stop, as I flew to Taiwan. After the long break, four years later, I am starting again. So, here am I. Trying my best to be the old me.
"We'll put our things first and go out for dinner!" De-Yuan announces to all of the team members as the oldest. We are all kidding about each other and arranging the place to go. We're all doing fine, so does he. He is doing fine without talking to each other. Walking in the middle with the head wander around. "Hey," Jia-Ting, my female friend from the same department pull my hand. "Our eyes met!" she says it proudly.
"Who?" I ask and she fastly mention 'our'. Without explanation who is the subject.
"He! The handsome!" that's how she mentions the mute Li-Zhuang.
"Really? Are you guys talking?"
"How can he talk? I never heard him speak!" she giggles. We enter our accommodation and bring the important things only. On the way to the restaurant, Jia-Ting is talking with other team members. I walk backmost. From time to time, we need some time to organize our minds and plan. I don't feel lonely but comfortable, for I only follow the others.
I walk blankly that I am not aware that he is walking next to me, I mean Li-Zhuang. I have no idea whether he unwittingly happens to walk by my side or the magnet of me sucks him to be near me. Overthinking has never given me a good ending, so just forget it. He doesn't even open his mouth during the going. At the restaurant, he sits in front of me and eats the food silently. We're all talking about tomorrow's schedule while he is playing on his phone. "Let's go back and sleep!" the members are saying the same things. "Is there anyone who wants to buy a drink?" I bring up the idea.
"No sweet things tonight!" En-Hui says. "We can eat it the day after tomorrow. When the competition is over."
When things get me down, milkshake or any other beverages, are the best companion. I keep staring at every beverages store we pass. Everyone enters their room with a cheerful face while I failed to keep myself calm. Jia-Ting who is my roommate is going out with her long-distance friends who live nearby.Since she doesn't have a match tomorrow, she can come back as late as she wishes.
"Hello?" I call my parents to cool off my mind. But the one hours conversation on the phone helps me nothing. It makes me want to go back to my country, instead. I decide to go outside and breathe the fresh air. The alley is quiet. I heard nothing but the cicadas. Good for you cicadas! You have no match tomorrow. How can I beat them all? Can I? I shouldn't expect too much right? Rather than rely on this competition's result as the way to get scholarships, I think I better study harder. Right? But I hate to study. Aaaarrrgggghhhhhhhhhh.....A cup of big tea appears in front of my eyes out of the blue, "What's with that face?" he chuckles. You know who is he right? Yeah, he. "I thought you are fine. We can't eat too much sugar today, so I bought you sugar-less tea, instead."
"Why are you give me this?"
"I'm not blind, I can see your eyes are attached to every beverages store we passed," he sits next to me. On the stairs. "It's fine to lose. We still have three more chances." his words fit perfectly in my chest. He piercing the tea using the straw and give it to me, " Drink this and sleep. Do you like the drinks that much?" my heart skips a beat. How can he give me the perfect response to every single of my problem?
"Dear Mr, Max, sorry to say, but it's not your business,"
"Stop calling me like that! Seriously, I want to know where the hell you get my name?"
"It's all because I have ears." I look at him closely. "I want to ask you something. Is it because you can't hear what they say, so, you don't reply to them...or...you don't have a mouth?"
"Hey! I am talking right now!"
"Then why didn't you say a thing when they ask you?"
"I replied! It's you who didn't hear it!" Again, the conversation between us comforts me than ever. He makes me forget about the burden on my shoulder. I like this feeling. I have never imagined this moment would be one of my memory.
Underneath the bright moon, the mermaid looked at her flat shoes closely. It was her best and special flat shoes. She thought she would never have the chance to wear the shoes. Every once in a while, she can't help but wonder whether the shoe who was chosen by her or she was the one who was chosen by the shoe. The flat shoe was special for her because it was special or was it because the one and only shoes she could wear. And in the end, she was curious whether she liked this pair of flat shoes or was it because she had nothing else.
To be continued...
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