Guessing Sparkles (WA 2013)

Having A Deal With Mr. Stranger

"Hey stranger stop smiling at me, little by little you're getting closer to me. Don't you know it's not right to fall too quick? Let's not rush to it." - Hey Stranger, KC Sparks

Chapter Eight: Having A Deal With Mr. Stranger

Eleven Days Ago

"And this one was taken during our trip to London," I said and showed the picture to Marge.

We were still inside Martha's Coffee Corner and already spent three hours just talking about random things. I was  happy to know that Marge and I had so many things in common. We both had the same love for writing, which was actually fun. I had finally found someone who was also a writing enthusiast just like me. My parents and even Aunt Josie didn't like the idea to write a book. Perhaps, fate brought Marge and I together so that I wouldn't find it hard to express my deep love for writing. Aside from being an aspiring writer, Marge also loved composing her own songs. Funny, but I had a feeling that perhaps Marge and I used to be sisters in our past lives. When I mentioned that my favorite color was purple, she jumped in joy and told me it was her favorite too. Then she took out her little scrap book and proudly showed to me her collection she called, "The Purple Exhibit". If there was one thing that Marge and I had nothing in common, that would be her love for the art world. 

"Oh, look at you here!" she said and smiled. "I hope I'll find my own Matthew someday."

"You're pretty, I'm very sure someone out there's praying for you to like him," I said and giggled. "Marge, all it takes is one simple look."

"How I wish it's that easy, Clarie," she said and handed the photo back to me. "I actually found someone already, but I'm not sure if he's the one though."

"If you're not sure, then ask him for some space and think about your relationship for awhile," I said and sighed. "Marge, if that guy's genuinely in love with you, I'm very sure he will understand your sudden ask for a space."

Marge nodded and smiled a little. Even though she didn't directly tell me what was on her mind, I had a feeling that she was really clueless. As much as I wanted to help her out, I just couldn't. I, myself, couldn't handle my own problems in life— so it would definitely be much harder for me to understand other people's problems. All I could give her was the comfort of a friend even though we just met each other three hours ago. 

"I don't want to freak you out, but I do want to be your best friend," she said and looked into my eyes. "I've never felt this happy before. Sure, I have tons of friends back in my country, but I couldn't consider any of them as my friend at all."

"You know what, I do feel the same way too," I said and smiled broadly. "To be honest, this is like the first time someone wants to be my friend. It actually didn't feel like we just met each other today."

"Yeah, I felt that too!" she said and chuckled. "It's like I'm just talking to my sister."

"Sister," I repeated and nodded. 

I was about to say something, but then we heard a phone ringing and that interrupted our conversation. Marge took out her phone and the smile on her face suddenly faded away when she saw who was calling her. Trust me, I was curious too as to why she acted that way. But then again, it was not my business to know why. After all, I was never a fan of gossips. Instead of answering the call, she turned her cell phone off and placed it back on her bag. That was all I needed to see to prove that my hunch was right. It was the man she was referring to a minute ago. Then I suddenly found myself wishing to meet that man and personally know why Marge hated him so much. 

"Clarie, I really have to go now," Marge said and rose up from her seat. "But, I'd like to still keep in touch with you. If it's okay, may I have your number please?"