The Sphere

Chapter 6: Signal

WHILE waiting for Norman, who hadn't shown up at the Sunway Pyramid entrance, I decided to kill time by flipping through Beck's album titled 'Sea Change'. A friend of mine had just bought it for me as a souvenir from their overseas trip. I hadn't seen Norman in almost a month, so I thought this album would be a nice surprise for him.

As I sat down on a bench, I couldn't help but reflect on our relationship. It had endured so much over the years, and I wondered how we managed to make it work. Memories flooded my mind, and I started reminiscing about the good times we had shared. It dawned on me that our shared love for music played a significant role in keeping us together.

Music had always been our thing. We would geek out over the US Billboard charts, Grammy Awards, and any record-breaking news. It was our common ground, the foundation of our conversations. We would exchange music records as gifts, and sometimes Norman would surprise me with a book or a novel, just to mix things up. But music was always at the core of our connection.

Thinking back, it was incredible how our shared passion for music had sustained our relationship. It gave us something to bond over, something to explore and discuss endlessly. From the very beginning, it had been the main topic of our conversations, and it brought us closer together.

So, as I sat there, waiting for Norman, I couldn't help but smile. Our love for music had been the soundtrack to our relationship, and I knew it would continue to be for years to come.

I still remember the first record I gave him - it was Bounce from Bon Jovi. At the time, I thought he would enjoy the band and their music, but it turns out Bon Jovi wasn't his thing. Norman could appreciate their songs, which were generally easy to listen to and catchy, but he didn't find them revolutionary or adventurous. But, that's just his opinion. Everyone knows that Bon Jovi is an amazing band. After that, I was able to better understand Norman's musical preferences.

'Hmm... ' I sighed. Norman still hadn't shown up. I tried reaching out to him, but no response. "Typical Norman," I muttered to myself. It seemed unlikely that he could have forgotten his way around Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya so quickly. Unless, of course, he had been bewitched or suffered a severe blow to the head, because it had only been a month since he left the city, not a whole year!

Norman had just returned from Seychelles, where he was working. He was known for being an efficient restaurant manager, and this time he was in charge of a team of skilled chefs providing food for the Bath Production crews working on the Seruan Pulau film (internationally known as The Island). The film was directed by the famous director and actress Hanida Hasry, who also played the lead role. It was her directorial debut and received a lot of attention from the media.

The reason I wanted to meet Norman that night was because I had this burning desire to uncover the truth about what was really going on in Seychelles. Especially when it came to Hanida Hasry. My interest in the matter was the main factor, but I have to admit, jealousy played a part too. I mean, who wouldn't be jealous if their fiancé was asked by a beautiful and famous woman like Hanida to monitor a team of cooks? It's only natural to feel suspicious in a situation like that. When I shared all this with Gina, she totally understood and said she would have felt the same way if she were in my shoes.

Now, I know Hanida's fiancé, Danish Fikri, was also in Seychelles because he had a role in the movie. But even with that knowledge, I still wasn't satisfied. I mean, anything could happen in a month-long trip like that. And to top it off, Hanida herself asked Norman to accompany her. Can you believe it? She asked him herself! So, I felt like I deserved some explanation from Norman just to clear my mind. I don't think that's asking for too much, do you?

"Hey Marina," Norman greeted me with a cheerful tone. Finally, he showed up a whopping ninety minutes later than the promised time. And to my surprise, he acted as if he hadn't done anything wrong.