Teach

Prologue A: Samuel

"Samuel Liew." I tested the words on my tongue. It felt strange.

I let out a small sighed and placed my elbows on the parapet outside my house. I wasn't happy. It was young and inexperienced of me to say I was unhappy, I know. But nothing seemed right.

Tomorrow was my chemistry common test. And it was not that I hadn't revised. I had done all the practices and checked against all the answer keys in my house that there was virtually no more left to do and I was getting everything right. I had stared at my handwritten notes for so long that it seemed like my eyes were going to burn into the ruled foolscap paper. I should feel confident knowing that I was so prepared. But I was not.

There was a rustling sound behind me, near the flowerpots that belonged to my next-door neighbour. I turned around in faint interest, since I was partly also bored. It was a cat - with pristine and smoothly-combed black fur that provoked thought of how such a creature could possibly survive in such a grimy old 1970esque Marine Parade estate of mine. If you were there, you would certainly have found it indescribably unbelievable. None of the other strays I had met since I was a little kid could have stood out so well as this one did. For a second, I even pondered whether it had simply been a runaway furball from the private property a few roads across.

But I was a cat person, so I walked up to it and stared at it. I never did have the courage to go all touchy and cuddly on first meetings, even towards small animals, so I just had a look and observed it as it went about cleaning itself, seemingly oblivious to my presence. This I did not mind.

"Blackie!" In a few seconds, the black cat's owner had appeared from behind the stairway and scooped up the cat in one fell swoop. I almost snorted at the nickname and could not help but comment, "Blackie?"

The owner looked up. He could not be any older than me, and in fact we looked pretty alike if it hadn't been for his slightly smaller stature, longer nose and the presence of glasses. "I'm sorry?" By this time, I was feeling slightly guilty that I had simply burst out with a line of such insensitivity that I did not dare intrude on his choice of cat name further. "You like cats as well, then?"

He looked down at Blackie, and grinned softly to himself. "Right. Blackie here's my cat. Sorry for the sudden disruption - he shows a favouritism for escaping the house at all sorts of ungodly hours. Shi Ming says we're not giving him enough treats. I don't care."

I must have stared at him rather strangely, because he quickly added, "Well, uh, you're a cat person, then? I, uh, live one floor above."

"Right...right." I tried to break the awkward atmosphere, but obviously that didn't work. "Yes. Yes I am a cat person. I just live over there." I pointed in the direction of my house.

The boy turned to look at my closed wooden door. "Ok. My name's Yi Xun, by the way. I just moved here yesterday from my old house at Sennett Lane. Pa has a drinks stall just across, at the hawker centre."

"I'm Samuel." We gave each other awkward nods of neutral acknowledgement of acquaintances. This was followed by an awkward pause as we both thought of something to say. In the end, we just grinned at each other.

"Uh...So like I said, I'm sorry for the disruption. I'll leave now." "No, no, stay if you like - " "It's okay...My fam'll grow suspicious if I'm out too long..." Although I did not mind chatting with Yi Xun for a while more, my efforts to convince him to stay proved futile and I gave up. In the end, we said our goodbyes and Yi Xun, like some sort of cat whisperer-expert, lured Blackie over with some treats he had likely brought before leading him up the stairs. As he was about to vanish from view, he suddenly turned his head around as though he just remembered something and asked, "By the way, do you know the way to Dunman High School from here?"

"It's quite far. Why do you ask?" I replied that question with another question.

"Oh. Um...I'm starting there. Tomorrow..."

"Right, I go there as well. It's a bit difficult to explain how to go there with words...Shall I meet you here again tomorrow? We can go to school together."

"Fine, I guess. 6.30?"

"Sure." And with that, we parted ways and I went back to my original post along the corridor. Only now, staring at the neighbouring heartlands no longer seemed appealing. I did not know why, but perhaps chatting with a new neighbour who could well become a friend seemed to ease me of my pre-exam tensions. I opened the gate and went back into the house to get ready for bed.

As I kept my revision materials and washed up, I could not stop thinking about how Yi Xun was someone I had just met, someone I had unexpectedly chatted a few lines with, a probable schoolmate or even classmate of mine and an even more likely friend, given our common love for cats. I suddenly remembered that I had not gotten Yi Xun's contact and made a mental note to mention exchanging numbers tomorrow - if he was up to it.

The last few pieces of chem notes were placed in their respective folders, and I took a deep sigh of relief-overcome exasperation. 

Things are going to be fine tomorrow. I will not worry about it.

I lay down on my bed and fell asleep within minutes.