Englot (From a Distance!)

Marketplace

Engfa's POV:
"I am going to the marketplace. Who wants to come?" I have just finished my morning routine and am already going down on the starecase when I heard my mom from the leaving room.

"Mom, I want to come!" I told her and hurried down. We road on a tok-tok to the marketplace. We head to the meat and fish section as soon as we reach the marketplace. Mom starts buying meats and fishes, and then I'm the one carrying them.

"Alright! That looks heavy now. You stay here and wait for me. I will buy some vegetables." Mom instructed me, and I followed. I am standing at a corner of the place observing the people who were busy buying their goods when I heard a familiar voice. I quickly turn to look at him, and I'm right.

"Sawadii kha, Uncle Charles!" It's Charlotte's father. I greeted him, and he greeted me back, but I could see confusion on his face. Maybe he doesn't recognize me.
"Uncle Charles, it's me, Engfa! Have you already forgotten this cute face?" I introduced myself, making a cute face in front of him. He smiled brightly when he recognized me.

"Hoi nong, you have grown bigger now. Uncle was sorry for not recognizing you at once. You know it's been 12 years, and I'm older now." He explained himself.

"But you are still handsome, Uncle!" I told him playfully, and we laughed together.
"By the way, Uncle Charles, is Charlotte with you? I've never seen her since we got back." I asked him, curious about her daughter, that I'm missing somuch already.

"Yes, she is with me. She just needs to get something. She might be coming back at the moment." He told me and roamed his eyes around the area.
"Oh! There she is." I quickly look to the direction that Uncle Charles is pointing.

"Charlotte!" I murmured to myself. She is Charlotte? We have already crossed paths so many times. I've even talked to her last night but she didn't introduce herself to me. We are just looking at each other as she takes each step closer to me.

"Sawadii kha, Uncle Charles!" I heard my mom greeting Uncle Charles behind me. They greet each other, and she sheft her eyes to me and to Charlotte alternately.
"Alright then! Fa, all go ahead. The vehicle is waiting for me now, and I guess you have a lot of catching up to do with Charlotte." Mom told me while patting my shoulders. I just helped her ride on the vehicle and went back to Uncle Charles and Charlotte.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We are now in Charlotte's room. Her father told her to bring me here while waiting for lunch. I still feel at home in this room just like this is my second room before. Nothing much changed. Her dolls are till there. Her sandals just grow bigger and more ladyer, and the wall painting, from purple, is now its milk- white color.
I sat beside her on the corner of the bed, and there was an acuward silence after.

"Why didn't you introduce yourself to me?" I started. I don't know it that was the best introduction, but I've said it any way. There is no turning back anymore.

"I don't know! I think you wouldn't care." She told me not daring to look at me. I was a little bit annoyed by what she said. How can I not care about her?

"How can you think about me like that, Nuu? I even told you that i miss you." I miss calling her that way. I feel my face hit up, and my heart's beat faster. What is happening to me? I smiled to myself. But I hold it back, I don't want her to think something weird.

"I'm sorry, p'Fa!" She says, almost whisper. Enough for me to hear because I'm beside her. There was another silence.

"During the after party. I have the gut feeling that it was you, especially when I see you in the backyard." I informed her. I want to see her face, so I get up and move to a chair in front of her. Beside her desk.

"Why didn't you ask me then?" Now she is looking at me. The eyes that seem like telling me that I owe her something.

"I don't know! It's just feels like you should be the one to tell me first." I told her as I looked away. Those eyes were so aggressive that I didn't know what they could do to me. If she is teasing me with those eyes? She got me there perfectly.
I saw a box half closed laying on her desk, and what is inside is familiar to me. I took it, and I was right. It was the headband that mom Mai gave us.

"Oh! So, you still have this?" I speak getting her attention.

"P'Fa! How says you can touch my stuff?" She quickly stood up and shuch the headband from my hand. I can see that her face is blushing at the moment, and she is so adorable like that.

"What do you mean? That was mine in the first place!" I playfully argued with her. She just stuck her tongue out at me, which makes me smile bigger. This girl, she is still a kid.

"Girls, lunch is ready!" We heard Uncle Charles calling. So we head downstairs.