Part of me didn’t want to believe it, but I couldn’t help but worry because I didn’t know if View Be was serious or just being sarcastic. After being sent away, I stayed nearby, keeping an eye on the little one to see where she was going.
About ten minutes later, I saw the person who said she had plans with a friend leaving with a bag. She wasn’t very dressed up before she went to call a taxi. I was worried that if I called the next one, she might not take me, so I ran back to the next alley and caught a motorcycle taxi to follow her.
Since it was rush hour, View B and I were stuck in traffic for almost an hour and a half before we finally reached our destination, which was a shopping mall near my parents’ house.
For a moment, I was anxious to run into someone I knew here, but my curiosity about View B overcame that, so I decided to go into the mall. The surveillance continued relentlessly as I kept a distance of about six feet behind her so that I could see her clearly. Who did she meet? I hadn’t seen anyone yet.
The phone I had silenced buzzed against my thigh, which I had tucked into the front pocket of my jeans. I answered the call without taking my eyes off my little sister to see where she was going, forgetting that I had made an appointment with someone.
"Hello?"
[I just arrived in Bangkok.]
Hearing Dr. Ake’s voice on the line made me straighten up a little, as if he was right in front of me and I had to show him some respect or consideration.
“Oh…”
[You seem to have forgotten I was coming.]
"That’s not it! I was just surprised at how early you arrived."
Or to be more precise, I had forgotten he existed in the world, so his moved from Phuket to Bangkok hadn’t crossed my mind. When he suddenly said he was here, it caught me a little off guard.
[It’s not that early. Since we last spoke, I’ve already driven halfway. By the way, can you set up a location for me? I want to make sure I can meet you. I don’t know the streets of Bangkok; when I was here, I only took taxis and didn’t have my own car.]
"Right now, I’m at the mall. How about this? You come meet me first, and then we can go back together."
[Okay. Mei’s having dinner…]
I hung up, thinking he was done talking. I hesitated for a moment, realizing I hadn’t even said goodbye to him. But then again, it wasn’t the time for a chat because I was too focused on following this little girl, curious about who she was meeting. Part of it could be called jealousy, but it was more about concern.
I’ve never trusted technology that moves so fast. Nowadays, people barely get to know each other first. When they see someone’s profile picture on their timeline and think everything’s fine, they just arrange to meet up. Some couples end up together for a long time, which is great, but many aren't so lucky, and that's usually the case.
As I followed her, View B picked up the phone to answer someone and
started talking, looking left and right as if searching for something. I quickly hid in a corner watching to see what my sister would do next. I watched the little girl walk down the escalator and head towards the supermarket.
Do people really go on dates in supermarkets these days? No, she might just be stopping by to buy something.
I started acting like Conan, thinking about what my sister could possibly be buying here. A toothbrush? Probably not. Shampoo? This is no time to buy trivial things on a date.
Condoms?
.
Thump, thump...
I shook my head, as if I couldn't believe what I was thinking. To be honest, sometimes I didn't like my own imagination, which often wandered too far and too far from reality. Most of these thoughts were influenced by Paint and Mei, but I didn't think they would infiltrate me so much. Maybe I should calm down and just see what View was really doing before I panicked.
