"You're too busy for me."
Ling read the message for the fifth time while waiting for her mie goreng noodles to soften and cook and she couldn't help but sigh.
She could barely count on one hand the amount of sleep she had for weeks now. From waking up to tend the garden of the Sethratanapong, making sure the plants continue to flower and checking the health of the soil, she will then spend the daylight studying her subjects, making her brains bleed dry and if it's not enough, she added numerous tutorials aside from one that she has with Orm. By then, she could already feel her body screaming for rest- but no, she will not stop yet until she reviewed for her tomorrow's class, making sure she's fully prepared for whatever discussion her syllabus points her to and would finally call it a night around two in the morning if she's lucky enough.
Truth be told, aside from the glimpse she's had of Orm's messy bedroom hair from the garden, she hasn't seen her for almost a week now and as much as she wants to, she really couldn't find time.
It actually started a month before when her eyes landed on the worn out calendar she'd got from the pharmacy as a freebie and was hanging lopsidedly on her walls that she actually realized that it's a month before Orm's birthday. Apparently, she has a little savings but she already set plans for them, she needed every penny that she had the moment she graduated from college and her move to Kalasin might be costly but it didn't diminish the fact that she's about to leave. It might even be the last time she'll spend Orm's birthday together with her until she has something on her name, hence, she's adamant to make the day not just happy but extra special as well.
So she doubled her tutoring slots that week- two high schoolers she usually taught on weekends now had her on Wednesday and Friday nights too. She woke up earlier for her garden job, fingers chilled from dawn dew, the shovel like a third arm. Mrs. Sethratanapong, the woman she worked for, noticed.
"You're more driven than usual," she remembered Koy's saying while handing her an orange juice. "Saving up for something?"
Ling only nodded and kept working.
"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you." She texted back and then gently lay her phone down on the small table. She can faintly see the steam coming out from the noodles that she's cooking and by the look of it, a minute needs to pass by until they soften. As they danced in the hot water, she prepared the flavor packet.
On a clean plate, Ling emptied the contents of the seasoning sachets- soy sauce, sweet kecap manis, chili sauce, seasoning oil, and the powder. She mixed them with a spoon until it formed a thick, dark paste though she made sure to only use half of the chili sauce, her tolerance to anything spicy is non-existent. When the noodles were finally done, Ling carefully drained them, letting the steam rise and fog her glasses. She gave them a quick shake in the strainer and transferred them onto the plate with the sauce.
She's really hungry by this time so Ling sat cross-legged on the cold floor, her plate of mie goreng warm in her hands. She had just taken her second bite when her phone buzzed softly beside her. The screen lit up, casting a pale glow in the dim light.
Unknown Number.
Her brows furrowed. At this hour? She quickly glanced at her old wrist watch that's still miraculously working. She's supposed to wait for Orm to respond but who is this person calling her?
Cautiously, she picked up the phone, thumb hovering over the answer button. But just before she tapped it, the contact name changed.
Orm.
