"Are you ready?" Mr. Lee asked me. "We have no choice, do we?" I replied as he opened the doors to the biggest weeklong annual book fair in this country. I took a step back and welcomed the crowd as they rushed into the hall like bees attracted to honey. I would be one of them at the end of the week when I earned my money to afford the books I already set my eyes on. I smiled and greeted the parents, teens and children who actually still love books and not electronic devices.
"6 ringgit an hour and you better smile like an angel." Mr. Lee the manager said.
"You and I know I'm the devil." I grinned like a madman and a girl giggled when she saw that. She blushed and walked away when she noticed I was looking at her. "I was like you once." Mr. Lee said. "I can make a girl fall in love quicker than Adele can make a comeback."
I laughed and eyed Mr. Lee from head to toe. He's 6 foot tall and tanned. He used to be fit but he gained a lot since I met him 3 years ago. He is half bald and the hair that is left is either begging to drop off or whiter than snow. "I believe Rihanna once asked for your number?" He nodded and tried to act cool.
"Mr. Lee said to put all this books on the shelves." Simmy pointed to a few boxes on the floor. "Alright, Simmy." I said while laughing.
"For the thousandth time, it's a real name and it means joyful."
"Yeah, you make people laugh as soon as you introduce yourself. Joker, step aside. You got a competition." I laughed harder. I high fived myself. He rolled his eyes and picked up a box. I picked up the other one. "At least I have a girlfriend." I heard him said under his breath before he went to the opposite side of the hall. "Not cool."
The hall is enormous and almost as long as two football fields. It can house more than 500 visitors at a time can thousands of books. Some boys may get excited looking at cars and some, guns. But, I'm more into books, footballs and YouTube. Not a typical guy every girl would fall for. But, every love story has its own actor and actress and I'm the main actor in my love story. Of all the places that could possibly start, it started in between shelves near the toilet. It was romantic. Please sense the sarcasm.
I often found the isolated shelves relaxing and sometimes I read books in the corner when Mr. Lee is not around. That day, I saw her. You know what they said about love at first sight. That when you first set your eyes on her, you can feel your heart beat faster and finds it hard to breath. I didn't do that. I'm just curious at the young lady wearing a pair of sunglasses, jacket and face mask indoors. It never crossed my mind to fall in love with her but I did.
I walked into the same aisle as the girl and went about my work. I set the box down on the floor and unpacked the box. "Garth Nix? Nice. I whispered to myself when I saw the cover of the books. I began arranging the books on the shelf when the girl I named weird disappeared from my sight. I turned around and there she was, with her eyebrows raised because in the process I knocked down all the books she was holding. I stood still for a moment and my body wouldn't listen to my mind to just turn invisible.
"Aren't you going to pick that up for me?" She asked. I opened my mouth but no voice came out. I didn't know what happened to me because I have never been silenced by another female other than my mother. In the end, I gave up on speaking and collected the books. "Here, let me put these books in this box so it will be easier for you to carry. " I couldn't see it but I sensed she smiled.
"What's up with the shades? Is there a sun in here?" I asked her. She pulled down her sunglasses a little to have a better look at me. I gave her a goofy face. She giggled and at that moment I thought that was the most beautiful sound I ever heard. "What if I tell you I'm a celebrity?" She said.
