boys and girls

june 23rd

it's been five days since hailey last saw ethan. her last conversation with him urged her to visit her beloved grandmother. so she did.

she was currently on the train. her grandmother's house wasn't that far, wasn't even out of state. but hailey didn't have a car so public transport was her next best thing.

she had earphones on. the music blasting loudly into her ears. she was fine with that. it blocked the noise of the other passengers. she could finally concentrate on writing. so, she did.

that's all hailey seemed to do nowadays. write. she had friends but they were busy with their jobs and families. yes, she was at the age where everyone surrounding her had jobs and had started their own families. whereas, hailey was jobless, living on her own and very much single. hailey was 25, having graduated from university two years ago.

hailey took a small break and took her earphones out so she could hear the announcement. fortunately, she chose the right time because they were just announcing her stop. she quickly packed her laptop and stuffed the earphones in her pockets. she got up and walked out, only stopping once to buy some snacks for her grandmother.

her grandmother's house was close to the train station so she just walked. as she walked, she enjoyed the simplicity of her surroundings. it was nothing special. trees, birds chirping, occasional cars passing by. it was peaceful and simple. kinda like her moments with ethan. maybe that's why she enjoyed them so much.

when her grandmother's house came in view, she walked up the pathway surrounded by all types of flowers. she remembered helping her grandmother plant some of them.

she reached the door and knocked two times, stopping, then knocked another three times. that was their code that only they knew about. as she waited, she whistles a tune that was stuck in her head.

she heard footsteps coming closer before the door finally opened, revealing her surprised but ecstatic grandmother. she smiled widely.

"ley!" her grandmother exclaimed happily. hailey threw her arms around her and closed her eyes, feeling content.

"i missed you, ma." she said, sniffing her perfume that smelled like home.
"oh, honey. i missed you too. come inside, we have a lot to catch up on." she invited hailey inside, breaking the hug.

hailey simply nodded. once they were inside, hailey sat down on her beanbag. yes, she had her own beanbag in this house. her grandmother had went into the kitchen, saying she was going to brew some tea.

when she came back, a tray was in her shaky hands. hailey quickly got up and took the tray from her, scared she was going to drop it. her grandmother was extremely frail but tried not to show it. she might've been frail but her energy was like a puppy's.

"so, how've you been, ma?" hailey asked, fidgeting with her sweater sleeves.

"i've been good. lonely. but good," her grandmother said as optimistically as ever.

hailey smiled, ever so softly. "that's good to hear."

"indeed it is."

there was silence for a moment. both of them lost in thought. then, hailey broke the silence with a question that was gnawing at her mind for quite some time now.

"ma, how did you meet pa?" she asked, curiously. her eyes wide and glazed with curiosity. her grandmother simply chuckled at the memory. it wasn't a happy and joyful chuckle nor was it sad and empty. it was hard to explain the unknown emotion.

"it's quite silly, actually." her grandmother implied. hailey rolled her eyes. "how silly could it get, ma?" she doubted it could be that bad. though, thinking about it, her grandparents were quite reckless.

her grandmother chuckled again. "oh, very, very silly."

"well, i was out with one of my friends at the time. we went to a concert. of course, my parents didn't know about it. you know, i wasn't the best child," both of them chuckled softly at the truth of the last statement.

"and, well, i may or may not have gotten a little....tipsy."

"only tipsy?" hailey raised an eyebrow.

"alright fine, i was full on wasted. it's a shock i can even remember this," she admitted, no ounce of shame. hailey was not surprised.

"anyway, i may or may not have been chased by the security guards..." looking guilty but her eyes still had that mischievous sparkle.

"ma! what did you do?" hailey asked, astounded that she had never heard of the story. her grandmother smiled guiltily, "i tried jumping on one of the band members," hailey's mouth hit the floor, "and before they could catch me, i ran and dragged my friend out with me."

typical of her reckless grandmother.

"but then, somewhere along the way, we somehow lost each other. and i was left to fend for myself. thankfully, i found your grandfather, leaning against his beloved motorbike, reading a book." her grandmother basically had heart eyes.

"of course pa would be reading a book. and leaning against his motorbike! definitely his thing," hailey exclaimed.

her grandmother only laughed.

"at that time, i didn't get to process how much of a weirdo he was. didn't really have a choice. it was a life or death situation. so, i hopped on his motorbike, almost made him fall and then screamed at him to drive and never look back," her grandmother had wrinkles around her eyes now, from smiling so much.

hailey giggled at how her grandparents were still the same even after all these years. well, her grandfather died a few years back from cancer. they all missed him dearly. but, they still managed to move on.

"your grandfather, being the obedient man he was, simply listened to what i said and drove, not asking about it until i told him he could stop," by now, both of them were howling with laughter. hailey could just imagine her grandmother bossing him around, and him listening without a complaint.

she decided that she wanted that.