She Is Beautiful

Four

Four
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"Alona?"

Like watching the very climax of a movie and the connection just had to slow down, the screen was paused. The same feeling of frustration tickled Alona. Alona paused flipping through the pages of the book, she paused moving her eyes, she paused breathing. The voice annoyed her.

It was Henry.

"I knew it's you." Henry bent down, his eyes on Alona's face. "Did you transfer? Haven't seen you for a month. You've gained weight."

The words gummed themselves inside Alona's throat. Her fingers were too short to dig them out. She hated them, and she hated Henry for talking so casually to her like nothing happened, like he was unaware he hurt her.

"I didn't." She slammed the book close and put it back on the shelf. "Transfer I mean." You just don't notice me avoiding you. That's all.

"Yeah. Thought so. The school won't gossip on someone gone already."

His choice of wordsdidn't sound right. But Alona ignored it. "Gotta go." She turned away, towards the corner where Mrs. Neil was busy browsing books on her own.

"Wait, Alona, I feel the need to tell you this. It wasn't really my intention to make you feel like. . . like I liked you."

Alona stopped walking, but without facing him, she swallowed her raging emotions down and said, "I know, Henry, trust me, I know."

"It's my birthday tomorrow. If you can come—"

"Can't. Be watching a movie," Alona cut him, heading straight to where Mrs. Neil was. She didn't want any connection with Henry, though they didn't really have any connection to begin with. Even if he was inviting her as a "schoolmate," she wasn't stupid enough to fall for something she knew she would only get scarred from again.

"I was thinking I'll return here next time. I forgot I still have two books to read next on my list."

"Oh, is that so." Mrs. Neil held out her hand. "Take a look at this book. It's perfect for you."

Sad Movie. The title and the cover, a boy and a girl standing side by side outside a cinema, Alona figured it was another stupid young romance. She didn't like it, but she did not dare show her disapproval to Mrs. Neil. She responded with a small smile. "I'll skip for now."

Mrs. Neil returned the book, nodding. "Sometimes, we get tired of what we love too."

Alona agreed. Then she remembered the movie she was watching yesterday, no, this morning at three. She had to quickly finish up with Mrs. Neil so she could watch the second part of it. And then there were two more movies waiting on her list. Now that she was thinking about it, she actually didn't have the time going about Terra Cotta.

"Could you stay for dinner tonight?"

"I-I dont think I can. I'm sorry, Mrs. Neil. I have yet to finish this one really good movie."

Mrs. Neil smiled. "Then I will bid my farewell here."

"Farewell?" Alona lowered her gaze from the upper shelves to Mrs. Neil's glum face. For months, Mrs. Neil had been talking about moving, but never did Alona supposed, even in her daydreams, that it would come like a cloudburst, sudden and violent. "But. . ." Alona couldn't continue. Mrs. Neil was a friend, more closer than a sibling, more closer than Lawrence is to her. Somehow, Alona felt betrayed, saddened, upset. She'll be alone now. No friend. No friend. No one friend at all. She wanted to cry.

"Oh, dear, I know it will devastate you. I'm sorry I had to announce it now. I was going to, yesterday, but—oh, I'm sorry." Mrs. Neil reached out her hands, caressing Alona's back. She knew the young lady would cry, a highly emotional person she is.

"Let me stay for dinner." Alona rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. Then she held the push handles of Mrs. Neil's armchair and without buying anything, the two headed for the door.

"It's a beautiful night."

Alona replied with a soft yes, watching as snowflakes settle so gently on the pavement. In the sixteen years she lived in Scarlet City, it never occurred to her that Terra Cotta could be this beautiful. Its buildings, its night lights, its almost empty streets. In this sad night, they looked so beautiful.

"The watch is beautiful too. The receiver's fortunate." Alona doesn't usually stick her nose in Mrs. Neil's business, but somehow that night, she beheld everything as beautiful.

"I'm still troubled. Would Charles like it? He's not into watches. Remember the cerulean blue burst bass at Nagoya Aichi's?"

"Yes, yes, I do." How could she not when it made her stand inside the store for an hour? And it was over five thousand bucks! And Mrs. Neil kept mumbling it was cerulean blue burst when all Alona saw was blue, the color of Scarlet City's summer sky, and a cheetah fur at the center of the body. She didn't quite understand why a small instrument like that could be so expensive.

"Charles had been eyeing it for a year already," Mrs. Neil went on. "He said he will buy it himself. A gift from him to him. So I could think of nothing else but a watch."

"He will like it." Alona did not say it just for the sake of saying it. She was almost certain. The watchmaker said that its "stainless steel case and bezel is gold-plated, dial and hands are four nines silver, brown leather strap is full-grain," so if that quirky punk wouldn't like it, that would be plain weird! Moreover, who would not like a gift?

As the two got on the bus, Alona wondered if Charles would be there for dinner. She hoped he wouldn't be.

"My husband will move soon too. And Charles will have to follow him."

"Can't he follow you?" Alona wanted to know. If she could then, she could have followed her Dad. She insisted that her Mom take her to him, but her Mom, as strong-willed as her, said she cannot. And Alona couldn't understand that.

"Well, he can. But he shouldn't. He won't be able to accomplish anything with me."