A Collection of Tragedies & Happy Endings

☻Pancakes & Soul Mates for Breakfast ☻

My hair looks like I just came back from wrestling a gorilla. In all honesty I can say that I have; the gorilla being the fitful dreams I dreamt of last night. The speakers emitting serene sounds of waves crashing onto a beach couldn't even calm my nervous heart. I've been looking forward to and dreading this day the moment our teachers taught us the meaning of these mechanical strips that were attached to our wrists the moment we were born.

As if on cue, I clearly hear my mother's stern voice telling me what dress attire I need to wear to impress him and what I need to say in order to steal his heart in one swipe. I've always known that this is the way things are; if you follow the rules it's guaranteed that you'll have a successful life. Impress, impress, impress. Succeed, succeed, succeed.

But my father taught me otherwise. Each night when I was younger, we would go into the built in planetarium and look up at the stars the high-tech microscope offered us. My father would always whisper to me this; "Sweetie pie, listen. No matter what your mama and teachers tell you, always remember that you can't be anyone you're not. You're you and you're special. One of a kind, honey. The greatest beauty of all is what's inside of you. It's in the way your eyes glow passionately when you play music, the way you admire the morning dew on a budding rose, and the way you play with your hair when you're nervous." I remember how we always laughed at that part. I will always keep these words tucked in my brain and securely tucked in my memory filing cabinet. I will not forget.

A small beep brings me back to reality and I can't help but glance at the narrow strip attached to my left wrist once more.

0000d 02h 01m 16s

Although I can't hear it, I can clearly imagine hearing the tick as each agonizing second goes by. Fifteen... Fourteen... I know I should stop worrying over this, but I can't help thinking about how my whole entire life is going to change forever. Deep breaths phew okay, I take deep breaths and get to work on my horrid appearance. Even though I know that I shouldn't dress to impress him, I should at the very least look like a civilized human being.

0000d 01h 45m 23s

I'm splashing my face with water and I shriek because of how cold it is. Then I'm onto combing my chocolate-brown locks that reach the middle of my back. I should really chop off some inches and dye it. My hair looks like chocolate and I wanna eat it.

0000d 01h 20m 00s

I'm struggling into black tights and a cute but comfortable sweater that hides my butt. Wouldn't want him to see that nasty critter.

0000d 00h 54m 35s

I don't have time to make any coffee so I immediately start the engine of my black Audi and drive off to Tim's Breakfast. I'm so hungry I can eat a horse. No, I'd never do that, that's disgusting.

0000d 00h 38m 12s

The door automatically slides open and a mechanical robot guides me to a comfy looking booth: red leather cushioned seats and a wooden table. Just the way I like it, old-fashioned. I drag myself onto the seat and plop my bag next to me. I let out a groan and lay my head on the table. I bring my left wrist up to my face and my heart beats faster. In thirty-five minutes I'm going to meet him. Is he cute? Is he caring like my father? Questions go in and out of my mind, unbidden.

"Argh!" I ruffle my neatly combed hair with frustration.

I'm met with numerous curious eyes from the booths near me. Many seem to understand who I'm waiting for and give me encouraging looks. I give them a withering one and slowly sink my head into my arms. I don't think I can do this, dad. What if he's not right for me? I wish he were here now, holding me to his chest and singing to me as I fall asleep. And I do just that. I slowly fall into a deep sleep filled with memories of stars and my father's words.

~ ~ ~

Something grabs at my consciousness. It smells so good. Pancakes? And they smell oh so delicious. My stomach grumbles awfully loudly and I hear someone restraining a laugh not too far from me. Must be one of the waiters or something. I think without a second thought and I open my eyes. My face is turned to my left, facing a window, so I'm met with the blinding light of the rising sun.

"My eyes are burning, ohmygod. Am I a vampire?" I mostly say this to myself but I hear another chuckle.

A bit freaked out that someone is sitting at my table, I slowly turn my head to the source of the laugh and I almost scream. It's a guy. My guy? Probably, or else he wouldn't be sitting there. I quickly glance at the clock and my heart almost stops.

0000d 00h 00m 00s

I gape at the clock, at him, and at the clock once more. Then at the guy again just to make sure I'm not dreaming. He's actually... pretty cute, with unruly strands of dark blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. Those eyes hold my green ones for an eternity before he speaks.

"Well, are you gonna eat that?" He nods to the plate of steaming pancakes in front of me with a lop-sided grin.

Words fail to form so I nod a million times instead and pick up my knife. Before I stab it into the heavenly meal, I notice something written on it and my eyes water.

Scrawled in maple syrup it says, "I'll gladly make pancakes for you every day, for the rest of my life. Hi Soul Mate."

I smile warmly at him and I don't need to say a thing, for my eyes can express what I'm feeling better than words can ever describe. And I know that he knows this, too.

"Hi, I'm Leo." He says this with an ever-growing smile and reaches out his hand for a handshake.

"Hi, I'm Aurora." I clasp my hand with his and I can't stop myself from saying, "I think you should dye your eyes. They look like chocolate and I'm starving."

Then the empty space is filled with tinkling laughter and the heavenly smell of maple syrup and pancakes.

//kangchiii