I AM WAITING, GETTING DIZZY on a swing, Jai is twenty minutes late , so unusual of him, besides he's been so unusual since – I don't know when, he just acted strange.
I first noticed when he started to skip class without telling me, being late in the first subject, leaving their house without a word and ditching Friday Nights, not that Friday Nights are necessary for him but he's a happy-go-Lucky kind of person and he's not the type of guy who refuses an offer unless there's an urgent stuff going on – which is the stuff that I want to know but I never got the nerve to ask him because if he wanted to talk about it, he would've told me already.
Jai is my best friend and I knew him well, although I know there's something wrong I also knew that he wanted to keep him all to himself until he can. He may not told me any of these but I knew him well to figure it all out. He may be open to me but he's tough as mule when it comes to secrets.
Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it and I respect him for that, even if sometimes it's frustrating. Jai had been like this, being weird when he's struggling about something but it only took a while but now is different... and somehow, I am worried about him.
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Trying to divert my thought, I looked around the place. Nashwood Lair. He never liked this place before, he found the motif gayish. The ambiance was like in a fairy-tale and the colours are organic yet bright and playful. Pink and violet with different shades are all over the places, I wouldn't be surprised if they'll paint the canopies green (if ever that's possible). From the rides, the food stalls, the arcade, the buildings, even the horror booths, they're pinks and violets.
And this place never changed. People of different ages love this place. Even Jai learned to love this place.
I saw children running around the playground with their parents chatting with each other. Some young and old couples enjoyed sitting around the benches and talking cheerfully with each other, spectators listened to street performers, and some took photos in the Fairy Garden, few teenagers lined up outside the Movie Hall. And the most overheard noises are the screams from the rides. The loudest as always.
I drink my soda just and the wind blows after.
One thing I love about this place is the trees that lined up around the entire Lair.
There are shades in every corner that even though it's smouldering hot, there's breeze to wipe the humidity off, and the lawns are freshly green with pathways to walk on. One of North Victorina's pride.
And my soda is empty.
And Jai isn't here yet.
***
NOTE:
Nashwood Lair and North Victorina is a fictional place that just pops up my mind, the photo from pinterest.com is in Jaipur, India and not in Nashwood lair.
