The Wishing Flower

Chapter 11

Why isn't the world perfect? Why can't we have all our wildest dreams come true? We spend our minutes, our hours, our years running after something that we can never have. The faster we run, the faster I run after my dreams, the faster it runs away from me. We're in a never-ending game of cat and mouse. Yet, in this game, there are no winners or losers. It's just an endless cycle of hope and despair, moving between the two like a ship caught in violent storm bobbing in and out of the turbulent waves. Maybe, I'm just running after a fate that was never meant to be mine, in the first. So, what do you then when your whole world comes crashing down and then you're left to face reality?

Tell me. What would you do?

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I sat across Adam examining him like he was a foreign specimen. He seemed to feel uncomfortable under my scrutiny and because he was squirming around in his chair.

"Why are you back?", I asked bluntly.

Adam choked on the coffee he was drinking. "Excuse me?", he said.

I didn't bother explaining my question and just looked at him expectantly. I meant exactly what I had said.

"Well..", he answered cautiously. He lowered his head and shame, "I don't think I....", he lowered his voice until it became an inaudible mumble.

"What?", I asked, wondering if he was speaking to the dust on the floor.

Adam let out an exasperated sigh, "I don't think I'm cut out for the job at my dad's company", he finally revealed.

"What? You're not going to work with your dad?" I shouted. Looked like Mr. I'mGoingToBeTheHeadOfMyDad'sCompany couldn't even last for two years at the place.

Adam came from a well-off family, a well-known fact at our school because he Adam's favorite story to tell everyone at school would be that right after graduating he would fly out to London and become the head of his father's telemarketing company. Adam could've easily gone to a preppy private school, but I guess his father thought it would be good for him to interact with people of all "social standings". In the summer before ninth grade, Adam's dad took him to London and enrolled him in a summer camp for rich kids, which I guess got to his head because when he came back he wore a brown blazer embellished with a shiny lapel pin. Very soon he found himself cornered by a bunch of seniors in the boys bathroom. He made the mistake of thinking London tactics would work in a public highschool. He cried out and told the bullies that his dad would hear about this, which just prompted the boys to bring him up even more. Despite his Freshman mishap, Adam wasn't a pretentious kid and was liked by everyone in the school. So before the guy even turned eighteen, he became known as our highschool's future CEO. Under his name in bold print was Most likely to become a CEO of a successful company. However, after all the years of anticipation it was hard to fathom that he was sitting here across me in a coffee shop, and not in London as the head of his dad's telemarketing company.

"Does your dad hate you now?", I asked him only because it was the next logical question

"Well, he refuses to speak to me whenever I call. Even if I faceTime home, he won't even look in the camera, so then my mom has to take the phone away and tell me that he's not feeling well. So maybe he does hate me."

"At least, he doesn't refuse to pay your rent" I shrugged

Adam shot me a stern glance. I guess it was too soon to start with jokes.

"Okay enough about my sucky life", he said "what's happening with you?".

I looked at Adam, confused. Was he playing dumb? Or was it that he was actually sitting there across me without knowing anything that happened?

"I'm going to take that as there's not much going in my life, Adam. Thanks for asking". Adam said, wrongly interpreting my silence.

What was I supposed to tell him? My brother-in-law has been murder and my sister is probably the prime suspect. Oh, also she's missing? Yes, missing. As in no one on this whole damn planet has seen her for the past three weeks. Would it even matter if I told him or not? He already seemed to have a lot going on at his end. Maybe I would just make things worse for him by adding my life problems to his. I guess silence was the best answer. I threw my head in exasperation, yea, I'm pretty sure this wasn't exactly the life updates people want to hear after not seeing someone for a while

I peeked down at my feet sitting underneath my chair and wiggled my big toe around. There was a lovely rip right at the top of my beaten-up Converse sneakers. My toe looked like a little worm who found shelter in a worn-down house with tears in the walls. The little worm struggled to keep his children warm in the winter, I could Imagine. No one would hear their little cries for help when the winter came. The other worm families were cozily nested in high-quality Gucci leather. Adam's feet were clad in those iconic red and green stripes. Let us in, my feet cried to his, but his feet couldn't hear a thing as they were sound asleep in their luxury home.

"Zee", Adam called to me

"Huh" I said as I burst out of my imaginary bubble.

"You know that I missed you", he said with puppy eyes.

He missed me? Why? Did I even miss him? I wasn't so sure. I crossed my arms across my stomach, prompting her to growl and loudly. My stomach was yelling at me for not feeding her earlier.

"Oh Zee! You must be hungry, why don't you order something to eat?" Adam implied

"No", I answered abruptly,"I was actually in the middle of preparing some food. I was just missing an ingredient, so I had to make a quick run to the supermarket". I held up the plastic bag in my hand as proof.

"Peanut butter", Adam raised one of his eyebrows suspiciously.

"Y-yeah. I was making chicken with.. t-thai peanut sauce, so you know needed to buy the peanut part of it", I lied.

In the heat of the moment, Adam's squeaky clean white sneakers, ironed shirt, and perfect hair made me feel self-conscious of my beaten sneakers and wrinkly t-shirt. I couldn't possibly embarrass myself more and tell him I was eating a peanut butter sandwich for dinner.

I quickly stood up from my chair, ready to leave. "Well, Adam it was nice seeing you again, but hunger calls", I avoided making eye-contact with him.

We exchanged goodbyes and I walked towards the exit. Before I could leave Adam called out to me.

"Zee. Wait a minute"

"Yes?" I answered

Adam caught up and stood a few inches away from"Are you free this weekend? We barely had time to talk about anything. It would be nice, ya know, to catch up the good ol' times", he said swinging his arm like a cowboy.

Ah yes, the past, the good ol' times. If the past was good and old, how would we describe the present-day? Bad and New? The bad new times. Seemed legit (like a befitting title).

I smiled weakly, " Okay, I'll let you know". I left the cafe, leaving Adam behind along with the good ol' times. I wasn't ready to delve into any of those memories, they definitely were not a good time. At least not for me.