"I'm glad this is the first and last time that I'll visit your place. The way you eat reminds me of that fat boy in Matilda." , he said as he burped loudly. He was clearly stripped off of his energy from the huge amount of food he's eaten, and there's no denying it. Who would've known that someone as tough as him would be defeated by food?
I let out a laugh at what I just thought.
"You can leave now, I'll clean the plates myself."
I hoped for a bit that he would decline, because that's what people do right? they decline and help clean instead.
But what has remained of my hopes had already diminished when he stood and prepared himself for his exit. This man, just moments ago he was peeling shrimps for me, but now he won't help me clean the dishes.
Thinking that he really was going home already, I turned and continued collecting the plates. I was busy cleaning up the table when another set of hands landed on it, one holding a damp cloth.
"I'm not as rude as you think I am." , he said as he continued wiping the table.
I smiled as I watched him help me clean the mess. I've only known him for a short while, and nothing else but his name is clear to me. But from the first time I met him until now that he's helping me clean up, something tells me that there's more to Tawan than being just a cold hearted boy.
Maybe he wasn't really a cold hearted boy.
My thoughts were interrupted when I caught a clearer view of the cloth that he was using to wipe off the grease on the table. It appeared to me as as a kitchen towel the first time I saw it, but after having a better look I noticed that it had sleeves on. When he unfolded the cloth to use it again, It revealed an image very familiar to me. A small cat with it's paws in the air.
It was my favorite shirt!!!
"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!" , I shouted as I snatched the now filthy shirt from his hand. He was frozen by my sudden shouting that he didn't mind me forcefully taking my shirt.
I looked at my shirt and saw how filthy it was. It smelt horrible, maybe because of the grease from the food. Oil and other pieces of food were attached on all visible areas of the shirt. I knew the shirt's state would be beyond repair.
"I didn't know you were still using it, it was on the counter so I thought you're using it as a rag."
I held on to the shirt and sobbed quietly, my tears falling on the dirty cloth. For some it would seem very childish of me to cry over a shirt, but it meant a lot to me. It's more than just a shirt.
"You really don't know how to apologize nor thank people, do you?" , I said without looking at him. My voice was hoarse and cracking from the crying, and I felt both mad and embarrassed that I suddenly uttered the words without looking at him.
He stood there still, but I wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to apologize or something as I was still with my head down. After a few moments, he finally moved past me and made his way to the door, leaving without saying a word.
As I hugged the shirt closer to my chest, the tears that I have been holding for so long fell like a river, and I spent the night crying over a filthy cat shirt.
YOU ARE READING
Chasing the Sun
RomanceAt a young age of eighteen, New was living the life of a teenage boy diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With his life hanging by a thread, he realized that it was too short to be spent on memories that will only result in melancholy, and so he chose...