Chapter 11 : Escapism II

  "Marina. Before this, you mentioned about the signal Norman gave you. Can you tell me the story behind the signal given by Norman," Ally asked.

       "Oh. Yes. Mmm...how do I want to start?"

       "Tell me how you and Norman met", said Ally. I tried to remember that very moment and put it in words for Ally.     

       "Norman and I first met when we were both in the school's editorial club. We were in form five and Norman was a new member of the club. At that time, I realized that Norman always checked me out in every meeting."

"You must have had fun then, didn't you?"

      "Well... In the beginning, I was not comfortable and kind of scared by the attention Norman gave me."

       "Why?"

"You know... If you were there and you saw it for yourself the way he stared at me, you would have agreed with what I want to tell you. Let's just say...had I been a burger, I'm sure he had swallowed me whole long time ago."

       "Oh my god you both were such a clown!" Ally laughed his heart out.

"But that was just the beginning... As time went by I kinda enjoyed it a little bit. I mean it's not always you became like a  celebrity to someone right?

        "Well. I do understand that Marina..." Ally said with a mischievous smile.

        "I think had you been me, you would have fun too. Norman was very popular and girls were fighting with each other for his attention in the school back then."

        "Hmm..Maybe...", Ally nodded in belief.

        "And whilst enjoying the moments, you were finally attracted to him, am I right?"

       "Yes! Wow you are good! Everything changed when we kept bumping into each other. In the canteen, library, assembly or even the computer lab. Over time, I was the one who always had my eyes on him and I eventually developed this kind of an attraction to him," I explained slowly in embarrasement, digging out all those old stories. "One day, out of the blue one of our classmate Rezza asked me who has succeeded to attract my attention when at school."

      "So you told him the real thing?"

 "Yes. I answered, honestly. I told him about Norman."

        "Then what happened?"

"Oh my god I did not expect it at all that Rezza would tell Norman about it!"

        "Oh no..He told Norman about it? What a jerk!"

"He did! I was really embarrassed back then. Had I known, I swear I would never have told him the real thing."      

        "What did you do to Rezza?"

       "As soon as Rezza admitted it, I was furious. I remember shouting my lungs out to him and we did not talk to each other until we reconciled two weeks before SPM. 

       "I had a feeling that after that embarassing incident Norman must have told his other friends about it."

       "I never ask Norman about that, but I think so."

       "He must be so proud when he found out that someone was interested in him, right?"

        "Of course! The ego of an alpha male like Norman will rise as high as the Everest!"

"How was Norman and Rezza's real relationship, Marina? I mean, how could have Norman bought what Rezza said just like that?"

       "They were good friends. So whatever Rezza said, Norman would believe him.  And I'm pretty sure that Rezza broke the news to Norman when Norman was hanging out with other friends. Norman would have, of course, told that to the friends he was hanging out with that time. And those boys must have spreaded the news like it was hot topic."

      "Gosh! But if you already knew that they were good friends, why did you proceed with telling Rezza about it?"

       "At that time, I did not even know that they were good friends. I thought Rezza was just being curious about it. But what can I do? It's all too late. I felt like the whole school was making fun of me at that time. And u know...such news really spreaded fast. Especially when it involved Norman, one of the most popular boys in school."

       "So how was Norman's reaction to all this?"

       "From that moment on, he somewhat changed. He no longer looked at me the same way. Every time we bumped into each other, he would pretend as if he did not see me. Can you imagine how embarrassed I was then Ally?"

        "I can't even tell you where would I hide this face!" Ally responded.

        "At that point, I started to think that Norman was doing all that just for fun. All the attention he gave me before was just nothing but to play with my feelings. I felt very, very embarrassed at the time and it felt like the whole school was laughfing on me."

       "How did you go through all that? I mean, weren't you sitting for SPM that year, right? Had I been in your place, I would have lost my focus."

"I have, for a while. However, I told myself that it was not worth it for me to fall because of Norman. I needed to focus on what was in front of me at that moment and cut down social activities.  But hold on, that did not mean I was surrendered. At the same time, I started planning something."

       "You mean, that plan at the living skills workshop?"

       "Yes, that is correct!"

       "So what happened after Pearl Jam?"

       "Two months after we were done with SPM, after we talked about Pearl Jam and went out a few times together, Norman finally let his guard down and his heart out."

        "Did you ask why he didn't approach you earlier?"

"I did. And I told him frankly about the confusing 'signal' too."

 "What did he say?"

"He told me that he had to focus on his studies. He did not want to be disturbed. But this time he wanted to get to know me better, and if he could, he wanted me to be his special friend."

        "And pleaaaaase don't tell me you said ‘yes’ right away!?"

        I just smiled at Ally, as a yes to his question.

"Say whaaat?!" Ally half shouted. He was shocked. His mouth was wide open.

"Oh come on Ally! All of the sudden you made me feel like I was easy!

      "Well………." Ally reacted.

     "But I couldn't just say no! I was afraid to let him go. And I certainly didn't want any chasing dramas."

      "And so... from that moment on, we were officially dating."

      "What can you say about your relationship with Norman?"

      "Well...it's not an easy relationship. Being with an alpha male like Norman was not easy. Plus, his mind was hard to read, and he was not a talkative person either. There were times when I felt like I just wanted to knock his head up, shout very loudly and ask what was in his head."

        "What a fantasy! Ally laughed. " The reality is you would just never do it!" he continued laughing at me.

***** 

        "It's okay, Marina...let bygone be bygone..." said Tia when she saw me daydreaming outside the window. I just smiled.

       "Where are we going, Tia?" I asked when I realized that Tia was using a different route when we returned from Sports Day.

       I thought Tia would take me straight home, but apparently she did not. Her car was fast taking us to the Danga Bay. She said there was another surprise for me. 'What is it this time? A barbecue session while counting the stars?' I said in my heart.

       Around eight o'clock at night, I was taken to the Bawang Merah Restaurant. I was surprised when from a distance, I could see Akma, Dina, Selena, Alif, Jean and Adam there. They were all my classmates while at school.

"Tia... What are they doing here?" I asked Tia.

"I'll tell you later all right? Let's go there!" said Tia, in refuse to tell me what was that all about. I had no choice. I just followed Tia's rhythm that night.

       "Hi... Why are you so late?" asked Dina as soon as we reached their table.

       "Yeah. So punctual!" Alif added sarcastically, looking quite angry.

       "Hold on...don't blame me. I knew nothing about this." I replied. "Tia, you did not even tell me they are here..." I gently pinched Tia's arm.

     "Well it's not called 'surprise' for nothing..." said Tia. "I'm sorry everyone. There was a little something at school earlier".

       I was so excited meeting them, though. As always, when old friends reunited, you could expect many things would be talked about. Self updates, sensational news and more!

       It reminded me of when we were back in school from a long semester break. We would gather at a corner of the class and talk about what we did during the school holidays. We have all known each other since elementary school. As soon as we finished form six, we all took our respective directions. However, thanks to technology, our relationship never came to an end. To me, unless it is a very complicated situation, being 'disconnected' is a term that should not exist today. If that really happened, then it was actually a choice.

A few years ago, we all used to gather there one night. At that time, Bawang Merah Restaurant was still not exist. All that was there were the Rhu trees and tall, green grass that formed such a beautiful landscape to the Lido beach. We sat relaxing there facing the Tebrau Strait. We spent that very melancholic moment to all expressing our wishes and dreams.

        Remembering that night, I could recall how our conversation shifted from fun stuffs, to something more personal. We started talking about the problems we were facing, the fears that we had been hiding and even the life changes we had never expected.

        That night gave me a clear picture that I was not alone in facing the ups and downs of life because they also admitted that they were starting to feel the life changes that forced them to get out of their comfort zones.

        I don't know if I was the only one who felt it, but the feeling of meeting old friends like them was a little different than meeting my own family. Both were exciting, but they carried different meanings. I always wondered what exactly connected us? Even though we were not biologically connected, there was something that grows among us. Something I could not describe. To me, it was magic. We would always remember those who made us felt something. And even though we have been separated for a long time, it was that feeling that kept us 'bound' for so long. I was afraid of losing them, but I knew they would always be there.

       Our lively conversation stopped for a moment when each of our eyes turned to a man who suddenly appeared on the performance stage located not far from the Bawang Merah Restaurant. I put on my glasses to get a clearer view.

"Isn't that Eddie?" I asked them all.

"Yeah. That's Eddie." Tia replied and nodded slowly.

"What is he doing here?" I asked again. No one answered my question.

"Hey, everyone! Good evening!" Eddie waved to all of us. With the help of a microphone available there, his voice resonated loud, attracting attentions from everyone all around.

"Hi!!!" the crowds replied.

"All right. Without wasting more time, I want to dedicate this to Marina, who is now seated at the Bawang Merah Restaurant!" Said Eddie.

       "Huh?" I was like a deer caught in the headlights, looking at each one of their faces asking what was happening. No one responded. They just smiled. Moments later, music began to play.

 "Happy birthday to you..." Eddie started singing the infamous song. Then the others joined him. "Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday dear Marina... Happy birthday to you..."

       One of the restaurant workers brought out a cake to our table. On the cake said, 'Happy Birthday Marina. May Your Dreams Come True!' Some other customers there were also applauded and wished me a happy birthday.

"How can I forget my birthday today?" I said as soon as the cake was placed in front of me.

 "Too busy with the past, the problems...This is what happens..." Tia whispered in my ear. Sharp, but she made a point.

 "Don't blow out the candles yet!" said Eddie, who was still on the stage. He put the microphone down and immediately approached us all.

"Thank you Eddie for being a part of this." said Tia. She winked at Eddie.

       "Thank you all for the cake, the gifts, the singing, all of this!" I said after I blowed out the candles on the cake.

       "Ok now that singing part, you have to thank Eddie. He's the mastermind behind  this," said Tia.

        "Umm, I thought the mastermind was you?" said Eddie.

        "Well I am...But you volunteered to sing, didn't you?" Tia quickly answered.

       "Oh stop it guys..." Marina! Quick! Cut the cake. We are all hungry waiting for Marina to come here!" said Adam, followed by laughter from the others.