Just Two Friends

Yes, so this is the reviewed version of my short fiction piece. Enjoy feasting your eyes!! ....or thinking caps =/ if you're as noob as Nick Teh, then I only have one thing to say to you: "You have no hope." LOL!! ;) ;)

Now, I'll just have to hope my tutor's not as noob as Nick Teh too >.<.....




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Just Two Friends
Her favourite colour is now red; no more that tender, creamy yellow. She’s wearing a red sweater and a red-ribbon necklace. You don’t remember her ever being so beautiful. You remember her with rosy cheeks, fine, soft brown hair, and beautiful, bright, innocent eyes. Everything’s changed. Her hair with a tinge of white, wrinkles protruding between her eyes and the wrinkles around her mouth seem to make her less attractive but demands all the more attention at the same time. Her eyes are softer than ever and yet the scars inside of her are reflected in them so evidently.

“So, how have you been?” she asks politely. You wake from your trance of reminiscence.

“Umm, good, good. You know me, life as usual, on the run, eh? But I must admit that my age is catching up on me. I usually just hang around this area now, I try not to stray too far away.” You say with a dry laugh, stealing a glance in her direction as you take a stroll through Central Park, right where you first met, 49 years ago. “So, how about your family?” You ask in return, your heart skipping a beat, as if you were young and in love again.

“Oh, yeah, Jim just had an operation on his leg a few months back – that’s why we moved back here – but he’s starting to walk without a limp again. Sally is sweet as ever, growing up and maturing, we think she has someone set on sight.” she replied, politely again, with a hint of bliss in her voice, and it comforts you to hear that.

You walk a bit more in silence, wishing the other would speak. It is cold for a May afternoon, you watch the wind wildly caress her soft hairs and you wish you could just reach out and touch her right now. As the silence grows longer, you become sure you’re not imagining that your pace is subconsciously getting quicker.

“Umm, so where are you heading off to after this, eh?” you ask, while thinking of another topic to bring up as soon as this one dies down.

“I’ll meet up with Sally after school, at the corner of George and Brown Street, she promised to buy me lunch before we head home to pick Jim up for his physiotherapy session.”

“Hmm…o’right.” you walk a few paces more in silence and before you ask her another question, she interrupts.

“You know, she’s a good kid.” She pauses in deep thought, “Sally, I don’t think I’ll ever meet another daughter who watches out for her dad as well as Sally does. It’s just sad for her that her darling mother died at such a young age.” You remain quiet again, not knowing what else to say. “Hey, do you remember that place?” she suddenly looks at you enthusiastically, “That Italian restaurant, they served the best spaghetti with meatballs, do you remember where it was?” she asked, and in your opinion, she was a little overly excited.

“Umm, yeah.” you answer reluctantly, wondering why she would mention a place full of memory and pain at such a time as this. “I think it was down over at La Coste Lane. Why?”

“Oh, I was just thinking. I wonder how old Tony is doing, is he still the chef there?”

“I’m not too sure, maybe we can drop by later and check it out.” At this, her entire face brightened that you almost forget she has aged, and all you saw was the young girl you once knew.

“Thank you.” she says quietly after a short pause, and for a moment you see her eyelids flutter ever so slightly, but you’re not sure if you only imagined it or not. You walk through the crowd of people who are just taking a stroll around the park too, and they give you funny stares. You begin feeling conscious, wondering if it is something on your face, you turn to look at her and she only returns you with a kind, warm smile.

“Ah! I remember how Tony used to say, in a deep voice, ‘Whassa you a-want? A la carte? Dinner? How about-a try my spaghetti speciale with meats-a ball?’ ” You say to avert the awkwardness you feel building up between the two of you, “Man, he’s a-not speaking the Henglish a-pretty good, and he always told Joe, ‘Whassa matta for you, Joe? I break-a your face-e!’ Cracks me up all the time! ”

“Oh yes! I remember that, and he was really loud too. No one could ever speak over him! It was just impossible!” she says while trying to suppress a giggle.

“And there was Joe too! Oh, poor old Joe, he could never stand a chance against Tony, always hidden by his older brother’s shadow, eh? But the funniest thing I’d ever seen was when Tony’s loud voice had stopped Joe from getting the right order from a beautiful lady customer and Joe got so annoyed at Tony that he poured ice water down Tony’s pants!” You laugh hysterically now at the memory and you’re glad that that memory caused her to laugh aloud also, without any hope of being lady-like, the way she usually is. You take this chance to steer her towards a park bench and both of you take a seat.

“Now, do you remember Trusty and Jock?” she asks as both your laughter dies down.

“Hmm, you mean Sandy and Maggie?” you say with a laugh and she nudges you lightly in the arm.

“Those boys were the best. I don’t know what could’ve been of me if it weren’t for them. Ahh…I remember those days, they were good days. And we were still young.”

“Yeah, they’re nice. But you know how we didn’t quite get along, so what you say we talk about something else, eh?” Her face fell almost instantly and I wanted to kick myself in the back for being so stupid, yet again. “Umm…so, the past few years you’ve just been watching out for Sally? Did you meet anyone nice?” You try to swallow the growing lump that is building in your throat, and the back of your ear starts getting itchy, as it always does when you get nervous. You tilt your head a little and reach up to scratch it.

“Yes, most people I meet are nice; you don’t meet anyone who isn’t nice from where I live.” She says after a long pause, and you smell pride in her tone of voice, so you know that she’s still the same on the inside, she is still bossy and boastful. “And you? Are you still juggling between five girlfriends?” Now, you know that despite your age, your sharp ears don’t miss the spite in her voice and that hint of jealousy.

“No,” you laugh, “I’ve been doing ten, of late.” She looks at you, expecting some kind of explanation for your recklessness. Then you say, “You know, I’ve stopped doing that since I met you, eh?”

“I don’t believe that.” She says nonchalantly, looking as if the pebble on the ground is the most interesting thing she’s ever seen, but you know she’s gotten a bit upset.

“Now, now, cheer up, I was only joking. Have you lost your sense of humour since I last saw you? Hmm?” You say and tap her lightly under the chin. She still doesn’t give in, so you try tickling her ears and she pushes you away but you know you’re close to making her laugh when you see her biting her lips.

“Ok, ok, stop! That tickles.” She lets out a burst of giggles.

“See? That’s better. Ok, come on now, let’s go. I’ll take you to Tony; you’re going to have to meet Sally soon.” You get up to leave and she tags behind you quickly.

As you near the corner of La Coste Lane, you’re wishing this day would last longer. She teases you about how you used to make markings on the trees to show that you went past there and she used to think it was so improper, because of her upbringing. But you only told her it was second nature and that she should adopt the habit too. You walk past a broken window lying on the side of the street and you check to see if you look okay, remembering the funny glances you received before.

“Wait, are you sure Tony will be there? Will he remember us? What if he doesn’t?” she asks worriedly.

“Relax, I know Tony. I’m pretty sure Tony is still here. If he isn’t, Joe will be. Now let up that worry-face or they won’t recognize you, eh?” You lead her down the little back alley, and as both of you stand at the glass doors leading to the kitchen of Tony’s Italian Restaurant, you see Joe busy around the kitchen and Tony sitting on a chair, fat as ever and growing bald too. Tony is giving orders to Joe, as usual, and Joe just answers meekly. You and her exchange glances, then you yell out to catch Tony’s attention. Tony is too fat to move from his chair, so Joe opens the doors for the both of you, and as you step into the kitchen, that familiar smell of spaghetti with meatballs fill your nostrils and you hear Tony say, “AH! If it issan’t our old-a friend, Joe! It’ssa Lady and the-a Tramp! Back for more-a spaghetti with meats-a balls…”






--Disclaimer--
Many thanks to all those who contributed to my final and complete draft! You're greatly appreciated!! =) God bless!