Last Call

So, if you read "The Knife and Her", you know that I didn't submit that for my creative writing - fiction assignment. I had to redo the whole thing, because my prof felt that there wasn't enough character development. That a minimum of two characters is needed so they can interact and there will be development. To be honest, I was following the whole Murakami style of writing, where it was more lyrical, and mysterious. 

So "Last Call" is the product of me rewriting the whole thing. A simple love triangle story, which I knew he would like because it's "classical fiction". Shout out to Seannyboi for providing me with the necessary information I needed for my character's development. 

It's set in a fictional Singapore by the way. You'll notice I've upgraded Haw Par Villa like mad in this piece of work, but that's because I really love that place and what it was when it first opened.

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        Five years ago in Melbourne, I met Cheryl at a cafe where she worked part-time. Like me, she was Singaporean. Unlike me, she was doing her degree there. I was on a solo trip to rediscover myself after a break up. 

I was the only customer, so Cheryl sat at my table and struck up a conversation with me. With our common ground being Singapore, and film photography, we hit it off. She offered to be my tour guide. I had five days left on my trip, and she didn’t have any work scheduled. 

“I know a few cute places that websites and blogs don’t know about.” 

She convinced me with just one line. Though I think I would have agreed even if she brought me to tourist spots. 

I met Cheryl the next day at the tram station of Rose street. She arrived early, and was sitting on the bench, reading a book. She was wearing a plain white tee that was tucked into a pair of mum’s jeans. Her round spectacles were a little too big, yet it complemented her face. It was such a simple outfit, but I was awed at how pretty she looked in it.

The streets were lined with cafes and bars. The air carried the aroma of different coffee beans. Behind the tram station, one cafe specialised in eggs, and next to it was a cafe specialising in sandwiches. There were no two cafes specialising in the same thing. A bazaar featuring handcrafted products was being held at one corner too. Cheryl was right. It was a cute place.

She’d brought her film camera like promised. A Canon Autoboy Quartz. I always wanted one of those. The whole day consisted of us visiting one cafe to another, and taking photos of the scenery and each other. 

“There’s still so many places I wish to bring you!” She’d said at the end of the day.

She convinced me with just one line once again. So we decided to spend the next four days together.

I shouldn’t be thinking of Cheryl. I had a girlfriend now. All the photos from that trip were developed and kept in an album hidden in my wardrobe. Time to time, I would take them out to reminisce. Those five days felt special. In fact, Cheryl felt special. If it wasn’t for the distance, I was sure we would have dated. 

My phone lit up. A notification —

[Hey Chris, I’m back in Singapore. Let’s catch up for old time’s sake! You can be my tour guide this time.] 

I pondered over the text for a long time. 

What would I say to my girlfriend? Cheryl’s just a friend. Our lips may have tasted more than just the other’s, but there’s nothing to worry about! Hours of argument would ensue, I was sure of it. The right thing to do was to turn Cheryl down. 

But I wanted to see her. She’d been at the back of my mind all this time. For the past five years, I constantly thought about the what if. What if we had dated? Would I be much happier now? 

I needed a closure. It wasn’t fair to my partner if I was constantly thinking and yearning another. So I agreed to meet Cheryl that Saturday, without telling my partner.

//

Standing in front of the iconic red-waves patterned walls, Cheryl was in her signature look — a white tee shirt tucked inside a pair of mum’s jeans. Her hair was tied in a pony tail, her fringe framed her face, covering just her eyebrows. Hanging from her neck was a different film camera. A Nikon F3. 

I had no idea why she wanted to come to Haw Par Villa. It’s the very essence of Singapore, she’d told me, plus it got renovated recently right? 

In an effort to regain their old popularity of the 1960s, they made it into an amusement park. Haw Par Villa incorporated Chinese myths and folk tales. The “Ten Gates of Hell” for example used to be a cave exhibiting the different tortures used in Hell. Now, it was a gondola ride. One would literally be cruising through Hell. 

Maybe going to Hell made sense after all, given what I was doing. 

We sat down inside the gondola, a lady dressed in a traditional Chinese gown stood at the helm. As we cruised through Hell, the sound of hundreds screaming from the tortures could be heard. Our thighs were pressed against each other, and every time the boat rocked, I would feel the familiar warmth of her body and we would both awkwardly apologise. I could feel my cheeks getting hotter, and it wasn’t because of the ride. I would be joining those who were screaming if my girlfriend saw us right now. 

We started avoiding the other’s gaze after we stepped out of the gondola ride. Maybe it wasn’t just me who was recalling Melbourne. On my last night in Melbourne, Cheryl came over for a drink. At the peak of our intoxication, we found ourselves making out. A few more glasses of gin, and all of our clothes were on my bedroom floor. 

“So what’s going on in your life these days?” She asked, snapping me out of my nostalgia. My face felt hot as I looked at Cheryl. The scent of her body still fresh in my mind. 

“Erm. M-my job sucks. That’s one.” I managed. 

“Then quit. You can do photography, you always loved it.” 

Cheryl sounded nonchalant as ever. I always admired that about her. She lived her life in such a carefree manner. I lived mine with too much caution. When I was with her, I felt a little more carefree. Don’t think so much, she had said to me in Melbourne, you should follow your feelings a little more.

“It’s not that easy. Living in Singapore is a lot of money,” I told her, “besides, my girlfriend disapproves of that.”

“You’ll figure something out,” she said, “tell me about your girlfriend.”  

“There’s not much to talk about.”

“You don’t sound very excited about her.”

“I suppose I’m not.”

“Mind telling me why?”

“Lots of arguments. She can pick a fight about anything.”

“Why don’t you end it then?”

“I’m not sure.”

Cheryl’s words kept replaying in my mind. My parents loved my girlfriend. They wanted her as their daughter-in-law. That was the biggest reason as to why I had yet to end this relationship. I didn’t want to let my parents down again. 

“Why don’t we ride the roller coaster?” She said.

With the staff securing our seatbelts, I could see from the corner of my eye that Cheryl was nervous. 

“Hey, can I hold onto your hand?” She asked, her eyes fixated on the tracks.  

“S-sorry?”

“I’m still scared of heights.” 

I couldn’t bear to turn her down, so I stretched out my hand. 

Does this count as cheating? But any friend would do the same, I reasoned. 

As the roller coaster began the climb, Cheryl’s grip tightened. I was terrified of heights myself. My girlfriend never liked that about me. It wasn’t manly, she would say, a man should be fearless.

Once we took a dive, Cheryl screamed at the top of her lungs. She looked ecstatic even when she was so afraid. I think I was staring at her. She paused to take a breath, and glanced over. She mouthed the words just scream before letting her voice echo throughout Haw Par Villa . 

I took a deep breath. Using all the strength in me, I let out the loudest scream I could muster, “ARGHHHHHHHHH!” My voice cracked. I hadn’t screamed before. Cheryl burst out laughing, but I could tell she wasn’t making fun of me. It was the kind of laughter where I knew she was having fun. I started laughing too. We must have seemed crazy. We laughed, screamed, and laughed again. 

This feels nice, I thought, it’s like Melbourne again. We would laugh at every little thing, and our stomachs would cramp up from laughing. I really missed that. I really missed Cheryl. 

To end off the tour, we decided to eat at the in-house restaurant of Haw Par Villa. It was one of a kind. A Chinese restaurant with decorations from their myths. At the entrance stood the statues  of the ox-headed and horse-faced guards of Hell. 

A waitress in a cheongsam took our order. Cheryl got the braised pork rice, while I went with a simple stir fried noodles. As we waited for our food, my phone buzzed.

[Where are you?]

“Is that your girlfriend?” 

I should have answered her with ease, but the words could not come out. It was obvious that I was ignoring the text message. Cheryl already knew I had a girlfriend, so why couldn’t I answer her? 

“Do you love her?” She asked. 

I could not answer. 

My phone started vibrating. It was her. I picked up the device and stared at the screen for a good minute. In that minute, different thoughts flooded my mind. She was going to ask who I was out with. There was no way I could explain anything to her in a way she would accept. 

Did I ever love her?

I slid the button towards ‘reject call’, and placed my phone face-down on the table. I had an answer, I always did. I was waiting for Cheryl this whole time. It was time I took Cheryl’s advice. Maybe it was time I followed my feelings, and be a little more carefree.

I stretched my hand out towards Cheryl, like I did on the roller coaster, and she took it without hesitation.