The Journey Begins

There's Is A Long Road Ahead... pt.2 (2)

"Sure, I do." He said, " But isn't that the fun of relationships? The worrying and stressing?"

" I don't think I understand what your talking about."

" You sound like you've given up on the girl."

" I haven't given up." I said, "She' went on a trip for her birthday, and I didn't get her anything. I've been thinking about it for a while, but I'm not sure of what she might like."

" Well, that will brighten the mood if you get her something." He nodded his head, " I'm sure that will put a smile on her face. Do you have an idea of what she's might like?"

I didn't want to bring it up, but I had to because that's all I know at the time.

"She loves to draw and read, especially about Dreamscape, The super famous nation on planet X, within Universe X. " I said, " She knows all about it."

He paused for a moment - I'm sure that he was thinking of the best way to approach my statement.

" I don't know what it is about that place, but it had the same effect on your mother. I never read the books, but she did, and after that, she didn't stop talking about it."

" She, Um-" His voice began to change to something so broken and sad, " Told me one day she wanted to go there, and she told me of ways she could get there. And I asked her, your mother, Is it worth it to go there. And she got so angry at me for asking. Next thing I knew, there's was a letter on the table, that it was worth it and she will be back."

Whenever my father was distraught, his South-Eastern Asian twangy accent would always kick in like now.

"She said she'd be back with tons of information that could help me understand some things that no earthly technology could define."

That was ten years ago.

I was ten years old when she left, and I remember that day as if it happened yesterday. My mother came into my room and kissed my forehead; she then called me by my middle name.

Troy, she said, I will miss you, but mommy has to go. I will be back as soon as possible.

Those were her last words to me. And I assume that, what she wrote in the letter to my father, was her last words to him. I can only imagine because my father never mentioned anything else when he talked about this situation.

Sadly, we don't even know if she is alive or made it to Emphoria. We don't know.

" It'll be alright, Pops. We've gone ten years without her. We can do at least fifty more."

" She said she'd be back, though...", My father wiped his eyes, " I didn't know your mother to be a liar."

"And neither did I. She said she'd be back, so she will." I agreed, " But we don't know what she is going through right now, so we have to be patient; we have to tolerate it."

"Ah yes, you're optimistic, I see." He smiled slightly, " I'm usually telling you to be more optimistic."

I watched as my father put his glasses on and began to skim through files and flip through papers.

" I'm going to get ready to go back to the dorm.", I said after a while, " I'll see you next weekend."

"Yes, son. Drive safe for me and study hard."

"I will," I say as I went up two flights of stairs to my bathroom. "Soon enough, I won't even have to worry about studying because I'll graduate."

~~~ Couple of hours later ~~~

Exact location: Chris shared dorm room (OtherRoomMates: Luke and Nick)

I slid my card on the scanner, and the door beeps. I opened the door; I walk to my room and set everything I had on my bed.

Going back and forth between my fathers' house and my dorm is that I usually leave many unfinished clothes, clothes that I need to wash, dry, fold, or put up. Today I had, In the corner, I had a basket of clean clothes to fold.

"Hey, Chap." Luke came to my doorway after a while, " I thought you were Nick for a second. He said he would be back before midnight, but here you are. But you know; Nicks has been acting dodgy."

Luke.

"Yeah, Nick Is like that sometimes."

Luke and I go way back. He's never crossed me, and I have never betrayed him. If I were to die, he'd be the guy talking at my funeral for hours' telling everyone about how great of a person I was. And I respect him for that; so much so I'd do the same for him.

" You look as if someone has gutted you."

"It's about Alyia."

"Is everything hunky-dory?" he leaned up against the doorway, arms folded, waiting on me to answers.

"I asked her out, and she rejected me."

"Wow." his eyes widen, "Well, are you okay?"

"I feel like I wasted so much time trying to figure her out. Even as a friend, I'd did so much for her. And it's like none of that mattered."

"She doesn't know what she's missing."

I began to fold my shirts.

"I did everything I could do," I responded, " And she still looks at me the same."

"Have you ever considered that she might be a Gillette Blade?"

" A what?" I looked over at him, " What are you talking about?"

"Gillette blade, a blade that is sharpened on both sides. A bisexual woman. In other words, she might not be interested in guys, but women too."

" That's the confusing part, Luke; I see the way she looks at me; whenever we're together. You know that look I'm talking about."

"Well, you know your onions better than I do."

I nod my head and put the shirt away.

"But I'm going to have to respect her and give her some space. Even though I don't want to."

"Well, I don't want your heart to get broken by letting a girl play with it, nor do I want you to go through another Monica situation either."

"She's different from Monica..."

"I hear what you say." Luke nodes his head, "With the greatest respect, just do whatever feels right."