Andy's Plan

Chapter 4

Over the course of my twenty-eight years of life, I had everything planned out well. From what I would wear for the day to what I would eat. I was that kind of person who always makes a to-do-list and a bucket list but that changed everything that one night ten years ago. Now, looking back at it, I wonder if I ever have a chance to fulfil those dreamy wishes and fairytales my innocent mind concocted during my younger days. Even the best laid out plans could get awry. There’s nothing like reality hitting you hard to wake you up from that slumber you fell into because of too much watching romantic movies and reading fairytales.

“Do you think there’s really a blue moon?”

“I don’t know, are we talking about it literally like the moon being blue or the definitions of it?” as I glanced sideways at him amused at what he was suddenly saying as he clicked his camera aiming for a good shot with the full moon above us.

“I haven’t seen yet a blue-coloured moon but I saw last...” as he furrowed his eyebrows clearly digging in his mind a particular information then his face brightened and made a hand gesture as he remembered it. “They said the full moon last August 21 this year was a blue moon but when I looked at it, it was just like an ordinary moon to me.”

“Maybe it has something to do with the scholar’s definition of blue moon instead,” as I glanced up at the full moon now looming above us.

“Yeah, they said it’s the third full moon of the season that has four moons and I could not even understand it. I mean, what season? It does not make sense and I prefer the other one saying that a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month.”

“They are scholars for apparent reasons so leave it to them,” as I was amused at how he was mulling over something like blue moon. “Are you fond of astronomical bodies?”

“I am always fascinated about the beauty of exorbitant things and how amazing it works. It never fails to remind me of my childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, of making me believe with the endless possibilities as vast as the universe,” with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Do you still believe in those childhood dreams of yours?” I asked him soberly, thinking about those childhood dreams of mine too.

“I had no choice but to believe in them. It made me look forward to life, it was what kept me going on but I knew better now than to dwell on them because let’s face it, reality does suck sometimes,” as he chuckled.

“I seconded that,” as I looked at the towering buildings nearby which illuminated the night with its brilliant lights.

When you become a grown up and an experienced person, you realize that no matter how optimistic you are, there are still things in life that will not be possible for us no matter what, maybe in the next life, but not in this temporary mission here on Earth.

We fell into a comfortable silence just feeding our eyes with the magnificent sight of the city from this summit of view.

After we indulge ourselves with Italian foods, this beautiful stranger besides me had another romantic idea that was a must-try according to him...stargazing at the top of the building.

We sneaked inside the Reifsnyder Hotel through its exit door and I was impressed at how well versed he was with knowing where the exit was. We were like in a 007 movie, creeping in the hallway, composing ourselves when guests or hotel attendants came in our way and giggling when we reached the elevator.

What was dumbfounded with me was when those hotel attendants formally greeted us or particularly him. I shot him a curious glance but he just shrugged. I let that slide since I already had an assumption that it’s not an accident or a coincidence that we ate in a restaurant beside the hotel that he seemed both familiar with, when there were a lot of restaurants along the way when we decided to eat earlier.