Gershom Chua, Katrine Tang, Madeline Co, Monina Lao

9-Sun Yat Sen

Short Story

“Forget-Me-Not Blue”

The sky turns bright scarlet as the sun sets its graces, bidding farewell to its forget-me-not blue of old. Under the cool shades of the shy coconut trees and over the sun-fried sand, lay two friends of great affection, the young boy named Avin, and the girl named Kate. As the heavens started to fill with stars and spread its blanket of darkness, the two started for home for the wake of the night has come and their parents cry for their return. Before parting their ways, they bid farewell for the night and left with promises of the morrow’s meeting, this was the beautiful childhood of the best friends, Avin and Kate.

Each day, they spent together on the beach, building sandcastles, collecting pebbles of different colors and sizes, and lying over the sand gazing at the sky of a deep forget-me-not blue hue, making out shapes of animals and candies of all colors and wrappers. They wrote their dreams on pieces of paper put into bottles that they let drift across the ocean, wishing one day that those bottles may return to them and make their dreams come true. They flung their problems to the sea as they shared in each other’s company the joy that their friendship brought. They bathed in the waters and dried under the shelter of the huts that were surrounded by the towering trees and a variety of colorful flowering shrubs. They wrote on the sand messages with symbols only they could understand. They waded on the shores and explored caves hidden under the cliffs on the far ends of the beach. They spent their kindergarten, elementary and high school days on the beach, sharing in each other’s moods and laughter.

One particular night, when they just graduated from high school, the waves seemed to despair with the heavy atmosphere of Kate’s sorrow as she neared the shores of the beach she most often went to, just that she’s alone tonight. The waves crashed upon the high proud cliffs that endured their mighty blows as she wept her heart out, “Oh why, why now, when I’ve just realized I feel something more than friendship for Avin? Oh why, heavens, have you just now opened my heart for the embrace of his flawless face, his well-married features? Oh why? Avin has just told me of his plans, of his flight to Europe for the next years? Oh why, have I just now discovered my own heart’s affection for him? Oh why, after so many years of our childhood together have I just known his real worth to me? Oh, what should I do? What should I do?” She cried and wept the remainder of the night, staring out to the vast night sky whose deceitful self has chased away its rich hue of forget-me-not blue, under which she and Avin have spent much of their days of innocent youth playing and enjoying each other’s company. This place beside the sea and under the promising heavens have always had something that no one of the two can explain, something that made them go there, together.

The morrow after the former, she had her heart decided, helped by the comforting strokes of the warm breeze from the sympathizing sea of the night past. She went to Avin’s house, in which she had herself already been invited into countless times before, knocked on the old familiar door of oak and pine with its brass knocker proud and unyielding. She stood, with her most charming smile and wearing her best dress, waiting for the door to be opened, hoping she was not too late. It seemed like days, months and even eons before the door creaked open, and there, standing before her, was the man she had longed for, the man she wished would never leave her, it was Avin.

“Oh… I… I was…” Kate hastily said in a search for words to make a fair enough excuse for standing on his doorstep but was cut off by Avin himself.

“Oh, Kate! I’m so glad to see you, you know, I was actually planning to go over to your place and say goodbye but thanks for saving me the long walk. I… I’m going to miss you…” Avin said with a deep sad smile. He never knew why but he did actually mean it by saying that he’d miss Kate.

“Well, I… I… I’ll miss you too, well, you need to get going then, I think you’ll miss plane if you don’t. Bye now!” and without another word she turned toward the beach and left. She sat by the waves under the shades of the old coconut trees and stared into the heavens flashing its eternal forget-me-not blue color. “He will return… One day he will…” Kate thought.

That was all eight years ago. And with the eight years that have passed, many things have changed. Kate has grown more beautiful than ever, her old limp black hair has now been changed into rich ebony black locks that complements her almond eyes and cheeks as red as the sunset whenever she blushes. She now holds a degree in medicine and has turned from the old shy girl-next-door to a confident beautiful young woman. Even the trees have gone old, the old coconut trees were now replaced by sturdy new ones that serve the very purpose of their predecessors, even the old clear blue hue of the waters of the sea is now a little darker, but still clean and inviting nonetheless. Only two things haven’t changed since Avin left, one is the hopeful color of the heavens ever reminding Kate of older days and the other is the love that Kate has held hidden in her heart for Avin. After Avin had went to study in London, she promised herself of his return one day thus shrugging off every other guy that tried to get close with her.

On one hazy day, the heavens were covered by a sudden red-blue streak that seemed to rob the day of its joy; it was the day of Avin’s return. Kate had waited for this day ever since she let him go eight years before, as she wished that time might move faster but only turned its ear deaf to her pleadings. It seemed forever ‘til the afternoon when Avin’s car is supposed to come back, bringing Kate’s one true love back in her arms. Oh, how many things she wants to tell him, how much she yearns to see him, feel his warmth and smell the salt of his sweat once more. The day darkened even more as that moment arrived, she should’ve taken it as a foreboding by the heavens, something was just not right.

As the car that took Avin home parked by the grand corridors of their rich but simple house, Kate watched from a distance right under one of the new coconut trees that had been planted in place of its former. As Avin went out of the car, Kate saw the most heart-breaking thing in her life. He went out of the car, stopped as he stood on the soft sand once more and took a great inhale of the fresh sea breeze that he once knew, turned toward the door and held out his hand, a woman took it and, just like him, climbed out of the vehicle and appreciated the view that laid in front of her. As Kate made out her features from the distance of herself to the car, she saw that she was a tall and confident woman of great white complexion and sexy built. To Kate’s horror, the woman, possibly just their age, put her arms around Avin and lip locked him in what seemed like gratitude in bringing her with him. Warm droplets of tears rolled down Kate’s blushing face as she ran the other direction towards her home. She shut the door behind and sobbed into the pillows on the sofa. “This couldn’t be happening,” she thought, “This couldn’t…”

The next few days passed by with Kate locking herself in her room, refusing to talk to anyone and leavings only to eat in the dining room or for lonely long walks down the beach. She wouldn’t let anybody console her, and yet, nobody knows why she suddenly sprang up in a bad mood. Avin tried visiting her, but she just wouldn’t come out.

Three days have passed when Kate decided to take a long walk down the beach to think about what she’ll do. Thinking that it was safe and the coast was clear, Kate went out late in the evening. She went directly to their old favorite spot beside the waves and under the cool shades of the young coconut trees. She didn’t expect company that night, but was surprised to see Avin there, and worst of all, he was not alone. Avin looked up from the warm embraces of his new girl and saw Kate. He quickly released himself from her embrace and stood up, flashing a really satisfied and pleasantly surprised smile at Kate.

“Hi… Hi, Kate! It’s so nice to see you here! It’s been so long since I last saw you and now, you’re beautiful than ever…”

”I… I gotta go…”

“No, wait, please stay… Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce my girlfriend. Kate, this is my girlfriend, Sheena, she’s from England. I met her there when I was studying in Oxford University. Oh, and Sheena, this is Kate.”

“Nice to meet you, Kate! Avin has told me a lot about you. Sometimes, I don’t know whether he does likes you better or not, because, most of the time, all he talks about is you.”

Kate struggled with the urge to step forward and cut the Avin’s throat with a fast slit but merely settled to saying, “Oh, I… I never thought he’d still remember…”

“Well, of course I would! How can anyone forget a friend who’s the best in making sand castles and has the best pebble collection in the entire world!”

“Well, nice meeting you all! I… I think I better go now… See you later!” And Kate tried to turn on her heel and just run back to her house but Avin held her shoulders gently and stopped her. His touch made her whole body tingle, but it was not the time for her to enjoy such caress. “I really need to go…”

“No, please stay, Kate. We really need to do a lot of catching up. I mean, it’s been eight years…”

A surge of hot white anger burst through her whole body, “Oh, yes! It’s been eight years! Eight long years! How could I be so stupid to wait for you for such a long time! I could’ve just married anyone of my suitors, but, no, I still need to wait for you,” she was now filled with tears, “How so, so stupid of me!”

“What? What are you saying, Kate?”

Realizing how much she had said and had embarrassed herself, she stumbled for words in a haste to just leave, or if possible, just disappear in thin air. “I think I really need to go…” She released her shoulders from Avin’s touch and ran.

During the next three months that came flashed in a blurry haze. Things happened in snaps with fewer intervals than the breathing of one’s heart. Two days after that encounter by the beach, Kate started going out again. Three weeks later, Avin spotted her with a guy he believes he had already seen back then, but can’t remember his name. A month later, he went to ask Kate’s mom about how Kate was doing and was shocked to know that she’s going out with a guy called Ivan. Now he remembered, “Ivan was the guy who tried asking Kate out when they were about to graduate high school but she apologized to him and told him that she was already seeing somebody else, but come to think of it, she was actually going out with no one in particular, except… except me!”

The days that followed his visit to Kate’s mom changed his life forever. Two days after the discovery, he broke up with his European girlfriend who didn’t mind at all because, as she said, “Oh, don’t worry about me, I knew it the very moment we met her by the beach. It’s okay, I have been seeing someone new anyway, he’s the lifeguard we met the other day.” The day after that, Sheena moved out of Avin’s house and into her new lover’s place. Four months have passed after Sheena moved out, Avin drowned his sorrow with long lonely walks by the beach and drove deeper into his books, rarely was he seen without a stock of books whether beside or about him. Things couldn’t have been worse when after a few weeks later, Ivan announced his engagement with Kate. He said that she was such in a haze that the wedding will be taking place in no less than a month; what’s worse, the couple sent an invitation asking Avin for his presence in the festivity. Avin really hit rock bottom.

During the wait for the occasion, Avin drowned in his misery. He was now seen taking long long walks by the shore with cans of beer or slouching in the bar of the nearby hotel resort and letting his sadness sink in with the booze and spirits.

On the day of the wedding, Avin decided to ditch it and went straight to the bar in such an early morning; no one was there but him. The new bartender was not expecting anyone until well after the afternoon but still gave Avin his drinks willingly. After a few shots of about five or six dry margaritas, the clock struck twelve that reminded Avin that the wedding was over and that they might all be proceeding to the reception hall in the very hotel the bar was located. He had made up his mind: its either a life with Kate or no life at all. He swallowed his pride and marched down the hall in search of Kate.

When he had spotted her by the pool, he approached her and whispered in her ear, “Can I just have a minute?”

“What are you doing here?” Kate asked in bewilderment.

“Please…”

“What? I can’t talk to you now, maybe later, see, we still have many guests to entertain…”

“Please, Kate… Only a minute, that’s all it’ll take and I’ll be off, even be willing to be out of your life if you want to…” Avin said with a tinge of remorse.

“Oh, all right… But only a minute…” Kate said reluctantly.

Avin led her to the beach, which was a minute’s walk from the hotel pool. The heavens were reassuring and it flashed a hopeful hue of forget-me-not blue that day. The waves were quiet; it seemed that they too were interested in what Avin has to say. He turned towards her with his hands trembling, cupping her smooth white hands in them. He just realized how beautiful she was and how lucky a guy would be to have her for even a day. He directed his eyes that were now wet with tears to gaze intently and longingly into Kate’s eyes and said, “Oh, Kate! I’ve been so stupid. It’s just lately that I have realized how much I love you so.”

“Oh, please Avin, you’re drunk, you don’t know what you’re saying…”

“No, I know pretty well what I am telling you and these are the words I so long wanted to let you know…”

“Stop it, Avin! This is not a funny joke, if this is what you mean it to be…”

“No, this isn’t! This is true… Listen to my heart, it beats for you…” He got her body close to his and struggled with her to let her head rest on his heart. With a moment of struggle, she reluctantly obliged and felt Avin’s heart beating fast. She let him caress her hair and hold her even tighter. She now was too close to him that she once again smelled the salt of his body and she let herself indulge in them. Suddenly, she heard Avin crying in her ear, “Why have I been so stupid… Why? Why?”

With a sudden realization that times have changed and changed indeed, she told him, “Avin, I’m married… I… I… love another guy already…”

“Liar! You can never love him more than you would ever love me…”

“What are you saying?”

“You will never ever love him, try as you may, you wouldn’t! You know full well that your heart will always be mine…”

“How can you be so certain? You left me, didn’t you? How can you be so certain that those feelings I felt eight years before have not changed through the course of time?”

“Through the course of three months? You must be kidding…”

“No I’m not!”

“Kiss me then, if you don’t love me anymore, I’ll feel it in your kiss…”

“No, Avin, I’m already married! Can’t you see that?”

“I can see it all too well, but a ring is not guarantee that you really love that someone you share it with. Kiss me and I’ll know…”

“No, please…”

“Yes,” and with that, Avin pressed his lips to hers and a warm tingling feeling overcame both of them. The kiss that Kate expected to just last like a smack felt like forever to finish. Avin soon withdrew from this intimate expression of deep affection and told Kate with allm sincerity, “Kate, I love you. And face it or not, you love me too. You know that…”

“I… I know, but I’m already married!”

“You may be married to another person but your heart will always belong to me…”

“I… I…”

“Now, swear to me under the heavens, swear to the sands of the shore and the waves of the sea that until our breaths draw us apart, our hearts will be for each other…”

“I…”

“Swear to me, please, Kate…”

“I can’t…”

“Yes you can, you can’t go on lying to yourself. I love you and you love me too, and this will never go away!”

“I know!”

“That’s why swear, that until the forget-me-not blue skies huddle us together though we may part in the future that our love for each other will never die…”

“I… I swear!” And with tears in Avin’s eyes, he did so too. They continued to share in the warmth of each other until it came time for her to go back inside and act the role of the bride she was not so long ago.

As Kate turned and left for the hotel, Avin’s eyes followed her back to the steps of the garden and into the hotel where many waited for her arrival and wondered where she had gone. His mind went in a rush in search for ways for them to meet in the future come what may, he loved her and she loved him too, and that’s all that mattered. He gazed up to the skies brandishing its forget-me-not hue of blue and believed that as the heavens keep its shade of hope, the hope of them being together someday will never waver. It was the promise of the forget-me-not blue skies.

-End-