2013-05-01 - 3:31 p.m.
Once in a while, the life of an everyday, regular person can turn a bit extraordinary. As usual, I'd like to call this "a rare, chick-lit/chick-flick moment". You know, a typical scene or event that usually reminds you of one of those cliches in a story. A girl meets a guy and the rest is history. Predictable.
Well, one can daydream to spice up their boring life..even just a little bit. Hehe.
Even when it's rare, I've had a moment like this before. So long ago, one night in 7-11.
Still, that was more than enough to get you started with your wild, vivid imagination. That's what happens when you have a rather very, very creative mind. So creative that it almost feels crazy and absurd at times.
Okay, imagine yourself in one of those boring, ordinary days at work. You were sitting at your desk, reading or writing while waiting for your next class to teach. All lessons had been well-prepared. Basically, you were just minding your own business, killing time.
Then suddenly, someone called you and asked you a favour. There was a guy - a potential future student - waiting to be interviewed for a placement test. He wanted to learn more about academic writing. You were given his essay-writing sample. You thought he was pretty good.
You hesitated at first. You didn't feel like doing anything at the moment, rather than what you felt like.
Then, after a minute or two, you got up and started marching out. You had to be professional. That was part of your job.
They handed you his profile as you marched outside the room. His full name sounded vaguely familiar to you, somehow.
When you were in the hallway, there he was. Sitting at the front desk, waiting for the interview. Reasonably tall, well-built, athletic. Strong, muscled-arms. Short, dark hair. A nice, light and smooth tan. A checked shirt and jeans. A postman sling-bag.
Okay, I know. Too detailed.
He turned to you as you called his name. His handsome face broke into a wide smile as he got up to shake your hand. That was when you realized just how young - and painfully attractive - he was. He was obviously in his mid-20s.
That was also when you remembered:
Yes! Now you remember that face. He's always on the local TV news. He's one of the young, hotshot journalists. It's no surprise that many girls out there are crazy about him...
"Hi." Gulping down your nervousness, you smiled back at him. Too late to re-apply your make-up or check whether your vicious dark curls had been neatly brushed. Too late for all that.
The next thing you remember, you lead him into the library. Both of you sat down at one of the three round tables available there.
Then the interview began.
It was one of those moment when five minutes felt so fast. Way too fast for you. It didn't even feel like an interview at all. It felt like you were chatting with your friend you'd known for quite a while. You knew it also had something to do with the fact that he was a TV personality. He meets different people everyday and obviously knows how to deal with each. He's a real pro.
And if you're not careful and keeping your face composed, he's definitely able to read you very, very well...
You snapped and told the taunting, annoying voice in your head to just shut the hell up. In front of you, the handsome journalist still talked animatedly about his passion, his future goals, the 2014 presidential election he'd be soon covering, and all his spare-time activities. He told you about his parents and two siblings (a brother and a sister) living in Solo.
When he learned that you'd also studied journalism, there was that spark of (genuine?) interest in his dark eyes.
You knew he was trying to impress you, although he actually didn't need to try so hard. All you saw in him was a spark of brilliance, enthusiasm, and honesty. He was still a kid to your eyes, alright.
How about sincerity? Hmm, maybe. You can't really be sure of that from the first encounter. You've done your homework and learned your most valuable life lesson:
There's always something more than meets the eye. The unspoken words have the loudest sound.
In your regular chick-lits/chick-flicks, it would be wonderful - in a modern, urban type of fairy-tale kind of plot. The female leading character meets the guy of her dreams and her hearts skips a beat. After that short interview, he suddenly wonders aloud if it's okay for him to ask for her phone number - or ask her out instead.
As cheesy and predictable as this sounds, she says yes with a smile. From there, comes a journey of love - a romantic story - that will lead them to a happily ever-after. End of the story. A typical epilogue. The audience are happy and satisfied.
Ha-ha. What a joke.
In reality, it stopped just right there. After the interview, you both stood up, shook hands, and exchanged smiles. You thanked him for his time and promised to let him know about the class. He nodded and urged you to do so.
After that, you simply floated back to your desk. The ghostly butterflies and other winged creatures were still doing a twisted mixture of Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake in your stomach, so you tried your best in regaining the control of your breath. No such luck. Your face was still hot. Your chubby cheeks must've turned bright red already.
Damn! He couldn't have missed that.
Gulp. Sigh...
Some people might say that you are the fool who often miss your chances with guys. Maybe it's true.
Or maybe you just don't want to give a damn way too much about it anymore.
Then again, who are you kidding? This is the real world. You're not even Bridget Jones. In this part of the real world, guys like him are out of your league. What makes you think you'd ever stand a chance with a local celebrity?
Well, you're just being realistic, as usual. These are the days when you need to focus more on yourself and your future career. No boyfriends yet. There's no space for romance in your hectic life now. First things first, as sad as it seems.
Maybe there's a slight chance,no matter how slim. It's still a chance.
Maybe, if there were such thing as an alternate reality/universe...
In the meantime, just be grateful that his existence had made you smile - and your life weren't always that tedious...
R.
