A Quiet Breath

while i was on my way to my friend's place on thursday night, i got caught in a trail of slow moving cars. the road that i was stuck on happened to be where my alma mater resides, so as the bus crawled through the dimly lit street, i took my own walk down the memory lane.

the first stop was coronation plaza, where i spent many evenings with a group of hungry friends gobbling up lemon chicken rice and gossiping about people. the small eatery was always filled with the smell of oily fried chicken, the stench of sweaty boys dressed in khaki shorts and the chattering of students who patronised the place. and the icon of the place was none other than the plump auntie, who was always seen flirting with the boys and giving them extra sauce or rice.

then the bus moved and i found myself staring at the central plaza, where the strongest boys in the council gathered to hoist up hundreds of light bulbs for a particular mid-autumn festival. and then there was a phoenix that blazed in the night to celebrate the rebirth of the new batch of freshmen, and a huge chun to welcome the start of a new lunar year. unfortunately, our term ended before the year did, but i'm glad some friendships haven't.

further down, i reached the second avenue and i saw the three adolescents battling against the odds to run up the slope. the guy always reached the top first. and there, he would wait for the two other girls to catch up before they continue their jog back to the campus. it was december, and we were young and free.

then there was the sixth avenue, where i got lost in the first week of school, had my first cup of gelato, and watched someone eat (almost)raw egg for the first time.

finally, i reached the macs at king albert's park, where we celebrated our first month together in a colourful party room, wearing party hats that were meant for kids, sitting on chairs that we had outgrown, and eating happy meals that no longer filled our stomachs. but we had so much fun that we could not bear to leave that night. i wished we lingered on for a while.

but that was where the crossroad was. and that was where the jam ended. and the memories faded along with the slow moving traffic.

at the turn of the green light, the bus broke free and breezed through the streets. it was bus stops after bus stops and before long, i was at my destination.

and then i slowed down and wondered, how and why did i get here so fast.