I love autumn.
It is the only time when the sun appears without being too harsh and yet still play along with the yellowish colours of the ground and the leaves. Perhaps because it’s chilly enough to get cuddly inside. Perhaps because we still get the hint of both summer and winter. And perhaps because yellow is my favourite colour too. I took this photo outside the house yesterday.
It is the only time when the sun appears without being too harsh and yet still play along with the yellowish colours of the ground and the leaves. Perhaps because it’s chilly enough to get cuddly inside. Perhaps because we still get the hint of both summer and winter. And perhaps because yellow is my favourite colour too. I took this photo outside the house yesterday.
I wonder how Amy is doing in Malaysia. It’s been only a week now but I missed her already. She has not been online to update me on her trip to see Nenek in Penang. I received a text on the day she reached KL but that’s about it. I bet she’s having too much fun to even bother texting me about her three weeks holiday now. I’m so jealous…
Nenek is Mom’s mother. She took care of Amy and I since our Mom passed away when I was six and Amy was three. Then for ten years, Amy and I grew up in between the care of Nenek and Dad in Penang. Dad went back and forth to Canterbury in England of where he’s originally from, after Mom passed away. When there were school holidays, Amy and I would tag along with him to England and we would be staying at Grandma’s, our ‘very English’ grandmother. Grandma was different from Nenek but they were equally warm that Amy and I ‘decided’ to like her right away. After a few visits, Dad must have thought that we were comfortable in England, he finally told us one day that we were moving to England for good. Plus, he found someone who was good enough to be our new mother, Jane.
It had been eleven years since then and I have been back to visit Nenek only twice: once after my high school and the second one was during the second year in university summer break, both were less than ten days trip each.
When Amy and I planned to go together this year, I was excited because it was going to be a longer trip: three weeks. But two days before leaving, I had to bail out. James, my boyfriend was involved in an accident and had his legs badly injured, I didn’t have the heart to leave him. Amy had to go alone.
I have moved to live on my own up north in Scotland after getting a job in Edinburgh since a couple of years back. That was when I met James. We have been going out for a year now. Amy moved to stay with me after graduating last year. Dad and Jane are still in England, staying not far from Grandma. We still visit them both from time to time.
I was holding my phone, thinking of texting Amy again when it suddenly rang.
“Hello?”
“Yellooo? Maya! Sorry hasn’t been returning your text and calls, you know how it is…” She giggled. Of course it’s Amy. Nobody else said ‘yello’ instead of ‘hello’.
“Hey Amy, how has it been? How’s Nenek? How’s Penang?”
“Nenek is great. She’s making me fat with all the food, gosh! She sends her love to you.” I smiled thinking of Nenek and all her foods.
“How are you? How’s James, he’s okay now?” Amy asked.
“I’m fine, James is fine too, thanks, recovering well. Glad you managed to call finally…”
“Yea, I can’t talk long though. It’s past midnight here already, long day today. One quick question though, do you know someone named Kimi? Akimi or something?”
“Kimi? No, I don’t think so. Who is she?”
“He. Tall, dark… very cute. We sat next to each other on the flight from London and we started talking… turns out that he knows you.”
“Very cute? I’m surprise I have no idea who he is. Where is he from?” I asked before we both giggled.
“Originally a Malaysian but has been staying in London for a few years now. He told me he went to the same school with you in Penang…Small world eh?”
Oh wait. Don’t tell me that’s him. I still remember his handsome boyish look even after twelve years.
“Yelloooo, you there?”
“Here! I think I know a Kimi. Did you get his phone number by the way?” I asked her again.
“Yea I got it, will text it to you later. I gotta go now. Say hi James. See if I can go online one of these days, although I doubt it. Take care now, alright? Bye!” Then she hung up.
I put the phone down and turned to look at James who was already fast asleep on the sofa. I like watching him sleeping. I moved closer towards him when the phone beeps, signaling an incoming text message.
She’s fast, I thought.
I took the phone and the message read: ‘Hey Maya, not sure if you remember me. It’s Kimi from Uplands, Penang, more than 10 years flashback helps perhaps? Got the number from your sis Amy. I’m in Malaysia currently but heading back to the UK in a week time. How are you doing? Fancy a catch up if you remember me still? X’
If I remember you? You’re my first high school boyfriend and your favourite colour was yellow too!