Valentine’s Day in Cologne.
He walked alone, along Schildergasse, surrounded by happy couples clinging on to each other as if their lives depended on it.
“Valentine’s Day. Who the hell thought of this huh?” He kicked an empty plastic bottle lying on the ground. “It’s just a marketing gimmick.”
He stepped onto that same bottle, crushing it. “No, it’s a big mockery. Mocking those pathetic people like me.”
He noticed some people looking at him. He turned away. He knew he was being silly, he was being immature.
Let those people indulge themselves on this meaningless day.
You don’t need a special day to show your love, to be especially loving, especially romantic.
Every day can be a Valentine’s Day.
“Very clever. Now, all you need to do is to find someone, huh,” he sighed.
A puff of air formed in front of him, and quickly disappeared again.
Friday, February 15, 2008
11
It snowed again, on 14 February 2008. Valentine’s Day. The day of giving chocolates and receiving red roses.
His birthday.
She blinked, and pretended to fiddle with her necklace in a feeble attempt to distract herself from the fact that she’d actually remembered.
But then again, some things aren’t easily forgotten even if you put your entire heart into trying to.
“Man, this is seriously depressing…” bemoaned Haruki, eyes twinkling in barely concealed mirth. “4 elite university students with absolutely no DATES on Valentine’s Day? Where’s the justice in that?!” he sighed melodramatically, leaning back against the chair as he crossed his arms in apparent disapproval.
“Good girls are hard to come by these days,” noted Takuya offhandedly, as he flipped open his Shounen Jump comic to read the latest installation of his favourite manga series, Bleach.
“And that’s why you’re so obsessed with anime?” piqued Shuuichi in his usual bemused, sardonic fashion. “As expected of our resident otaku frie-”
“Look I am NOT obsessed-”
“Either that, or you’re antisocial.”
A few sniggers of approval from Haruki.
“Now that’s a completely ridiculous claim! If I were antisocial would I be joining people like you on Valentine’s Day, when I cou-”
“Hey I take offense at the tone of “people like you”!”
A grunt of approval from the other side.
A heartbeat of temporal, fragile silence.
Then, a sharp, pointed question.
“What’s all the hype about Valentine’s Day, anyway? Doesn’t it just segregate the “haves” from the “have-nots”?”
For the first time throughout the whole conversation, she lifted her head in surprise and stared at the other 3 guys sitting around the table in intrigue.
“It’s a marketing tool used by chocolate companies to increase sales; isn’t that obvious?” muttered Shuuichi, pausing for a moment to push his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
“Who cares about market sales; For once in my lifetime, I just want to experience… what they call, “real love”. Getting chocolates and all from some cute girl you know? Celebrating Valentine’s together and everything. Love. Yeah. Or something like that,” added Haruki quickly, trying to mask his slight discomfort with the usual dose of confidence and good cheer.
“Love…, huh.” She mumbled absentmindedly, staring at the caramel mochi cream dessert that lay untouched on the table in front of her. “Real love… is nothing like Valentine’s Day at all.”
But Haruki was nonchalant.
“Never been there, never done that, so… no comment.”
Her eyes took on a misty, faraway look.
“Before wanting to fall in love, know that it’s about giving chocolates everyday and not ever being guaranteed that you’ll receive any in return; it’s about writing a thousand love letters that might never reach the other side’s mailbox; it’s about waiting unconditionally and indefinitely for someone who never promised to show up.
“It’s about sacrifice, and giving up your rights so that the other party may smile; even if not for you, in the very least, as they walk past you, out the door.” She concluded. “It’s really painful, you know, Haruki?”
Awkward silence hung between the four friends ominously.
“I-err, never thought that far. But come to think of it, you never told us about…you know. Him. What exactly happened.” Responded Haruki in an unusually subdued tone.
The other two nodded silently. Shuuichi was observing her in a very contemplative way that made her feel as if she was transparent and being read from top to bottom; and even Takuya had put down his comic for the moment to listen to what she had to say.
She rested her chin on her palm thoughtfully and stared past them to the snow that was falling silently in the outside world. Falling snowflakes, dancing and twirling in wild abandon in the chilly February air.
"It doesn't make for good Valentine's Day material, but would you listen to my story anyway?"
His birthday.
She blinked, and pretended to fiddle with her necklace in a feeble attempt to distract herself from the fact that she’d actually remembered.
But then again, some things aren’t easily forgotten even if you put your entire heart into trying to.
“Man, this is seriously depressing…” bemoaned Haruki, eyes twinkling in barely concealed mirth. “4 elite university students with absolutely no DATES on Valentine’s Day? Where’s the justice in that?!” he sighed melodramatically, leaning back against the chair as he crossed his arms in apparent disapproval.
“Good girls are hard to come by these days,” noted Takuya offhandedly, as he flipped open his Shounen Jump comic to read the latest installation of his favourite manga series, Bleach.
“And that’s why you’re so obsessed with anime?” piqued Shuuichi in his usual bemused, sardonic fashion. “As expected of our resident otaku frie-”
“Look I am NOT obsessed-”
“Either that, or you’re antisocial.”
A few sniggers of approval from Haruki.
“Now that’s a completely ridiculous claim! If I were antisocial would I be joining people like you on Valentine’s Day, when I cou-”
“Hey I take offense at the tone of “people like you”!”
A grunt of approval from the other side.
A heartbeat of temporal, fragile silence.
Then, a sharp, pointed question.
“What’s all the hype about Valentine’s Day, anyway? Doesn’t it just segregate the “haves” from the “have-nots”?”
For the first time throughout the whole conversation, she lifted her head in surprise and stared at the other 3 guys sitting around the table in intrigue.
“It’s a marketing tool used by chocolate companies to increase sales; isn’t that obvious?” muttered Shuuichi, pausing for a moment to push his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
“Who cares about market sales; For once in my lifetime, I just want to experience… what they call, “real love”. Getting chocolates and all from some cute girl you know? Celebrating Valentine’s together and everything. Love. Yeah. Or something like that,” added Haruki quickly, trying to mask his slight discomfort with the usual dose of confidence and good cheer.
“Love…, huh.” She mumbled absentmindedly, staring at the caramel mochi cream dessert that lay untouched on the table in front of her. “Real love… is nothing like Valentine’s Day at all.”
But Haruki was nonchalant.
“Never been there, never done that, so… no comment.”
Her eyes took on a misty, faraway look.
“Before wanting to fall in love, know that it’s about giving chocolates everyday and not ever being guaranteed that you’ll receive any in return; it’s about writing a thousand love letters that might never reach the other side’s mailbox; it’s about waiting unconditionally and indefinitely for someone who never promised to show up.
“It’s about sacrifice, and giving up your rights so that the other party may smile; even if not for you, in the very least, as they walk past you, out the door.” She concluded. “It’s really painful, you know, Haruki?”
Awkward silence hung between the four friends ominously.
“I-err, never thought that far. But come to think of it, you never told us about…you know. Him. What exactly happened.” Responded Haruki in an unusually subdued tone.
The other two nodded silently. Shuuichi was observing her in a very contemplative way that made her feel as if she was transparent and being read from top to bottom; and even Takuya had put down his comic for the moment to listen to what she had to say.
She rested her chin on her palm thoughtfully and stared past them to the snow that was falling silently in the outside world. Falling snowflakes, dancing and twirling in wild abandon in the chilly February air.
"It doesn't make for good Valentine's Day material, but would you listen to my story anyway?"
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