His success without me (short story)

I am looking at him, I can see his eyes filled with happiness… he’s smiling genuinely to everyone. He seems complete, complete without me. I’m hiding with the crowd and I’m sure that he will not notice me because he’s too far…

FLASHBACK

It was the first snow when we first met, I’m wearing thick clothes to make me feel warm and have an umbrella with me coz’ I’m on my way to my grandparents’ house to make some visit. While walking at the street, I heard a strumming from the guitar not too far from my location. I followed the sound of the guitar and started to hear an angelic deep voice. He was singing while sitting at the corner of the street, his guitar case is at his feet, it was open so people can put money in there.

I walked towards his direction as he gained a small crowd surrounding him. I closed my eyes feeling his warm voice conversing the winter at night. With his last lyrics, I opened my eyes and see that he’s looking at me. I got shocked by the sudden nonverbal act so I walked away but someone called me from behind

“Hey!”, I looked at my arm when someone hold it

And move my eyes to see his face; it was the man who has an angelic voice.

“Oh, uh… Hi?”, I awkwardly replied

“Hhmm… so, how was my voice? I saw you earlier, you know, at the corner of the street…”, he said, smoothly

“Ah, yeah, there… It was, it was fine”, I said lying because his voice was too good

“So, I guess, I need more practice, eh?”, he said while scratching his head

“Yep”,

“So… nice to meet you, Miss???”, he asked offering his hand

“Mira”, and I shook his hand

I hesitated if I will give my name to a stranger but I gave it anyways, hope he’s nice tho’

“What a lovely name, I’m Tristan by the way”, he said smiling before he politely bid his goodbye

What a random day it was, isn’t?

One week had passed when our unexpected encounter happened.

Saturday night, I asked permission to my mom if I could go outside just to ease some stress due to endless home works and activities in my different subjects. Luckily, she let me.

I get the umbrella on its rack beside the door and walked through the lively night. The cold breeze was brushing through my face. A lot of people were walking at the street; some of them were family, spending their time maybe because its weekend, but certainly, most of them were lovebirds because of the snow. It was a good sight…

I walked to the night market and saw some pastry at the corner. I bought a butter tart and eat it slowly as I walk again. I walked towards the swing and sit there; I close my eyes and feel the ambiance of the winter night.

“You like closing your eyes too often, aren’t ya’?”, I got startled with the stranger’s voice or maybe not a stranger? I immediately opened my eyes to see a man with a black hoodie and cap wearing his guitar at the back. So… here’s the man last week, I guess

“Oh, hi… well just feeling the winter breeze” and he sat on the swing beside me

“So, were you always hanging out here?”

“Nah, just need some stress reliever”

“Do you mind?”, he was pertaining to strum his guitar

“Nope, not at all… just do your thing”, I replied

He started to strum his guitar while humming… it’s so soothing to my ears. I closed my eyes again and started to sing because I know the lyrics; it was “Places We Won’t Walk” by Bruno Major.

“We will smile to end each day

In places we won’t walk…”, he sang the last lyrics of the song with me and our eyes just met…

There was a moment of silence for a minute until he started to smile and so I did too.

“You have a great voice, didn’t expect that”, he said complimenting my voice

“Uh, not so great?”, I joked and so he laugh

“Mira, would you mind?.. To walk with me at this winter night?”, he asked smiling while offering his right hand

I just gave my hand answering his question indirectly.

We walked through the crowd,

“Oh my goshhhh, there’s a claw machine there!!! Let’s go, let’s go!!!”, I grabbed his arm and run towards the claw machine. I love claw machines even though I cannot get any most of the time haahhaha… I wish that if I will have my own house in the future I’ll buy one and put it in my stress reliever room hahahha, great idea isn’t?

He was just laughing at me all the time because the claw keeps failing… argh… One last try and I will be out of coins but I took the risk… and guess what? Yeah, you’re right it failed again, psh…

And you know what makes me angrier? His laugh!!! His sarcastic and teasing laugh so I glared at him…

“What?”, he asked innocently while suppressing his laughter

“Alright, alright”, he put his arms upwards as if surrendering

“Lemme’ mademoiselle”, and then he winked

He put coins on the machine to start and then he focused, hahahah his face was epic so I’m suppressing my laughter. The claw starts and thennnn…

“HAHAHAAH, I told ya’ it was hard bleh”, I said teasing him because he did not get any of the stuff toys either

“NO!!! Let me try againnn,,, gggrrr…”, he tried for about ten times until he gave up

“Argh, who invented this crap?, I hate it”, he said not accepting his defeat hahahah but anways that was fun even though we did not get any

“Hahahah come on now, let’s just try some other stuff”, I told him to ease his anger hahahah

“You know what, let’s just eat”, he said and grab my left arm

We walked towards the different food stalls and eat some Poutine and Bannock. We sat in a bench while munching our foods then he started to tell such random stuffs.

“I hope one day… I can be like those successful artists”, he’s watching the concert video of a famous band on the screen and so I stared at it too…

“Well, you can if you want too”, I said as a matter of fact and then he stared at me

“Ehem, so what about you?”, he alter the awkwardness

“Hhhmm, what about me?”, I asked

“What do you want in the future? What you want to become? Any plans?”

“Well,,, hhmm what I want to become? I don’t know, I don’t have any plans either”

“You don’t have any plans??? Why??? Didn’t expect that, with a girl like you”, he exaggeratedly asked

“Like me? Why? What do you think ‘bout me huh?”

“You look like a girl with so many dreams ya’ know like by looking at your eyes it’s filled with passion on everything”

“Oh boy, what a bluffer you are hahaah”

“Nah, I’m serious”, he said looking seriously at me

“Oh okay then, but still, I do not have a plan, I just want to live a simple life… you know get a degree and have a decent job for whatever course I’ll take and when I got savings I want to settle down and be a good wife and mother to my kids. I don’t aim to be rich, just in the middle”, and I winked at him

“Err, there you go again”… he said while avoiding my gaze

“What? What did I do?”

“Nothing”, he said

“So, it’s late now, ‘til we meet again mister”, I stand up and wave at him and started to walk. He just smiled and wave back.

It’s Monday which means I need to wake up early because I have a class at 7 A.M. and I woke up at 6 A.M. to get ready.

~Ring ring~

My phone rings, it’s Alex, my best friend and I answered it.

“Hello, sis, why did ya’ call?”, I asked

“Duh, as I have thought, of course you didn’t knew, argh luckily you have a best friend like me”

“So, what is it?”

“There’s a program at school and we should come early today. You need to be here at school at 6:30 A.M. alright?”

“What? So, you mean, you’re in school already? Is this really true? Hahaha”, I said because she’s not an early bird, thought she was lying tho’ hahahah

“Yep, believe it or not ahahah anyways, my crush is going to perform that’s why I came early hahaha”

“Thought so, you have a hidden agenda hahahh alright so I’ll take a bath now, ciao”, I ended the call and go to the bathroom

Our school is a ten minute drive from our house. I just grab a taxi and said the school address to the driver.

I came in our school at 6:40 A.M. and I’m sure that my bff will be mad at me for that ten-minute late. I started to walk to the gymnasium.

“Sisss,,, it’s already 6:50 in the morning why are you so late? The program will start soon”

“Alex, stop, alright? Don’t be so exaggerated hahahha”

“Whatever, come on let’s sit”, she grabbed me excitedly

“Good morning Fatimanians!!! I’m your emcee for today! This program must be held for the upcoming intrams and we must support all our players in different sports…”, the emcee just greet the important persons in our school and the program continues.

“And for the most awaited of all, the Knights!!!”, the emcee called the famous band in our school

My eyes were wide opened during the whole performance… why??? Why is he wearing our uniform?

The performance was finished and I’m still shocked, did I just saw him? The guy on the night market? Is he a student here? Gosh… I hope he did not see me

But I guess… he saw me as he is now walking towards my direction and guess what? My best friend were struggling my arm all the time and I think its dense now

“Hey, Mira!”, he called and waved at me

And I don’t know what to do, if I’ll smile or what

“Uhm, hi, Tristan, so… I did not know that you are… well, a student here?”

“I did not expect that too… so should we hang out often now?”, he smiled and Alex have this ‘what-did-I-missed-look’

“Uh… probably? Oh, this is Alex, my best friend and Alex, this is Tristan, my uh friend?”, I awkwardly introduced them to each other

“Oh, hi, nice meeting you Alex”, Tristan offered his hand which was immediately accepted by Alex, of course hahahah

Our class got dismissed immediately and Alex asked me a never unending question about Tristan and she said that Tristan was her crush but she will gave him to me, as if I had a crush on him hahhaha.

END OF FLASHBACK

Tristan was an awesome guy we became best friends for the past five years but after college we now had different lives, a different job and a different perception. He was now a famous main vocalist of the Knights, worldwide. He became successful and me… as I said before I just want a simple life so when he asked me to come with his management to become a trainee artist, I rejected him. I am now well… just living my life, happy and contented with my two beautiful angels and a loving husband.

I’m now in his concert, I bought tickets and I’m just happy seeing him like this, genuinely happy. The concert ends and we’re now walking towards the exit but someone called my name, no let me rephrase that, not someone, he, HE called my name.

“Mira!!!”, he ran towards me but his fans we’re not letting him to pass. And so, he said ‘please’ to them so he makes his way. He hugged me, he suddenly hugged me with that lot of audience. Oh, man, he must protect his image, ggrr… this guy.

“Mira, it was you… I’m right! Hahaha how are you? I missed you”, he was just smiling at me the whole time but when he noticed that his fans were capturing us through their cam, he grabbed me at the backstage

“You’re insane!” I smacked his arms

“Hahahah, for the past five years, that’s how you’ll greet me, you did not fail to amaze me, woman”, he unbelievably said

“So, how was it? My performance?”, he asked

“Well, it was fine”, I said lying again

“Hhmm, this scene was so déjà vu isn’t? Remember when we first met? I asked you about my performance and you also said that it was fine? You never changed, Mira. You still hurt my feelings, huh. Mira, I know that this is not the right time but ya’ know if I’ll not tell you this I might not have the chance anymore. So… may I ask if I can court you?”, he said… no… why did he said that? Why now?

“Tristan, I… I can’t”, I said teary-eyed

He looks confused.

“Hey, love, come on. Oh hello, man”, my husband hold my waist and our two kids hold my thighs

Tristan got shocked and became quiet, just looking at my husband’s hand and to our two kids.

“Goodbye, Tristan. We need to go”