CHAPTER 3 : WAS IT A FATE?

"We don't meet people by accident, they are meant to cross our path for a reason – unknown"

There was a message from Eden which told her, he was back at home already. He told her that one of his girlfriends needed to get back early, that was why he was also at home earlier than usual.

Shasha replied to him, {You have a girlfriend? That's nice! At your age, being in love is one of the best moments.}

{Not my special girlfriend, she is just a friend from my high school. I don't have a girlfriend at this moment.} Eden said.

{Why?} Shasha asked him.

He answered, {In my hometown everybody is familiar with each other, so if you know people too well, it's hard to have that special feeling among us.}

Somehow Shasha could understand the logic of it. Shasha asked again, {What about at your college, there must be a lot of beauties out there right?}

Eden replied, {Yes there are. First, I was so hyped up when I went to the campus last year but because of the pandemic, the college life was totally fu**ked up. But in 8 days more we will return to college and don't worry. I will find a girlfriend then🙃.}

Shasha chuckled and replied to him. {I won't worry, I wish you the best of luck!😂 it will be great to be in the campus life again. I missed the moment so much.}

Eden was typing something. It looked like he got something to say. The message appeared to be {I have a story for you. Do you want to know?}

Shasha said, {Yes. Of course. Tell me.}

Then he replied, {You know, our university has this Erasmus Program and there is one university in MXXX which we could choose to join. After I got the information, few minutes later I received your request to follow and when you said you are from MXXX. I was really surprised.}

Shasha was surprised too. {Wow. What a coincidence, maybe we both are fated 😄.}

Then he said, {Maybe🙃.}

Shasha asked him what he supposed to do if he wanted to take part in that program and told him since he was taking an engineering course. The best place to select should be Germany.

He asked, {why not MXXX? Is it not good? Let me check the name of the university first.} Few seconds later he gave her the name of the university.

Shasha knew the place because her daughter used to get an offer to study there before but she rejected it 'cos she had accepted an offer from another public university.

Shasha told Eden it was one of the best universities in her country and he could put it into his consideration.

The Erasmus program was something new to Shasha, so she asked Eden what kind of procedures he needed to do to participate in it.

Then Eden explained it to her. In his country there were a lot of things that needed to be considered especially when their currency was quite lower than other countries. So, to join the program would cost him too much. But it was a great opportunity for him to achieve his dream to work outside of his country in the future if he participated in the program.

It made Shasha ponder for a while then she sent her message. {If I had an ability to help you, I would. Really. I guess you are a very smart kid if you can be chosen to participate in that program. But sadly, I have nothing to offer other than giving you the encouragement. If it costs too much, then sometimes we need to use what we have at present. Right?}

Eden replied, {It's okay. I just feel that my country can't give me a security for my future especially for engineering student like me. It really makes me feel upset.}

Shasha told him that he would achieve what he wished for one day on condition that he put his focus on his study. Then Shasha asked, {Do I sound like a mother hen? 😁, don't you feel uncomfortable chatting with me?}

Eden replied, {No, I feel comfortable chatting with you like we are at the same age 🙃.}

{That's a relief 🤗but believe me, I am older than you 😉.} Shasha smiled while sighing.

Then she said to him. {You'd better do your best while you still can. I used to mess my life up and now I think I become an introvert. I lost my confidence. I don't think I like to talk face to face with other people anymore.}

Eden replied {I used to be like that too. I don't even know what I've learnt in my online class. I didn't want to meet my friends. But it was getting better after few months. It will get better for you too.}

Shasha felt she was being comforted when she saw the message and she typed {Thank you. Love ya! 🤣.}

Eden replied, {love you too 🤣.}

Shasha chuckled and she knew the word love from her and also from him didn't mean anything at all. For her, love is so complex to be defined. Maybe there was a kind of love from a stranger to another stranger which has no meaning at all but still can be called love.

Shasha asked him what he was doing at that moment.

{I'm lying on my bed with my pyjamas, reading a book. What about you?} Eden replied.

Shasha smiled and typed {I can imagine that. You and the pyjamas 😆 I'm lying on the sofa. Reading online novel too. What book are you reading?}

{The title is 18 Seconds.} Eden replied.

{What's it about?} Shasha asked.

{It's about a blind woman who can see what had happened to dead people 18 seconds before they died once she touched them} Eden explained.

{It sounds interesting. I remembered there was one Korean drama which quite similar to that novel. Is it good? This is my first time to know a boy like you like to read a novel where the protagonist is female. Aren't usually boys like to read male protagonist novels or comics or watch anime?} Shasha asked.

Eden sent his reply {I'm curious about that blind woman actually. You can search for it online if you want to read it. Do you watch anime? I do watch it sometimes.}

{Interesting. No. I don't really like watching an anime, but I used to be a big fan of Korean drama I think for 5 years 😁.} Shasha replied.

{So, you know how to speak Korean?} Eden asked.

{I know a little bit. Not much. Sometimes I needed to watch those dramas without subtitles 🥴} Shasha grinned when she thought of how addicted she was in those 5 years with Asian dramas.

{Need to sleep now, it's already 3 a.m. here. Will chat with you again later. Will it be okay?} Shasha sent him a message after she looked at the time.

Eden replied, {Okay. CU again.}

Shasha clicked to the translator because she wanted to say sweet dream in his language. She took a photo of herself with 1% filter, then she copied and pasted the translated words on her photo.

She sent it to Eden followed by the message {Don't laugh, I know I look old 🤣right?}

Eden sent back {😂} and said, {No, you are not. You look like you are at the same age as me.}

Shasha covered her mouth and giggled like she got a candy and really thought that he was so sweet.

She said, {Well thanks to the moisturizer and 1% filter 🤣 and thanks my baby 😂 I think I like to call you that since you are such a sweet boy, can I?} Shasha was unconsciously biting her nail while waiting for the answer.

The answer came few seconds later. {It doesn't matter. You can call me anything you want 😄. Hey, you need to sleep 😂sweet dream my baby.}

Shasha was trying to control her laugh and she told him. {Since when I become your baby? 🤣, that nick name is only suitable for you. Not me. You are younger than me. You can call me something else. but I'm sure I will have a very sweet dream tonight.}

After receiving { 😁} as his answer, Shasha went to her bedroom with a smile on her face and looked at her sleeping husband. Then she sighed.

She wondered how fast she could feel comfortable chatting with someone. Maybe because there was no expectation, so there should be no pressure.

She and her husband used to be like that too before. But after their children growing up, things changed.

After Sean returned from work and had dinner, he would play his online games and chat with his online gamer friends too, so when Shasha was chatting with Eden, both husband and wife would do their own things.

That was how they spent their time together. One of them would be in the living room and another one would be in the bedroom. It was a normal scenario in their marriage since 3 years ago.

Shasha went to the washroom to brush her teeth and cleanse her face. Then she applied the night cream. When she looked at herself in the mirror and asked herself softly "Will I be okay?".

She had a petite body with the height of 156cm. As short as a junior high school student, sometimes she would look a little bit old but sometimes she would look as young as her daughter who was taller than her.

Her face was small with dark brown eyes, small nose and wide lips. She cut her own hair into middle length messy bob haircut.

She didn't like to dress up like an old woman. She could share her wardrobe with her daughter. She just wanted to be comfortable with herself without cared too much about what other people would say.

She bleached her hair and wanted to dye her hair later into silver colour. She pierced her nose a very long time ago. She really wanted to do the piercing on one of her eyebrows but, she was still contemplating. 'Maybe I will do it one day' she thought to herself. It was all for her own satisfaction.

"Who cares about age", she grumbled.

There was just a few signs of wrinkles and freckles on her face, but it could be covered with 1% filter or without filter, she could cover them with the foundation and concealer.

But she was too lazy to groom herself. With only a spaghetti top and a shorts, that was her normal attire at home. But she would make sure to put more efforts on her skin. She knew she was getting older anyway.

Shasha slipped under the sheet and tried to sleep. 'Think of happy moments' she coaxed herself and she thought about the sweet boy with brown hair and beautiful eyes. Then she smiled and felt asleep.