Sawadikap

I started to feel anxious when I saw one after one participants and vendors were packing up and leaving the carnival space. According to an announcement made just now, the area must be emptied in the next half an hour. I looked around again, and Eddie was nowhere near to be seen. Then, I went to the main stage and waited there until 8.30 pm, hoping that Eddie would miraculously appear right in front of me. But it was all came to nothing. I finally gave up. At the moment, I had a feeling that Eddie must had left this place long ago with his friends and forgotten about me who was holding on strong to his 'See you' sign as a promise.

"Are you sure he's gone?" asked Miss R.

"I don't know. Maybe," replied me, raising my shoulders up.

"Why don't you just text him on Facebook?" added Ally.

"I did. Three hours ago. No response. It's enough. Got to save some dignity," I said slowly.

That answer had made both Ally and Miss R looked onto each other and shook their heads left and right.

"Well then I rest my case..." said Ally.

A few minutes later, three security guards came in and checked around the venue. That meant it was time for us to leave the place. All three of us then walked towards the parking space before we said goodbye to each other and got to our own cars. Just as I was about to start off the car engine, I received a call from Daniel.

"Hi Daniel!"

"Hi Marina! How are you doing? How was today?" asked him.

"I'm good. Today was not bad, Daniel..." I answered briefly.

"Did you both manage to get all the material we need?"

"Of course we did. Camera-full! So many actions from the participants, especially Miss R."

Daniel was laughing at my answer.

"Good...good...oh by the way where is Miss R?"

"She's probably in her car now. We have parted ways for home already."

"Alright Marina. Well you sound very tired now. Why don't you just go home and have a deep rest. We'll talk later okay..."

"I'm not tired. But I'm actually quite hungry now."

"Why not ask Miss R to come with you?"

"I did, but she said she could barely open her eyes."

The call that I thought was going to be a short one turned longer when Daniel just did not stop asking me this and that. At the moment, I even thought that we might go out together for a dinner after the call. The possibility was high, as he started talking about a restaurant.

Bappp! Suddenly, a pair of man's palm stuck onto the window, right next to my face. Then, he slowly knocked the window making a sign that he wanted to talk to me.

"What happened, Marina!?" asked Daniel after he heard me screaming a little just now.

"Oh nothing! It's just a cat...jumped onto my car."

"A cat?" he asked back sceptically, as if he had known I was hiding something from him.

"Yeah...Mmm...Daniel I think I got to go now," I told him, trying to get off the phone call.

"All right Marina. Sorry, I delayed you up! Careful driving okay? Bye!

"Bye Daniel!"

'Why didn't I told him that much sooner?' I ridiculed myself for not being able to cut the call off much earlier.

I turned my sight onto the man standing right next to my door and slowly rolled down the window.

"Marina..." the man said gently.

"Eddie...you made my heart skipped a bit just now! Thank god I don't have a heart attack!"

"I'm so sorry Marina...I just don't want you to get away," replied Eddie, still in his Robotman outfit except for the box mask that he already taken off.

"I thought you have left with your friends?"

"Not yet. I was still around. Nas and I had to help Joe. He twisted his leg."

That made laughed a little bit.

"How on earth a Stormtrooper's leg could be twisted?"

"He fell down the escalator. The outfit was too heavy I supposed so he lost control. Thank God I found you here! I looked around the building to catch you. Phew!"

"Mmm realllly? I can't see a drop of sweat on that face."

"Oh come on couldn't you feel it just how cold the place was? It's like an Arctic!" he tried to convince me and he actually made perfect sense. It was really cold in there.

"You know what Eddie...I never thought I would see you here in this event."

"Me neither. I didn't know it that you have become a reporter now."

"Oh no. I'm not a reporter, Eddie. I'm actually just an assistant to an editor in chief. But I was bound to any task given by my boss, and so here I am."

"I see. What was the magazine again, Marina? Sorry I forgot it"

"Hey Magazine," I answered, proudly.

"Oh it's Hey.." he nodded.

"Do you know the magazine?"

"Of course! I've read quite a number of its issues. I really loved the 'Art' issue and also the 'Green' issue. You all did a very good job!

"Well thank you very much. Oh you know by the way, I never got a chance in there to tell you just how interesting your Robotman costume was."

"Ah thank you! I really love all the things like this. I have been a regular to this carnival for the past couple years but I never worn any costumes before so safe to say this was my début."

"Well I can tell you are such a big fan of Anime aren't you? You travelled miles away just for this carnival!" I shook my head. I could not believe it that he came all the way from the south not to be missed out.

"Nothing stops you when you love it right? Oh by the way, I am not going to teach at the old school no more. I got to transfer to a closer one here."

"Oh really? How close? What's the school's name?"

"Just around the corner. In Petaling Jaya. Bukit Bintang Boys School."

"Wow! Good for you. But I'm sure you will be sorely missed by the former students Eddie..."

"I hope so. I really like to be missed," Eddie said in quite a naughty smile.

"Hey Eddie, I think this is not a proper way to reunite with an old friend. How about I treat you for a dinner? Make that a welcome treat for your move here soon as well."

"Where at?"

"What about I take you to a restaurant in Shah Alam? Shall we?" I showed him my serious effort.

"Hmm sounds good. But it's okay Marina, let the dinner be on me, all right?"

"Oh no no no. Don't worry about it."

"Come on it shouldn't be that way...I'll take care of it."

"Well if you really want to, up to you then. But I'll scream my lungs out here and tell that security next to the lift over there that you are trying to rob me," I teased him, while pointing to the security guy at the said direction.

"Oh really? Did you just put a gun on my head?" he said with smile.

"I did. Now tell me how is it gonna be, Mr. Robotman?"

"All right all right! I agree. But..."

"What is it?" I became slightly uneasy with the 'but'. I was afraid that it would be a reason for him to cancel it going out with me for the dinner soon.

"I have to change this outfit first. I don't want people to think that robot invasion is finally here," he laughed.

That tickled me so much. I looked at his outfit and yes it seemed worn a little bit, probably from the game show he participated earlier in the carnival. But I really did not care about it, because I thought it was quite cool to be honest.

"Up to you. Go change. I'll be here."

After he agreed and done with the outfit change, Eddie followed me with his car to Section 9 Shah Alam. We were lucky the traffic was good making the convoy super smooth. I took Eddie to my favourite Thai restaurant there.

"Wow! How beautiful is this place, Marina..." complimented Eddie as we sat down.

"Gorgeous, isn't it? My friends and I love this restaurant. We are frequents."

"I bet the food is amazing too!"

"Of course! If not I wouldn't dare to bring you here. Now, what do you want to have?"

"Well since you are the frequent customer, why don't you order for me. I trust your palettes!"

"All right then, I think we should go with something heavy now, since we haven't had anything since the carnival. We go for rice, and let me choose the side dishes. Do you have any allergy?"

"Nope!"

"Great. What do you want to have for a drink?"

"I would love watermelon juice, please."

"All right. Hold on I'll get the waiter," I waived to a waiter who had been actually observing us since we arrived.

"Can I take your order, Mem?"

"Yes. We would like two serves of plain rice, one big serve of Tom Yum Goong, one serve of Som Tam, and one serve Yam Nua."

"Noted. What about the drinks, mem?"

"One watermelon juice, and one orange juice, please."

"Alright. We'll serve your orders in around ten minutes, okay?"

"Okay, thank you."

I noticed Eddie was staring at me when I ordered the food. I knew he was actually surprised when I made it in Thai language.

"Why are looking at me like that Eddie? Anything wrong?" I asked him, just to be sure.

"I didn't know it all these years that you could speak Thai."

"Well it's just for a specific purpose-to order food in Thai restaurant!" I laughed.

"Oh I see..." he nodded slowly. "But has anyone told you before that you sounds so sexy ordering food in Thai?"

"Sexy??? Euww..." I was blushing when Eddie said that and I tried to cover it with a little laugh.

"Why, Marina? You don't like that word?" asked Eddie back.

I shook my head, as a NO.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry. What about...'cute'?"

"Cute?" I paused for a second. Hmmm...Okay, that will do. I can take it more than 'sexy', I supposed," replied me.

We spent the dinner time updating about ourselves and asking about each other's life. One hour could unearth just so many things. Stories about the school days back then, about work and its surroundings and just generally about ups and downs of life. And the some. As I expected, Eddie did ask me about Norman whom he never heard of anymore since high school ended. I tried to gather my emotion and remained calm as I was sharing with Eddie about him. Eddie was really a good listener, I must say. At one point I felt like I was speaking to a therapist. The dinner went smoothly and perfectly. All the exhaustion I had from the carnival disappeared like morning mist. On the way home, I could not stop smiling thinking about tonight, and Eddie. He was still like the old Eddie that I knew. Funny, fluent and generous with smiles. It's great to have met him again and spent some time together.

As I reached home, I told Gina every single thing that had happened that day. As expected, I knew it Gina would laugh at me when she heard about 'the Princess and Mr. Robotman' story. She could not take it that someone called me 'a princess'. That made her burst with laughs.

"Gina! Not all princess looking like a Barbie okay!" I told her that while gently smacking a pillow on her. When she had done teasing me and the laughs stopped, Gina told me how happy she was with everything that has happened to me tonight. I knew she was sincere because I could hear the serious tone in her voice, despite all the jokes before that. According to her, she was relieved that I finally could get over my past and learn something about this life. And most importantly, I was not afraid to experiment it all again with love.

"Experiment with love?"

"Yes," Gina nodded. "Now you have Daniel, and then you also have Eddie."

"Gina...Ally and you are really the same! I just met Eddie for barely one hour and here you are making assumptions!"

"Well...just you wait. Maybe Ally and I see what you don't," added Gina. At the moment it did cross to my mind though, as to how both of them would come out with the same thought. In my head it was too early for them to think that I would involve with Eddie, romantically. Not too soon! But anyway I did not take Gina's say personally. I only took it as a joke.

However, I could not deny the fact that I was a bit confused with Gina's statement just now about me seeing or experimenting with two men in the same time, and it was like she was okay with that. Knowing her for many years, I expected something more dramatic due to her assumption, like "Are you crazy Marina! You're setting yourself up on fire!" or at least "Is Daniel just not enough for you?"-Was she telling me anything? Was she telling me that she liked Eddie more than Daniel? Maybe Gina was right. Maybe she saw something I did not.