1. An old Friend

My ears were filled with a loud sound of bell.. ling.. ting.. ling..ting.. as the cafe door was opened. I instinctively turned my gaze to the door, hoping that the person I had been waiting for for half an hour had arrived. But it was always someone else.

After a couple of disappointments, I finally ignored the bell sounds and concentrated solely on the writing of my new novel. Following the sudden burst of an idea in my mind, I continue typing on my laptop as quickly as I can. 

It has become my habit to always bring my laptop wherever I go so that whenever an idea strikes me, I can immediately type it into it. Someone tapped my right shoulder from behind just as I finished typing. In response, I turned around to see who had done it. 

What I discovered was a familiar handsome man with a bright smile who brought back memories of my High School days. He was one of my high school friends back then, but after we graduated, he moved overseas to continue his studies and we lost contact. 

" Hey, Emily...It's you, it's really you... I noticed your familiar face the first time I stepped into this cafe. It made me wonder who you are, so I tried hard to remember. Finally, I run into an old high school friend, Emily. You've changed a lot since then...I barely recognize you, Em. You look amazing. Do you remember me?"He said.

"Of course, Brandon. What a pleasant surprise. All these years, I haven't heard from you. What exactly happened to you? "Is everything fine?" I spoke up.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just busy and want to focus on my studies so that I can graduate and start my business as soon as possible. I just arrived here yesterday and intended to contact you once I resolved some issues. Who knows, maybe we already met today," he added. " Are you by yourself? "May I accompany you?" 

I assumed the person I had an appointment with wouldn't show up because she had already been late for an hour, so I nodded and sipped my hot chocolate, saying " Sure, I would love to. " 

He ordered a cup of coffee as he sat in the chair in front of me, saying, "I'm sorry for interfering your work. You appeared to be preoccupied with your laptop."

"No problem. You are exactly on time. You tapped my shoulder as I was finishing up working on my novel. It had no effect on me. "Don't worry about it," I explained.

" Oh, so you're now a writer. Give me the specifics. "I'd like to read your novel as well," he said, handing me his phone without hesitation.

I install an app on his phone that allows him to read my novel. When I was finished, I returned his phone. Brandon was reading my novel about my dream with Sean while he was drinking his coffee. 

Meanwhile, I received messages from Cynthia informing me that she would be unable to meet me because she had to work overtime to complete her tasks. She apologized and said she would reschedule our meeting for tomorrow, just as I had anticipated.

Then, I responded to her message by telling her not to worry and to focus on her work so she does not arrive home late at night. We can simply reschedule our meeting at our leisure. 

I put my phone down on the table when Brandon said, "Wow..Em.. you've turned into a successful novel writer. Amazing.. Take a look at the opinions. It is, indeed, an intriguing one. I've never read a novel before, but it piqued my interest right away and made me want to keep reading. Emily, congratulations!"

When I heard him, I smiled and said, "Thank you," before asking him about his business and his future plans. We were still talking when his phone started ringing. Brandon excused himself from the conversation and answered the phone. He spoke seriously, and it appears that they discussed work issues. 

After a few minutes, Brandon hung up the phone and we continued our conversation. His ringing phone interrupted our conversation once more. This time, he simply spoke briefly into his phone and then hung up.

" I'm sorry, Em. Because I'm recently arrived here, many people have contacted me to settle various issues. I believe I will be very busy in the coming days, but don't worry, I will finish reading your novel. I'm always available for your novel. "It relieves my stress," he laughed.

His laugh made me laugh, especially when I heard his narcissistic words. "Well, that means my friend has now become a successful businessman..."Congratulations!! " I supplemented. 

Brandon laughed even louder because he was very delighted to hear what I said. He then concluded with the words "Thanks to God who made us successful right now and in the future ."

I nodded in agreement with what he said. We are only successful now because of His grace indeed. 

We then enjoyed the drink and food we had ordered earlier while reminiscing about some sweet memories we had back then in the high school days. We both laughed when we remembered how silly we were. how brave we were, how hard we studied, how smart we were and many nostalgic moments we shared together in high school time.

" Do you still keep in touch with our high school friends ? " Brandon asked.

I shook my head. " No, never..not even once . "

" What a pity. If there is high school reunion, we should attend it. " Brandon suggested.

" Yes, we should " I agreed.

" Should we arrange a reunion ? But I don't have any contacts information of our high school mate " Brandon confused.

" At least I 'll have one. " he went on.

" Who ? " I was curious.

" You..of course " Brandon smiled while I laughed as soon as I heard that. 

Brandon and I exchanged phone numbers before exiting the cafe. After losing contact for several years, we both promise to stay in touch from now on.