simulacrum of life

she'd FINALLY agreed to come over. he decided to go all out to make it a night she wouldn't forget, starting with cocktails and then dinner and dessert and the pièce de résistance, himself. oh yea... it would indeed be a night to remember..

things were flowing along smoothly. she'd loved his mojitos, and dinner had been received very well. in fact he was beginning to wonder where she put it all. she'd polished off the entire double chocolate pudding that he'd made for dessert. now he was in his room touching up. he couldn't afford to have her taking a whiff of him and then reeling back and suddenly have something come up. he was a pro. teeth were checked for stains and food stuck between them and he used his extra strong mouthwash to eradicate any hints of the garlic from dinner.

with a spring in his step, he walked over to the couch on which she was reclining. "coffee, tea or me-AAAAAAHHHHH!!!! OOOFF!!" he exclaimed as he slipped and crashed onto the marble floor that he had just polished a couple of hours ago.

she shot up and over to him. gently cradling his head and lifting him up, she asked him if he was ok. there were jolts of pain shooting up his spine but he sure as hell wasn't about to blow his chance. "yea, honey. i'm sweet" he replied whilst grinning (or was he grimacing?) "let me just wash up, and when i get back, we'll have a night to remember" he said as he got up and hobbled to the bathroom. she got back up and sat on the couch and wondered if this wasn't a mistake.

*THUNK* she heard. she looked up and there he was on his back once again. and *oh my god* he'd passed out. she called for an ambulance, which arrived ASAP (not the few minutes you might think, more like an hour later).

****

they stepped out of the hospital, his head bandaged and she with smudged eyeliner making her look like a racoon. as they stumbled along the pavement, they saw the first rays of sunlight emerging. "yea.. that sure was a night to remember" she said to him with an effervescent smile that turned into a giggle which in turn became an all out guffaw. "OHHH!!! my head hurts!!"

the day i died, i saw the sun rise
the day i died, i smelled THAT scent
the day i died, i laughed 'til tears rolled down my cheeks
the day i died, i saw your mouth move
the day i died, i didn't hear you speak
the day i died, i turned deaf to the world
the day i died, i cried bitter tears
the day i died, i choked back the sobs and wiped away the tears
the day i died, was the day i learnt to live
the day i died, i looked up at the world defiantly
... walked onto the road and got knocked down by a bus

2 months ago, i dropped my cousin off at the hospital to deliver her 3rd child. now, 2 months later, i finally met my new nephew. with his buggy, wide open eyes, he had the look of a person in a state of perpetual shock. i picked him up from the cot and cradled him against my chest and proceeded to bounce around. a minute later, i smelled something sour. i also felt a wetness down my front. i looked down at him and saw a stream of white liquid coming from the side of his mouth. more of that had already streaked the front of my black t-shirt. what an auspicious first encounter. as i passed him back to his mother to be cleaned up, my niece who had just finished changing up in the room came running out to greet me. there she came charging toward me, waiting to be picked up, and at the last moment she veered away and told me to stay away from her :( so i went chasing after her. and that was when she decided to break my heart (for which reason i am not friending her right now) by telling me.. "mama (uncle)!! you got vomit on you. don't touch me!!" can you see the pieces of my heart lying upon the floor in a million pieces? she squeezed between my legs and stepped on the pieces of my heart as she ran away :'( and then to add insult to injury, she went and kissed the perpetrator of this dastardly act, since he was all cleaned up :P

after i got relatively cleaned up (there were still stains on my t-shirt) the little devil who was lying in his cot started crying so i picked him up again (yes i know that i should have learnt my lesson the 1st time) but this time he was quite adorable. especially since he'd been bathed and smoked (with sambrani) and powdered with baby powder. he is 1 of those kids who doesn't like to lie down. he's only happy being carried and being bounced around. he finally fell asleep after a while and then i had my rest too :)

*beep beep* goes the sound of the car alarm being disabled. he opens the door and fold himself into the car seat. start the car engine and whilst waiting for it to warm up, push the seat forward and back until it feels comfortable. raise and then lower the seat height until it feels right. adjust the rear and side view mirrors so that he sees as much of the world in retrospect as is possible. by now, the engine has started idling at a gentle purr. turn on the car stereo and put on a track that fits the mood. let off the parking brake, press down on the footbrake, push the gear stick into "drive", and start accelerating away.

...

he pulls up by the kerbside. she opens the door and jumps in. she brings along with her an air of excitement and anticipation. as he drives away, his left hand and her right hand gravitate to each other. fingers entwine, and it feels right.

...

down the winding road he drives. glancing into his mirrors occasionally to check his rear. he catches her staring at him from his peripheral vision. she likes how he seems relaxed and yet has a look of intense concentration in his eyes. her hand molds into his and she curls into the car seat, making herself as comfortable as she can get.

...

he turns away from the lot before reversing into it. the "beep" of the reverse sensor annoying the hell out of both him and her. the increasing intensity of the sound as it approaches an object having the ability to make their hearts beat faster. both can't wait to get the car out of reverse gear. finally the car is parked and the engine is turned off.

they just sit there and stare out the windscreen. fingers still entwined...