Be Natural
The Little PrinceI haven’t even ordered anything, but the barista at my usual 24-hour cafe has called my name out already.
“There must be a mistake. I didn’t order this,” I explained.
“I know,” she smiled, “Joshua did. He said you seem to be in a bad mood today so you might want your usual macchiato to pick you up."
Who the heck is Joshua and how does he know about my usual macchiato? Whenever I’m feeling stressed, it so happens that I receive a macchiato from this Joshua guy.
“T-thank you, I guess?” I bowed to the barista and settled back at my seat.
I just stared at the drink and contemplated on whether I should touch it or not. It could be poisoned for all I know. Could this day be any more stressful?
“Excuse me?"
“What?” I asked and it came out a tad rude.
I looked up and wasn’t sure of what I was looking at. If I were in a better mood, I’d say he’s an angel and regret snapping at him. But today wasn’t exactly a good one.
“I was just going to ask if this seat’s taken,” smiled the boy with hair up to his shoulders.
“Ah, not really,” I answered, lifting my bag off the stool.
“Oh, that’s great. Because your bag seems to be having the time of its life on it while I can’t even get a decent chair in this cafe,” he spat.
Scratch that. This guy is no angel and I should have been more rude earlier. Wait, is this the Joshua that the barista was talking about?
I placed my book down and scanned the surroundings.
“But this cafe is almost empty. There are a dozen other seats that you can get for yourself” I replied. I am not really one to inconsiderately hog chairs with inanimate objects such as my bag. I made sure that the cafe wasn’t so crowded before doing so. It’s one o’clock in the morning after all.
“Well, I want this seat."
“And you’re not having it with that attitude,” I snapped back.
“I see the seat’s not the only one that’s not taken. You probably aren’t, too. You’re too grouchy so no guy will put up with you,” he smirked.
“Luckily, I don’t give a damn about any guy,” I shrugged and proceeded to read my book. The pages suddenly closed in front of my face. The long-haired boy had harshly shut it close with his hand.
“You know, you could have just given up the seat and admit that you’re wrong to place your bag there,” he continued berating.
“I will not admit to any fault because like I told you, there are a dozen more seats that you can opt for. This one clearly belongs to my table,” I argued. I deserve some applause for keeping my voice stable while this man is pushing my patience to its limits.
“You’re a tough one, huh? Tough girls. I like that,” he smirked yet again, this time grabbing me by the wrist.
I stood up on instinct and shoved him to the nearest wall. There wasn’t enough people in the room to cause a commotion, but the barista looked at our direction with a concerned expression. From my peripheral vision, I could see her take the first few steps towards us, but was stopped by a hand motioning to her that everything is alright.
The hand belonged to a man seated across from me. I hadn’t noticed him there, but now that I see him, his expression makes me keep looking. It was too kind. That face seemed so out of place in this situation.
“Five on the left side of the cafe, seven in that corner, twelve on the second floor,” he began speaking much to my puzzlement, "There are at least 24 other chairs that you can sit on yet you decide that bothering the lady is the best choice."
Lady? Are you referring to me, mister? Pfft.
“This is none of your business,” the long-haired boy snickered as he examined the part of his body that hit the wall.
“Jeonghan, that’s enough,” came a voice from a man making his way to us from the cashier, "Let’s just take this coffee and go so you can cure that hangover of yours."
The guy bowed and apologized profusely for his friend’s behavior, explaining that he’s just a little out of it because of several drinks following a heartbreak. I could see why a girl might break his heart if he has that attitude even if he’s sober.
I watched the pair disappear out of the cafe and plopped back on my seat. Just when I thought that reading in silence in this cafe will take my mind off my problems, it has caused me even greater stress. With a sigh, I continued flipping through the pages of my book. Jeonghan. That was his name…so he is not Joshua.
“Who are you?…asked the little prince,” a voice said, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up to see the guy with the kind-looking face.
“…You are very pretty to look at,” he continued.
I couldn’t understand what he was talking about and the confusion must have shown on my face. It’s definitely not me who’s pretty to look at. He motioned to the book in my hand, Le Petit Prince.
“I am a fox…the fox said,” he quoted, “Come and play with me…proposed the little prince. I am so unhappy."
I nodded and gave a cautious smile, not sure what he’s up to. “You’ve read it?”
“It’s my favorite book,” he smiled.
I gave another nod and proceeded to that line in the book just to confirm my thoughts.
-
"Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."
"I am a fox," the fox said.
"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy."
"I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."
-
“Looks like the long-haired boy could not play with you because you are not tamed either,” he continued to speak.
“What do you want?” I scoffed.
He shrugged, “Just saying what’s on my mind."
“Don’t talk to me,” I warned.
“Why not? Are you going to shove me against the wall, too?” he smiled, one that almost looks like a confident smirk with the way one corner of his lips goes higher than the other.
I quoted what the fox said to the little prince in that part of the book. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me."
But he proceeded to quote what follows in the story. "But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world."
I snorted and placed the book down again. “Yeah, you are unique in the world, alright. Who uses the term ‘lady’ at this age? What are you then, a gentleman?"
“No,” he smiled, “I’m Joshua."
I froze in my seat and my eyes widened.
“Joshua."
He stood up from his seat and approached my table.
“Is this seat taken? Don’t worry. I won’t tell you that your bag’s in the way,” he chuckled.
I just continued to watch him carefully and he took the silence as an invitation.
“So…why haven’t you touched the drink?” he motioned to the now cold mug on the table.
“It could be poisoned, for all I know,” I shrugged.
“I’ve been ordering it for you for weeks, yet you’re still alive,” he argued.
“I never drink them,” I pointed out.
“Ah, what a waste,” he tapped on his chin in a calculated manner, “but I see you bring them out each time."
“Some stalker you are,” I said.
“No, but really. What do you do with it?” he pursued.
“I give it to…”
“The homeless guy playing his guitar all day two blocks from here,” he finished for me.
My eyes could pop out of their sockets now. “You’ve been following me around? I should really report you to the police already."
“I could say the same to you. You give the drinks to that guy thinking that it’s poisoned?” he retorted, cornering me with his valid point.
“N-no…o-of course it’s not poisoned!”
“Then why aren’t you drinking it?” he bobbed his head to the direction of the macchiato in front of me.
“Because…I don’t even know who you are. Why are you even talking to me? What do you want?” I fired at him.
“Your time."
I spent a few seconds ruminating on the thought. Is this some kind of scam? I risked a peek at his shining eyes, smooth features, and friendly smile. He doesn’t seem to be the scammer type, but that’s the perfect trap.
“I could be walking into a trap if I say yes,” I told him.
“You are,” he replied to my surprise.
“Excuse me?” I gulped, “can you just get straight to the point? What do you really want?"
“You see…when a guy likes a girl, it’s only natural for him to want her to like him back and to keep her forever. So essentially, yes, you’re walking into a trap,” he explained.
When a guy…likes a girl?
“Well that seems pretty…forward,” I said.
“You wanted me to go straight to the point, right? I came, I saw, I liked what I saw. You. I like you. That’s about as straight to the point as it can get,” he said casually, shrugging his shoulders.
“Please. You don’t even know me,” I rolled my eyes. This must really be some kind of joke.
“You’re right. I don’t really know you yet. That’s what dates are for. And I would like to ask you to one,” he said.
I caught a glimpse of that brief moment when his eyes darted from left to right with uncertainty.
“Hmm…my boyfriend wouldn’t really like that,” I shrugged.
“W-wait what?! Oh man, I totally missed that part. I’ve been thinking about how to go about this for weeks and I didn’t even consider that oh gosh what am I even doing,” he suddenly blabbered on, stammering here and there and losing the confident facade that he had been putting up.
“Alright, I uh I’m really sorry…I didn’t mean to be rude and and and I just saw you here one day and I was like wow she’s like so…wow. And I got caught up thinking about what’s the perfect thing to say or what to wear when I finally get to talk to you. But whenever I try to introduce myself, that’s the time you leave the cafe and then I try to follow you, but I still can’t say hi because my tongue gets all twisted and—“ he nervously rambled on and on, scratching his head, covering his face with his hands, and fidgeting here and there.
I can’t help but explode in laughter at the sudden change in his demeanor.
“Hey,” I called out.
“And I’m sorry I just really hoped to talk to you and—"
“Hey, hey!” I stopped him again, holding him by the shoulders to get his attention, “I was just kidding. I don’t have a boyfriend. I just wanted you to stop acting all cool and stuff. Just be…natural."
“R-really? Oh,” he exhaled in relief, “But…this is the natural me. Nervous and fidgeting. And you…you’re…"
He held out both of his hands as if to show off how I look like.
“You’re always so prim and proper in holding your book and you greet everyone so warmly. I thought you couldn’t harm a mosquito…until I saw you shove that guy into the wall,” he said.
“Prim and proper?” I guffawed. “Nah, I just make an effort because I’m in public. But if I were at home, I’ll be reading this same book while wrapped inside a burrito blanket and eating honey chips."
He laughed, his eyes twinkling as he did. “I do that, too!"
“You do? You don’t seem to be the type to do that!” I told him, with a hand to my chest.
“Yeah, you’re not the only one who can pull up a front well,” he chuckled.
I joined him in his laughter and momentarily forgot the problems that made me sulk in this cafe in the first place. He told me about that time when he tried to make his friends laugh by clapping with his feet, and many other silly stories as the clock struck 3 o’clock.
“But I uh…I was serious about the d-date though,” he stuttered.
I scanned his utterly nervous expression and thought, why not?
“Alright but…no more macchiatos,” I grinned.
“R-really? Great! Thank you!” he beamed.
“And!” I put my finger up, “No more fronting. Just be yourself, ok?"
“Is…this Joshua ok with you? I mean, just look at that Jeonghan guy…I’m clearly not on that le--” he mumbled.
“Remember what the fox said to the little prince? It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye,” I said.
And Joshua’s heart, I’m sure, is beautiful.
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