The Sixth Year

“Happy New Year! I’ve brought you your favourite – M&Ms!” Gui Gui greeted cheerfully as the door opened, revealing a handsome figure from behind the door.

“What are you here for?” Answering her was a cold, wintry voice, but still unable to dampen her New Year mood.

“To be the first person you see in the New Year of 2005!” Gui Gui said in her ever-enthusiastic tone, handed over the chocolates, gave a sweet smile, and then left.

That was the first year, the year when everything started after everything ended. It was the first year she started appearing at his doorstep on every midnight of 1 January. It was the first year, the first year after he has lost his girlfriend, or rather, ex-girlfriend, to an accident.

-------FlashBack--------------------
Time: Exactly one year ago, on 1 January 2004.

It was the second year since they have started dating. She, tugging two huge bags of M&Ms, was making her way to his house on a cold winter night, 31 December 2003.

She was sweating, despite being clad in thick winter clothes, and she was clearly struggling with the load. However, there was an eager smile on her lips. She was eager to see him, she was eager to be the first person he sees in the new year.

She was his Rainie.

Rainie walked down the cement pathway dotted with faint orange streetlamps, humming a merry tune. The clean spottless snow laid the way, accompanying her as she walked down the lane. Before long, she was crossing the last road to his house.

But as fate could have it, just as she was crossing the last road, a bright red Mercedes zoomed right through her, knocking the life out of her, and knocking open the chocolate jars.

It was kaleidoscopic. M&M beans of all colours lay strewn on the snowy surface, dying the white, calm winter into shocking hues of blue, green and red.

It must have been a magnificent sight, if only there wasn’t a sweet looking girl lying in the midst of all that, in a pool of bright crimson blood.

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Gui Gui was on her way home, also carrying big bags of stuff – potato chips to last her for another month. She was rushing, rushing to make it to the countdown on TV, just 10 minutes later.

Instead, she witnessed the most gruesome scene in her lifetime. The driver did not stop the car, or even turn around to look. It drove away at giant speed, with blood staining the bonnet of the car, mixing blood with the paint.

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“Miss, are you alright? Wake up!” Gui Gui shook Rainie’s shoulders and enquired anxiously. “Don’t scare me!”

Seeing no response from her, Gui Gui took out her phone and called the ambulance.

“Arron….” A feeble voice sounded from behind Gui Gui.

“Hey! Are you ok? Hang in there, the ambulance is coming soon!” Gui Gui rushed over at the sound of her voice, trying to comfort her.

“I… can’t…” Rainie struggled to utter her last words.

“No! No! Hang on! You won’t die!” Anxiety, fear and agitation could be heard from Gui Gui’s voice, in a desperate attempt to make her persevere on.

“Pro..mi..mi..se me… Help m..e.. take.. ca…re… o..f Arron when… I… leave…” Rainie’s face was flushed as she voiced her last words and Gui Gui could barely make out what she meant.

“Well… I…” Gui Gui started.
“Promise me, please!” The yearning look in her amber brown eyes stared right into hers, and it just couldn’t bring Gui Gui to reject her. “P…le..ase..”

“I… OK!” Gui Gui couldn’t stand her pleading gaze on her anymore, and agreed. “But who is he?”

“You.. will…kn..oow…..soon,” and that was the last thing Rainie ever said.

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“So he is the one.” Gui Gui thought to herself, her thumb brushing over her chin, as she surveyed the guy standing at the counter in the hospital.
“Not too bad, that girl has good tastes.”
“But too cold and doesn’t smile... If he smile, he would…”
“Still…He is handsome!”

“Erm… Excuse me.” A cold voice broke Gui Gui’s train of thoughts.

“Ya?”

“Were you the one who found her?”

“Ya.”

“Did you see who the driver was?”

“No, by the time I got there, the car was gone and it was too dark for me to see the licence plate of the car.”

“Thank you.” It was still the same icy voice, without any emotions, but Gui Gui could see from the corner of his eyes, a colourless liquid is streaming out anytime soon.

-----------------End of FlashBack--------------------------------------------------

“Happy New Year! 3 seconds to midnight. 3, 2, 1 Woooo!” Gui Gui screamed as the door opened, revealing that same old stonish face. She threw confetti onto him, laughing at the colourful being covered in rainbow coloured bits in front of her.

Arron frowned, brushed the thin strips of paper off him, and said in his typical wintry voice, “What are you doing here?”

“To be the first person you see in 2006! Happy New Year!” Gui Gui smiled her sweetest smile and handed over a huge bag of chocolates. “For you!”

Arron did not reach out to take the chocolates. Raising his eyebrow, he questioned, “Why are you here?”

“To be the first one you see! I thought I mentioned that to you earlier?”

“Yes, but why?”

“As I told you, I wanted to be…”

“Ok, so are you done? I need to rest.” He was still holding the door, they were still talking at the door, but he doesn’t have the slightest intention of inviting her in.

“Oh…I better get going.” Gui Gui sighed audibly, getting his hint, no, he was not hinting, he was commanding her to leave.

“And take your chocolates with you, I don’t want it.” Arron said matter-of-factly when he saw Gui Gui putting them down on the floor.

Gui Gui shot him a displeased look as she turned and left. Pouting her lips when the heavy wooden door slammed tight into her face, she threw the packet down at his doorstep and stormed off.

That was the second year. The third year. The fourth. And the fifth.

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It was the sixth year. Arron was staying up, flicking through countless TV channels, all showing boring celebrations and performances, with all those pointless cheering and screaming. He wouldn’t be doing that NORMALLY, but after all these years of noise on 1 January, he seemed to have gotten used to waiting for midnight, waiting for something to happen, waiting for her to appear on his doorstep.

He has gotten used to this routine. Waiting for her to come, leave and then secretly taking the chocolates from his doorstep…annually. It had been five years, and today, it was the sixth year.

The clock struck 12. It was 2009. Arron took a glance at the grandfather clock hanging on the wall. He frowned as time ticked by, second by second, minute by minute.

{Arron}
“She should be here by now,” I muttered under my breath as the clock showed 12.20. “Wait, why am I hoping for her to come? I thought I always found her irritating?”
Arrrr….I’m going crazy! She better not come again!

{Author}
Soon, it was one. Arron’s original impatient mood was replaced by worry and anxiety. He couldn’t sleep. Everytime he closes his eyes, vivid scenes of Rainie’s accident 7 years ago flashed through his mind – blood, police and the white sheet covering her lifeless body.
He sat up in a jolt. Worrying that something might have happened to Gui Gui, he grabbed his coat and dashed out of his apartment.

It was only when he sped down the stairs, across the road, through the park, that he realized that he did not have a single clue on where to start finding her.
All he knew was that her real name was Wu Ying Jie and she would appear every 1st January. He did not know any other details about her – her phone number, her address, her…Nothing.

Bright flashing lights from a distance caught his attention. Expecting the worst, he quickened his steps and sprinted to the scene.
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Blood. Police. Cars. Ambulances.
It was exactly like 7 years ago. Arron spotted a bottle of M&Ms. He knew it was Gui Gui.

“Where is the victim of the accident?” he shook the shoulders of a random policeman.
“Taipei Hospital.”

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“Is there a Miss Wu?” Arron panted heavily, as he enquired the counter nurse urgently.

However…

“Oh my god! He’s so handsome! AHHH!” Her eyes turned into two pink little hearts, as she stared at his face dreamily.

“Excuse me, which room is Ms Wu in?” Arron raised his voice at the lady.
“Wu…erm…134.” She answered, after flipping through the records, but still staring at his face.

Without another word, Arron sprinted all the way to Room 134. He knocked on the door, and after a few seconds’ wait, he burst into the room.

A white cloth was draped over the body. It was exactly like 7 years ago when Rainie died.

Tears started to form in Arron’s eyes as he walked closer and closer to ‘her’. He glanced at the tag, yes, it was Wu.
He knelt down beside the bed and buried his face into the sheets.

“Gui Gui, I’m sorry... Sorry for being so mean to you…It was because I couldn’t face up to my feelings to you…I…I…” Arron reached into the blanket and enveloped ‘her’ hand in his.

Wait, when did Gui Gui’s hand become so big and coarse?

“Hey Arron! Why are you here?” A cheerful voice chirped from behind him.
He spun around, only to see her standing at the door, looking at him with a questioning look.

He hurriedly wiped away his tears from his tear stained face and stood up, inspecting the person standing in front of him.

“Gui Gui!” He rushed forward, and pulled her close into a deep bear hug.
“Sorry…Gui…I..”
“It’s ok… I only got minor injuries.” Gui Gui interrupted him before he could say on anymore.

“Awwww……So sweeeet! Youngsters nowadays…” A masculine voice resounded from behind them. “But can you two do it somewhere else? I need to sleep!”

The pulled away from their hug and looked at the man on the bed.
“AHH!! Ghost!” they shouted together unanimously.

“Wait! I’m not dead! I just covered my face with the blanket because I wanted to sleep! Grrr…”
Arron and Gui Gui burst out laughing.

“Oh! I thought you were Wu Ying Jie, sorry for holding your hand just now…” Arron said between fits of laughter.

“I’m Wu Zun!”

Gui Gui and Arron looked at each other and hugged again. It was only when he nearly lost someone precious that he learnt to treasure.

“Gui Gui… I love you…”
“Me too…”

“Eh! I thought I told you, this is my room! Can you two do it somewhere else?” Wu Zun sighed. “Youngsters nowadays…” (A/N: Wu Zun, you are also young la!)

It was the sixth year, the year when everything started anew, when Arron and Gui Gui started out together. The year when he realized how important she was in his life, and the year she started fulfilling her promise to Rainie.

And that was the sixth year.

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Happy New Year! It's 2009! :D

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Terminator
1 January 2009
12.08am
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