GIA WAS SPREADING her both hands wide—as wide as it allowed her to—and closing her eyes, taking the late spring breeze in to her. Let the wind caressing her face, blowing her long and wavy hair gently.

She was here, again, after sometimes of course and to be quite honest, she had never pictured herself to be in this place, ever again. It sounded cruel. Yeah it was. But actually, it was not because the place was ugly, quite the opposite instead.

Standing under the newly-growing-leave maple tree, Gia looked farther ahead. This place was still the same; aside the tree behind her was growing bigger, there no change relevant enough for her to point it out. Under her bare feet—yes she loves the feeling of her skin touching the ground and the grass, it feels …. Heavenly, one of another thing that not changed since then—and around her, grassy wild flowers grown up and blooming. Creating a sea of white tiny dots amongst the greenish and yellowish newly grassy leaves. There, farther ahead, white wooden fence set up around the hills for Mr. Smith farm—if he’s still running the farm of course, because let’s be real, there lots of possibility the old man resign from all those farming stuff already.

Back then, Mr. Smith’s farm added more colours n this quite hills. Gia still remembered, when she bored with school, she would sneak out and brought her guitar and come here, strummed her old guitar all by herself while watched Mr. Smith and his men took care of their plants—she never knew what he planted but seemingly various veggies.

School’s subject was boring alright, at least for Gia that always found her mind wandering around outside the material. She had no slight interest with number so how the teachers expect her to learn math? Science held not difference, she had no plan to learn about nuclear thus she found it would be useless for her to learn and she gave it the chance to her classmate who seem interesting in it. As for literary, she found it interesting though not as interesting as how her old guitar could produce some very beautiful sound. Oh there another thing too…. Not a thing but…. Well, let’s not talking about this in here. Maybe later, Gia never fond about the topic though. Back to school, from time to time, Gia found herself hardly concrete in class and it was safe to say, she survive only in few of classes just because…. Ah, we were stride back there again.

So today, Gia did not bring her guitar around. Today was about to recall her memory—not particular one of course. Recalling how beautiful this place was—and still is. And why this place held so much of her ground. She wanted to let this go.

Gia stood up—still with barren feet—and slowly, put her one feet after another, feeling the fresh grassy soil under her skin. One step, two steps…. She jumped a little and without her realized she danced under the late spring breeze.

This is happiness.

 

KAI WAS DELIGHTED with himself when he found out he did not miss a thing. His trip was so far so good, better than he expected actually. He arrived here just in perfect time—when the wild flowers were in full bloom. Especially from the up hill he was standing right now, gentle wave from sea of wild flowers look beautiful indeed.

He always loves this place. Every spring he would visit this place and to tell you, visiting this place was better than everything he achieved in the whole year and the best idea to recharge his spirit to start a new project.

Snap snap snap

Kai checked his newly shoot of wild flowers’ wave in his DLSR.

Beautiful.

When this place was not beautiful honestly? Nah, never. From the first time he was here, everything was beautiful, more over…. Ah let’s not go there first.

How did he find this place?

It was all because of his Auntie. Auntie Marla run a vegetarian restaurant downhill. And he, being a good nephew that he was, Kai used to help Auntie Marla to pick up her veggies. Once in while he would go up the hills and simply look down bellow, enjoying the grassy valley covered in wild flowers bloom.

Then, he would not go up to the hill just for pick up Auntie Marla’s veggies anymore, when he had free time, he would come here with his camera, snapped at everything he found it beautiful. It did not take long for Kai to invest most of his time hiding at the peak of the hill trying to capture the gift from mother heaven.

It was one of those days when he lied upon the grassy soil—careful not to chose where blooming flowers were at—and set his camera into rest. Closing his eyes and enjoying the breeze around him.

Until.…

His ears perked up upon hearing beautiful melody floating in the air.

Who’s playing guitar in the quite place like this?

Was it ghost?

Kai jolted and quickly scrambled up in shiver. Ghost…. No way! No ghost could ever play guitar, you fool! He mentally scolded himself for having such an absurd thought. Still hiding among the tiny wild flower steams, Kai reached for his camera, spying his surrounding with his lens. It did better job of course since he could zoom in whatever he found suspicious.

And it hid under the big and old oak tree, several feet above him. Unfortunately the tree’s huge roots hide the owner of the guitar. Note to self, find nearest spot next to the tree! As if she or he would turn up again tomorrow? There’s nothing wrong for hoping though.

Thus, it given Kai another reason to creeping up the hill aside of his hobby snapping picture about the landscape. Listening to the guitar’s sound.

He needed couple of days after his fateful encounter for finally found out who was strumming the guitar in quite surrounding and he;

Just froze on the ground.

 

GIA TURNED AROUND and froze, her eyes widened in shock. Few feet next to her, Kai lowered his camera, wearing small smile on his face.

‘Hey,’ he greeted and approached Gia. Holding his camera on his left hand, Kai offered his right hand in which Gia returned hesitantly. ‘How are you?’

Kai held up his camera and smiled, ‘as good as this take me to beautiful places,’

‘You still travel around?’ Gia found her asking.

‘Yeah,’ Kai nodded. ‘Client is for me paying my bills while art project is to feed my soul, to keep me life well too honestly.’ He nodded as both of them sat down side by side. ‘What about you?’

‘Still playing music, it’s tough but I manage to survive,’

Silence befallen over the two of them. They stared at the ocean of wild flowers mindlessly. This silence was comforting. Gia almost forget when last time she felt this way, more over, Kai…. He was here, sit right beside her.

This surreal feeling…

Six years she disappeared and tried to get him out of her mind.

Last time both of them sit side by side like this was after she choose to move overseas and pursue her dream as musician….

Six years ago.

Time flew too fast.

‘I was wondering why you never come here,’ Kai broke the ice between them. Gia turned her head, how did he know? ‘This is the first time I found you here after you moved away,’ Kai added.

‘Did you….’ Gia trailed off.

Kai nodded before lied on his back, his both arms served as pillow. ‘I come here every year, every spring. We used to talk to come here, didn’t we?’

Yes, they both used to have the talk. How wonderful it would be if they finally have their dream inside their bag and come here again and feeding each other with their story. But Gia turned her back. She did not forget the talk of course. But she choose to leave the talk behind. She could not afford to see pity look from Kai. Her first six years to become musician was not easy. The struggle almost unbearable.

‘I know everything about you Gi,’ Kai said slowly. ‘And I quite disappointed that you shut me up for these years. I thought we were close,’

Gia looked down and to her surprise, she met Kai’s eyes looked up to her and she did not fail to hear hurt tone in his voice.

‘I don’t want you pity me,’ Gia replied flatly. Yes, that was the truth. ‘I can’t stand just by the thought of it.’

‘Shouldn’t friend stand by each other?’ Kai argued.

Friend. That was the problem you never realize Kai, Gia mentally retorted back.

‘Enough about me,’ Gia said. They should change the topic before she spilled out his deepest secret. She did not trust herself around the man she crushed with since forever. ‘What about your project?’

‘I think I’ll soon complete my long project, but I’ll have some in the upcoming months. Just like my routine. Nothing much.’

‘That sounds wonderful,’

Kai sat up and shook his head. ‘Oh trust me, it only sounds wonderful. I think you know what the meaning of sounds wonderful,’

Gia laughed. Of course she knew. Later, she found herself walk side by side with Kai on the way down the hill. Just like the old days.

Old days.

Can we turn back the time?

 

KAI WAS SURE with his decision. This was the right time. He should not wait for the third chance and honestly, he could not figure why he had to wait this long. He just did not feel ready yet. Not until today.

Another fateful day and he would not throw the chance away.

So, a month after their unexpected encounter, Kai was wrapping the gift carefully and put a stem of wild flower on the wrapper. Satisfied with himself—and bit of feeling giddy—Kai climbed downstairs and asked one of Auntie Marla driver to send the gift to Gia.

Yes, it was about the time she knew everything.

 

GIA FOUND A rectangular box wrapped in white paper-wrap with teeny flower motif sat at the centre of her bed. She raised an eyebrow when her eyes landed on the stem of wild flower.

Kai.

Her jaw dropped. Under the paper-wrapper was a photo album, an old one she may add. The cover’s colour already faded. Another splash of surprise wave over Gia when she opened the first page;

 

Following the faded memories*

I’ll come;

To take you away.

Tonight

 

Written in bold and fancy handwriting. But not the writing that surprise her but the photos itself. In the first few pages were candid photo Kai took in their school. Was he a…. stalker? Ah probably secret admirer?

Gia narrowed her eyes when she looked up to the other photo. The oak tree. Or, it was only the root as its main focus? She could not tell what picture it was. In the end she realized it was her guitar neck peeking in between huge oak roots. And from the angle, she could tell that Kai took it from below.

So…. He found the place before her.

Gia flipped through the pages, it was all their—maybe Kai’s—journey in their hill six years ago.

Her jaw dropped for the second time when she reached last page of the hill theme section. The photos that scattered around the pages were something that Gia would never imagine, even in her wildest dream! Kai was not lying when he said he knew Gia’s hardship. In this section was all about Gia’s street performance from all over the place—of course in candid way, but still….

Did Kai follow her from the beginning? Then why didn’t he approach her if he knew where she was?

‘Let’s make promise, we’ll come here every spring and fill in each other,’ Kai reached out his pinky finger which she returned at that time—only she put the promise under her bed later on.

An envelope tucked in between last page and the cover. An invitation, an exhibition invitation to be specific. Down at the biggest exhibition centre in town.

He indeed made the name for himself.

 

‘ARE YOU UP?’ Kai asked from the other end. He phoned Gia when he assumed Gia already opened his present.

‘Up of what?’ instead of answering, Gia returned him with question. Only, he did not know that Gia was tracing the line of words in the front page of the invitation with her fingers;

 

Walk on Memories

Walk on the story of you and I

 

‘Walk on the future. Together.’

 

 

___________________

* Walk on Memory's lyric