i'll remember u - part 2

That was September 30th.

October 1st was good. I had fun with my dorm mates, who made excellent company. But my mind was adrift; there was nothing from the receptionist.

Eventually I told my mates about bus boy. B & J were confident that I would bump into him again, since the town was so small anyways, but I wasn't so sure. I mean, he could have left by now. He did say he wasn't gonna stay for long.

In any case, I was just enjoying my stay, and I planned on having a blast for the many days to come, with or without him.
*******
October 2nd, evening. 8pm

F changes into a fresh shirt, getting ready to meet his date. "What are you gonna do?" he asks.

"Well, I dunno..." I contemplate the possibilities in my head.

"You know, sometimes you have to put in some effort. Fate only does so much - the rest is up to you!" F urges. We laugh, because we both know it's so true.

"But I dunno his name. I don't even know where to start!"

I'm exasperated. But I wanna do something.

"Ok fine, F. You shall go for your date, and I shall go hunt for mine!" And I stand up, ready for a stroll. We smile at each other before we say our goodbyes and good luck's.

October 2nd, evening. 8.30pm

I come back to the hostel, defeated. There are many other guesthouses in the area, as I expected. Which one is he in?

I decide to try the receptionist. (But to be honest, I'm not hopefully at all.) I ask the sweet lady if there's a guesthouse nearby, and affirming what I already know, she says that there are a few in the area. We talk further, and I tell her about my search for a friend I know nothing about.

Crap, I thought.

"But hey, there's one guesthouse that we are in contact with. We send our guests there sometimes. I can try to give them a call, see if your friend is there. Do you know his name?" she inquires.

"Hmm nope. Just that he's mixed and he's from ... " (Well obviously the details were more detailed but I'm omitting them here.)

She dials for the hostel, and asks for a guy fitting the description I gave; I don't stop biting my lip. Then she nods toward me.

"REALLY?!" My eyes bulge and I'm in absolute disbelief. Oh my god, what are the odds?

She hangs up (sweet lady!), and writes me the address of the guesthouse, adding some brief directions. Apparently, the other receptionist also said that he returns late usually, and that he is going to leave real early the next day. (Bummer.)

I thank her profusely, and head up to grab my bag. While heading out, I see V, a lady I befriended just an hour before, and asks if she will like to take a walk. She agrees spontaneously, and we head out. I'm feeling heady already.

As we walk, I share everything with her.

October 2nd, evening. 9.00pm ++

V and I return to the hostel, feeling accomplished from the stroll, though we didn't manage to find the guesthouse.

"Never mind, V. It's no big deal," I told her earlier.

"No! You can't give up! You must look for him," she tried to convince me. I laughed. She was a real cheerleader.

"It's okay. You've walked long enough with me. I feel bad! Let's just head back. See, if we're meant to meet, we will. Something will happen that'll make that come true, somehow," I rationalised, but I wasn't feeling as confident as I sounded, that was for sure.

So here we are, trying to settle down, getting ready for our little chat session complete with orange juice.

"Oh wait, V. I totally forgot. I need to use the net for a while. Some reservations I have to re-confirm by today, I'm sorry," I tell her.

"No problem," she replies. She decides to take a shower first.

I sit myself at the shared computer booth, and start sending an email to my next hostel destination. While typing halfway, I hear someone enter the door, and start speaking to the receptionist, whom I'm back-facing.

"Hi, is there a girl from _____ staying in this hostel?" he asks. (Again, I'm dropping the specifics.)

Momentarily, it doesn't register. I'm sure i'm the only girl from my country in this entire hostel, but I don't think things can be this good... or can they?

"Yeah she's right there," she replies.

3 seconds pass. He stands next to me. "Hello," he says, smiling.

Oh my god kill me right now.

"Hello!"

********
October 3rd, 1am ++

We hung out and had a great time. I like him even more than before. Especially when he laughs. He's funny, not in the traditional funny sense, but he's funny. I think he's funny because he doesn't even try to be funny. Sometimes he sounds like an old wise man, and it cracks me up. He has a good heart. Behind his almost-serious disposition, what with his fact-listing about cars and countries, and his philosophies and beliefs, there is a hint of cheekiness. Subtle. Dormant?

We exchange email adds and a hug. I do hope we'll meet again.

'Cos I'll really like to know you better.

The end.