"Match"

Hi everybody. Before a new year starts (Chinese new year of course), I would like to post the latest story that I had written since two months ago. Its been 5 years since I have written my last story. Unlike the past, this story shows a different side of me where some things are left not so clear , and to leave it open for your own interpretation. I hope you would enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. The story is entitled "Match".


“Sorry, are you ok?” I looked at her with much concern as I did not know that I had bumped into someone while looking elsewhere.

Her head bent down facing the ground as her hands scrambled around to pick up her bag and her personal belongings which spilled out. I went down to the ground to also try to help her pick up her things. I saw something which catches my eye. It was an oval-shaped cameo pendant. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at it.

“Melissa,” I murmured under my breath, not confident of saying it out louder.

As I anticipated her glance at me, I could not help but stare at her. Her big eyes highlighted by her long curls of the eyebrows seemed to sparkle as her fringes framed her heart-shaped face and her ponytail brushing onto the collar of her blouse.

“Melissa!” my voice was in contrast much louder than my earlier murmur.

Her eyes narrowed as she took a closer glimpse at me. Her fierce look subdued as she seemed to be in deep thoughts trying to recall who I was.

“How do you know my name? I do not know you at all.” Her words turned from curiosity to being defensive.

I did not know how to react to her statement as I was wondering how to reply. It seems like that small glimmer of hope seemed to shut off from my reach.

“I gave you this cameo pendant 8 years ago as your 18th birthday. Then after a few months later, we lost contact. I tried to search for you but to no avail,” my words seemed to come out of my subconscious mind.

Her head tilted slightly as she took one last glance at me from top to toe and back. Her expressionless face punctuated my disappointment for any hope of her recognizing me.

She replied with an awkward smile, “This cameo pendant was with me for a very long but I do not know who gave it to me. I like the design of it and always keep it with me. It seems to symbolize something very special to me but I cannot understand why I had that kind of feeling. I guessed we have met before very long ago, but I forgot who you are already. This is my namecard. Perhaps you can contact me. I got to rush off to meet a client soon.” I felt that my mood swung up a notch or two as I took her namecard.

As I reached home, I was very distracted by today’s incident. After 8 years, I finally could see Melissa. Although she looked very much different right now than that of almost a decade ago, her big eyes and her wide smile which planted on her heart-shaped face were still the same after so long. Some features just did not change after such a long period, but what I was disappointed was that she did not have any impression of me.
I toyed at my handphone wondering what I should do. As I spun her namecard in my fingers, I was undecided whether to call her or not. On one hand, I was very glad to find her at last after so long, but yet on the other hand, we had not talked much during her birthday party 8 years ago and after so long, things seemed awkward. As I took my handphone to press the numbers, my thoughts meandered around my mind like trains moving aimlessly without any sense of direction. At the 7th number, I decided to cancel it and retire early to bed.

On the next day, I knocked off from work at the usual time and went back home. On the way home, I walked past a road show selling insurance, I saw Melissa again. It was just a coincidence as I bumped into her no less than 500 metres away from the road show. When she looked into my direction, our smiles exchanged. This time round, I could sense that she felt more comfortable than yesterday.

I stood there staring at the blank space. The cameo pendant that caught my eye yesterday seemed to reflect the past events as I saw her wearing it by her chest. What I ate for lunch, the seafood pasta which was also one of the many dishes among the spread during her 18th birthday. Something in me told me to complete the list of the things I would like to do with her that our friends and I had done 8 years ago.

“Hey, you aren’t tired at all standing on the spot?” a voice came from behind.

I seemed to wake up from a stupor as I turned around.

“Oh its you,” I turned around and she was right behind me.

“Care to have dinner with me?” The initiation seemed like an expected surprise.

I nodded my head.

As we ate at a nearby western restaurant, she seemed to be conscious of herself as her touches on the pendant were brief but yet frequent.

“The reason why I asked you to have dinner with me is because I wanted to know what happened before 2000,” her voice seemed to project sharply into my ear out of the blue.

I was a bit startled by her words. I could not fathom what she meant.

“What do you mean?” I felt dumb for a while as I revealed my relative stupidity towards what she said.

“Rick, I suffered a memory loss which erased 2 years of my memory. All events from 1998 to 2000 were totally forgotten. I had no idea what happened and all I know of is that I graduated from my college and my birthday presents were given to me on my 18th birthday. Could you tell me?” her chirpiness dimmed to a minimal.

“Melissa, we were in love once.” I seemed to subconsciously blabber out those words.

Her weary eyes suddenly opened up. Her immediate expression cannot just be described by words. Her expression just painted a thousand words where each word was intertwined in its meaning with the next one. I knew that I was half-wrong but I could not withdraw my words just like that or was it half-right? I was in love with her, but she never felt anything for me back then. My heartbeat raised a gear or two as I did not know what to say next. I knew that trying to explain would make things worse.

Melissa then shook her head and she left the dining table in a rush. I quickly settled the bill and rushed out of the place ignoring the many pairs of eyes which seemed to aim at my direction seemingly to accuse me baselessly.

“Melissa, why leave abruptly?” I shouted across, hoping for her to hear as she walked away briskly.

I tried hard to catch up with her as she walked even faster. I ran and then caught her arm.

“Melissa, why?” I repeated.

As she turned around, she took my face and kissed in my lips. My whole body seemed to be in an electric shock as I felt a sense of warmth rushed through my body.

I could not utter a word as our kiss was brief but so magical. My body felt very light and relaxed.

“Bye.” She flagged a cab and left.

I was stunned and shocked. It was totally illogical. Yesterday I bumped into her, today I kissed her. What was it all about? The aftertaste of her favourite drink which she liked 8 years ago lingered in my lips.

Time passed very fast. From days to weeks, I was very busy at work and I had forgotten the events which happened with Melissa. I was very absorbed in my work as I had to make sure everything was in order before I took leave.

Ringgggggg! It was 3 in the morning, as the ringing of my phone broke the silence of the night with a shrill.

“Yesss?” I was still feeling drowsy.

“Its me. Melissa. Can you come over?” the all familiar voice replied on the other line.

After I had gotten her address, I rushed over and knocked on the door.


She opened the door as she led me to her bedroom. The room was pitch dark.

“We have a power failure in here, I am scared of the dark and I do not know who to call, so I thought of you and gave you a call.” her voice seemed to boom out from a shapeless object.

As I groped in the dark on the table, I touched on a rough and small cardboard box and tried to open it. It was a box full of matchsticks! As I strike a match, her face glowed in front of me.

“I remembered last time when we were celebrating your birthday, there was a power failure. We found a box of matches and strike them and let them light up in the room to find candles so we can see in the dark,” my recollection seemed to unfold like a carpet rolling out on the floor and I stopped when the room went into complete darkness yet again.

As the match burned out, my inhibition to tear lessen as I did not want her to see me cry. The cameo pendant that I spotted on the first day I saw her, her favourite food and drink that we had for dinner the next day and finally the blackout where we used matches. It seemed like history was repeating itself after eight years. How could it be so coincidental?
My mind was confused. My thoughts wondered around as I seemed to be immersed in a kaleidoscope of colours in my own world amidst a background of darkness.

“You are tearing,” her hands touched my face. “Please don’t tear.”

“I cannot help but feel that it was too good to be true. Everything in the past seemed to come back to me. I really love you a lot back then and till now. I had been waiting for this moment but yet it seemed remote till the day I saw you.” I confessed.

“This moment is not remote anymore as of now,” her voice became soft as it seemed to caress my eardrums gently.

I could see her silhouette against the window dressed with the long curtains. As I felt her lips against mine, I felt her body press against me. I did not know how to react as my senses seemed numb.

As I embraced her in my arms, I could feel the pendant touch my neck. It was cold to the touch.

Then, she whispered in my ear, “You give me a very good feeling which I have not felt for a very long time. I would wish to be with you , but…”

Her words were interrupted by the sudden brightness of the lights above us.

She raised her voice from a whisper to a normal tone, “The power has been restored.”

My eyes narrowed as I tried to adjust to the sudden brightness. I looked around the walls and a photo hanging on the wall seemed to be staring at me. I could not believe my eyes.

I exclaimed while still facing the photo staring blankly, “You are married!”

Torrents of tears came profusely down my cheeks. I shook my head with despair, with disappointment. She was shocked at my expression.

“I can explain. You give me a very comfortable feeling, someone whom I feel an inner communication with, someone whom I can connect. I cannot find that in my husband. I am not cheating on you. I just like your company,” she reiterated.

“That’s not possible, you are married now, how could you like another person?” I rebuked.

“Rick, you have not experienced it before, you would not know how two people can fit into your heart. My husband fits into my heart comfortably but you come in to complete this fitting which I cannot find in my husband. Its something which I cannot explain totally in words but with my actions and expressions, I can do it. Rick, please don’t do this to me. Don’t leave me just like that,” Melissa’s stammer was in between sobs.

I shook my head umpteen times at her words, but it was too late, my heart seemed to melt and mould into love and feelings for her, I felt the same way as how she did. It was too late already, the mould is set and my feelings seemed locked into her like chains around me and her.

“I know how you feel right now. Don’t deny that feeling in you. I know it. I can read your mind right now. I ensure you that everything is going to be alright. Don’t be afraid, don’t be scared. Just be yourself in front of me,” she spoke in an unhesitant manner as if reading my mind my thoughts were transparent in her eyes.

I inched closer towards her. With every move, her anticipation became stronger. My feet felt heavy with confusion. My logical reasoning and emotions are fighting with every step. My heart felt a burning sensation of both love and desire for her, but yet my logical senses told me that it is impossible to have her and with every second of falling into the abyss, the uncertainty would inch higher and higher between the two of us.

It seemed like forever to move close towards her. When I was just a little more to an intimate distance with her, I sat down on the bed. I turned my head away and did not face her.

“I want to leave. I am very tired. I want to go home,” my words broke the silence.

“Why? You are just running away from reality, the truth. It is not what I want to hear. No,” her words turned from a whisper into a loud boom.

As I walked out of the room, I never turned back. I did not give her a reply. I did not know what I wanted all of a sudden. This concoction of events which congregates to this stage has caused a contradicting mess in my very own mind. My expectation seemed to wither but still glimmer with hope. My liking of Melissa was uncertain where no line can be drawn to the boundaries of this infatuation.

I walked out of her home and I insisted on not taking the last glance at her.

“If you think that all of those things that happened in the past which is happening all at one go right now is just a matter of coincidence, then so be it,” her voice projected out from behind. My hurried pace became a slower one.

“But if you asked me how I felt about you, I would love to give my whole heart to you,” her words rang in my ears causing my heart to stir a little.

As the wind caressed my cheeks and my legs, it seems to persuade me to go along with the wind and walk further away. I closed my eyes as a tear came out, fathoming every meaning in her words. I tried to control my tears as I started to unlock the secret message in her last few sentences, but with every secret message that I unlocked with my heart, my mind told me to just walk on and never to turn back. I listened to my mind…..