Page 43 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

I grinned. “That’s top-secret, buddy.”
“Go to hell, you philanderer!” he blurted and plodded away.
My relationship with Nyingthenma became serious, but it remained clean. Only hi-byes and jokes. She was too
kind to be neglected by anyone else.

***

Back then, youths of my age and generation had nasty habits sleeping in a friend’s room. There would be about
ten guys in a room. We would smoke and sing and quarrel.
This time, Jiku’s father had rented him a large one-room apartment in a four-storied house at the end of the
street. Baggio and I never missed a day and had been going there, like over three months.
One fateful evening, I went there late. Baggio had gone to bed.
“Sorry, guys,” I said as I took the cigarette butt from Jiku. “I had important work to attend.”
Karchu, an obnoxious guy, wedged a cigarette butt between Baggio’s lips.
As he inhaled, the butt glowed, and when he exhaled, smoke clouded up from the nostrils.
Others giggled.
“Stop that,” I whispered. “He would get angry.”
Baggio opened his eyes and gawked at me. “What the hell!”
Spellbound, I blinked at him. Everything I had thought to say had flown out of my mind.
Everyone stopped giggling when he sat up and scowled at me.
“What angry?” he blurted. “Huh?”
“I can explain, Baggio,” I said. “I didn’t mean to infuriate you.”
He gripped an impervious bleak look in his eyes and kept scowling at me as if he did not realize his best friend.
“Drat.”
I bit my tongue. “You misconstrued it, buddy.”
“Damn it!” He sprang to his feet, stomped away, and slammed the door behind.
An ache started deep in my stomach. He had not shown such behavior before. It hurt me more when he didn’t
return that night. He was the only reliable friend I had. So, I stopped going to Jiku’s place from the next day on.
Two weeks passed.
Someone pushed open the door. CREAK!
I peeked at the dark figure plodding toward me. “Who is it?”
Baggio stood beside me. He tossed a bunch of computer papers onto my blanket. “Here you are.” He plodded
back into the darkness.
“Does it mean he cared for me?” I said, staring at the door. “Um, maybe or not.” I rolled up the blanket over my
head and closed my eyes.
On the first day of school from the summer break, Baggio was waiting for me at our usual meeting place.
I walked away.
“Wait for me, Uncle,” he said.
I scurried along, but he soon caught up with me. “Have you done your assignment?” He put his arms around my
shoulders.
I grinned. “Yes.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s okay.”
“I think I was harsh on you. Forgive me, please.”
“All I know is that you are a good buddy, nothing else.”
He took a deep sigh.

***

In an open football tournament, we were into the final. So, we went to school to see Coach.
“We cannot play the final, boys,” said Coach.
Mouth wide open, I said, “Why, Coach?”
“They curtailed it because of the controversy,” he said.
“It’s not fair,” said Jigwang. “We must fight for it.”
“We can’t do that either,” said Coach.
As we all broke down, Coach watched us. “Sorry, boys.”
“Can I ask why they’ve curtailed our final, Coach?” I said.

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