Our Legacy

And suddenly it was time to leave again, this was pretty much routine for him, after moving so many times he knew what he had to do and was very efficient at it.

He sat down in the middle of the empty flat in between his two half packed suitcases and contemplated his routine:

- Pack
- Taxi
- Check-in
- Flirt with clerk
- Security
- Waiting
- Boarding
- Take off
- One or two single serving plastic meals
- One or two beers
- Sleep
- Land
- Wake up
- Passport Control
- New place
- New people
- New food
- New friend
- Rinse and repeat

For a minute there, he thought he was an emotionless bastard that didn't mind moving and leaving people and places behind. But the truth was, that in fact, after all this time he had learnt that it was not because he didn't give a fuck but because he knew for a fact that their paths will eventually cross, it is just a matter of time. And that we are never truly apart, we choose to have relationships with people that share our vision of life and sometimes our paths, we are doing, in parallel, very similar things and that keeps us united.

He took a deep breath and continued packing with a smile on his face, knowing that he was taking a bit of his friends and leaving a bit of himself in  them, and this very exchange is, for a lack of a better word, our legacy.

Untitled

He had left a long time ago and he never turned back; it was probably because he didn't feel attached to people or maybe his ability to meet new people and make new friends. Most likely it was because his mind was never bored, he kept himself motivated with new things, activities and experiences, and whenever boredom was around the corner, it was time for a new place.

But it was today, out of all days, not a particularly special day, that for the first time in many years he longed for companionship, he longed for the familiar presence, he didn't want to talk or do anything special, it was just a feeling deep in his gut that told him that he needed someone.

A riot of some sort

After the meeting they decided to comeback, but some kind of riot forced the mall to close down, people was getting impatient, bashing themselves against the crystal walls and doors.

- Do you want to wait? (He asked his group), because I know another way.

The old guy made a gesture with his arm suggesting him to lead the way.

And so they embarked down the stairs into a dark corridor, against the flow of people, he was walking swiftly navigating through this maze, and the group followed close by.

There was no people around when they turned right into the narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor there was a dark staircase with an overhead door. When he opened it, an overwhelming smell of flour and yeast surrounded them.

- Bread (he thought to himself)

The door led to a big room with tables and cooking utensils, a bakery or kitchen of some sort, next to it, in a small room, a big bed in front of a big window, he didn't say anything but this was the perfect setup for him, he had dreamt of a place like this in many occasions.

No time! He quickly moved to the door and opened it. 

- Come on, quick! (he shouted)

The door led directly to a balcony with a great view of the city, the sun was setting (this kept getting better and better). She was right behind him, he grabbed her hand and walked through the corridor next to the balcony, plants on both sides made this place a beautiful image. There were wires crossing from one side to the other, he stopped and carefully removed them.

- Your parents should be careful with this (he told her while removing the wires)

They turned right into a white roof trying to get to ground level, while walking on the edge he suddenly realised he had been in this exact place many times in his dreams; he knew what to do. He led her to the far right end of the roof where a hidden staircase was waiting for them. He turned back and saw her parents crossing where he removed the wires; he whistled and signal them to come closer. While they crossed the roof a woman with a purple suitcase passed next to them with a weird look in her face, for a fraction of a second she thought she recognised him, but the thought quickly vanished and she went down the stairs disappearing into the streets.

They all finally climbed down the stairs and stood at street level for a few minutes assimilating what just had happened. 

- So, how many cloves of garlic do you need? (Said her mother) I can go and ask for some.

- Just one or two (said he)

- Are you sure (said she) we need garlic and herbs for the bread.

- Don't worry (said he) we can use dry garlic for the bread, I should have some at my place. Let's go!

Morning

The sight of the early morning sun, the humidity and the smell of papaya were a combination that made him think about his late Father, which he hadn't done in a while. A quick smile was drawn in his face while his heart was filled with warm memories.

A second in Taipei

He was not attracted to her, she was not particularly pretty nor she had a charming personality. But he was intrigued. 

It was late at night when he came back from the craziness of the night market. The night was warm and humid. He sipped his ice cold bottle of green tea and proceeded to light up his cigarette, after a few puffs he popped the bubble in the filter which released the strong menthol flavour. It was nice.

He contemplated the spirals of smoke going up to the street lamps. His mind was blank.

He climbed up the dark staircase, entered the four digit code and walked into the now deserted hostel and proceeded to the bathroom where he took a quick hot shower. He then walked into the dark room, trying his best not to be loud. It was cold and filled with the sound of snoring; he crawled into the small and hard bed, it was just a matter of minutes before he fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes early in the morning, he saw her picking up her backpack, they made eye contact for a second and said good bye. He closed his eyes; it might have been for a minute or an hour, but when he opened them again, she was gone. They will never meet again.