Part 3 - The Ground Rules

"It all started in KL, a long, long time ago. Well, it seems that way now anyway. But at the time he didn't even know important that day was." I thought this was the best way to start.

"And so…"

"What's his name?" she interrupted me.

"What?!", I replied, a little annoyed at the abrupt interruption.

"I haven't even started anything and you're giving me grief already! Hold your horses sweetie and it'll all be revealed!"

"Well, bloody hurry up then!" she snapped back. She had a puzzled look on her face as if she had done nothing wrong.

"Geez, Nina! You wanna listen to this story or what?!" I snapped, still able to smile at her.

"Alright then, carry on. Oh wait, maybe we should have a round of coffees before we start. It'll just be a minute" and she rushed off to make us some coffee.

"If you must know, his name is Matt." I said, my thoughts going back to those wonderful adolescent days.

Nina smiled at me as she was making coffee, acknowledging the name. She said nothing and neither did I. We were both silent and all that was breaking the silence of that calm peaceful night was the sharp slurping, gurgling sound of milk being frothed. Then she came back with coffees in hand. We looked at each other while enjoying the silence of the night Perth had to offer. The rain had stopped and the street lights beamed onto the sidewalks as the street cleaners swept Hampton Street. From the silence we could hear the soft hum of the heaters and the room was now cozy enough for me to take my jacket off. I decided to start from the beginning.

He sat all by himself at the top of that hill. The evening sun was setting and the bright red and orange ball in the distance was again showing off its beautiful artwork, like a proud peacock. The sky was filled with cloud, light orange and white balls of cotton sitting in a blue and magenta colored canvas. Just below it sat the skyscrapers of Kuala Lumpur. In the distance he heard the Azan faintly calling Muslims to Maghrib prayers. The streets down below were jammed packed with cars, still stuck in peak hour traffic. From the lookout point of that hill, he turned around from the sunset to see an approaching car. It parked next to the sidewalk. It's Ritchie, he said to himself.

"Matt", Ritchie called out to him.

"What's up, my man?" was Matt's reply.

"Don't do this to yourself dude. She'll be back even before you know it". Ritchie was trying to console him.

"Yeah, I guess", Matt replied, shrugging off the awkward moment.

"She wanted you to have this", Ritchie handing him a piece of paper about the size of a note pad.

"Please take care of yourself. I'll send you a postcard when I get there. Love, Jasmine"
That was all it said.

They both sat there for a long time that evening, talking about her and how she made the three of them whole, a friendship that was to last forever. Ritchie had just sent her off to the airport. Matt was in no state to see her go. The pain was too much for him because he never got the chance to say what he wanted to say to her. He loved her but was too afraid to break a bond so dear to all three of them. So he never sent her off to the airport that fateful day and for the next thirteen years regretted it every time he passed by the hill. Until one day, in a busy Italian restaurant, there she was standing before him. Now he had his chance.

"She just popped up out of nowhere?", Nina asked while sipping her coffee.

"Well, yeah, she did", I replied, sipping mine.

"They fall in love and live happily ever after. Am I right?", Nina asked sarcastically.

"I wish I could say it was that simple". That was all I could say to her.