Point of no return

I dreamed a dream in times gone by

When hope was high

And life worth living

I dreamed that love would never die

I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid

And dreams were made and used and wasted

There was no ransom to be paid

No song unsung

No wine untasted

  --  I dreamed a dream, 

Les Miserables

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I have a dream; my dream is to travel the world.

On December 2012, the very moment of the rumored the-end-of-the-world, I board a long flight, flew half way across the earth, settled down in a little place in the giant America. 

And that little place, is called Camp Hill.

It all started in a small little basement. For months, I refer to that place as a home, which being those who live in there, are thereby my family. 

There are eight of us, four boys and four girls.

The first night upon my arrival, I met Sabrina and Cheryl, both in their pyjamas. A week after, I met the boys. I was on shift, wiping trays like usual at the counter, when they were brought in and we awkwardly said hi. Days later, Yimeng reached. 

With that, characters are all set, and we are ready for a story. A story, that carved so deep in my memory that made me a total different person with whom I could have been without these lil’ part of memory.

We have been through many chapters together. Living together, cooking together, from chattering to gossiping. We would shoulder each other in picture taking, we would do funny poses that only we understand. 

We’ve been through Christmas, New year, Chinese New Year, Homesick, struggles, laughters, goodbyes, and even more goodbyes.

And the screen slowly blackout, we are seen on different pathway heading all different directions. 
We smiled, we hugged, we said goodbyes. 
We gave the best wishes and we reminisced the good old jokes.

“No pickle No onion!”

“SERVE IT!! SERVE IT!!!”

“hey!”………………..“I just met you?”

“OH MY GAWD”

“what is your problem?”

“racismo!”

“Owhhh! Zhe yang shi ma?”

“OLA!”

“Call me”………………. “maybe?”

“RRRRRRRrrrrrrrrriimonda”

“Po-Ta-Tooooo”

“You miss me?”

“Where is Manuel?” …………. “Nobody knows”
“HAR! who didn't wash the plate?”.......“oh! cheryl the mum is scolding again”
(when we met in NewYork)“TITI!! you forgot your chicken breast!!!”

The morning where Cristian left, we woke up real early to say goodbye.

It didn’t strike me much until days later, I suddenly realize he is now one of the people that I might not see for the rest of my life. As much as he remains a friend, I may not see him for the rest of my life and it is just weird because we used to see each other every single day! I guess, that is the point I started thinking about goodbyes between us, the eight of us.

The night before Christian and Rodrigo left for New York, we went out for a drink with Will and Ann. 
They say that it is hard to imagine that being us who used to literally lived together will now move on to our lives without each other. I thought about it, and I secretly glanced through each of us in that really noisy bar. Everyone was laughing, talking about some nonsense, just like any other day.

All these names that I am familiar with, all these people that I took in as my family, my friends, 
we are now parted for good, we are now on different routes and can only occasionally catch up.

Sabrina, Cheryl, Rodrigo, Christian, Cristian, Manuel, YiMeng, and me.

6:15 am, Sabrina’s usual out-of-bed time. She mostly get 7am shifts, and will mostly kick off with a hot drink and some cookie, while busy on her phone.

Around that few minutes, the phone will usually ring, and it is most likely being Janice calling-in her favourite daughter, Cheryl. Sabrina will pass the phone to Cheryl, and in seconds, Cheryl will rush herself off the bed, get ready, and have her breakfast together with Sabrina. They will have some chit-chattings here and there, while finishing their cookies.

8am, healthy Christian is getting up for his tasteless but full of eggs breakfast. Could be for going to the gym, or could be going for his lifeguard job, he will be 50% awake and randomly greet whoever is awake at that particular time.

Around 830 or so, Yimeng will awake and is occupying the washroom. 
She will be in there for a significant amount of time, until Rodrigo is so fed up that he started urging her.

“Faster yimeng, I need to go to work”

That, is the usual scene of Yimeng getting ready for her 9am shifts while Rodrigo for his second job in El Rodeo.

Pass 9am, Crisitan is awake. He mostly gets 11am shifts, so he will usually start his day with his tea and laptop. Most likely, he is watching some football or whatever sports-that-boys-are-into stuffs. As much as my brother is one of this kind, I can never understand a thing of those sports. Sorry.

With that, we passed the rush morning.

A quarter pass 3pm, a time of which Sabrina and Cheryl should have ended their shifts and be home. However, they are nowhere to be seen, expectedly they are asked to stay again. I dragged myself out of bed, start chopping some garlic and onions not knowing what I wanna cook exactly. I would just chop whatever I like, throw it over the stove, pour in my favourite Italian seasoning and expect miracles. As long as they are cooked, I’d eat them, I don’t care.

Around 5pm, mostly Yimeng will be home, with a small bag of cookies or drinks on her hand. She always get something from mcdonalds or the gas station opposite on her way home. She would tell me the same old story of the bitchy manager and the funny stuffs she had.

As we talk, Manuel might suddenly show up at the other end of table, all dug into his laptop, ignoring the world in his own little bubble.

I will mostly get some sleeps around 6pm for my overnight shifts.

Around 9pm, I will wake up and join the others at the house who are mostly chit-chatting at the table. They are usually with some food and I will just get a bite from each of them.

10.40pm, I said goodbye to everyone and off to work. Along with that, they will remind me to bag the leftover tomorrow morning, Yimeng will have her special order like fish mcbites and Cheryl will normally ask for cherry pie.

The next morning, I will be home with a big bag of leftovers which I will simply put on the table. They will find what they want themselves.

Took off my heavy coats, throw my bag to the floor, smelling like human French fries, I tuck myself into the bed and let the day run itself again, over and over again, for three months.

And that, is the wonderful day locked deep down in my memory bank.

A day like that, will never bechance again, never ever again.

I now learn that the beauty of memory, is the part of “never ever again”.

My dear memory, I love you.

Dear all,

We had disputes, uttered emotions, fought over the space of the fridge,

But when I hugged you, said goodbye, wished you all the best,

I am of the biggest and purest sincerity.

I wish happiness and felicity, to all of you that I may or may not meet in the rest of this life.

And I do hope that one day in the future,

We would have time to sit down altogether, have a drink or two

As we refresh our memories and reminisce these good old days

Also to brush up the bits and pieces of this story that is left in our memory by then.

-Blessings-

  

I have only been to the cinema twice in the US, once for Life of Pi and once for Les Miserables.

In Life of Pi, there is this quote that will put a lovely end to this big chapter of my memory, it reads,

“You must take life that way it comes at you and make the best of it”

I would say we weren’t given the best facilities for an astonishing memory, but somehow, being in a basement and having a tons of reason to be unhappy, we still pull it off amazingly. We make friends, we created splendid memories.

I, personally, would say that we have made the best of it, no?