CHAPTER 19: JULY 30TH
I’m doing a bit spring-cleaning right now. I realize that since I’m going to be serious sooner or later with Dragon Guy, I have to straighten myself up a bit.
I tear off all the geeky posters of planets, computer and latest gadget ads, and also all the anime posters that have already way outlived its popularity. I gather all the comic books, magazines and novels that are accumulating dust, no longer read anymore and tie them into bundles. I take down all my action figures and toys that I no longer play or like and throw them all into plastic bags.
I know it might seem like a waste, but I’m not really going to throw them away. They are all going to a friend of mine who sells secondhand gizmos like these to geeks like me down at Honeydukes, so it’s not a total loss.
I mean, if I don’t get rid of this stuff and Dragon Guy decides to drop by and see these, I might just screw everything up, big time.
As I pack, I notice something and take it out.
Oh my god, it’s the limited edition of the Nimbus 2000 toy car model! I lined up a year ago in front of everyone else to get this, and on the wintery month of Christmas Eve! I almost broke my legs standing in line waiting for the store door to open and let us in to buy, and I almost didn’t get it because everyone was pushing past me and almost stampeded over me to get it.
Should I get rid of this?
Should I not?
……
Naw, lemme put this aside and think again whether or not to get rid of it.
Next up is the games. I am definitely getting rid of those that I’ve been playing for the gazillion-th time, and also all the hentai and yaoi games as well. Don’t want Dragon Guy to know that I’m a per…
Hey! That’s the sim game “Beauxbaton High” that I’ve been saving so much money to buy! I can’t believe it’s still here! Ah~! Playing this game was one of the best times of my life…
Hold up there, geek boy. Remember what you are supposed to do.
Must…Must get rid of it…Must…
My hand trembles at the thought of it.
Maybe…Maybe just for a little while. I’ll play it again for a little while before I throw it out.
Suddenly my phone rings. Who could it be calling me at this hour? I check the number ID.
D…Dragon Guy…?!
I answer the phone.
“H-H-H-Hello?” I’m stuttering as usual.
“Hey, Train Boy,” his beautiful voice rang in my ear. “Guess where I am? I’m at Kingscross Airport!”
“Kingscross, eh?” I realize the situation. “It’s that time already, huh? Do be careful now.”
“I will. I’ll bring back loads of souvenirs, so be prepared for me.”
“I look forward to it!”
I think I hear Muggle-born in the background and Dragon Guy replying before talking to me.
“I’ll call you once I get back on July 30th.”
“Alrighty. Bon voyage!”
“And one more thing…”
“Yes?” I wonder if he’s not pressing for time for his flight, though half of me wish our conversation wouldn’t end so fast.
“I…uh…”
“Yeah…?”
“I…I really look forward to meeting you soon, Train Boy.”
Wha…? Did he just say…?
“Gotta go. Boarding time. Bye.”
I barely acknowledge the hang up tone. All I can think of is those last words uttered by Dragon Guy.
I really look forward to meeting you soon, Train Boy.
That’s it! Goodbye, Nimbus 2000! Beauxbaton High, you’re outta here! This one? Don’t wanna! That one? Get lost! Don’t want everything! Do not want!
After clearing everything, my room suddenly looks so spacious now. Didn’t think I could do it, and didn’t think that my place could have so much room. Finally, my job is done.
Goodbye, geek world! You’ve got a new obsession now, and his name is Dragon Guy~!
--:--
“Are you sure that you wanna get rid of all these?”
“Yeah. Do gimme a good price for all these, please.”
I stand in the shop of my old friends Rachel Yearne that caters to the Honeydukes society when it comes to buying cheap secondhand geek stuff. She and her girlfriend Rebecca Levi are one of the rare breed of geek girls who enjoy the things we boys like, and they built this shop with their own savings. We knew each other way back when we were kids and I actually contributed a little bit to their capital for business. They’ve been more or less well-off ever since.
Yes, I know. I tend to have dykes for friends somehow, but that’s the story of my life.
“But wouldn’t they be of higher value if you kept them a little longer?” Rachel asks.
“It’s OK,” I say, although my heart feels like contradicting. “It’s not important anymore. I wanted to throw them away actually, but I couldn’t do it, so I decided to sell them to those who would really appreciate them, and I hope you girls might like it…”
I realize the girls are too busy ogling over the stuff to listen to me; but…Oh well, at least they’re happy. If they’re happy, then I’m glad.
I look up to see the girls looking at me in a sort of odd sense of silence, like they’re seeing me for the first time.
“What? What’s up, girls?”
“N…Nothing, really,” Rachel starts.
“It’s just that…somehow you look and feel…different now,” Rebecca replies. “What happened?”
Even they notice too, huh?
I guess it’s worth saying that all is not loss with the stuff gone from my life now.
Dragon Guy happened, that’s all that matters.
“Naw, I’m fine. Still the same ol’ me, girls. Don’t worry.”
--:--
Summer hols has finally passed. During that time, I keep going back and forth to Rachel and Rebecca’s shop bargaining prices and haggling to get a profit out of my stuff, and at the same time help them rearrange their stock with the addition of my items. I managed to earn a good profit and save half of them into my bank account my parents left for me when they were alive, but I am still left with some stuff that are deemed unsellable. Probably past its popularity prime, I suppose.
I decide to have them for keepsakes. After all, you’re only young once.
On the day, Dragon Guy is supposed to return, I receive a message from him, reading:
I’m home~! I just arrived at Kingscross Airport and I might be home about 9pm, so we’ll talk then!
I decide to give him time to settle down and unpack. At about 9:45pm, I dial his number and call him. He immediately picks up at the first ring. Now that’s fast!
“Hello, Train Boy~!”
“Ah ha ha,” I chuckle/ “So you’re back, huh?”
“Yup, I’m back,” he replies cheerfully. “Sorry, I wanted to call as soon as I get home, but I got some unpacking to do.”
“No big. So how was the company trip?”
“It’s so exciting! I dunno where to begin to tell you!”
“Slow down, slow down. Take it easy.”
“Well, first off we went to Malaysia. It’s my second time there, so we split up and explored the area…”
“Second time?” I am surprised. How often does he go on trips like these?
“Yup! And we stop by at this wonderful tea manufacturer…”
As I listen to his stories about delicious exotic food, foreign friends, sightseeing and native cultures, I realize that all I can do is listen and compliment briefly on the things. None of them really click with me, and I can barely understand some of the things he says to me about the lifestyle of the foreign countries he went to. He talks and talks elaborately until he barely realizes that all I can do in the end is give a “Oh”, “Mmhmm”, “Wow”, “Really?” and “Yeah”.
We are not in the same page somehow, but he is too excited to notice and I am too embarrassed to point it out.
The English teacups are put in display on the empty space where I threw out my Nimbus 2000. I stare at it while continuing to give mono-syllabus compliments to Dragon Guy’s story.
I never realize it until now.
We…are two different worlds.
