Hello, Tim!
It is officially the end of the first semester, but we have to first take three days of school, which are the days of next semester, for our New Year this year was set a bit late, late enough that it would delay our usual schedule of the second semester. That was the reason we had to bear the extra three days of course before the winter vacation. However, this is not all bad, for reason that would be talked about later. The weather these days has been quite moderate, with little rain and a sun that appears not so scarcely.
Book Reading in Book Store Café; Experiencing Magic
Last week Friday was our closing ceremony of the semester, and after I brought home all my belongings (one suitcase filled with textbooks and two carrying bags with the same contents) home, I spent some time pondering what to do for the next five or six hours before my French class.
Eventually, I decided to do something I had always wanted to do a second time: Going to the same bookstore café I went to with Aubrey several months ago and enjoy some alone time kept exclusively for myself.
Having made up my mind, I changed into my favorite Oxford T-shirt, went out for a quick lunch and soon I set off for the café of my dream with a book in my bag.
As I said in the previous letter, I had just dived into the world of the lovely Harry Potter, and that was the book I took with me to the café.
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| Books go perfectly well with tea or coffee. |
I knew I was going to love the book not far into the beginning, for I could see the resemblance it has with the whole Percy Jackson universe: a story of how a mediocre/trouble-making kid turns out to be not so ordinary, and a whole new world expands before our eyes as we experience it as the protagonist does the same. Never was once I didn’t find such plot fascinating, and it would get even better to see that the protagonist was born with no superpower but a strong sense of righteousness. It was as if they were somehow reminding us not to stop believing your hopes just because people around you didn’t treat you with the barest amount of respect.
Overall, I immersed myself in the book and my glass pot of earl grey I ordered, submerging to the surface once in a while for the restroom (I drank a lot of tea).
What a pity it was, for the café’s giving us a limited time of staying in their seat (a mere one and a half hour). I then went on to the next reading spot: another bookstore!
Different from the Tsutaya Bookstore/café, the Eslite Bookstore was quite packed with people, as there was a cooking workshop that sells the recipes of the cook. In all the small corners you could locate, there was a person or two, kneeling or sitting with legs crossed, a book in hand.
I did find a good spot, so I sat down and read for a short while before I was overwhelmed by a simple notion that there might bee some new books that I would want to add to my wish list.
I had my dinner there, near the bookstore, and it was surely a nice afternoon to spend some time alone.
Half Foot out of the Closet
This was something that happened a while ago, and it could have been named as the “most surprising and nerve-wracking event of 2017”. I was sure that I wanted to write about this several letters ago, but right then I was either still soaking up the brand new perspective or too busy to write such a detail-deserved event.
It was the twenty-seventh of December, 2017, when my dad was still around, waiting for his call to continue with his job. It would soon be the finals, and when my mom said that they were going to the bakery, I saw that as a chance to go out for a walk and relieve some of the stress.
Now, I have always been a kid who likes to hold hands, and I always actively hold my mom’s hand when we go out for walks. We were doing nothing but walking when it suddenly came to me that Dad would soon be going aboard, so I went to his side and took his hand. He didn’t say anything for a short while when he jokingly started, “Why don’t you hold your mother’s hand?” Before I had the time to explain to him my train of thoughts, he continued, “Does it mean that you prefer boys than girls?”
On my own defense, it had nothing to do with my being homosexual or anything, but just simply thinking that I would miss him around when he goes onto his boat. It was a totally irrelevant confrontation, and I was taken aback. Plus the fact that I had once vowed not to negate on such matter when questioned, I said nothing.
They went silent for a while, and then Mom started, “It would be fine if you like boys….”
But since it was an incredibly awkward silence, she stopped as well. One thing can be understood, and that was, by being silent, I had admitted being gay.
Later on, I mustered all the impulse, courage, and admitted verbally, just to confirm.
I knew that it was supposed to be a very relieving thing to do, to come out, but I don’t know, maybe it was just some exaggeration on the stories of the others, but I didn’t really feel that major difference, just a shock that my parents took it fairly well.
I wanted to make more explanation, but I am now so overwhelmed with this notion still, so I’ll keep it for the next time I this topic up.
Speaking of Dad and his job as an onboard mechanic, last Wednesday, after a long break of months, my dad finally set off to continue with his job. He was called back for another route; one that will only go around Taiwan, shipping gasoline to different harbors of Taiwan. It means that he would get less salary, but at the same time, it means that we can be in touch more often, with the comparable proximity of his shipping range.
Whose Birthday is it?
MINEEEE!
Last Tuesday, the twenty-third, was my seventeenth birthday, and it had been a special one.
Normally, we start our winter breaks barely touching the latter half of January, but due to the lunar calendar, our New Year for 2018 starts a bit later and ends later as well. To make up for the lost three days of school caused by the holiday, the government decided to order us to take the three days of classes in advance, which were designated from the 22nd to the 24th of January. Due to this brilliant decision, I finally got to have my birthday on a “regular” school day!
The best thing was probably about the presents and the surprises.
In the morning, Candy and I arrived the earliest. Just then, Candy got a phone call and she hurriedly went out and picked up the phone call. A minute passed, and she came back inside and asked me to stroll the campus with her, in “such a morning with a nice weather”. It was peculiarly odd, I suspected, but, true, the weather was nice, and the sun was already out, so why not?
After a round or two around the third and second floor of the campus, she led us back to our classroom when through the window, I could see many packages on my desk, and Cathy at hers, I understood that they planned a small surprise for me.
Cathy and Candy brought me a set of McDonald’s breakfast (with hash browns!) and they also gave me a very handy cell phone holder and a new wallet. At this moment, I’m using the phone holder next to me, and I’m still looking for the right time to use my new wallet. (The truth is, I already have a lot of wallets)
Angela came a bit later, but she also gave me something. At first, she gave me a wrapped present with a very disconcerting smile, and she said that she didn’t know if I would be angry because of the present. It was a watch in the shape of a cartoon character. I told her that I wouldn’t be mad, and that was what I really felt. Before this year, I only got presents from my friends once, and that was two years ago. The fact that they were willing to plan such a small surprise was more than sufficient. Plus that she also gave me a small cute pillow as her sort of ‘consolation present’. But honestly, I love them both.
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| Breakfast and gifts |
It was a magical day, and it became even better when my mom brought me out for dinner.
The pasta we ordered was amazing, but the one mom got was so spicy that even my mother couldn’t bear. I tried having a bite and I ended up having my head numbed by the spiciness and begging for water.
I was so lucky to have such nice friends who do these little surprises, and it was a brand new experience for me.
And I am also thankful for my mom, who is always there for me, accepting & supporting.
Winter Break!
Winter break has started, and I have to try keeping myself active :D
Sincerely,
Hugo
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