“Oh, nothing,” I fix my seatbelt too.
I wonder what his name is and where’s he’s from. Maybe I should have asked him.
I’m going to come here next week. Hopefully, that man would be here too. And then I will ask him.
Three
Wayne
I hate engaging in a conversation, but I wanted to engage in one with that lady. I definitely wanted to.
One reason why I hate engaging in a conversation is that, whenever the question “So, why did you choose to live in the mountains?” comes up, I’m usually short of what to say. The reason is that some people just won’t understand, and some would criticize.
Well, city life does not do it for some of us – the crowd, modernity, technology. No, it’s a big no. I’ve been living in Crystal Mill; mountain, for as long as I can remember. The breathtaking air, and crisp and clean scenery mean a whole lot to me.
I am a freelance nature photographer, and I work for a famous national geographic magazine. I have a website too, where I make a few bucks posting landscape photographs.
Most people ask me if it’s not boring or how I don’t feel alone living in the mountains all by myself. The answer is yes, it can be boring sometimes, and I feel alone living in the mountain all by myself, but I am comfortable with it – living a serene life.
It has its pros and cons, but for me, the pros weigh more than the cons. That’s why I’m never going to change my mind about living here. I love this place, and that is that.
Walking inside my cabin, I drop the grocery bag on the wooden floor.
Her image flashes through my mind again – that smile and how small she looks. But she was there with her man. I don’t usually develop an interest in ladies because I know we can’t be together. But there is a part of me that wants to know more about her. It is not in a romantic way, don’t get me wrong. I just want her as a friend, that’s all.
Yeah, I made a few friends in the city, but most of them are fans of my work. And that was how we connect since I have my picture in my website profile. They recognized me and walk up to ask me if I was Wayne Tucker. And when I say yes, they ask if we can be friends. I give some of them a positive response – the ones I think I’d like to be friends with. We exchange contact, but I know completely well that they will never reach me except when I’m in the city. The network in my cabin is poor; there is only one place with a good network in Crystal Mill, mountain. It’s a café that’s quite far from where I stay. I only go there when I need a fast internet connection. I spend most of my time in the deeps of the mountain, taking pictures and appreciating nature.
I go to the city on some weekends, and I hang out with them when I’m in the mood.
I’ve only made one female friend ever since I’ve been meeting people in the city. It was sometime last year, her name was Megan. But I had to stop seeing her when an emotional affection started to form. I knew that there was no how that could happen between us. We were different in a lot of ways. She was a lover of modernity and city life. And most times, she tried to convince me to come out of the life that I live. She was beautiful, yes, but she was not the one for me. We stopped talking after explaining to her that our differences are big, and there’s no way we can be together.
I don’t regret my decision. If I had not told her off that evening, if I had gone out of my way to please her, I doubt we would still be together now. It was clear that we would not last a year together. Her beauty and love for nature photography are the only things that made us connect. She does not have what I want in a lady – a sense of acceptability and that spirit of not criticizing.
That woman is the first woman that caught my eyes after a long time. I’m not sure I’d be able to see her again. But I would love to, even if it’s just one last time – to ask for her name and tell her mine.
Four
Sarah
Doctor Garrett asked me to see him this morning, and I’m still wondering what he has to say. He’s the head doctor, and he does not ask anyone to see him except there is something important. I’m not nervous; I’m just curious as to why he asked me to see him.
I knock on his office door gently.
“Please come in.”
Breathe in, breathe out,I coach myself before walking inside his office.
“Good morning, Sir.”
“Good morning, Doctor Newman. Please sit down,” he gestures towards the chair in front of him.
“Thank you, Sir,” I respond as I pull the chair back to sit.
“Yeah, first, I must say I genuinely appreciate your effort, hard work, and contribution to this hospital,” he starts.
I nod before saying a small, “Thank you.”
“Erm, yeah.” Doctor Garrett adjusts his glasses as he searches through the stack of documents that sat on his table.
