The city centre was among the busiest of cities that they have visited, dwarfing the population visible during the early morning. They had not expected that many people, each square meter has roughly 3 people within. Cay did the mental calculation.
The stairs that they used to sit on while having early breakfast was full of family units with their luggage on wheels, as well as groups of young Caucasian men wearing Ray-bans on them. It did not help the two that the sun was blazing even at four in the afternoon, only shades from the buildings provided a sort of haven.
Instead of the typical gelato stands with them with seller of non-Italian backgrounds, local Venetians sold their ice creams in shops. The regular pricing of each shop was higher than Rome, but it did not stop the mass of sweaty tourists from quenching their thirst with ice cold creamy desserts. Cay did not have the habit of eating confectionaries or any sweet-like products, Judas seemed not to need any. He never showed if he needed anything and was quite content with what he had.
The Grand Canal was bustling with waterbuses, private boats, taxis, and bothersome seagulls with their hungry eyes. The man had been unloading the crates that morning was long gone, probably somewhere with a new delivery, stationed on the side of one of the small waterways. They had preferred that scenery, with a cooler atmosphere and less noise--- that was the real Venezia.
They settled down in a café with the least people, for fear that the dense population within the small establishment would drown their sounds, rendering their conversation impossible. Cay ordered a fish stew that claimed to be authentic and Judas ordered Spaghetti Bolognese, it was his favourite from what Cay could tell. It was not because of his companion’s English taste (in fact, he did embrace the Italian gastronomy), but he simply enjoyed a well-prepared Italian staple that happened to be liked by the rest of the world.
A glass of icy tap water and a bottle of Pepsi were ordered, each was dispatched to their respective order. As Judas was turning the cap of his coke, hearing the opening cracked sound, Cay spoke.
“I really did not expect to be here after five hours.”
“What do you mean?”, Judas had a quizzical look on his face.
“I mean, we’re supposed to be at the centre three hours ago. Now, look at the time.”
“It’s not too bad, to be honest. In fact, I don’t think I’ll be on the pavement much at that blazing time.”
“We could go to a café if it gets too hot.”, even the tropical-born Cay agreed to it.
“I didn’t expect this many people in this late summer. Shouldn’t they be preparing for Florida or somewhere as warm as it?”
“Not everyone can spend so much on traveling, perhaps. But, you’re right about visitors showing up at this time of the year.”
“We’re just bloody unlucky to be in the crowd, but at the same time lucky because it’s still freaking hot.”
Cay gave a sideway smirk at his reply. Judas found that it suited him, Cay had never done the gesture since they met. Judas liked how he did it so naturally, as if he was born with the habit of giving sly smiles.
The two got out of the café, knowing that they must make haste even though the hot sun was inducing their sluggishness. Weather alone could not keep the two from stopping what they were her fore, especially when Cay was leading the charge.
*
You should spend more time looking for a proper university, Caynius. Her mum had said hat to him when he freshly graduated from Foon Yew High School at Skudai county. Alright, mummy, I will. He always gave her the same answer, up until he got into one.
Cay had worked as a waiter during his free months before starting his next level of education, He was constantly looking for more to occupy his mind. Qun was still a mysterious yet familiar girl to him, he could not grasp around why she would not make his approaches easy. His nativity always prompted him into doing things unfamiliar to himself, which could have been the reason why his love interest was suspiciously annoyed with him.
His youthfulness was a double-edged sword. He made more friends than he did back in high school, he got along so well with some of his colleagues at work that he was invited to their houses somewhere south of the state Johor. He had driven before and possessed an amateur driver’s license before they went for the short pilgrimage. His free time and ability to drive legally were probably what gave him the advantage of acquainting himself with people, Cay thought at that time.
His two travelling companions, later couple, consisted of two different genders from respective modest village and came to the busy towns of the south to find work. They eventually found roles as a full-time waiter and till handler. T met Cay after a few months.
Teck and Yi were fine companies, aside from his few close friends back in high school, in Cay’s opinion. He did not have many friends, making two at the same time and getting along well were rare to his standard. He must pursue further to strengthen their bonds with him. Hence, he accepted when they offered to visit their homes.
This was one of Cay’s memorable memories, to be with people who find something likable in himself. He had trained hard in order to speak to people, sometimes his brothers could hear him speaking in the closed toilet downstairs of the house. He took note of what others considered as “unacceptable”, such as how he walked. He had broken his left leg at a really young age, it was an accident when his parents accidentally left the door outside ajar. Thankfully the incoming car did not deliver its’ original force as the driver had slowed down for a turn. He leg was kept laying on the side, which had caused it to walk in an awkward position ever since his recovery.
Cay had never disclosed information such as that to anyone else. To be accurate, he did not know how to convey it, he had not practised enough to do so. Therefore, the topic of the conversation grew as he got older, but only at a slow pace, compared to the others in his class. They spoke of uninteresting things but in an exciting way, which made the enclosed circle of friends laughed and begging for more. He wanted to be like that, but hated at the simple-mindedness of the conversation (“…and he was like, that’s a pancake, not a crepe!”, and the people laughed).
It was not that he was striving for popularity. No, that was too immature, the now nineteen year’s old Cay though. He just wanted more friends so he could expand his knowledge of conversation upon, and in return gather some from them. It was a win-win situation, he was happy and moderate at what he was doing.
For the time being, he would have to enjoy his two companies, as they sped through mountainous tarmac roads along the way. It was the only way to get to their small villages, and Cay did not want to disappoint. The city centre was among the busiest of cities that they have visited, dwarfing the population visible during the early morning. They had not expected that many people, each square meter has roughly 3 people within. Cay did the mental calculation.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
