My New Reading Spot

Monday, 26 April 2021

Justin was right. I should pay attention to other people, though I think that shouldn't compromise my great passion for reading. I know it can be excessive to the point of shutting down people at times, but now that I know that, I'll just have to make sure I don't read when I'm with Justin, or my siblings, or papa, and perhaps other people when they need my attention.

I need to find a spot where I could read alone; a quality time that I'd like to allot for myself. I'm allocating what little time is left tonight for my quality reading because it's my last day off and tomorrow, I swear to God, I will start getting to know people when I work at the bookstore. Now that I realize it, I never did ask anyone how their day is, or really paid attention to what they're saying unless they were talking about books.

Right now, my stomach feels bloated after a nice and revealing dinner with Justin. I have left his place and I'm just roaming around in my bike to digest the food. Riding a bike is my second favorite thing in the world; it's nice to go around with the cold breeze brushing against my skin. I don't know why the things that I enjoy the most, are the things I do alone in a quiet place. It's not that I don't like people or noise, it's just that…Okay, fine, I don't like them. I'm a loner. I'm good with my small circle: my family, Justin, and maybe a girl in the future if I get lucky. I mean, I can't believe I'm 26 and have only been with one woman. And I can't even tell the world about her because people would probably be too surprised. They'd either judge me so badly, or condemn her, or both.

Only Justin knows about her. She isn't the love of my life, I'm 100% sure about that. But she gives me the kind of excitement that only books could give. Her hair always smells like vanilla, and her skin smells like pumpkin pie, which to me, are both effective aphrodisiacs. Every time I'm with her, I get in a trance. That's the same sensation I get when I read a book. Like the rest of the world doesn't exist, and it's just me and her doing God knows what. I miss her. I guess our secret affair will forever be a secret.

Okay, I don't know how many times I have gone in circles with my bike as I contemplate on these things. It's past seven already, and I'm still freely enjoying the empty streets of my town. Everyone goes home so early, and sleeps early too, making the night so peaceful and quiet; I love it!

I've lived here all my life and I can't believe I'm just noticing this now, but everything is beige: the houses, the establishments, the pavement. It looks like Valetta of Malta, except the buildings aren't big and grand, and my town is definitely not a Mediterranean island. Sure, there's one sea that's nearby, but that's it. The only grand-looking edifice is the The Pilgrim Church. Which reminds me…maybe there's a spot there where I could read; I could read in the gazebo! That's it, I'm going there!

Time sure passes by so quickly. All this biking and thinking took almost an hour and now, it's getting late. When I got to the church, I got off my bike, opened the front gate, then dragged my bike with me. I parked it for a very short while by the church steps, so I could do the sign of the cross as a sign of respect. After that, I pushed my bike towards the gazebo. It was starting to get a bit chilly considering that it was summer, but I guess that was just because of the night breeze.

I was wearing different shades of blue: my horizontal striped shirt was of cobalt and ocean blue, my cargo shorts were sky blue, and as always, I wore my silver and blue Tevise watch. Yep, I love the color blue because it's the color of the sea. And this watch, it was given to me by the woman who made me a man ages ago. I was only 18 then, so the watch had been with me for eight years. Ironically, I haven't broken it. It's probably indestructible because it's special. I don't think I should ever see her though, and I think she feels the same way. So, it's good that we haven't been in touch for a very long time.

It's nice to be at the gazebo late at night; I can finally start reading! I'm sure I won't finish the book by tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow. I rested my bike on the grass, then walked two steps up to settle in the gazebo. As I sat on its built-in bench, I touched the marble surface; it was cold. Then the breeze brushed towards me, and the fallen leaves that were scattered on the floor moved with it. Seeing these fallen leaves suddenly reminded me of my ex-woman when she said that fallen leaves from tree are useful because their nutrients trickle into the soil and feed future generation of plant and animal life. I got goosebumps from remembering that. Or maybe I'm just starting to feel cold. I should've brought my jacket with me. I guess I'm gonna have to endure this cold night since I'm already here.

I finally opened The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy book that I've been dying to read all day, but I haven't even read two sentences when a sudden visitor surprised me. I smiled in a weird way because its presence was weird. Where did it come from? Why does it look as if it's staring at me? I think I've read too much books to be too imaginative, but really, I think it's staring right at me; that small crab near the footsteps of the gazebo. And I love crabs, so I naturally got distracted as my curiosity kicked in. Why in the world is a crab here at the gazebo? Don't they live in the ocean or sea? Or anywhere with water? I had to take a good look at it because it was so cute. All crabs are cute, I think, because they walk sideways and that's a little funny for me. I mean, I'm not making fun of them, it's just that they look so interesting; some people would get scared of them, some people would want to boil and eat them, but I just want to pet them. And this crab looks like it wants me to pet him. Or her. So, I made a dog ear on my book to mark the page that I just started reading, then closed it. When I looked at the crab, it went down the steps and started to go away. "Hey, wait!"

It was walking too fast, so I had to be on my toes before I lose sight of it. I kept following it; it was about one foot ahead of me, not realizing that I've gone a bit far from the gazebo. Where in the world is that cute little crab headed? It just kept on walking, or running, until I found myself behind the church and into some trees. I didn't know there was a small forest or woodland anywhere in the vicinity, but now that I know, it feels a bit strange to be walking here at night. It's a good thing that the moon is working its magic to light the way. Then, I had to stop. My draw dropped at the sight of a beautiful fountain. "Whoaaaaaa. Has it always been here? Does anyone know there's a fountain here?" For a few seconds, the crab stopped right at the foot of the fountain. "Little crab, is this where you came from? You've got a beautiful place right here. This could be my new reading spot!" As I approached the crab, it went away, so I just stared at the fountain.

I'm completely mesmerized. How could there be something so beautiful as this and nobody knows it? Or maybe someone from the church knows it, but I doubt that anyone else in the town's community has seen it, considering its location. It's weird though, because it's clean. It's impossible that nobody knows about it. Someone's been maintaining it, I'm sure of that. Maybe the churchgoers are the ones maintaining it. And they probably didn't want anyone to know about it because they wanted it to stay clean. Whoaaa, even the water flowing from its tiers looks so clear and blue; I love it!

I sat on its cast stone seat while appreciating the water's continuous flow. Strangely, I'm supposed to feel cold, but I don't feel cold at all. Maybe it's the great excitement that's keeping me warm. Maybe my mind's too blown away that nothing else matters.

Looking at the water, I couldn't see the surface underneath. It seems too deep to see the bottom; I don't think I've ever seen a fountain so deep. "How far down is it?" I dunked my hand in the water to feel its temperature. It was cold as expected, but it felt so comfortable to just sit by the fountain as if it were my dwelling place. I started to relax, opened my book, and started to do what I've been meaning to do. I finally started reading.