Xue Lin visited the places Ge Chen chose for her. Her last trip was in high school, the one she chose to work at. âThis school hasnât changed a bit.â Looking at the mango tree close to the school gate made her remember the past. âSo nostalgic...â
"Hey, arenât you Xiao Lin?" A voice asked from behind.
Xue Lin looked at the direction and saw a beautiful woman with a slim body. She looked surprised to see Xue Lin. "You are... Puja." Puja was the only Indian girl who studied in high school. She was also her classmate. She is half Chinese and half Indian. Her Indian mother married a Chinese man here and settled down.
Pujaâs face brightened up seeing that she didnât make a mistake. "Xiao Lin, I knew itâs you!" She jumped and hugged Xue Lin. She squeezed her tiny body tightly.
"Are you planning to crush my body?" Xue Lin could hardly speak.
"Iâm so glad! Iâm so happy to see you! I canât express it with words!" Puja gazed at her face.
"Even if you donât tell me I can understand from seeing your face." Xue Lin looked livelier than usual.
"But why are you so thin? Are you suffering from malnutrition or something?" Puja looked at her in concern.
Xue Lin smiled. She couldnât keep her poker face when she saw her pure, friendly smile. "Wow! You are quick to catch. I had a hard time after going abroad but I can manage well."
"Oh, you did... I remember... when did you come back?" Puja was literarily dragging her to the nearest café.
"A few weeks ago." Xue Lin answered. It has been a few weeks but it seemed that a year had passed. Series of events happened in her life after coming back.
"So, how long are you staying here? Or are you back permanently?" Pujaâs questioning didnât stop.
"Iâm not sure. I might stay here forever or for a couple of years." Xue Lin replied casually. She doesnât even know what her future holds. She canât tell anything for sure.
They went to a café and Puja ordered for both of them. She said, "I know you still like sweet food. The one I ordered for you is the best one in this café. Itâs my treat."
Xue Lin smiled. She didnât know if she should take it for free. They were just classmates. They didnât even interact much in three years of high school. She didnât know why Puja was suddenly getting so chummy with her.
Puja said, "So, we are having a reunion on Saturday. Why donât you join? Iâll let others know that you are coming." She took out her cell phone from the bag and started typing.
Xue Lin was startled. "Hey, wait, I donât want to-"
Puja grinned. "Too bad, I already told them."
Xue Lin paused. She didnât like pushy people. She didnât want to meet her classmates soon. She wasnât ready. But she had to meet them sooner or later. So, she calmed down.
While eating, Puja said, "Iâve never seen you wearing a skirt before except for our school uniform. Itâs good to see you in a skirt."
She was right about that. Xue Lin was the tomboy in their class. Even boys used to tease her for that and got kicked by her. Xue Lin replied, "Things change, donât they?"
"They do and Iâm married." Puja acted to move her hair behind her ear and showed her huge diamond ring to Xue Lin.
Xue Lin could only smile. "Congratulations!" Diamonds or ornaments donât interest her. Even if she does, she has too much jewelry now. She wonders if she will ever finish wearing all of them.
The pastries and lattes were served. While they were eating, Puja suddenly asked, "You donât have a party gown, do you?"
Xue Lin looked up. "Why do I need a party gown?"
Puja gasped, "Why do you ask? We are going to a fancy hotel for the reunion. Everyone will show off their wealth. But you never cared about appearance. Thatâs why Iâm asking." She acted as if she told her beforehand that the reunion would be held at a luxurious hotel.
Xue Linâs expression changed. "What a pain! I donât want to wear fancy dresses. Thatâs not like me." She thought she didnât have to wear fancy clothes for a while. Her wedding dress was heavy and especially that vermilion bird tiara. Thinking of that made her shiver.
Puja said, "Oh, come on! How long do you wish to act like a tomboy? Donât worry. Iâll take you to a good shopping mall."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Xue Lin shook her head. "I wonât waste my money on a dress. And I think I have lots of clothes in my closet." She thought about the luxurious clothes in her closet. She thinks that she will never be able to wear them all in this lifetime.