Side by Side

The school playground. June, 2005

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise.” We both smiled. “Why do you have to go?”

“Daddy wants us to move. But don’t worry, mommy says we’ll have a bigger house and more toys so when you come, we’ll play together!” She clapped her hands gleefully.

“Yay! I can’t wait!” And I hugged her.

We were only five, and neither of us understood the concept of distance and the price of flights. We didn’t think that we would not meet until today, almost 10 years later…

Starbucks. January, 2015

“One tall hot chocolate for Phillip!” I looked up from my work and smiled at the barista. She was grinning at me, still holding the beverage out towards me. As I got up, her smile didn’t falter but only got larger.

“Thank you.”

“You know, I had a kindergarten boyfriend named Phillip. I think I still have a picture of him, here,” She took out her phone, unlocked it and searched through her gallery. I read her name tag, Miranda J. That name sounded familiar. Could it be?

“This one, that’s Phillip. He’s holding my hand.”

She let me hold her phone and zoom in. It was her.

“Miranda Jess,” I gave her phone back. “It’s me, Phillip.”

Her smile faded, her eyes searching my face for any sign of humour. But I wasn’t joking, it was me!

“I thought you moved to the Philippines in 2005!”

“I did! I came back last year, but I didn’t think I would meet you again!” She came around to give me a hug, one that I gladly accepted and returned. “I didn’t think…”

“Yes well, you did promise you’d never take off our engagement ring,” I pointed to her left hand. “I suppose you broke your promise.”

“If you think that 5-year-old Miranda’s fingers haven’t grown…” she laughed.

“What time do you end your shift?”

She flashed a smile. “My shift ends in 2 hours.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

“Is this a date?” Smirking, she returned to her counter and read the drink description.

“Isn’t it?”

“Just you and me?” I nodded. “I don’t kiss on the first date, you know.”

“Thankfully, this won’t be our first date, will it?”

The ground shook slightly. I must be nervous I thought, but why would I be nervous? It shook again, and this time she felt it too, losing her balance slightly before looking up at me. The tables started to rattle, plates slid and crashed to the floor.  I looked outside just as a violent tremor threw me down. Someone screamed, the ceiling cracked above me and the lights violently swung from left to right. We were biscuits in a tin can rattled by an angry god.

“Phillip!” I heard Miranda holler before thudding. I turned my head, but I was on the floor and a counter was separating us. I took whatever strength I could muster to crawl towards her and hold her hand. I slipped on something, hot liquid and my knee grazed against broken glass before I finally got to her.

“Shhh,” I cooed, bringing her under a table and covering our heads.

“I don’t want to die!” She screamed as the room was being turned upside down, with coffee scattered on the floor and bodies thrown here and there. I was pretty sure all the plates and cutlery, mugs and glasses were scattered on the floor, mixed with various liquids and crumbs of food left uneaten.

“You won’t die,” I looked at her, my vision hazy. “Not as long as I’m here. Not as long as we’re side by side.”

Katya Tjahaja