Finally home, I unlock my flat door, dump my bag on a stool and put my dinner on the table. I sit down on the sofa; putting up my feet when I hear my phone beeps. I stand up and take it from my bag. When it lights up, I see a message notification from Kiel again. I sign in and read the full message. He’s asking if I’m done with work. He seems to be really interested. I better check his profile first before replying. I search for his account. Not much information there. Even his profile photo isn’t very clear. I can’t really tell if he’s good looking. I check if he has other uploads. I’m disappointed to find only a picture of a set of buildings which is probably his office.Â
I continue scrolling down, and at the very last part, there’s a photo of a young bald boy, probably 6 or 7 years old, sitting on a hospital bed and smiling at the camera. I read the description. It’s awe inspiring. The post says a lot about Kiel. Apparently, it was his birthday several months ago and he had chosen to give donation to cancer patients as his way of celebration. He allowed the hospital to post it on his timeline to encourage other people to do the same.Â
I’m always fascinated with people who go out of their way to help others. In fact, I admire them so much. One such person was Mother Theresa, the Saint of Calcutta as she was known. She was a Catholic nun who dedicated her life to caring for the destitute and dying in the slums of Calcutta. People may think that only saints are capable of doing sacrifices or dedicating themselves to provide help unselfishly for the downtrodden. We don’t have to be saints and in our own little ways, we can help even a complete stranger who’s in need. The feeling of doing so is undeniably fulfilling.Â
I remember when I was in sixth grade; I bought my snacks from the sidewalk vendors outside the school gate. There was an old and frail-looking lady who was evidently struggling to sell popsicles. I had always bought from her out of pity whenever I feel like having cold snacks, or sometimes even if I don’t fancy one. There were instances when I gave her money even without buying anything at all. She was reluctant to accept but upon my insistence, she had kept the money for emergency purposes. One day, I was looking for her but she was gone. I thought maybe the poor lady was ill. I waited for her the next day and the next but she never showed up again. I was so sad and hadn’t forgotten her face up to this day.Â
Beep, beep… another message from Kiel. One hell of a persistent guy.Â
“Hi again, Amy. You’re probably busy because my messages were only read but no reply. Well, anyway, I just want to say take care when you go home from work and have a pleasant evening.” He texted thoughtfully.Â
“Thank you. I’m home now and taking a few minutes’ rest before starting dinner. It was a busy day at work; I’m exhausted.”Â
“I’m sorry if I’m bothering you. Okay, do what you need to do first and maybe later we can chat if you’re free.”Â
“It’s alright. I’m just sitting here and we can chat while resting. Are you home now?”Â
“No, I’m still in the office but not so busy anymore.” Hardworking guy, I thought.Â
“What do you do?” I inquired.Â
“I’m in the real estate business. Can you please tell me more about yourself?”Â
“Not much to tell. I’m 27 years old. I worked in a company selling electronic gadgets.”Â
“I really like your photo. Is it alright if I ask you to send me another one?”Â
“Gentleman first, please.” I joked.Â
“I was taught ladies first always,” came his immediate reply.Â
“Not this time. Seriously, I checked your profile photo and it wasn’t clear. If you don’t mind, please send a clear one. I’ll send mine afterwards.”Â
“Hmmm”Â
“Does it mean ‘yes’?”Â
“I’m trying to find a good one. I have very few choices here because I don’t like taking selfies.”Â
“Do you know the meaning of ‘hmm’?” I asked playfully.Â
“It may denote yes or no, probably in between.”
“That’s from the Kiel Dictionary. Amy Dictionary has another meaning.”Â
“Then I’ll be honored to be enlightened by a beautiful teacher.”Â
“Hmm – H stands for hey, M is for marry and M is for me. So, it means ‘hey marry me’.” I chuckled.Â
“Hahaha, when do you want?”Â
“Now!” I kidded.Â
“LOL, you’re not only cute, but also funny.”Â
After a minute or so, he sends two photos, a close up shot and a full body. He’s tall, lean and handsome in a rugged way. Not the cute boy next door type. He’s also matured looking with an authoritative air about him. Not bad, in fact, on second thought I think he’s really attractive.Â
“Thank you! Now I know who I’m chatting with. You look older than me. May I ask your age, please?”Â
“Yes, I’m definitely older than you. I’m 36 years old.”Â
“Are you sure you’re not married?” I asked with uncertainty.Â
“Absolutely! I’m very much single and ready to mingle.” He confirmed gleefully.Â
“May I ask why you’re still single? Most men your age are already married with kids.”Â
“I haven’t found ‘the one’ yet. Are you also single?”Â
“Yes, I am.”Â
“And why are you still single?”Â
“Because I haven’t found someone as crazy as I am.” God, I’m enjoying this.Â
What started as casual chat had developed into friendship with the possibility of something more. In the beginning, I didn’t take it seriously. For me, it was just like my other online acquaintances; a friendly exchange of messages that would eventually stop. Usually, the guys I met online would show initial interest, but either he found a prettier profile photo or no excitement in our chat that after a while we forgot each other.Â
Kiel is different. He’s persistent. Even if I don’t reply, he still texts me. He’s an easy guy to chat with. We feel comfortable with each other. We talk just about anything under the sun. Sometimes we lose track of the time and our chat extends very late into the night. He’s a no nonsense guy either. The way he sends and replies to messages is smartly constructed. He mentioned he travels a lot, probably one of the reasons he’s knowledgeable in so many things. At first I had some inhibitions but after a while I find myself opening up to him; though he doesn’t tell much about himself. If I ask something, he’ll answer but wouldn’t voluntarily provide personal information.Â
Our nine-year age gap doesn’t seem to matter at all. When we chat, it feels like we are on the same level. We also discovered we have many things in common. Both of us are introverts, nature lovers, adventurous and health conscious. Not to mention the fact that we are both living away from family. I haven’t realized it at first, but I’m beginning to look forward to his messages.Â
#Milyin #textmessage #chatting #onlinefriends #funny #username
Comments