Prince oh my Prince
The bell rang. The work day was over. With a smile on his face Gui bide his students goodbye and wished them a relaxing summer vacation.
"Finally I can go home and play excessively Second Life", he thought. While he was thinking this thought he packed his things and went to the school clinic and from their home.
On his way home he almost ran into an accident, since he could only think about logging on. This almost-accident somehow made Gui think about what he had been thinking about … to excessively play Second Life and he began to wonder, when his computer had become so important to him.
Before it only had been a tool, something he had used for studying or preparing and since Second Life it had became much more, wait that was not true … since Prince.
Prince … another online subject that occupied his mind way more than he thought could be good for him. Sure it began just because he had been bored and wanted to have some excitement that he started harassing Prince, and now? Where was that road leading him now? Sometimes to be online, playing Second Life and being with his beloved Prince seemed more real to him than real life … if, yes if all this had happened in real life that would be different, but all this was online, and he didn't even know who Prince was in real life.
It was this very moment that a challenging thought crossed Gui's mind.
Maybe instead of playing excessively Second Life he should take a break from Second Life and do some real life things. Why not read or travel … there were so many things that could be done without being online.
First thing he did when he came home was log in to inform his team that he was going to take a vacation from Second Life … just for a while of cause.
Week one:
Ah, it was so relaxing to just sit there and do nothing for a while, or to do things that he had done before he knew of Second Life.
But after one or two days Gui noticed that he had adjusted himself more to the habit to turn on the computer and play Second Life, much more than he first thought he had.
Oh well, he still could go for book shopping and come back to read, oh wait he hadn't been to the beach for ages. That suddenly sounded so tempting.
It would be fun, to go to the beach and watch people, maybe flirt a little with one random girl walking by.
At the beach
A book in his hands, Gui lay on his towel, occasionally looking up to watch the passing girls. There were some pretty good looking girls, but none that smiled as lovely as Prince used to smile.
Gui shook his head kind of wildly as if he could remove that thought in this way from his mind. Why did he do it again? … Comparing the online world to reality.
He forced himself to smile at the passing people and returned his gaze to the book that he had been reading.
Somehow, it wouldn't work. The book probably wasn't catchy enough, so he closed it and put it back in his bag.
"Swimming might help", he thought and strolled over to the shore. Following his inner impulse he kneeled down in the sand that had just been moistened by the water and stared at it for a moment before he touched it carefully as if he was afraid the sand might flee his touch.
The image that he left behind somehow fascinated him. When was the last time he had seen something that simple that had fascinated him? Smiling he stretched his index finger pointed to the image and without thinking he wrote three words in the print of his hand in the wet sand.
Realizing what he had done he wanted to destroy his creation, but the flowing water was quicker than him.
Satisfied that the water made his writing unreadable Gui turned towards the sea and swam for a while.
Back at home Gui checked his emails, but there was nothing really interesting, so he thought about logging on to Second Life. Just for a second, just to check if everything was ok, just like he checked his emails, but in the end he just shut his computer down. "There is a real life to live" he reminded himself while turning on the TV.
A few days later, Gui was just running some errands, when he saw something out the corner of his eye that made him look that way. It was a bunch of white short hair.
Kind of disappointed Gui noticed that it did not belong to Prince and focused on his shopping list again.
Later that day he decided to call his friend. Waiting for his friend to pick up the phone he listened to the ringing. He began to count the ringing sounds that he heard and then Gui heard his friends familiar voice saying: "Hallo this is Lee Tian Lang. I am glad you called. Unfortunately for you I am online, having fun with my lovely wife. Be sure to leave a message or your number after the beep and I will call you back as soon as I hear your message. Thank you and enjoy the day!"
Gui sighed, of cause Wolf would be online. Together with Yu Lian-dàsăo, Lolidragon, Doll and of cause Prince. Why did he not think of that before calling. Shaking his head on himself Gui dialed yet another number to make an appointment for the next day.
"It is a good day for traveling", Gui thought, as he waited for the train to arrive. He hadn't seen his parents in months. Nothing was better suited to get away from his computer and the temptation of logging in to Second Life than a visit to his parents house.
The train arrived and Gui got on it, choosing a window seat to sit down. During the beginning of the journey he enjoyed the beautiful landscape. Later he took out his diary, since he wasn't in a reading mood, so he figured some writing might be just the thing to do.
Once he finished his writing he was very proud of himself, he hadn't thought about Prince for a while. Gui reread his diary entrance.
It read:
I have not noticed how beautiful nature can be for some while. Since Prince I see the world with different eyes it seems. I wonder if Prince would enjoy the nature as well as I do now. I haven't seen Prince for about 10 days now. Is he ok? Will Prince miss me like I miss him? Maybe I shouldn't have logged off and give Wicked some time all alone with my Prince …
He began to count the word Prince and in the two pages that he had written he counted it 32 times.
Gui was already beyond getting angry with himself again and so a fine ironic smile appeared on his handsome face.
That evening Gui treated his parents to a restaurant their choice.
By the time they finished the meal and had to pay he handed his wallet to his mother, since he was in a discussion with his father. Doing that he had totally forgotten that ….
Gui's mother opened the wallet and was stunned for a second, then she asked: "Gui, who is that young man from the photo in your wallet?"
Gui twinkled once, while his brain quickly began to find words. He turned towards his mother and replied with a depreciative gesture: "Oh that is just an online acquaintance."
"Just an online acquaintance", she muttered, taking another look at the photo. "What is his name?"
With a slight hesitation Gui answered: "Prince" Why did he feel like he was being questioned in court?
His mother echoed "Prince ..." shooting his father a glance. Her look saying Say something! His father instead shrugged his shoulder.
"That sounds more like a Title"
"It is a Name though"
"It is a man's name ..."
Gui felt a slight blush rise on his face, but whether the blushing was from embarrassment of his mothers tone, suggesting he were gay or from the anger of his mother meddling with his life, he dared not to investigate. So he said nothing.
Because he remained silent his mother kept going on:"Min Gui Wen, that is a man's name! ... Do not tell me you have become … Ohhhh what did I do wrong? … Weren't you bringing home girls just yesterday? … At this rate the Min family will be threatened with extinction!"
"Mother!" Gui exclaimed.
Three days later Gui grabbed a quick bite in a restaurant.
While waiting for his meal to appear, Gui noticed the paper tissue in front of him. Without paying attention to what he was doing he folded the paper a couple of times, just to pass the time.
When Gui looked at what he had been doing, he noticed that he had crafted a paper plane. "Just like a little child", he thought.
The waitress brought his meal, so Gui paid giving her a warm smile.
Realizing that he had ordered meat buns he took one. Holding it in his hand he looked at it as if it missed something. Ah, that it was! Gui reached for the toothpick and punched two holes in the loaf. Yes that looked so much better. For a moment Gui looked at the paper plane and then at the meat bun.
Looking around him Gui felt safe enough to think: "Just like a child, nobody will notice me here in the utmost corner of the restaurant." Picking up the meat bun and putting it on top of the paper plane. Even though it looked nothing like it, before Gui's eyes appeared Princes Meatbun riding on his Fire Phoenix. He gave a swing to 'Firephoenix' without letting it go, mumbling: "Meatbun-bun loves Firebirdy. Meatbun, Machine Gun Attack, Fire Phoenix, Heaven's Blazing Flame". Suddenly realizing that people might call the doctor to take him to the asylum if they saw him like this, he stopped playing around and ate one of his meat buns. His real life Meatbun Gui couldn't eat, it just seemed like something not to do.
Coming home after this incident, Gui knew exactly what to do.
First he placed the 'Meatbun' meat bun next to his computer and then turned the computer on, straight to Second Life.
Online:
It took Gui a while to locate Prince, but once he had found him Gui practically flew towards Prince.
Prince suddenly felt a load that he was pretty sure hadn't been there for quite a while. Oh, it was Gui, how came he was here? Wasn't he supposed to take vacation?
Instantly Prince raised his fist to give Gui the usual 'greeting' trashing.
Clinging to Prince, Gui sighed blissfully. Wrapping him in his embrace Gui didn't care at all how many people of the surrounding crowd would hear the words that came from his heart to his lips loudly whispering into Prince's ear.
"Prince, I missed you so much. Fourteen days without his noble Highness is more than anyone can take. I promise I will never leave you ever again. If it is my beloved Prince I don't need any vacation!"
Prince was taken aback that he dumbstruck let his already lifted fist fall at his side. How could he hit Gui for these words. If it only had been words, said in the same playful tone he would always use talking to Prince, Prince might have hit him. But they were not.
Gui's face was completely entranced and his voice had been deadly serious.
A murmur rose in the crowd.
Only Lolidragon had to fight to hide her sly grin.