She lifted both of her arms and a small crackling sound of her shoulder blade remedies her exhaustion. Towering skyscrapers began to darkened itself, as the work shift ended. Cleaning services working overtime was the last thing Mei saw before went back home. Her boss and colleagues have waved their hands, saying goodbye to rest before another shift starts tomorrow at 09:00. The ticking clock shows that it's almost 11:30 pm, ten minutes before all doors are closed. In this silent night, all she ever needed is a short walk in the park to get rid all of the frustration she had. The silence of the road upon her and the scarcity of human life has renewed her will to work, to live, and to enjoy life.
While on her way to the park, she met a loner. Just like herself.
"Hey, I thought you might need some company. Late nights like this is quite dangerous for a woman like you," said the loner. "I'm a loner, yes, but that does not mean I'm a creep or a weirdo, is it not?"
"Mmm hmm." Mei nodded at his question, agreeing that not all people have bad intentions in their hearts.
"So, what do you do for a living?" He asked, periodically exhaling his breath. Tonight was colder than last week.
"Cubicle, Computer, and a lot of paperwork to sign," Mei replied.
"Ah..." He stopped before he utters more words from his mouth.
"Yes, a corporate slave."
"That must be tough." He remarked while accompanying Mei to the park.
"What do you do for a living?" Mei asked.
"I'm just a cashier at a 24/7 store down the road," He said while pointing at an old store near the intersection. "Not much but if it is honest work, it's an honest pay as well." He replied as he put his hands on his sweater's side pockets.
"Do you have any relatives?" Mei asked.
"I do," He nodded. "But all are scattered between different villages and small cities. In times like these, my pay was spent on necessities and all." He gave a calming stare at Mei and asked. "So, how about you?"
"I do have a relative living with me, yes. I lived with my half-sister on the Apartment Rows. Not far from here," Mei answered. "It's just two or three skyscrapers worth of walking from the park." She pointed.
"I see," the guy nodded. He pointed his thumb backward. "Hey, uh, thanks for the small talk. I enjoyed it, but sorry for cutting it short," he said. "The park is just a couple meters away from here. Safe travels!"
"Safe travels. I hope we meet each other again." Mei waved at the guy, ran towards the intersection and vanished in between late night commotions.
An empty bench near the park's pond always caught her attention. Mei would love to spend over one hour just to sit and wonder and let her mind wander the unknown. Not tonight, however. The clock strikes 11:45, fifteen minutes had passed so fast after a janitor locked the front door. Not sure why, not sure how. A homeless man was seen sleeping on one of the benches, covering himself with scraps of newspapers and a bed made with old cardboard boxes. With pity, Mei moseyed towards the old man and put almost a quarter of her lunch money inside a tiny plastic cup that holds nothing more than three dollars and thirty cents. Enough for three hot dogs, also enough for him to buy one to three bottles of 40 oz. She took another walk and look around her that amidst the towering skyscrapers, there are still little pieces of nature, little pieces that soothe her soul. A sudden thought reminds her that nobody's home and Yuzu will come home a bit later than usual. A perfect night before bed to enjoy a cup of coffee.
Fifteen minutes pass, she arrived in her humble abode with an unbuttoned shirt and an exposed bra. Exasperation surrounds her aura, and the unending torture of being tired of work didn't wear off as quick as she thought to be after the late night walk in the park. As quick as she could, she turned on the coffee machine and brewed her favorite recipe, the Latté Macchiato.
The purring sound from the coffee machine's motor is silent enough for her to get comfortable with the windowsill. A place on which she often found lost in thought, lost in memories... Lost inside the wonders of feelings. At least, her phone battery was more than enough to provide her temporary entertainment. Yuzu keeps recommending her to listen to Lo-Fi, said that it could cure her exhaustion. What Yuzu has been recommending her all the time was true. It does cure her exhaustion, bit by bit, one at a time.
I wonder why different mellow notes on repeat could make us a little calmer? Mei asked herself as she watches a commotion below her windowsill. She leaned onto the window frame and wondered. Why can't I have this music earlier in my life? As she sighed, still listening to the music played on the background and still, the commotion down below is almost overpowering her sister's favorite playlist. Although tonight is her very first experiencing the Lo-Fi music, she was more than pleased to hear it through and through for almost ten minutes. Flocks of wind began to swarm around the windowsill. Tonight is not even windy, says the forecast. The wind blew Mei's hairs as flower petals and dead leaves surround her favorite place, windowsills.
If a place where she could call home exists in the world where people are moving around at a steady pace, it would be marked with glass and a rectangular wooden frame with a view overlooking the civilization or the nature. She has no clue why windowsills are comfortable enough for her to let her mind wander freely. Mei was fond of landscapes and sceneries, but those she finds during the night was the all-time best.
I should make another batch of coffee. Yuzu will come home shortly. She would be quite not pleased when she knows I didn't make her any coffee. Girl's unpredictable, sometimes.