grat·i·tude

[grat-i-tood, -tyood]

noun

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English Medieval Latin grātitūdin- (stem of grātitūdō ) thankfulness, equivalent to grāt( us ) pleasing + -i- -i- + -tūdin- -tude

Related forms

o·ver·grat·i·tude, noun

un·grat·i·tude, noun

I sighed as I walked down the streets to go to my new job.

Sometimes I wished that I could quit looking for jobs and travel from city to city... like some sort of wanderer.

Yeah... that'd be the life. I could see the world and maybe even find some love on the way.

That'd be great..

I sighed lightly. But it'd never happen. I'll be stuck in this old town for the rest of my life.

In this endless cycle. Going on and on and on and on with the same old routine. Except jobs. I could never seem to hold one long enough for it to become a routine.

This was about to get annoying; me messing up on every single job I ever got.

For once... why couldn't things be perfect?

It was a temperature of fifty-five degrees in the small town of Redbrooke, Japan. This area was a bit warmer than the rest of Japan, so it surprised me how little people lived there.

The area was littered with trees; it was like we were a small community forest.

I chuckled to myself as I thought this. It really was true, but I wouldn't let anyone in this town. People here were... very proud of their town.

I walked into the 'city' part of the town, where there were actually no trees and several buildings.

People were walking up and down the streets, having places to be. It was Monday after all.

Unfortunately, I was one of the brain-washed masses having to go to work to slave away the day, so I stalked my way into the crowd with hopes I'd get out of this alive.

My name is Malika. Just Malika.

I squeaked as I bumped into someone.

"Watch it you bi-!" The man started before freezing slightly. I blinked at him.

"..."

"Um.. are you okay?" I asked.

"Hm.. I believe that I am lost.. can you tell me where I am?" The man asked.

"Um Redbrooke, Japan." I answered.

"Redbrooke you say? It seems I'm more lost than I thought I was.." He said.

"I.. I'll help you find your way... where do you need to go?" I asked.

"Tente... quickly. I'm in a hurry." He said, his lavender colored eyes slightly desperate.

"Why the rush..?"

"My brother... Mariku. He went missing last week.. according to his job anyways. He hasn't shown up for days."

I blinked. "That's terrible! You have to get to Tente now!" I exclaimed.

"Yes... I know.. but I came here by bus..I would've taken the train but the lines are closed because one train crashed..." He said.

"You should wait for the train... the buses are too slow." I advised him.

He sighed. "Yeah... that's probably the best way to go. I just hope that it starts running soon.."

Suddenly I got an idea. "Hey, want to go somewhere while we wait?"

"Sure. But where?"

"How about this sushi bar down the road? They're very good since they get fresh fish!" I said.

The man smiled. "Alright. I'm kind of hungry anyways."

"What did you say your name was?" I asked.

"Um I didn't say... Name's Marik."

I smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Marik.. I'm Malika..."

Screw my job. Marik seemed waaaay more fun.

We chatted as we walked. Once we got to the sushi place, Marik examined it.

"So this is the place, huh?"

"Yep! They've got the best sushi in town... considering they are the only place that has sushi in this town!" I said.

"Is that so? ..I'm a big sushi fan myself. Want me to test you on your sushi knowledge?" He asked.

"Sure."

"Question 1: True or false. All sushi is raw."

"False!" I said.

"Heh you're pretty good. So is the sushi." He said, eating a piece.

I smiled.

"Oh! While I was on my way here on the bus, a man told me about these amazing sakura trees that were here in Redbrooke. Say... why don't we go out to see them after we're done?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure! Sounds great!"

As we finished, we walked off to the park where the sakura trees were.

"Impressive! These sakura trees really are beautiful!" Marik exclaimed.

"You look happy Marik-kun... that makes me happy." I said shyly.

"Y..yeah! I've been feeling a lot better since you came around. I was really stressed out and tensed before... Now I'm relaxed. It's all thanks to you!"

I smiled. "So... do I get a reward now?" I asked flirting.

"R-reward? What kind of reward?" He stuttered.

"A reward that will make me remember this day forever..." I said quietly.

"A reward that will make you remember this day forever? You sure? I have no problem with it.. but you have to close your eyes... It's the rules." He said.

I closed my eyes slightly. "Okay. They're closed!"

I felt a pair of lips touch mine for one second before pulling away.

"That is my gift of gratitude to you.."

gift of gratitude...

gratitude... gratitude..