Evanescent Encounters

Cloud wants to be forgiven. But sees no way to achieve it. Not when the relay fiasco was entirely his fault. He voiced his apologies to everyone but felt that he was nowhere near redemption. It felt even more devastating cause he had already messed up his chance of proving to everyone that he had earned his place at the SEA games for the 100m. And just when he was telling himself that him being a great third leg was the one thing that they could rely on, he fucked that up too.

He saw no reason to be forgiven, no way to redeem himself for his sins. He knew that this was no time to be giving up but it has occurred to him that perhaps it was time for shift in paradigm. A break was in order and a new beginning perhaps. But that's a rather distant future. Right now, he wasn't too sure wad he needed to do, and where it was that he needed to go. The relay coach was all to happy to blast him full of holes after the 4x100m race and his individual coach isn't sure what is wrong with him currently.

Cloud could only wonder where the winds would be taking him for now. As far as he was concerned, it was pouring and he has no idea where the Sun may be.

 IVP was over. Cloud was not as impressive as he was last year but he did still manage to hold on to his 100m title with an unconvincing 10.93. He felt the only reason he won was because Alfonso had too much on his plate, running the 100m heats, followed by the 400m heats before the 100m finals which was then followed up by the 400m finals.

IVP did teach him one thing though. It made him remember that running, sports, is not just about winning. After Cissnei pointed it out to him, Cloud realized that his college wasn't just obsessed with winning. No no. Winning alone was not enough. They had to thrash the opponents. They had to ensure that the idea that only they had the right to be champions was beaten into every thread of their opponents' being. The men were already leading by 60+ points on the first day of competition but Cloud's coach remained unsatisfied and withdrew Fiat from an event that he had trained the entire season for just so that he could place someone else who was capable of getting gold. It made no sense at all to Cloud. There was no way the men's team was going to lose the title. It was absolutely unnecessary to withdraw Fiat. At the end of the day when the Men's team won by 126 points, 5 points or even 9 was not going to matter.

Cloud understood that sometimes coaches were pressured to produce results. Honestly he could understand if the situation had arisen in the women's team and the coach did what he did cause in the end the women's team won by slightly over 30 points, nothing wrong with increasing your odds a little. But the circumstances for the men's team were never so dire that there was a need for a 1-2 finish for the team.

He had not felt so disappointed, so let down by his coach in such a long time. The man he once respected so much, was blinded by his obsession. Perhaps it was to make up for his narrow losses at A division inter-school competitions. But Cloud felt that it should have been addressed as a different issue. It was probably this issue that kept gnawing at him. It ate him up so much that Cloud expressed his irritation towards the coach on a couple of occasions on the training ground. He really just could not see the rationale of a lot of things the coach was doing. And the coach has never bothered to explain.

Cloud was aware the grass is always greener on the other side. But with so many issues cropping up, perhaps it was time to make a professional change.

 Cloud could barely describe his emotional and mental status. He had no idea that his actions could have such huge implications. it had come out in a newspaper article that cute_baby had used his timing from the previous year's ASEAN university game to qualify. Cloud did not understand how he could have done that but left Cloud in the dark. He was worried that he was going to be robbed again. Just like in 2007. Anger surged within him and a friend had also advised him to get the fairness that was due to him cause clearly it wasn't going to be given on a silver platter. Cloud then e-mailed the technical director while keeping higher-ups in the loop. The next thing he knew, a newspaper article stated that Cloud had qualified as well. Indeed Cloud found the fairness that he had been seeking, and yet, he was being unjust.

It was a very vicious cycle. One that Cloud had thought he could stop. But in the end he was guilty of it as well. By insisting on his qualification, Cloud had robbed someone else of a deserved place. Alfonso was the fastest man that season thus far coming in at 10.59 in Taiwan while Cloud managed a 10.70 to earn a second place. But the insistance of the legality of the times clocked at AUG meant that the fastest man that season was not going to be able to represent at SEA games. Cloud's conscience had cleared slightly since getting his no.2 ranking but a part of him realised that it was him who denied Alfonso his rightful place. Cloud tried to make up for it by trying his best to get the 4x100m to qualify but at 40.54, they were still quite a bit off. The only thing they've got going for them is that they were still the 3rd best team in SEA and hence an appeal had to be submitted the Sports Council. 

The only thing left now is to wait. And hope that somehow, things will work out. In fairness and justice to all.

The past few weeks had been roller coaster ride of emotions for Cloud. So many things happening so quickly, within such a small time frame. First came the disappointment of the trip to Hong Kong being called off due to health concerns. Cloud could live with that. After all, health was something that money could never buy.

Next came the triennial Inter-varsity games where he competed against athletes representing Universitas Indonesia as well as Hong Kong University. He did a personal best over the 200m coming in with a time of 21.92 but his 100m was unimpressive at 10.92.

A few days later he was in Ho Chi Minh City participating in the Vietnam Open. Again, he clocked poor timings. 10.94 for both the heats and finals. His timing causing him to lose his relay spot to LCW. He wasn't upset that someone took his spot. He felt it was only fair that someone who was performing better should be part of the team. But the 2 competitions made him realise that clearly his race preparations were not working. He was going to have to change it if he wants to go anywhere near 10.7s. And change he did. 

The next training session he felt much better, much faster. it felt as though the times were finally going to come. But it was something he had to set his sights on. Something he was going to have to earn. 

Perhaps, what saddened him the most was what came after. During the Vietnam trip, Cloud was informed that one of the national coach's son had passed away after fighting having a hole in his heart since brith. The kid was only 15 years old. It saddened Cloud greatly that one of the athletes had actually the cheek to post on her facebook status that she didn't know whether to pity the coach or feel that it was justice done. Cloud felt that losing a loved one is something that is painful to anyone and everyone. Cloud was appalled that she could think of such a thing. No matter how much you hate the coach,the child was innocent. 

Cloud attended the wake. When he saw the kid's picture, he was wondering how much the kid had yet to see in this world. So many things yet to be experienced. A child who would never realise his full potential. But when God calls, you answer. 

On the journey  home, Cloud felt shame and guilt welling within him. After the wake, the training group went for dinner together. During the dinner, the conversation first began with how the athlete mentioned above could even think of such a thing. It only got worse from there. Hatred began to boil within the peoples seated at the table, partially fanned by the sight of so many SAA officials who were also at the wake. These were the officials who had turned the track & field scene in SIngapore into a circus. With that emotion burning white hot in their bellies, the peoples began letting out their frustrations and anger. On the way home, Cloud realised how much hate there was. A kid had passed away, and after attending the wake, all they had to talk about was how much they hated.

It should have been a time of quiet reflection. A time to realise that life was short. A time to wonder if they were ready to answer to God when He came calling. Cloud admits that he was very much at fault as well. Not only did he not stop such a conversation so filled with hate, but also adding fanning the flames at some points.

He was so ashamed of himself and began wondering why there was so much hate in this world. 

Cloud wondered how much longer he could take the punishment. Meet after meet, he ran his best but the timings just didn't seem to tally with his efforts. How could he have clocked 11.13 at the Swift meet? There was no way he was that slow. He knew he had gone under 11s and there should be no reason whatsoever for him to go beyond that mark again. Something was wrong. He believed certain people were messing around again. Robbing him of his true time. But as his close friend said, he couldn't just keep blaming the politics. His friend was right. He had to take the results like a man. Shifting the blame to other people was just cowardice. His inability to face the truth.

One issue that was clearly a matter of politics however, was the selection issues for overseas meets. Cloud had beaten The Nephew time and again but for some reason the coach kept insisting on keeping him for the overseas meets. There was no logical reason why The Nephew was picked over Cloud. What made matters worse was that for the upcoming Hong Kong Open, Cloud was only selected after 2 of the members were unable to participate in the meet. Cloud was definitely not that low down the food chain. This was on the back of his 10.88 at the all-comers where he was ahead of a few members of the team that was being sent for the overseas meets.

Paper doll then asked him why he didn't quit. Track wasn't doing him justice. Cloud corrected her. It wasn't the track that wasn't doing him justice. It's the people who were in charge. Track had saved him once before. Besides, quitting meant that the Evils had managed to attain the ultimate victory. He would never allow them such a thing.

Deep down though, Cloud knew that he was just being sentimental. The track held many bittersweet memories. The memories that made him into what he was now.

Such was the nature of Man. To always crave for more. To crave for what he did not have, what he could not have. The forbidden fruit always tasting the best. Even at the peak of his life, man cannot help but crave for even more than what he already had. Without realizing how well fate had treated him. Never wondering if his wealth was to be used for something greater than himself.

Cloud had joined a company. In part he joined because of his suppressed desire to try his hand at business, also he wished to attain capital even while studying to set-up his private practice in future. Initially, Cloud thought that he would be surrounded by individuals that were similar to him. Individuals who would use wealth as a means to an end. What awaited him was the cold hard fact of the real world. Many see wealth as an end. He was startled when his up-line questioned him, "Why does your girlfriend do volunteer work? If she wanted to help people, she could sell the products. That way, she can help and still earn money!" People forget. Those that are in the most need of help are those who are  unable to even buy these supplements. Money was not at the forefront of his mind. Cloud had a greater calling to attend to.

"School is always around. Opportunity comes only once." Sure. That is an undeniable truth but it is hardly compatible when considering that working towards the end that Cloud had in mind, knowledge is an essential tool as well. Cloud was disappointed. He was still too naive.


Dear All,
I have joined a company that deals in healthcare supplements. These supplements include:

1) Anti-oxidants that help you to lose weight at the same time.
2) Colostrum that aids in bone health as well as immunity functioning
3) Womens' healthcare products that help to reduce menstrual pain as well as regulate hormones.
4) Natural bust-enhancement that protects you from breast cancer at the same time
5) Oxygen therapy machine

The pills are all from organic sources and are based on traditional Chinese medicine. Also the company has a slimming salon that helps you to attain your ideal body weight from the inside out. Do kindly approach me if you are interested in any of the products or services.

Regards and Well-Wishes,
Cloud

It was so far so good... And yet... Not so good. Cloud was feeling a ghost creeping up from his shadows, a persona that he believed had left him a long time ago. Once... A long time ago... Cloud ran, not for the exhilaration. Not for the high he had felt. But for the pride. For the prestige that came with the knowledge that he was one of the best locally. Of course, his overseas experiences has deflated that ego. Being a kampung king holds little true value.

But he couldn't help it. The kind of disrespect he was getting at the school gym was driving up the wall. The bloody chicken legs thought they owned the damn place. Every time they came down to the gym, they used every single piece of equipment that was available. So what were others to use? The pride they held were because they only had one main competitor for the four competitions they have in a year. Track has only one main competition in the academic calendar, even then there will be competitors from all over. How can a team hold such esteem when they have only one rival? Even then, they don't always win. Cloud itched for the recognition again. He wanted to shout in their faces that he was a national athlete. No longer just a kampong king but an elite and he earned every bit of it the hard way. But then, he strove to be like the paddy plant, the fuller it was with knowledge, the more bent it was.


Official results:

100m: 10.94
Wind: -0.2

Every grain of sand that moves one end to other is a grain that can never be retrieved in the hour glass of life. Sometimes the grains move quickly, other times they seem to be strolling through. The grains that are found at the bottom are not worthless however, in fact, they are invaluable. The small heap at first grows into something of a mountain of accumulated memories, experiences, knowledge and wisdom.

It was mid-terms once again, though they hold within them stressors that sometimes threaten to break Cloud, he had much to be happy and thankful for. He was celebrating his anniversary with Cissnei, a very important indicator to Cloud that he was in a stable relationship. His past two relationships had not passed the anniversary mark and Cloud often wondered if he was capable of sustaining a relationship and this proved that he could. Just for having Cissnei he had to be thankful, having a stable relationship that lasted for a year brings Cloud hope that there would be many more to come.

It was that time of the year again. The time that marked the beginning of a dark age for Cloud only that this time, he wasn't the one going through it. Zack received his A level results and Cloud was proud that his brother had surpassed him and yet, it brought with it a sense of shame. Cloud was reminded of his own abysmal results. Even Tifa did better than him. And yet, he was all the more thankful, he did manage to get into a university. He wasn't a failure.

But success isn't attained just by attending university. He still had to carve his name into this world.

Raucous laughter rang the air. The mood was merry to say the least, what with the Chinese New Year celebrations taking place. It was also the presence of one other person in the team that made the scene all the more familiar. A scene from many a year back, when everyone trained til late cause the team just had too much fun making jokes and enjoying themselves. Cloud remembered back then, when he was in a clique with Siti and Aeris. Siti was here again now, back at training on her own free will, unpressured by anyone.

Miracles do happen Cloud supposed. Siti was the first one to show resentment towards track in jc2. She refused to really train properly, doing just whatever she wanted whenever she felt like it and Cloud was really doing his job as Team Welfare Assistant in trying to get her focused again. Those were the days. Yesterdays.

But yesterdays are not the world we are living in now. It is the present that matters. What's done is history. There are new challenges to face. New friends to make. New talents to find and refine.

A new team to establish.

"Nobody wants to be the last one there... Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares..." - Nickelback

With the coming of the new year, Cloud would usually sit back, take some time and reflect back on the year that had passed. Before he could do that however, during the usual Sunday lesson that he attends, the Ustadz reminded the class that Prophet Muhammad S.A.W never looked back at his house once he read his prayers and stepped out of the house and the same attitude should be applied.

Once we set out on a journey, we leave everything in God's hands and as such, we should never look back since we've already resigned everything to Him. Life is such a journey. As we pass through the years, the many phases of our lives, we would have learnt lessons along the way no matter how the outcome may have been. The many obstacles we face only make us stronger. No need to look back and regret. No need to look back and wonder why it happened. It happened cause God wanted it to happen that way. That's all there is to it.

Cloud's first semester wasn't as good as he had anticipated but well... there was nothing he could do about it but just improve.

Life's simple... It's people that make it complicated

The world doesn't play on a level playing field. Sports are sometimes in fact unsporting. Magic does happen sometimes, not in ways a person would expect.

It began on the first day of the Athletics competition, it was very evident from the blocks that he was in a very strong field of competitors. However, he didn't expect the field to be as strong as what the results of the semi-finals showed. 3 of the athletes from his semi-finals ran faster than Singapore's national record. One ran faster than the SEA games record time for the 100m. Cloud himself supposedly set a new personal best, however his coach brought him back to reality when he was informed that he ran nowhere near the time.

The following day was the 4x100m relays, at which, Singapore was one of the favourites for the gold. Gold apparently was not the colour for the Singapore athletics contingent. Cloud ran the third leg of the race and during his take-off, he stumbled and fell for no apparent reason. Until this day, he could not figure why he fell. He wanted to blame it on people sending spirits to disrupt the race and he had another reason to suspect as such. Cloud brought went home badly scarred on his left shoulder, hip and knee.

A few days later, it was the 4x400m team's turn to try for the gold and again, tragedy struck. The team were second up to the last 100m before the Lion suddenly went into hyperventilation and finished the race second last. After he crossed the line, the Lion went into a semi-conscious state spiraling into unconsciousness for a while before getting back his breath. He never had hyperventilation during a race before and Cloud felt that it was no accident. Something was too fishy. It was just too bad that he wouldn't be able to trace the source.

Results:

100m:
Semifinals: 10.52
Finals 10.76

4x100m:
45.80

Rain came pouring down every afternoon without fail. It was perhaps one of the most predictable things that Winter and suited Cloud perfectly.

A junior informed Cloud that Tifa had broken up with her new guy and a part of him was wondering who the new filthy rich kid was but that wasn't the question nor the emotion that resided predominantly with him when he found about the news. His junior told him to read her blog, to find out more, to figure out the mysteries and the juicy details and stories she never failed to create. She loved making headlines after all.

But while looking through her blog, while trying to filter through the lies and the fantasies that she had created of her fancy, Cloud felt a pang within him. He didn't feel hatred nor animosity within him. All he could feel was sorrow. He couldn't understand it. He just couldn't figure it out. Perhaps it was because he felt saddened by the fact that she still lived within her own fantasy world. Distorting the world to suit her purpose. Perhaps he was resigned to the fact that she might end up as a patient in the years to come.

Perhaps it was the massage he received that corrected his nerves.

Cloud woke up to the sounds of the Zikir that always resounded on Hari Rayas. It wasn’t his parents voice that awoke him. The house was still rather dark when Cloud when to wake up Zack for the Hari Raya prayers. The kitchen didn’t have the usual hustle and bustle nor the aroma of a hari raya day. Cloud prayed on his own as usual. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for him. Zack would always attend the prayers with his friends while his dad would normally stay at the mosque after dawn prayers. The sight when he returned home on the other hand, was definitely unusual.

The dining table was bare, the house was dark, lacking the light that had always illuminated the house. It was the first time Zack and Cloud celebrated Hari Raya on their own as their parents were fulfilling the fifth pillar of Islam, the Haj Pilgrimage. Cloud was now the man of the house and at first it didn’t seem too difficult to handle. Well, at least until a certain family member came round and decided to change that.

Cloud had to balance the relationships between both  the maternal side and his first attempt seemed disastrous. A maternal member was moving out of his house and required help moving out and offloading some of his stuff. This then brought in Cloud’s paternal side, of which certain members wanted to take some of the stuff.

Oddly enough, the maternal member did not bother to be home when the paternal members came over to help. And pf course, with common sense, the only way you could move around large bulky items was to use the trolley that was available in the house. Well, at least that was what Cloud believed his work entailed. The maternal member felt otherwise.

Cloud was confronted the following day by the matenal member, saying that he was disappointed that he was not informed beforehand that his equipment was going to be used.  And now that he needed his trolley, it was nowhere to be found. The maternal member kept insisting that he had a strivt timeline that he had to adhere to and was very disappointed with the way Cloud had managed things.  He only hoped his parents wouldn’t be too disappointed with him when they got back.

This was not how Aidiladha was supposed to be. Aidiladha was meant to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice that Prophet Abraham had undertaken  when he unquestioningly decided to follow God’s commandment to sacrifice his son. OF course in the end Ishmael was subsitituted with a sheep but it was the fact that Abraham had no qualms about following God’s commandments that make his act so meaningful. Aidiladha was meant to be a day of reflaction, to question oneself he was willing and able to sacrifice everything for God if he asked.

It wasn’t meant to be a time of bickering.

There are those who say that dreams are the reflections of the mind. Then there are those who believe that dreams allow a peek into the future. Some say that dreams are nothing more than an imaginative mind's output. Cloud wasn't sure which camp he belonged to but he does wonder if the dream he had held any significance.

He could recall not the day of the incident nor the events within them. He did remember the dream in itself, though perhaps not in its entirety. He saw his mother, aged and in poor health. He had just come home from work and sat himself on the chair beside his mother's bed. They began to converse and in the middle of the conversation, she said,"I'm so happy that you decided to marry Cissnei. She's always around when I need her and she takes good care of me." With that, the dream ended. The dream in itself was not weird but when compounded with the one his mother had a few days later, it becomes a topic worth considering.

Cloud was having dinner with his mother at home. As normal, they were chatting, just catching up since Cloud only goes back home for the weekends these days. It was then that she revealed his dream. She said she saw him sitting at the dining table with two women. One was Cissnei though she could not make out the identity of the other. The two women asked him to decide who he would wed between the two of them. 

Curious indeed. Cloud had always believed in fate, in a sense that there would be an ultimate goal for him. Though a bit paradoxical, Cloud did however also believe that free will also exists. Sometimes a person may consciously choose one item but due to circumstance, he might have to alter his decision. This was what Cloud believed to be the influence of both free will and fate working concurrently. And it is with this mindset that he approaches these dreams. 

It could very well be that Cloud had yet to meet one more significant person that would play a major role in his future life or it could be that the only thing stopping Cloud from marrying Cissnei in the future would a be a cloud of shadow that is as yet undetermined. The female manifestation may be due to the fact that Cloud had always believed that the decision involving being wed would be no mall feat. Then again, his father had to choose between two women back in his day. 

Cloud just couldn't help but keep wondering where or what this would lead to

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But i have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there" - Barack Obama, Presidential Acceptance Speech, 4th November 2008

Time is almost at an end. The Earth herself has decided to show her displeasure towards the vermin that are crawling upon and infesting her body. But humans are persistent and perhaps they could change still.

It would seem strange at first, and maybe a tad paradoxical that a Black man should be elected to be in charge of the White house. Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America and only the first African-American to be elected to that post. The numbers speak for the enormity of the situation. Man has finally decided to continue to progress.

It is only just that a country that prides itself on its democratic ideals finally leads by example. Voters have finally decided to turn skin-colour blind and judge a man instead by his morals and ideals. Obama spoke of much, spoke of change that people could believe in but that change has yet to be seen. The first has been taken. Racial identities have been set aside for the greater good, to address the dire issues at hand.

The world economy is on the brink of collapse. Shortage of non-renewable sources of fuel threaten to create a global black out. The possibilty of a Third World War is very much real. Food wastage is huge in the more advanced parts of the world, while many more continue to starve to death.

Yet, this election has shown that Man has found the bravery to move onwards, to embrace change and set aside the past in order to create a new history. Change is at hand. The orator's words have yet to be turned into action but perhaps, it is the seeds of hope that he had sowed into hearts around the world that would create that change.

"What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of"

Cloud's first inter-varsity competition went well though not without a few hiccups in between. At the end of the day though, e questioned his competition fitness.

He had a 200m heats, 200m finals and the 4x100m in the same afternoon and he was almost completely drained after completing his second 200m of the day. Cloud thought that his legs might just give up on him then but he did not know that there were others who clocked a much greater mileage then he did. There were quite a few competitiors that besides taking the same events as he did, participated in an additional 4x400m at the end of the day but this feat was nothing to compared to this one other girl

Cloud had no idea how she could accomplish such a feat. She had run the 800m, then went on to win the 3000m later on and at the end of the day, sprinted her way through and helped her team win the 4x400m relay. It was just simply amazing and inspiring. It was only then that Cloud learnt how important fitness really was in such a competition.  Cloud really had to take a lesson or two on resilience from her.

Cloud was indeed thankful for everything. It was a very successful outing. More successul than he had hoped. And this came on the back of the announcement that he was now on a trial-period with a sponsor.

As his sponsor would say: Impossible Is Nothing

100m: 10.88s
200m: 22.15s (PB)
4x100m: 41.74 (New IVP Record)

It's the 7th week of school now and the more Cloud studied psychology, the more intriguing it became but at the same time, he began losing faith in himself. It was probably the bane of all psychologists. How could one not doubt himself after learning how easy it is to manipulate the mind. The most basic function of the mind is memory. Without memory, we could never learn and even then Cloud had learnt that whatever you remembered may not exactly what happened. It may not have happened at all.

After some time, memories within the mind begins to fade and in an attempt to fill the voids within the memory, the mind begins to create events based on the essence of the event that took place. Even this is easy to manipulate, memories can easily be induced just by the use of words to nudge a person into thinking that an event had occurred even though it may never have taken place.

Cloud then began to question himself. How much of the past, as he remembers it, is accurate? Could he have created illusions for himself? Could he have fooled himself into believing Aeris and he had truly been in love and that he was a truly happy man then? Could he have recreated Anna and Tifa to be true villains to him even though they were not?

Be that as it may, the past is done. History cannot be rewritten. The only way left to him now is forward and ever onward. This was his call of duty. Cloud may lose some parts of his soul in his duty, but he knows that saving lives was his top priority.

If there was one thing that Cloud was very sure about, it's that Aeris was born on 22 September 1987.

Happy 21st Aeris. May you live your life to the fullest, and have many happy years ahead of you.

Only God knows if we will live to see another tomorrow. Living each day as though it was his last made him open his mind more. Perhaps it was the holy month of Ramadhan that gave him nudge to feel that way. He only 'suffered', abstaining from food and water, from sunrise to sunset. Many in the world continue to hunger even after the sun had set. They hunger and thirst for days, months and years on end. Poverty their companion and death was no mere acquaintance. These people are the ones who truly have learnt to appreciate life. Every day they wake, they are grateful for, knowing that Death would come and embrace them at any time. Too many people have taken their lives for granted. Cloud was no exception. Tomorrow may never come. Death knows not wealth, age, gender nor race. Its embrace is universal and no one will ever be immune to its touch.

Live like there's no tomorrow. Have no regrets. You'd not like your last word on earth to be an utterance of evil or an arrow that which pierced through a heart. Hurt no one. Love all. And pray that you will be loved in return. When you die... Will anyone notice that you've left? Would there be anyone at your grave? Who will be the one to send you to your final resting place? Friends and family or strangers? Will they shed tears because they loved you? Or will they mock your departure?

When people hear your name, will they smile?

Oh how quickly time flew by. Within the blink of an eye, seasons change. Spring had become autumn but the leaves of love had yet to die on Cloud. The leaves have turned brown and shades of red only to show the maturing relationship he was having with Cissnei. The leaves would not wither. They would only turn darker as the passion and love between them grew further. Cloud had no doubt within his mind that this tree would grow into a mighty oak, without a fear of it tumbling anytime soon. It was not easy, but perhaps it was through the times of turmoil that their bond grew stronger. He was grateful to her. Grateful to have her. He knew not to take this for granted. It was time that he learnt from his past mistakes. It was time that Cloud truly understood the meaning of love.

Cloud had pictured the scene differently in his mind. He had played it over and over again, trying to figure out all the different ways it could turned out. But he had never once believed that it was going to be so easy. He had always believe it was going to be awkward. They've not spoken face to face for more than 2 years now. One thing he did get right though, it would be Aeris who initiated the conversation.

It's the second week of school and Cloud had begun wondering why he had not had so much as a glance of Aeris.  Sure the faculty was big and the school enrollment huge, but he was certain that he would bump into her sooner or later. And bump into her he did. It was under a very interesting circumstance really. You could consider the image rather iconic, the steps up the hill as the ascension through time and the recesses of his memory. He was walking up a flight of stairs to get to The Deck, the arts faculty canteen, to meet his new love, when Aeris saw him and decided to stop, waiting for him to come up. It was a rather short conversation really like how old friends would try to find topics to talk about. Nothing really awkward and yet he wondered how difficult it was for her to muster up such courage. After their brief encounter on the same platform or path, Aeris descended into his 'Past' while Cloud headed onwards through his present and into the future.

But Aeris wasn't the only familiar face he bumped into. He met at least 5 others within half an hour being at the canteen. People from his distant past, primary school friends, secondary school classmates and even those from junior college. It only made Cloud wonder more... If he should attend the primary school gathering that was to be organized the following night...