I got up early to have enough time and not rush like a madman to Jay's flat in XinBeitou. Only ten days after he moved in, he felt that there was something seriously wrong about the flat. Being the energy sensitive person he is, he quickly discovered that the building was surrounded by three electric pillars, which caused him to feel weak, nauseous and sleep very badly. He called the agency to try to find a solution. Naturally, I was shocked by the news. Everyone was. Less than two weeks! Jay himself was tired of having to follow the right path, thus leading quite an unstable life.
"I hope I can settle down very soon. This is draining!"
I can recall lengthy conversations we had when he just arrived in Taipei and found this flat. He saw himself developing a community in XinBeitou, even asked me to move out of mine and settle there. "Don't you like the quietness here? Don't you like the vibe?" he asked me as we were having a walk in the neighbourhood
He was the only tenant living in the building. The rest was office and English school. There was a terrace, he had just subscribed to the Internet, bought chairs for his classes and a bed... I had given him a big pot of paint so we could start turning the flat into something very comfortable.
"I like the way you painted your wall!" he said when I had just finished jazzing up one wall. I had pumped up one of the Parisian flats he had rented. We were quite happy with the result and a month later, he announced me that he was moving out and starting to travel around the world. "Because they tell to do so."
I'm relieved they told him to do so before we started the painting (the walls are huge).
And now?
I can recall lengthy conversations we had when he just arrived in Taipei and found this flat. He saw himself developing a community in XinBeitou, even asked me to move out of mine and settle there. "Don't you like the quietness here? Don't you like the vibe?" he asked me as we were having a walk in the neighbourhood
He was the only tenant living in the building. The rest was office and English school. There was a terrace, he had just subscribed to the Internet, bought chairs for his classes and a bed... I had given him a big pot of paint so we could start turning the flat into something very comfortable.
"I like the way you painted your wall!" he said when I had just finished jazzing up one wall. I had pumped up one of the Parisian flats he had rented. We were quite happy with the result and a month later, he announced me that he was moving out and starting to travel around the world. "Because they tell to do so."
I'm relieved they told him to do so before we started the painting (the walls are huge).
And now?
"Everything is changing in me at the moment. I know I have to develop the physical part of my life as I have developed the spiritual one. I have to go with the flow and follow my intuition", he told me. "I think I will settle in Taichung. The quality of life is better there."
What came next was that he also felt that his relationship with JhenChiang was coming to a new turn and that the two had to part ways, that is, as lovers.
What came next was that he also felt that his relationship with JhenChiang was coming to a new turn and that the two had to part ways, that is, as lovers.
I was early. Proud to be early (although it was only two minutes)! The appointment was set at 9:30 am. I was to open the door to the mover. Not much more was required from me. Just open the door.
As I was about to cross the street a thought struck me. "The keys... The keys???? The keys!!!!!" I had forgotten them at home. Another typical 'me' moment. I did remind myself to take them out of the drawer where I put them. But I was in the bathroom when the thought occurred to me and wrongly thought that I would still remember it a few minutes later.
A taxi was stopped just in front of me as I was cursing myself. The way I hopped in told the driver that it would not be a slow stroll in the city. He drove quickly. It was a miracle we weren't stopped by policemen or caught by the radars. In less then 15 minutes, I was back at my place. Contrary to some drivers, he would always remain extremely calm. He was perfect for emergency situations.
"Wait for me!!!" I told him.
A minute later, I was in the taxi again and he drove me back to XinBeitou in the same reckless way.
When we arrived, he looked at his watch and smiled proudly at me.
"A little more than 20 minutes in total!!!"
The mover was waiting down on the street, a jovial round faced young man. We loaded Jay's belongings in his vehicle and made our way to Jhen Chiang's parents'. If his small van obviously belonged to the last century, his driving was as reckless as the taxi driver's and he didn't far from intimidated by the stronger engines on the road. His car was making such alarming noise that I expected it to fall into pieces in the middle of the highway.
On the way back from Jhen Chiang's parents the mover said something that didn't make much sense to me. He showed me something at the end of the road. I could distinguish the words 'spice' and 'girl'. (the Spice Girls??? I quickly dismissed the idea as too incongruous. Since I didn't understand, he made a gesture with his hands which unmistakably described females curves. Then I understood = driver + girl = betelnut girls!!! A friend of mine had told about those sexy creatures who spend their day in a small shop, preparing hundreds of betelnuts for the drivers who, apparently love to chew them and who, after hundreds of mile driving their vans or lorries, enjoy the sight of a scantily clad nymphet coming to them to hand them a bagful of betelnuts. From what I heard, those hopeful road sirens wait for the driver charming who will take them as spouse. After the girl got back to her tiny little shop, the driver turned to me.
"Aaaaah!" he exclaimed, "This girl ugly!!! This girl girl too old!!!"
True. She wasn't the prettiest I had seen.
"Girls in Taipei ugly. In Taichung, in Kaohsiung, girls better!!!"
I couldn't stop laughing.
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