I was blowing my hair when AJ called me, “Where in Central you wanna meet?”
“Oh, we gonna meet today? I never heard from you and thought you wanted to meet tomorrow. Well, wait for me a little bit. I’ll get ready and see you in 20 minutes.” I have a tendency to sound overly positive when I’m running late. I think partially because I’m too nice that I want others to feel comforting and then they wouldn’t feel annoyed when I did get late.
Surprisingly this time I managed to get to PMQ in 20 minutes. AJ arrived right after me. We talked as we walked to a nearby bar. First we tried Medusa. Last time we checked there it was super packed and we can’t get a seat. I thought it would be nice to go back there before AJ left Hong Kong. While after we walked down those super narrow stairs arriving at that shady basement, we only found it was closed that day.
“Why they don’t put a sign on the ground floor?” AJ really liked that spot, but clearly it got tested this time.
It was hot and humid outside. We couldn’t bother to walk any further and sat down in a Belgian beer bar across the street.
I will leave for Peru that coming Friday and AJ would move to US four days after. This drink would be our last catch up in a very long time. As a Dutch guy, AJ got the typical tall and blonde features and also the famous national characteristic — stingy (that’s his word and he never forgets to remind people it is Dutch that invented “go Dutch”). He once even praised me for not trading my look for free meals with guys. For a moment, I didn’t know whether I should feel happy or sad. I met AJ at my first job when I was out of the graduate school. My then boss asked me to update her new projects on the firm’s website and I asked a colleague from the digital marketing team for help. That helpful colleague was AJ. And later he became one of my closest friends in Hong Kong. I think what makes AJ such a precious friend to me is, besides how nice and honest he is, he makes up part of my missing character. I didn’t like confrontation and backed down easily. AJ, opposite to me, raised by a banker father and being argumentative since a teenage boy on the family dining table, has been very helpful to show me how to stand strong and be unapologetic. Over the years, he has become a big brother to me and a backbone during my not-so-easy time in Hong Kong.
For a long time, I only knew he and his flat mate Jonas were two enthusiastic coders who would develop some apps in their spare time every now and then. Until two years ago one of their new apps finally got positive feedback from the market, AJ started to consider going full-time at his own business. Around the same time, he met an amazing American lady and fell madly in love. Earlier this year AJ quit his corporate job and told the world he will move to US to be with his wife-to-be. Clearly Dutch is also very efficient. He announced his wedding only half a year in advance and right after I booked my Peru holiday in early September. No way can I take two holidays in one single month. I felt quite disappointed when I realized I may not be able to come. Again I applied my overly positive strategy: who knows what will happen? It is still 6 months away. I may go in the end. After three months, I did suspect I may actually make it as my job became shaky. At the most difficult time in May, I cheered myself: if it doesn’t work out, at least I can go to one of my best friends’ wedding.
Coming to August, things suddenly moved fast after dragging for three months. Like swimming in the murky water, gradually patience wears thin and you expect to see something, whether good or bad. At that point, all you need is a target, even a broken one. At least you can fix it. I don’t know if this is me being weak and giving up. For this reason I always admire the first explorers trying to prove the earth is a globe. I might be crashed when I set off on the sea and for months can’t see the land.
In two weeks, I wrapped up my old job, returned my apartment to the landlord and extended my Peru trip to a month. Now I knew I definitely will miss AJ’s wedding in Portland. At the end of our last drink, I promised AJ and also promised myself, “I will visit you and Sarah next year.”
Meanwhile, I have a bigger task — fix the broken target.