It was in my second years of high school that I acquainted with them, meeting through sheer luck and fate. I, for one, never heard of them before and vice-versa. We lived in the same city, going through the same middle school even, yet we never met each other in any way, shape, or form. Until that day.
It was not a 'proper' meeting per se, we meet due to a middleman, in an online video game. There was the usual awkwardness in the first meeting, then came the second, then the third, and so on and so forth. In my third year of high school, we became regular gaming buddies. With no pre-determined gaming schedule, we just hit up the other party when we want to.
We heard each other voices almost on daily basis, we even added each other on social media. Yet we never met in person. Not even once. Not during my high school years, not during my college years, and now I am entering my 5th years of working here on a small office, I am almost 30 years old and had lost my gaming touch, miraculously we are still in touch with each other, this small group of 5 dudes who happened to be playing the same game 11 years ago. But I never met them.
Not that it was hard to do so, we lived in the same city for all of our lives, we even casually mentioned a group meeting every now and then. It was half-joking back then, thinking that we have all the time in the world to do it, no need to rush it.
There was no urgency to meet back then, in all honestly there is not much urgency now either. It just strikes me weird that I spent so much of my youth with them yet we never saw each other in person. Funny. Though this is a mystery I can live with, sure there is social media and all, and we knew each other so well that we can predict who will be busy and who will be free on a certain day.
Meeting now in my age and current job is very unlikely, to say the least. I had a busy working hours on the weekdays, and few potential calls to expect on weekends. The others are not that free either. One is basically a semi-professional baseball athlete, online name 'Hinata' due to his love to a certain cartoon character. Being an athlete, although not on the highest level, means he spent everyday on the gym or training with his team until game day.
One guy is currently in his final years of residency, wanting to obtain a medical license before opening his own clinic on the far end of the island. After that, meeting him in town would be downright impossible. The only chance to meet him is right now, as a resident doctor on a major hospital in the city.
The last 2 are the actual middlemen that combined us together, they went to the same high school as me and so I am familiar with them. The latter is a job hopper, moving from one startup company to the other. We don't really know why he has not settled to one particular job, though he is living well so there is nothing to complain about.
Berrymore and Mizert, the two responsible for bringing us all together, were once roommates with me. Berrymore actually worked on the same building with me, but he moved to a different apartment because he is getting married. Mizert recently moved away to his parent's home, both now gone. I go for a coffee with Berrymore once every few weeks due to our conflicting schedule, while my visit to Mizert is long overdue.
Timbo was very different from his online persona, 'Hinata'. His girlish online name, with equally girlish online profile picture might mislead people into thinking he is a girl, but in truth the actual user of that account is a tall, buffed man with big arms, wide shoulders and strong legs. His calf is huge, complete eye catcher. Granted most photos of him are training picture or game picture, but in some rare cases where he is spotted using shorts, the fans went wild. Some online fans even devoted themselves as the 'Calf Cult'.
Yamza, the aspiring doctor, also lost his touch in gaming. His new hobbies include gardening and fishing. Both the preferred activities on his free time. He got quite a collection of potted plant going, all homegrown and proudly presented on his social media.
One day, Timbo and his team are doing so well, they won their first cup. None of us are baseballs fans but we made sure to keep up with Timbo and his team only. I called that night to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, I read some comments and they said you performed amazing" I opened the call with a huge praise. He did play well, I can tell as I watched the match on my TV. "Thanks, it has been long coming but we did it at last" We chatted for a while about his team until he drops a surprise "The boss said we have the next 2 weeks off to celebrate, all of us are ecstatic. Would you like to meet up on one of those days?"
I quickly opened my notepad and browsing through the next 2 weeks schedule. Nothing major. It might be possible to meet Timbo after all.
"I got some leeway in the coming 2 weeks, it should be possible"
"Excellent, Yamza called earlier today, and he said weekday is a no-no. But weekend, he might be able to come up with something" replied Timbo with high optimism. I tried to downplay my availability, in case something do come up. But Timbo and his gleeful reply made me regret my approach. He was so pumped up to get this group meeting going.
"I was actually expecting calls from Berrymore and Mizert, but they seemed busy today. You three lived super close, can you ask them out on my behalf?"
"Sure, I met Berrymore regularly and my visit to Mizert is long overdue anyway" I can't help but get infected with his euphoria, making me do all sort of things I never imagined. Visiting Mizert, for example.
That night, I catch myself reminiscing our old times, gaming together almost daily. Hearing their voices for all my high school years, it's almost impossible to think that their voices and mannerism could change so much, yet they stayed the same. The familiar group of gaming buddies I knew. These thought kept me up late, too many memories unpacked.
The promised day arrived, Saturday in the middle of the day, I was the first to arrive. We met at a roadside coffeeshop, due to prior agreements. Me arriving first means I had the responsibility of choosing our seats.
Meeting of this caliber deserved the best seat, unmistakably
I have chosen the booth located by the window, giving clear view of the road. With ample light throughout the day, the comfy cushion, and the ease of access, this must be the best seat. I seated myself on the red couch, trying out all sort of sitting positions. A cute waiteress came by, giving me the menu. I softly dismissed her by saying I will order after my friends arrived. The waiteress nodded and with a smile, went on her way. Leaving me with the menu.
I scanned the menu thoroughly, flipping the pages back and forth. Searching for something that could catch my attention. I am by no means regular coffee drinker. This is my first time visiting this particular coffeeshop, but I am no stranger to caffeine, I know what to expect.
My attention was broken when Berrymore walked through the door, we saw each other right away. "Yo, how's your wife?" Are the first thing I asked as he walked closer to the booth. "Fine and dandy, apartment in fine shape too" Berrymore definitely did not missed being roommates with me, his apartment is so much nicer. And he got a wife too.
There is no pre-determined dress code, so I arrived in my shirt and jeans with a thin jacket. I used the bus, so thick or bomber jacket are unnecessary. Berrymore arrived in shirts and cotton pants, no doubt his wife pickings. He was not one to pay too much attention to fashion.
The cute waiteress walked to our booth, tray in hand bringing my caramel macchiato and Berrymore's mocha with heavy cream. We also ordered fries because we will be here for a while, better make it as enjoyable as possible.
Uhmm, my drink is a little bit too sweet, but oh well this is a new experience for me. The fries however, is not bad at all, I can live with this.
As we enjoyed the fries, the door caught our attention. This time it's Mizert turn to arrive.. He's looking fresh as always, now with his bright colored untucked jacket with equally colorful shirt underneath. Topped with a, seriously, black shades and some funky hat.
"Hey, it's been a long time" Mizert broke the staring contest with a simple greeting. "Sure is" said Berrymore, fries in hand. "Hop in, fries still hot" I completed the greeting as I invited him to the booth.
Mizert jump right into the booth and took no time to gobble up the fries. Outpacing me and Berrymore. "Calm down, it's only fries" cried Berrymore, trying to secure some fries for himself. "It's good though" was the only defence Mizert could came up with. A weak one that.
As the last fries consumed by Mizert, the door opened once again and our collective stare went to the storefront. A young couple, both might be still in high school, went through the door, hand clinging to each other while walking side by side. Their hand holding but only the male palm is visible to us, the female palm is just devoured by the burly, big hand from the male.
They must have noticed our glare and walked to the other end of the store, far away from us. I don't blame them, they must be startled.
The door has not completely closed yet, but another pair of customer walked in. This time it's 2 males, both with jackets, hood down. The first male's jacket is a soft-white, almost light gray while the second male's jacket is dark green with orange accent. Both seems around the same height.
"Heyo, it's been a long time, Berrymore and Mizart. You must be Mayora, we played as a group of 5 for years yet this is our first meeting. I am Yamza, the retired-gamer" The male with white jacket was the first to introduced himself. Yamza the aspiring doctor, now living a simple life of gardening and other outdoor activities outside of work.
That leave the other one to be Timbo, the one with dark green jacket as the latest rising star of the (semi-professional) baseball scene. The one that brought us together to meet for the first time.
"Sorry I'm late, traffic is nuts. This city need some major transportation revamp. Thanks for getting us some nice seats. This is some premium looking seats, good job" Timbo wastes no time in his introduction, singing praises, and sit down nicely across me. "I met Yamza on the parking lot, we did not plan to go together at all, actually" Timbo added after seated down while trying to find any server. Yamza nodded in agreement.
The cute waitress walked toward us, menu in hand. Timbo and Yamza took turn viewing what the coffeeshop has to offer, while Mizart is considering another serve of fries. It's only an hour since I arrived but it felt like a long time, my mouth is suffering from all the talking and the extra sweet beverage.
All is going well, their real-life personalities not that different. Maybe we were that close that they saw no need to build-up a different online persona. That's good news.
"Mizert, you still living alone?" Yamza asked Mizert who by far the biggest fries eater among this group. "Me? Yeah. House is nice, rent is manageable, living condition nice and solid. I don't see a reason to move out or anything" Mizert answered while slowly but surely taking another fries from the plate.
"You know I had another year or so, and then I will move out. I was hoping you would take care of my plants, I don't think I will bring them along" Oh so that's why Yamza asking him about living alone. Less person to asks permission from.
"Yea sure, my lawn is bare as it is. Not that I do anything to fix it though, hahaha. Bring them potted babies of yours, I am ready" declared Mizert with a hearty laugh, accepting the request. The details will be talked later but they had an agreement.
We talked for many hours to come. The sun is setting down, and the evening skies rose up to the occasion. The air around us felt chilly, maybe a rain is coming, much to Yamza's dismay. "Looks like I will be late tonight" he muttered to himself but loud enough for us to hear.
"You got some place to be soon, Yamza?" Berrymore the first to ask. "Yeah, need to report to my supervisor by 6. That's about an hour from now, think the rain will come earlier than that?"
"Maybe, my phone said it will rain tonight. Don't know what hour though" I chimed in. "I'll drive you, Yamza. Wife wanted to dine out tonight. 30 minutes from now on sounds good?" Berrymore the (only) married guy in the group offered his help which Yamza gladly accepted. The closing stages of our long overdue meeting is drawing closer and closer.
Our final serving of beverages and snacks arrived, we start munching in silence. All waiting for someone to speak first. Our sudden change into gloomy atmosphere was noticed by the waitress, walking towards our table. "Is everything alright?" there are some trembling on her voice. Must be shocking for her to witness a very talkative group suddenly gone silent. "Is the food okay? Anything else I can get you?" She must have think the situation was partially her fault, or, the food's fault to be exact.
"Everything alright miss"
"Yeah, all good here"
"Actually, would you mind taking our picture?"
"Uhm yeah, no problem" as the waitress reached for Yamza's phone, the one with best camera in our group, we gathered in the same row, diagonally opposite from where the waitress stand. Giving us as many coverage as possible.
We took some photos, each with different pose. The waitress was kind enough to stay with us during the whole photo shenanigans. For the last photo, we actually asked the waitress to take part, switching the phone into front-camera mode. The waitress declined with a sheepish smile, but we asked her again, anyway.
After the whole photo op was done, the 30 minutes wait time is also over. Berrymore and Yamza are the first to take their leave. Followed by Mizert. Leaving me with Timbo as the last 2.
"Ya know, it was a blast meeting you guys. Who knew our first meeting as high school gaming buddies actually took place a decade later. It sure is fun, a lot more enjoyable than meeting some fans you didn't knew, yet they knew every little thing about you"
"Yeah, meeting you after a decade of waiting does kinda make me melancholy. I felt like I want to be teenagers again, immediately booting up our games after this"
"Hahaha, I felt the same. Nice meeting you, Mayora. I mean, really nice finally meeting you"
"Same for me, take care" I parted ways with him as I went to the bus stop, umbrella in hand. Meanwhile Timbo is waiting for his club-facilitated driver. I would like to wait with him, but evening bus is always crowded like crazy, no matter the day.
Rainy evening somewhat lower the bus attendance, but that just makes the road traffic worse as many people opted to use taxi. A lose-lose situation for me. Its only Saturday, but I felt my energy is drained to the core, as I contemplate whether to use Sunday as total rest day or do some grocery shopping. The bus arrived, with less than half capacity filled. I took my seat as the coffeeshop fade into the rainy mist.
My bus ride was rather unpleasant, I am tired but can't seemed to relax for one second. Something kept me on the edge the whole ride home. Napping is out of the question. As I reached my apartment, I soak myself to a cold shower, hoping to flush the mental drain away. Instead, I found myself weeping in the shower. Tears, unmistakably mine, is streaming down my cheeks, one drop at a time.
This is surprising, it has been a long time since my last cry. I don't even remember if it was a sad or happy one. This one is leaning toward the sad side for sure. It would be weird to cry tears of joy from meeting some old friends hours after we split up.
I meet Berrymore regularly every few weeks, I last met Mizert maybe almost a year ago but he is still keeping in regular contacts with me. I may have lived alone for a few months now, but I never felt this way. No way I predicted some high school reunions could get me teared up. I sat down, shower still drenching me with cold water, eyes all watery.
Am I disappointed from meeting Timbo and Yamza? Are they different from what my mind made them up to be? No. Not that. I am glad to finally meet them, I know their faces, I recognized their voices, I am familiar with their demeanors. So why am I crying uncontrollably after meeting them?
Mizert arrived at his own home, not feeling well due to the cold weather and the fact that he did not eat a proper lunch, it was all fries and ice cream from the coffeeshop. He started feeling dizzy as he approached the front door. Taking the key from his pocket took some effort, and now he rushed to the kitchen to drink some water.
"Dang, this is not fun at all" Mizert muttered to himself as he tried to calm his mind. Now the pain branches from his head to his stomach. He is holding to the kitchen sink as his leg can't seem to be moved. Just as he was about to start cursing, he vomited, followed by a big belch. Luckily all of it did not escape the sink.
"I am home" a man voiced his greeting as he opened the front door.
"Welcome home, honey" a woman voice coming from the bedroom, along with with a few rustle. Probably coming from the woman doing her makeup.
"The rain looks bad, would you like to order out instead?"
"Aww, I was looking for this dinner since God knows when"
Berrymore has to cancel the promised dinner with his wife, he was lucky to left early enough that he did not get caught in the traffic jam. Yamza no doubt will be thanking him too.
"How was the reunion, Mr. Timbo?" the driver asked him as he entered the car, light drizzle hit the backseat. "It was fun, I had a great time" Timbo answered the driver while taking off his wet green jacket, exposing his slightly wet shirt. Timbo, seated comfortably in the backseat of a black sedan, now become another victim of the rainy weather traffic. The car has been motionless for about 15 minutes.
"It will be a long ride, is it?"
"Unfortunately it is looking that way, sir"
Bored out of his mind, Timbo tried to close his eyes. But in the middle of his half-asleep state, his phone woke him up. Not many people have access to Timbo's personal phone, he usually gives his agent's number. So whoever called is guaranteed to be close confidant. It was Mayora.
"Ah Mayora. Something wrong? I am stuck in the middle of some traffic and its killing me so feel free to talk about anything. No, please talk about anything hahaha"
"Timbo, I think I liked you, romantically"
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