“Putri & Amanah

︎

We talk for so long we nearly forgot our plan to arrive at the Esplanade earlier. We already know where’s the best spot to watch the fireworks, though we both wonder what was the point of the fireworks when the sky is still so bright. We find a spot at the edge of the park, so we won’t suffocate from the tight crowds.

Image Credits: Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. (Source)

The hour passes by as smooth as the wind from the bay, the salt tingling at my nose. A swarm of boats and flotillas dots the vast horizon. We talk about our own futures, of what we want for ourselves. We are already twenty eight, after all.

That’s when you said you still have no idea what you want in the next few years.

‘Not even a husband to take care of you?’ I ask, nudging at her elbow.

‘Not particularly. Good men are hard to find, no?’ You giggle. ‘Yes, I know I’ve been working there for two years now. But that’s all I know. I don’t even know what I actually like doing.’

You pause to aim your gaze at the sea. ‘How about you?’

‘Well, I suppose I want to build something of my own. So maybe I’ll set up my own business.’

‘Oh, is that why you’ve been staying back every Thursday with Shang?’

‘Yes, to learn accounting. Though I’ve been hearing nasty things from the other girls about me, with him being married and all. They even talk about it while they’re in the washroom and–’

You suddenly cup my cheeks, your hands warm against my skin. ‘Stop listening to what they have to say! You’ll never achieve something big if you keep listening to people with small minds.’

< Previous • Next >