French Fries - Part 5

The trouble with Hopi Hari was that it was extremely far from where we lived. But I had planned everything: I bought bus tickets to the park and back, and also our tickets for the park itself. We decided to meet at the subway, and from there we would go to the bus station. Everybody had to wear masks back then because of the pandemic, so I was worried that we would not recognize each other.

When I arrived at the subway station, she was already there. I recognised her instantly—maybe it was because of her figure, or because of her eyes, perhaps both. The only thing that was different was her hair: she had cut it very short. I admit it was a bit of a disappointment for me, as I loved her long hair, but that alone wasn't going to stop me from liking her. The first thing I did was hug her, which is something I think I had never done before.

We talked all the way there, and it felt like nothing was real; I couldn't make myself believe that any of it was actually happening. When we arrived at the park, it was amazing. It really felt like old times, like we were kids once again. The only bad thing was those annoying masks. We couldn't even see each other's faces, which for a first date is not ideal. But at a given point, when we were alone on the Ferris wheel, I took my mask off, and so did she, and we finally kissed. I was a bit embarrassed, to be honest, and so was she. It was a funny situation: two introverts trying to be romantic.

I thought that kiss would be the first of many, but it actually ended up being the only one that day. It's comforting to put the blame on the masks, but I believe I should have been more bold. I'm sure she wouldn't have minded if I removed her mask to kiss her again; maybe she was even expecting it. The fact is that I was so worried about not messing things up that I forgot it was supposed to be a date. I was thinking way too much.

There was going to be an event there called the "Night of Horror," which was set to begin at 6 pm, and she was excited to see it. We had to leave at 7 pm to catch the bus, and I thought it would be okay, but the start of the event was delayed; it started at 6:30. It basically consisted of walking around the entire park (which was huge, by the way) while avoiding the "monsters." At this point I was so worried about missing the bus that I basically started running, and she was falling behind.

Reflecting back on this moment, I can see how stupid I was for doing that. I shouldn't have run ahead, telling her to go faster. I should have been by her side, holding her hand, protecting her from the "monsters." But no, apparently I was more worried about the bus than I was about her. In the end, we still missed the bus and had to go by train. So if we were going to miss the bus either way, I at least could have been more caring toward her, I suppose.