James has stayed single since his wife passed away almost two decade ago. At 47, he’s still staying at the same house and despite many women expressing interests at such an eligible bachelor, he has turned them all down. He can’t bring himself to love another woman other than his deceased wife. One day, an 18 year old girl in her JC uniform turned up in front of his door, shattering his world.

James : Did the buyer confirm the last penthouse unit?

James asked his staff Tom in the office.

Tom : Yup, he loved it. It’s done bro, 100% sold.

James smiled and felt a wave of relief wash over him. He has been buying houses and rebuilding them over the years to sell them. He finally took the plunge to develop a small condo. Initially, he was plagued by worries that it will not sell, but the 30 unit development was snapped up within a year, giving him confidence that he is doing the right thing.

James : That’s good, that’s good.

Tom : The pair of houses in Holland was sold too.

James: What? I didn’t hear about that.

Tom grinned and held up the document.

Tom : I kept it from you for a week…Happy birthday bro.

James : Hello…You’re my staff, who say you can call me bro? haha

Tom threw the contract at James’ face.

Tom :During in camp training, you still got to call me Sir ok. You don’t Chee bye…

James: But i ROD already…hahha

Tom laughed and went forward to give James a hug.

Tom : Happy birthday bro, please…for fuck sake. Join Clara and me for dinner tonight.

James thanked Tom for the offer but he preferred to spend the evening alone.

Tom :Don’t fucking do this James…Elise has passed on for almost 2 decades…you still have a whole life ahead of you.

James :sigh…i…i can’t Tom…i can’t…

James thanked Tom for the offer and he quickly made up some excuses to get out of the office.

James: I got to go grab something on the way home. You say hi to Clara for me ya. I’ll join you guys next week.

Tom : James.. James!

James : help me tell the staff i’m on leave on Monday. I’ll sort out anything that needs to be signed when i get back. And Pantry auntie is sick, so everyone washes their own cups, i don’t want coffee and milo stains in the sink…and you bloody hell uninstall Starcraft from the office computer…don’t think i don’t know.

Tom : JAMES!

James ducked out of the office and ran to the lift before Tom could say anything else.

Despite doing well for himself after Elise’s passing, James continued to lead a simple life. He walked passed Tom’s BMW and several of his staff’s car towards the train station.

Everyone in his office of 10 drives and stays in private property. It was something that James was proud of because it meant he was doing something right if his employees are moving ahead in life. As for him, he is still saying in the same 5 room flat in Bedok. He could have got a bigger place, a fancy car, but he wanted none of that. He just want everything to remain the same for himself.

Coming out of the train station, James went to the hawker stall and bought his dinner. Chicken rice for himself and an extra serving of grilled chicken chop. He made the 10 minutes walk home and said hi to his neighbour, an 80 year old retiree, Auntie Jane.

Jane was sitting on her rocking chair outside her flat, fanning herself with a straw fan.

James: Auntie…eat already?

Jane smiled and nodded as her small portable radio filled the floor with old classic songs.

Auntie Jane has been his neighbour since the day he moved in 20 years ago. She was once the spunky and mobile grandmother who would often check in on James and Elise, offering them food and kuehs she baked.

James, helped Auntie Jane with her groceries and whatever help she needed around the house.

Ever since her husband passed away a few years back, she has been living alone. Her children come to visit her every weekend with their own families, and

James always envied the crowd when they arrived. There was something magical about being surrounded by loved ones and watching children run around.

James unlocked the door and put his food down. He took out the ice cream cake he had prepared the day before and put it on the dining table.

His house is kept simple and free of clutter. Every single furniture was still the same one from when he got married and moved in 20 years ago. If something broke down, he will fix it. Money is not an issue as long as it look exactly the same as before.

The TV looked like it belonged in a museum while the tacky cornices with spotlights framed up the living room. There were crack lines on only one side of the sofa, the side where James usually sat. The colour of the wooden dining table is of a different shade too, on the side where James usually have his dinner.

Walls of the house were filled with pictures of Elise and him when they were young. From their days in Junior college, to University, to the day they walked down the aisle. Like a time capsule frozen ,

in time, their memories were captured in every frame.

The pictures stopped after Elise passed away in her sleep one day.

Her heart just stopped, there were no illness, no accident, her heart just stopped working. James was devastated, they were married for less than a year, and both of them just bought tickets to Japan for their honeymoon. James woke up that day and realised Elise’ body had turned cold, she wouldn’t respond to him. He didn’t even get to tell her he loved her one last time.

Elise’s passing broke him and it took him close to a year to walk out from the shadows, and even then,

there was a part of him that remained with her in that dark place. He couldn’t bear the thought of moving on, of loving someone new, because Elise was his one true love. As he sat down to eat his chicken rice, he couldn’t help but glance at the empty seat across from him, where Elise used to sit with her bright smile and contagious laughter.

After finishing his chicken rice, and the chicken chop treat he occasionally indulges in, James opened up the cake. He put on the birthday candle and lit it.

He stared at the flickering flame and tears welled up in his eyes. He’s 47, he wondered how many more years he has to spend alone before he sees her again.

James : I just want one more chance…one more chance to tell you i love you baby…just one more chance…

James shut his eyes, letting tears stream down his face as he extinguished the candle with one forceful breath.

He cut the ice cream cake and the old school doorbell rang.

James looked towards the door and then at the clock. He don’t remember having any delivery packages and he certainly wasn’t expecting any visitors.

The door bell rang again, more impatiently this time.

James opened the door and was surprised to see a stranger at the door. It was a student, still in her JC school uniforms.

The dull green blouse and skirt brought back memories of his schooling days because he went to the same college. At 1.6m, the girl is about a head shorter than James, her arms are folded and she has a rather impatient look on her face.

Her large round eyes looked a little fierce and it reminded James of how his wife will glare at him when he was late for their dates.

James : Yes?

The girl looked at James, staring at him from head to toe, then back up again before she burst out laughing.

James : Are you lost? Do you need help? Who are you looking for?

The girl pressed her lips together and gave James a playful glance before smiling.

Girl : I want you to go on a date with me…

It took James a second to register her request and he burst out laughing.

James: hahaha…

James looked outside the door, looking for the prank cameras. Influencers will do anything these days to create content and get views. Auntie Jane was no longer sitting outside but her rocking chair was still moving. She must have just gone back into her house.

James : You know what, i’ve had a long day. I’m not interested in doing this for your tik tok or whatever…so please just go…

James was about to shut the door when the girl pushed the door panel with both palms, trying to get a look inside the house.

James: what are you doing!

The girl caught a peek of the interior before she was pushed back by James.

James: What is the matter with you!

The girl just laughed and giggled in amusement.

Girl : I’m going to wait for you tomorrow morning at the place we have our first date. You hear me? 9am…you don’t be late ah…

James : Crazy…

James shut the door in her face and went back to his melting cake.

The girl stared at the shut door and took a step back before turning towards the lift, mouthing the words softly under her breath.

Girl : Happy birthday James…

9600 words

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