trip down memory lane

she accompanied lily to ipoh last saturday. 

after having delicious nasi beriani, grilled chicken, gado-gado and masak lemak cili padi nangka at lily's varsity room mate's wedding, they went 'gallivanting' around the quaint town.

rows upon rows of pre-war shop houses, many almost crumbling down. 
not all old buildings have the significance to be awarded the 'heritage' value.

she posed before the imposing railway station. lily was amazed at the 'majesty' of the building.

she then started telling lily about her memories of ipoh, the railway station and.....starry-starry nite....

they say old flames die hard.

well, it was actually just the start to an attraction. two young gullible hearts met all of a sudden. something rekindled. the feelings were mutual.

she was young, silly, romantic and plain. he was dashing, poetic, tall and good looking. 

both were in boarding schools.

he sent her poems. she swooned. his perfect english captivated her imagination.

after her a-levels, on her way home from school, they met at the kl railway station. in those days she travelled by train from her home up north to her school just a little south of the capital city, at town s on merbah hill..

they walked to a tea house. she had a fresh orange. he had hot tea. that was the first and last time they went out together. it must have been a starry nite....

she never had a boyfriend before. she was too much a wall flower. she didn't know what he saw in her.

she recalled too that nite at the ipoh railway station. in 1976. wow so very long ago...

she was returning to school after the term holidays. he said he'd wait at the railway station to see her. the train stopped at ipoh station at about 1 am. then she had the jitters. she saw him looking through the train windows for her.

but she hid from view. they did not meet. he wrote to her the next day telling how he returned to his hostel in the rain. he had a cold too...

in retrospect she saw the gentleness in him. ever the gentleman. sweet natured. artistic. qualities which she were looking for.

but the silly streak in her clouded her vision.

now the little episode remains a sparkling star in her tapestry of memories.....

again,

i saw a star
i should have reached for it
i didn't
so i only have the sky....