Page 88 - Musings 2021

After a while, we were all starting to feel a little hungry, so we decided to go to Hard Rock
Cafe, which was still Pasadena’s greatest cafe. As we walked towards the cafe, a man covered
in a completely black suit came from behind us and started to pull at Kevin’s backpack.

He grabbed it and ran, and the three of us then chased after him. It felt like the most
exhilarating thing I had ever experienced! We finally caught up to him, and Mark pinned the
guy down while Kevin grabbed the backpack from him. I was just standing there in the
corner, just soaking in all the exhilaration. It had barely been 7 hours since I had been out in
the outside world, and it was already more eventful than the time in the bunker.

The three of us were full of adrenaline after this, and we decided to go to a nearby
amusement park. It was incredible - the rides were unlike anything I had ever seen! It was
crazy! There was a cool Pirates of the Caribbean ride and a fantastic Transformers 8D
experience ride. After this, we went to Hard Rock Cafe, and I gobbled up a double
cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke. Eating them lit up a craving I had had for so long I didn’t
even realise how much I was craving it.

Then, Kevin and Mark took me to this ice cream place and golly! They had flavours that
evoked emotions! I had the ‘When your phone is fully charged’ flavour, and its taste gave me
the satisfaction, which is just like the satisfaction one gets from having a fully charged phone.
I can’t wait to bring Tia, Joanna and Louise here one day.

After such an eventful day, I made my way back home. I got back home and saw a box of
DiGiorno’s pizza on the ground, and Tia, Joanna, and Louise asleep on the couch, while my
parents were having a chat. They called me over and started talking to me, asking me about
my day and friends. I told them all about the day and then was about to go upstairs when our
doorbell rang, a sound that I had not heard in such a long time; I was taken aback. My dad
answered the door, and to my astonishment, it was Kevin, Mark, and Kevin’s girlfriend,
Maria. They had a private conversation with my parents, after which my parents grinned at
me and said “Get outta here”. I was so confused! Apparently, Maria had suggested that we
make a road trip tonight down to a nearby cliff, where we could see Halley’s Comet, which
was supposed to pass over that cliff tonight as it does once every 76 years.

As we were going, I was reminded of all the high school experiences I had missed - prom,
homecoming, learning to drive, getting a job to make a little bit of money. However, I didn’t
have too much time to think about it, because Maria had started blasting songs from the
2000s. We were singing at the top of our lungs to songs from Phineas and Ferb, High School
Musical, and we were having a great time. I felt free for the first time in ages - uncontained,
and it felt like anything was possible. After five years of being cooped up in the same box, it
was overwhelming to be so unrestricted.

We reached the cliff and sat there for two hours - just us and the vast sky and stars. It felt like
something that you’d read in a story book but never think you’d be able to experience. It was
nearly 12am, and I was hanging out with my friends on a cliff, waiting to see a comet that
comes around once every 76 years. The comet was absolutely breathtaking. The stream of
light that followed it illuminated the dark sky so beautifully and felt almost symbolic to me -
it signified a new beginning.

At 1 am, we left the cliff spot and made our way back to my house. We reached my house at
around 2.30 am. I walked in to see both Mom and Dad asleep on the couch; I guess they’d

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