She came fifteen minutes early. The weather was drizzling. Not the greatest. We ate at a small noodle place. It was silent, with only about a few customers. A Thursday night. We talked about our basic backgrounds, how we knew our mutual friends, among others. I paid the bill and we headed off to bowling. I held my umbrella under her, as she smoked a cigarette. Everywhere else was quiet as the deep sea.

We got ourselves a pitcher of beer and shared it at the bowling alley. We had a good conversation.

"Chinese can be more poetic than English," she said. "But for me English is easier to speak."

A few strikes and spares later, her friends showed up, and we ended up joining them..

I wish that didn't happen.


In the end I escorted her back. We were sitting under the bus station shelter, the rain hitting from above. It was my chance to make a move, but something held me back. But what.. She didn't look so happy, smiled only a couple times throughout the night. Maybe that was just her.

"I had a good time," she said.

"Did you really?"

"I did," she was looking at the ground.

The bus came, we hugged, and I left.