Chapter 18:
The Rowan Tree
❦
In the end,
I don't join my friends
at the park.
I'm here
at this chicken rice shop
that used to be a bar.
It's empty when I walk inside.
There's no sound when the door opens
—there's none when it closes either.
Inside,
it looks like a museum exhibit
and hasn't been touched
for a whole week.
The ceiling fans
squeak in a familiar way.
The fluorescent lights
are too bright.
There's no one here.
I walk up to the counter,
peering into the kitchen.
Rowan's father
puts down his chopper
and greets me.
'Where's Rowan?' I ask.
I'm given a plate of chicken rice
(despite protesting)
and i sit on a barstool
staring at him work.
He hums a song under his breath
as he moves around the kitchen.
He seems to be really busy,
but I don't know why.
There aren't customers
who will come to a chicken rice shop
in this ulu place.
The chicken hanging in the display
looks fresh;
the untouched state
of the shop
gives away how long they've been hanging there.
He smiles at me
as if to check
if I'm still there.
He has a
really
childish
grin.
I think about the kid from the petrol kiosk.
[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]
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