The flight from Taipei to Hong Kong felt longer than it really was. It was midday by the time Shuling could board the Airport Express. In the fast-moving train, Shuling caught her reflection.
Wild hair, blood red lips, her eyes heavy with dark makeup. She looked like a mess. Well, she felt like one as well.
She didn't have the time to change or freshen up. She went clubbing the whole night and then in the morning, picked up her luggage and left for Hong Kong.
Now that the whole ordeal had stopped, she couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes. She took out her phone from her backpack.
No missed calls.
Why was he always so sure that she'd return?
Wait...did he even notice she was gone?
A light chuckle escaped her hard-pressed lips.
Of Course not.
He never noticed. No matter what she did. Maybe in a week or so, Secretary Hu would call about her transfer to a new university.
If she was such a big burden then let him live his life as if she didn't exist.
She forced out the sim card from her phone. Taking one last look at it, she burned it with a lighter. With the same lighter, she lit herself a smoke.
The twenty minutes in the train passed like that, with a cigarette and silent tears.
When the train reached the station, Shuling finished the last of her cigarette. People passed by her till the whole train was empty.
She slowly got up and extinguished her smoke. Taking the small luggage from underneath her chair, she exited the train.
She looked around. Finding a pay phone on the left corner, she went there.
Seeing the coin slot she checked her pockets.
No coins, only a few hundred dollar bills. Looking to her left she saw the washrooms.
The mirror reflected her state of mind. Turning on the tap, she splashed a handful of water on her face. Picking up the hand washing soap, Shuling smeared it all over her face.
After ten minutes of wash, rinse and repeat, her face was finally clean. She stared back at her reflection in the mirror. She tried to smile.
It was an utter failure. She tried again.
And again.
When she was satisfied she exited the washroom.
Outside the station, she called for a taxi. Because her Cantonese was still pretty broken, she went to two wrong addresses before reaching Wendy's house.
It was a large mansion. at the end of a very busy street. This was her last hope now.