The distant clock tower had already struck the hour of early morning. I stood in the wind and rain, repeatedly wiping the rainwater off my face. Even in the square west of the old city, there was no trace of Mi Cai. If our meeting had been a game, then this game would end on this rainy night. Yet I felt so unwilling, because I had tried hard to win her back. Now, it had become a futile effort on my own.
I felt sad, but even a cigarette to relieve some of the sadness couldn’t be lit in the rain. Choking back tears, I sang “If You Want Me” again in the center of the square. I felt defeated, believing that my very existence was a lie to the entire world. No one was willing to believe me anymore. Thus, I truly felt that overwhelming loneliness that the rain seemed to bring.
This night was just too terrible for me…
Finally, I closed my eyes, refusing to sense anything in this world. It even seemed as if the rain had stopped suddenly. I no longer felt the cold drops running down my neck. Think about it—how heartbroken I was this night, heartbroken enough to lose all my senses toward the world.
In my disappointment, I opened my eyes again and noticed a floral umbrella suddenly above my head. A faint, delicate fragrance filled the space under the umbrella. Then I saw her white, slender hand gripping the handle of the umbrella… She had come. But I could no longer control my emotions. In an instant, I was overwhelmed, forgetting to turn around and look at her or embrace her.
Her other hand wrapped around my waist. She leaned against my shoulder and whispered, “I knew you would come…”
I finally turned around and hugged her tightly, asking, “But where were you when I arrived? I had already given up. Don’t you know that?”
“I’ve been waiting for you here all along, sitting behind the sculpture… Countless people have passed by, and I also felt desperate, but you finally came!”
I turned to look behind me. Indeed, the back of the sculpture in the square was a blind spot. Luckily, I had sung “If You Want Me,” or we might have truly missed each other because of the sculpture’s obstruction.
I hugged her tighter, saying, “So this time, let’s not talk about ‘then’ again, nor let a few steps of distance turn into a lifetime of separation. Can we promise that?”
Mi Cai nodded. Then she rested her head on my shoulder. I exhaled deeply, sighing at the unpredictability of fate, yet more grateful that fate had suddenly overturned all my previous thoughts. We had finally met here because of our unfinished connection.
The rain was still drizzling. I placed my rain-soaked hand on her shoulder, still somewhat dazed, still somewhat unable to believe that we really had restarted our relationship in this rainstorm. Could this rain wash away all the pain caused by our previous separation? In any case, I no longer wanted to recall the past. Right now, I only wished to return to that café called “West of the Old City” for a cup of hot coffee, and then chat with her about our recent lives.
…
Holding the umbrella, I hugged Mi Cai and we walked in unison, along the lifeless old alley toward the café. Upon arrival, I was relieved to find the café was still open. The unnamed owner had kept his promise—he was still waiting for me, and I had finally brought the woman who could share a cup of coffee with me.
Looking at the café sign, Mi Cai softly read, “West of the Old City… Does it have any special meaning?”
“It should, though I’m not sure. But after drinking a cup of coffee here with the same name, I decided to go to that square to find you, because the coffee really had the taste of ‘West of the Old City’—it was too bitter!”
“I want to try it…”
I nodded. Then, lowering the umbrella, I hugged Mi Cai’s shoulder and walked into the café. The owner in the denim jacket was sitting under a kerosene lamp, smoking alone while flipping through a magazine. I told him, “Two cups of ‘West of the Old City,’ please.”
He stubbed out his cigarette and gestured for us to sit first. I led Mi Cai to a table near the window. She continued to look around the café curiously and said, “I think this must be a café with stories.”
I smiled and said, “If I hadn’t found you today, I would have opened a café like this to express my lifelong regret!”
“So you think this café was born out of regret?”
I nodded. Then I glanced at the owner who was grinding coffee beans. His silence reminded me of Roben. At that time, Roben was living through the most decadent period of his life. In fact, ‘West of the Old City’ represented a kind of despair formed during the waiting for transformation, just like this old city district. The westward direction was marked with prominent demolition signs, all vitality extinguished. No one could tell exactly when it would be reborn in a new form.
Moments later, the owner brought the two cups of “West of the Old City” to Mi Cai and me, then returned to the bar counter, continuing to read the magazine. I maintained my old habit, stirring the coffee several times with a spoon before gulping it all down in one go. The warmth within the bitterness immediately dispelled the chill from my rain-soaked body, and once again, I felt an indescribable sense of relief.
Mi Cai looked at me in disbelief, as no one usually drinks coffee like that. I looked back at her, my heart feeling grounded because she was sitting across from me once again. I was clearly aware that this was not a dream. Under the flickering lights, she was so real.
She picked up the coffee cup and took a sip, showing little expression. I recalled that she actually liked this kind of plain coffee best, because it worked best for keeping one alert.
After a period of silence, finally in this dim and moody atmosphere, I asked her, “Now that we’ve met today, will you still keep your word?”
Looking at me, Mi Cai nodded, “Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have waited for you at the square. It’s just that you’re too slow—you came so late!”
I didn’t argue with Mi Cai, but I wasn’t stupid. It was only in the despair of not finding her that I doubted and didn’t consider she might still be waiting there. Fortunately, there was this cup of “West of the Old City”. Thus, my encounter with this café was also a sign that my connection with Mi Cai was not yet over. Perhaps we were destined to be together. From the moment we met, our souls had already been tied together, even if our bodies sometimes became numb.
“Did you really plan to marry Weiran before?”
This sudden question startled Mi Cai a little. She looked at me but didn’t answer immediately. But regardless of whether she wished to reply or not, these were issues between us, so I wanted to know the answer, even though I seemed somewhat impatient.
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