Keiko
I believe i've thought of writing this around the early months of 2024, but the entry never came to be; that is, until today, where i've decided to revisit this past moment which has found its cozy nook in my cerebral cortex.
The year was 2023. I was re-queuing for a drop tower i had ridden at an amusement park. I was happily anticipating the sensation of wind grazing through my hair and filling my ears in those brief 40 or so seconds. Then approached my turn to ride, along with an encounter that would become one of, or, dare i say, the highlight of that particular day for me.
I'll try to reenact the moment to the best of my ability.
Her: "Hey, you!"
I: "Hm? Me?"
Her: "Yes! Hello."
I: "Oh. Hi."
From behind me, a young person (which i assume to be around my age back then) called out, catching my attention. I recall her wearing a beige, checkered skirt. I was slightly taller than her in height.
The visitors from the previous session had finished and gotten off of their seats safe and sound. It was our turn now. The operator opened the gate.
I: "I'll sit here."
Her: "Sweet! I'll sit next to you."
We fastened our seatbelts and harnesses with the help of the workers there. I'd like to thank those people dearly. Maybe they were passionate about their jobs, maybe not; nonetheless i'm glad they could commit to their tasks to some degree and help ensure the safety of the park visitors, especially the thrill-seeking fools akin to what i was like at that time. I wish them well.
Her: "If you don't mind me asking,
where are you from?"
I: "I'm from..."
I forgot which side our seats were facing. Was it towards the queue...?
Her: "I didn't expect that! We come from the same place, then."
I: "Woah! That's nice."
Her: "Which part do you live in?"
I: "In..."
Yeah, i think the seats faced the queue.
Her: "I've never met someone from there. Cool!"
I: "Haha. Which part are *you* from?"
Her: "Oh, i live in..."
I've never met anyone hailing from her area of origin, either. It seems that we both come from relatively small municipalities.
The operator started the ride. Our seats rose slowly to the top.
I: "You see that giant roller coaster there?
Have you tried it out yet?"
Her: "No! I won't even consider it; it looks scary."
I: "Oh, okay.
I actually rode on it before.
The harness in my spot was uncomfortable, though."
To be honest, i can't clearly recall if i truly mentioned my discomfort with that harness. Maybe i did, but even if i didn't, i'm including the detail here, in this little online journal hosted on bear blog dot dev, just to express how sore my shoulders were after riding the aforementioned coaster that day.
Her: "What's your name?"
I: "I am-"
There it was. The breeze in my hair, coupled with the air blasting in my eardrums. Each drop down the tower would induce a goosebump-like sensation in my lower abdomen, similar to the times i feel like urinating. Wonderful feeling, don't you think?
The scene was rather noisy, so we repeated our words (and asked each other to do so) quite often as we chatted. It's not everyday that one gets to have a conversation with another while riding a functioning drop tower. Well, except if you were a park employee testing out the ride in the early morning, i suppose. You'd have plenty of opportunities if there was someone else in your proximity as you were testing.
I: "What's *your* name?"
Keiko. that was her name.
Her: "K-E-I-K-O. That's how you spell it."
I: "Cool name."
There came the last drop. The operator pressed some buttons and, with a blast of air cushioning our descent, our feet touched ground level once more. Safe and sound.
Keiko and i waved our goodbyes. We never did share our contacts whereby we could keep in touch.
Now that i think of it, i'm actually kind of glad we don't have a means of direct communication with each other. I'm reminiscing that entry i wrote in January about my daydreams of becoming a barista.
I wish you well, K. Then again, you could be reading this very text right here... how funny would that be if it were true?