2046

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Christine Joy Ombania de Asis
IV - Madame Marie Curie


I never knew that comic books and bubble gum pink looked good together. That was my first thought when I saw my hastily thrown underwear covering your much coveted Marvel collection. Spiderman was lost behind a pink printed geisha.

I will not dare be an innocent girl and ask where I am. Because I know perfectly well whose room this is. I will not cry bellow over your bloody sheet. I have seen more blood when I slashed my wrist not a week ago.

Your room used to be a Mecca of adolescence. Girlie magazines. Game consoles. Matchbox cars. I never knew that it could be room 2046. Remember Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang? Although I must admit, ours is sweaty and painful.

But this was bound to happen. I saw it between the miniscule spaces between us every time we walk together. I felt it during the stolen glances and nonchalant brush in the cheek. But why must we do it this Sunday morning?

I could try to be the usual bitch that everybody thinks of me and say that it all meant nothing to me. I will brew my patented smirk whenever we have to think about it again. I could even light a cigarette as I say to you, “I just lied on the bed.”

Lied. That is what I did when you asked me if we were still the same star lovers. An hour on bed did not make you God. Sure, I was a forgotten pagan and saw that there was something most divine in feeling your hipbones and seeing you naked.

Lied. I lied on your bed and I was pretty sure that the pent-up girl in me was left crucified on your bed, suffering from our sins. No, I do not believe in hell and Jesus and divinity. I just felt that we should have done it for love. At least, you should have.

Maybe the blood in your bed was my tears. Who would know? You were busy reading long lost scrolls in my skin. Did you find what you were looking for? I was sure that I died that night and left with you my whole being. You will be my keeper.

You think that you know everything about me now, down to the black mark in my inner thigh that you laughed loudly about. But have you seen my eyes lately? They are the only ones who truly know everything.

I did it with you and you alone. We got lost in the games we used to play back then. But this time, I did not cry when you took my favorite toy. This time, I let you hold it. Maybe, you can have it forever. Just put it in the glass cabinet. It gets dust easily.