Book of Love 爱神の书

Chapter 30

I guess many of us were born into this world due to the love blossom of our parents. They in turn were products of love of their own heritage. All these went back thousands of years since the first of homo-sapiens.

As we live and grow older, we sometimes ask ourselves.
“When do humans actually start loving one another?”

Why do we always feel nervously happy when we see someone we like and dull when we see someone we don’t?

Was all this the work of God or genetic human evolution?

Some believe love was spread by Cupid from ancient Greek mythology
So he was rightfully known as the God of Love and everything that got to do with love was associated with him.

If you believe in Cupid, then I suppose you would believe in Cupid’s arrow that created ‘Love at first sight’ too?

At some point of life we might actually see it happens when we see the one whom we like almost instantly.
Well Cupid’s arrow is not the only thing that is related to love.What if I tell you there’s a book existed in this world that can tell you everything you want to know about love?

Answers that you’ve always yearn of knowing.

The person whom you loved most?
The person that loves you the most?

A book so mysterious, that only few had seen it throughout centuries of time as nobody ever finds it. Tales and legends that come with it often ends up with the book missing after revealing the truth.

Would you want to take a look?

This is the book of love, ‘libro da amore’.

This is where it all begins in your life.

The dust was gone from the book as Mark brought it back to his room.

The words that were written on the cover captivated his imagination. On one hand, Mark was delighted that he wasn’t dreaming or having mental illusion about Psyche.

Now that he had the book, he would be able to prove his senses.

On the other hand, Mark was shivering with fear about the whole incident.

How did Psyche ever get to his blog… leave a few messages then erase them all and now this book?

Mark felt his heart accelerating as he flips open the book in the quiet night.

Behind the hard cover was a page written in calligraphy. The page had turned yellowish and from the looks of it, Mark wasn’t sure of how old is the book already.

‘Libro da Amore’ was written with a heart-shaped logo surrounding it.
There were a few words below.

Mark took a closer look and found them to be English.

‘Book of Love’

“I suppose Libro da Amore stands for book of love…”

As Mark flipped to the next page, a small note dropped off from the book.

Mark grabbed it before it hits the floor.
He hesitated for awhile before he finally studied it.

“Do you know love? I suppose you don’t, until now.

This is the book of love, lost over thousands of years and only a handful of those who were selected had seen it. Those who are not chosen will only see blank pages even if he’s got the book.

Everything you thought you knew will be written over the pages as you read. Do not be surprise by what you read as these are merely the reflection of the memories that had past you and destiny that is waiting.

Are you ready to know love?

I know you are because I am the book of love.

Psyche, Wife of Eros.”

Mark didn’t know what to do next.
Should he flip open the book? He thought for awhile before making a decision.

“Shit… What do I have to lose?”
Mark thought as he flipped through the first chapter.

Chapter 1 – Your First Love Journey.

This is your first experience towards love. Maybe you have forgotten the feeling but you will never forget the memories…

You developed an instant response to her calling when you met her. Her enchanting voice brought endless fun to you but time wasn’t on your side as you had to go home before the sun sets.

When you wait for her at the playground, you didn’t know what love is except the happy feeling that awaits you.

Every time you see her, all your unpleasant day will turn out to be fine. Both of you will play merrily on the playground and often forgets the time.

You didn’t know her full name, where she lives and who her parents were. You only know she would be there every afternoon and you will wait for her every day.

Then one day, she didn’t come to the playground as always.

You waited and waited till the sun sets and took a beating when you reached home.

Your last thought for that night was ‘what had happen to her?’ but you knew there was little that you could do at the age of nine.

You waited at the playground the next day and surprised to see the little girl walking over.

You would always remember that sentence as she speaks.
“My papa is going away; I will leave tomorrow.”

She then asked you to play catching with her right after finishing her sentence. There was a funny feeling deep inside you that instant.

You felt hopeless and weak because there was nothing you could do to ask her stay. You can only play your hearts out that day till night falls when you bid goodbye.

You won’t know when you will see her again and the pain that you felt wasn’t the beating by your parents. It was something deep inside of you, as if a part of you had gone.

You never really know who the young girl was as there was nothing you could do even today as your memories of her had jaded.

All that was, your first experience towards love.”

Mark closed his eyes as he refreshes the memories that had kept within. The book was right, there was such a girl in his life when he was young.

He remembered he was returning home one day when he first met her.
“Want to play catching?” she offered. Mark obliged, even though he knew the boys in the neighborhood will taunt him being a sissy for playing with girls. The rest of the story was written in this book that he was holding.

Mark lay down the book and walked towards the window. The morning sky was covered with thick grey clouds signaling the rainfall.

All this madness was really enough for one to take as Mark continued to stare outside his window.

The rain slowly descend upon the ground, soon it was raining heavily throughout his sight as Mark sighed. He thought he had forgotten all about this as it was happened so many years ago.

Mark went back to the book and kept it inside his bag before preparing himself for work.

-----------------------

As Mark enters the train, there was no sign of Jade.

“Are you working today?” he smsed her.

“Yeah… why not?” He phone vibrated with an incoming message.

“Then are you in the train that had just left Bukit Panjang?”
Mark sends another message.

“Yup…” The reply came.

For the first time after so long, both of them didn’t get to meet.
Was it the rain? Was it the book? Was it something in his mind that made him guessed wrongly?

Mark could only daze at the moving scenery through the windows of the train.

“Have fun at work…”
Mark sent his last message as his train approaches Yishun.

-------------------------------

Mark reached the office early, or maybe Shawn was later than usual. The two of them hardly talked since the day Christine.

“Hey bro, what took you so long?”
Mark greeted Shaun as he entered the office drenched.

Shaun didn’t utter a word but gave a cold stare before he tried to dry himself.

“Oops… Sorry…”
Mark was apologetic over his earlier comments.

“Hey bro, you dry yourself up, I’ll get you a cup of coffee for you to get warm a little?”
Mark went off before Shaun could reply.

When Mark came back with two cups of coffee in his hands, there was no sign of Shaun. He tried to look around and found him inside the boss’s office.

Mark could only left the mug on his table before getting back to work.
His office phone rang and it was his boss who called.

“Hello Mark, let’s have lunch together ok?”
Mr. Lee suggested.

“Boss you treating? You promoted or something. That’s great, who else is going?”

“Nobody… just you and me. I’m going off for a meeting now. See you at that Japanese restaurant at Causeway point.”

--------------------

Mark’s boss was already there when he arrived. He was sitting at the counter of the sushi belt drinking his ocha.

“Hey boss, what’s up?”
Mark sat beside him and made his orders.

“Nothing, just want to give you a treat for your promotion. So, how are things? Coping well with Christine’s project?”

“Yeah… it really tough.. But I will get used to it.”
Mark replied before he devoured his sashimi.

“Mark…. Shaun tendered his resignation today.”

“He did? Wow that’s pretty fast?”
Mark just continued eating his sushi as his boss broke the news.

“Mark, you knew he was going to resign?”
His boss was surprised with the calm reaction.

“I guess so… Although he didn’t tell me anything but I guess this should be an overseas job which he had wanted.”

“Yeah… you know, China is a huge market. I’m quite sure Shaun will do well there. I lost a very good subordinate, now I’m losing another.”

Mr. Lee sighed before he drank his tea.

“China? Shaun is going to China? Not France?”
Mark was caught surprised this time.

“France? Since when you get this idea from? I happened to know Shaun’s future employers and I’m very sure that he is going to China.”

----------------------------

Shaun was his usual self when Mark came back to the office.

“Hey… I heard about you thing. So when’s your last day?”

“Can’t you count the calendar?”
Shaun was ruthless with his reply.

“Why are you going to China… and not France?”
Mark asked.

“I don’t need to reply you.”
Shaun didn’t even bother looking back at him.

“What about Chris?”

“If you like her so much, why don’t you go to France?”
Shaun’s voice raised a little.

“Ok chill.. I’m sorry for asking.”
Mark returned to his table.

The two of them didn’t speak to each other until Shaun left the office early at five thirty.

---------------------------

After work, Mark wondered the streets as he had no idea where to go. He then walked past the café which Sharon works.

“Hey Mark!”
Sharon greeted him as he entered.

“I’ll just have my usual coffee today, don’t feel like eating dinner.”
Mark put the menu away.

“Is something bothering you?”
Sharon tried to lure him in saying.

“It’s nothing… hurry, go do your work.”
Mark sent her away.

As the smell of coffee filled his surroundings, Mark took out the book from his bag. He flipped to the second, then the third. Each page records the love experience that he develops.

The girls that he used to admire in his primary school, the secret one-sided affair of the heart and the events that had taken place.

Mark was really amazed by what he had read. It was like a love journal written about him and his love life. This is really the book of love…

“What are you reading? How come the book is blank?”
Mark suddenly realized Sharon was trying to look at the book.

“It’s nothing.. I was just happened to write on it.”

“Oh… now you decided to keep a hardcopy of your blog… hee hee”
Sharon joked before she went off.

Mark then went back to the page he last set upon.

Chapter 11 – Your First Relationship with Jade

[To be Cont]