A huge arch carrying the university's name is situated at the forefront of the state-of-the-art campus.
VERITAS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY –
As prestigious as the name sounds, the university is sought after for its hundred-year reputation. A definite entry could land you opportunities and success. That is why parents would do everything in their power to send their children here. However, thousands failed to enter each year because of stiff competition. Before joining, students are required to pass the interview after a series of examinations, just to find students worthy enough to be future bearers of the university emblems.
Kritsada has been very proud to have been accepted to this university. He is now in his senior year, about to begin his internship. He's been wanting to apply to big companies in hopes of landing a job after he graduates.
As he thinks about his CVs and letters, he's dragging his motorcycle to the student's parking lot inside the campus under a slight drizzle. Unfortunately, the motorcycle broke down in the middle of the road. Luckily, he was just fifty meters away from the school gate. He should first park his motorcycle for safety, then notify his sister that he cannot fetch her after work. The good thing is that he has no afternoon classes, and he could just go to the mechanic to find out what went wrong.
As there is still time before his first period, Kritsada was examining his motorcycle. He was looking for the possible damage when the drizzle suddenly turned into heavy rain. He was caught off guard by the sudden downpour, and his school uniform gradually got wet. He immediately ran towards the nearest school building to find shelter; however, before he could take cover, he was splashed by a moving car – adding dirt and water to his already wet school uniform. He stopped and stood there, unable to comprehend what had happened, when suddenly, the moving car stopped, the door opened, and the female driver alighted, running towards him with a huge black umbrella.
The driver approached him with a look of apology. She explained that she didn't mean it, as she did not see Kritsada running due to low visibility caused by the heavy rain. Before Kritsada could ease the driver, soft footsteps were heard from ahead. A lady was walking towards the two, a delicate white umbrella in hand. She was walking towards Kritsada and the driver.
Kritsada felt as if time had stopped. The lady could be described as ethereal. Long wavy brown hair, small white forehead, chocolate doe eyes, small nose, and a very pink pouty lip. She wears a perfectly fitted school uniform on her slender body, bearing the university's crest on her dark navy-blue coat. Below the crest is the name of the faculty department embroidered in golden thread.
'College of Business Administration'
The two red tassels hanging on the right shoulder sleeve tell that the lady before him is a sophomore. His very own junior, albeit in different departments.
The young lady, barely tall enough to reach his chin, stopped right in front of the driver. Kritsada snapped out of reality when he heard the driver speak.
"Miss Thira, the rain is heavy; you could have waited for me inside the car," uttered the driver with a tone both laced with concern and distressed.
The lady did not acknowledge; on the contrary, she gave her instructions.
"Kindly go to the academic supply office and purchase a new uniform." The young lady spared Kritsada a glance and continued.
"Include socks and shoes."
She once again glanced at Kritsada and asked him a question.
"What shoe size do you usually wear? Also, you're quite muscular, so a large size should do." She turned her head to the driver without waiting for Kritsada's reply.
Kritsada was slightly uncomfortable; he felt like a fish on the display counter – his quality assessed by a passing Japanese chef. Even as a fish, he feels like he's the mackerel that was mistakenly included in the net with the prized Bluefin Tuna, small and redundant.
To cover up his unease, Kritsada suddenly voiced out his shoe size.
"I wear size 42 EU," he supplied.
The young lady just glanced at him and returned her attention to the female driver.
"Hurry and buy everything necessary. I'll wait for you here."
"Yes, miss," the female driver replied.
As the back of the female driver slowly disappeared from sight, Kritsada wanted to ask the lady to take shelter under the nearest office building. He noticed that the lady's expensive shoes were getting wet, and he felt a little pity for the white socks slowly getting drenched in a mixture of rainwater and dirt.
As he was about to ask, the lady suddenly spoke.
"You can go ahead and wait under the shelter. I'm fine to stand here with my umbrella."
"But miss, your umbrella could barely cover you from the rain, and the rain is about to become heavier. Why not come and wait with me under the office building?" Kritsada asked with heavy persuasion in his voice.
"No, I can manage. I told the driver that I would wait for her here, I want to keep my word," she replied with finality in her tone.
Kritsada felt ashamed to go seek shelter on his own, leaving a frail lady waiting under the heavy rain. As he is now completely drenched, he might as well just stay where he is standing to wait for the driver. A good 10-minute wait, he thinks, is enough.
He bowed his head, looking down at his wet shoes. The rainwater seeps through the gaps, and he felt an uncomfortable wetness on his socks.
He counted down his bad luck for today. First, he almost forgot to wake up to the third alarm. Then he burned his toast for breakfast. Next, he was drenched by a torrential rain after sending his sister to the company. His motorcycle broke down in the middle of the road, so he had to drag it several meters to the parking lot. Lastly, he was splashed from head to toe by a passing car. Though he felt unlucky for the first half of his day, he still felt lucky for a sudden compensation, though he was not asking for one.
As he was swimming through his own thoughts, he failed to notice an approaching presence. Still head bent down, he felt that there were fewer raindrops that fell on his shoulders. He noticed a pair of shoes, two sizes smaller than his own, nestled in front of him. Funny enough, those small shoes are in a tip-toe position, the owner trying her best to keep still and reach beyond her height.
Kritsada raised his head and was stunned to come face to face with the beauty earlier. The beauty, akin to a soft kitten, was trying her best to offer what little coverage her umbrella could provide for the two of them.
'She smells sweet and rosy,' he thought.
The face grew closer that Kritsada felt a sudden halt in his breathing. He suddenly felt that it was a loss if this moment was suddenly broken. He stared right at the beauty's eyes; he could clearly see his reflection in her eyes. He was so mesmerized, as if under a spell, and before he could speak, footsteps were heard rushing towards them. It was the female driver.
"Miss, I got everything this gentleman would want," the driver said while handing Kritsada a few paper bags so that he could make out the contents.
"Thank you, you shouldn't have bothered," Kritsada said, though his hands already reached those bags.
The lady just stared at his face, tilting her head to the side, perfectly showing her pretty neck. Her face showed confusion as if what Kritsada said didn't make any sense.
Kritsada suddenly felt ashamed. Blush crept through his ears. He suddenly realized that what he said sounded so hypocritical. He wanted to speak more; however, it seemed like the cat got his tongue.
The lady adjusted her stance and stared at Kritsada for a good five seconds before replying.
"The name's Thira, there is no need for thanks. It is what I owe you." She then turned her back and started walking towards her car.
The driver quickly followed her and turned her head towards Kritsada. She glanced at the young man once more, amazed at what was going on. The miss she knows would never converse with any man, let alone give her name in initiative. 'What makes this man special?' she thought to herself.
"Once again, I'm sorry. You'll have everything you need in those bags," she said and turned her heels fast and rushed back towards the man, and she handed him the big black umbrella.
"You can have this. Don't let yourself get drenched by the rain again. Goodbye."
The doors to the car finally closed. While the car drove off, Kritsada was left standing there, bags in one hand and an umbrella in the other. He was once again left to his own thoughts. Reminiscing about what happened earlier, he felt that all those were just a momentary lapse.
'Thira. Her name is Thira. What a beautiful name, quite fitting to its bearer.'
Kritsada glanced towards the emptiness where the car was once parked.
'Hope to see you more on campus, Thira.'