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A Toy Model Car Named Stacycopyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡvciSgUsbw6
My high school friend has a habit of making mini toy model cars whenever he falls in love. At a time when most students are buying dolls, greeting cards, and Hello Kitty accessories to their girlfriends as birthday gifts, he will present a model car he spent weeks to resemble to the girl he likes. If every step goes right, he will manage to resemble a Kess Model - Austin Mini Clubman Estate in less than 2 weeks. I have never seen a real car of such model in my life, but the toy model car looks very much like a palm-sized mini cooper with a slightly longer back compartment. That is the only model he makes because the toy store three blocks away from his house offers only such a model. Why model cars? Not airplanes or other kinds of transportation? I don’t know. Somehow I never asked. The question never cross my mind until I tell some friends in the evening snooker club about this special habit of his when we are discussing effective ways to chase a girl.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GeKFR4mI1
My friend’s name is Allen. He makes about two model cars every semester. Every car he makes, he always replaces the number on the license place with the name of the recipient. He likes to share with me his progress on making model cars because I am his only close friend who he thinks is born with some what he called “artistic instincts.” His first few times are disastrous: the models cars are built with misplaced taillights, crooked brake paddles, and uneven tires. He blames these flaws on the stubborn AA super glue. Many times, even if he manages to resemble the car smoothly, it is the painting part which causes all the irrecoverable errors, jeopardizing all his previous efforts.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqQiLtU53V
Apart from making Austin model cars, Allen likes to share with me his personal life theories. “Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it helps you get better at something. It’s too tired to be perfect, and I don’t have the patience.” he once said to me. While his model car resembling skills are getting better by building more of them, he is also getting better at hiding the imperfections. If you examine closely, you will find that he uses delicate layers of black ink to color the bottom part of his cars, especially the fragile joints connecting the four wheels, which are often easily bent and cracked during the resembling process. A bright color such as pink, blue, or green is usually applied to the car’s body to draw attention to the top.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡny7GroAUA6
Because of my good penmanship and “artistic instincts,” Allen often asks me to decorate the cars for him. The idea of putting the recipient’s name instead of a random number on the car's license plate is actually my idea. It means so much more when a girl sees her name on a handmade gift. Just imagine seeing a license plate that reads “Stacy” versus a meaningless “PT-10586.” Girls like special and personal gifts, and Stacy will remember you for including her name. Even Allen said he would never try to achieve perfection, I usually draw my decorations as detailed as possible because you never know if an extra percent of effort will be the special magic glow to move the person who is receiving your gift.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BNems6qPP
Stacy was Allen’s first girlfriend. She was tall and slim, with a model’s body and elegant features of a Barbie doll, even without heavy makeup. Her shoulder-length hair was a silky, blackish brown. You could always smell a scent of cherry blossom whenever she was nearby. Allen managed to be a bit taller than her and somehow he always wore his New Balance 530 every time he dated her. The truth was that he just felt more comfortable to make sure Stacy knew he was taller than her. I often teased him that those shoes were high heels for boys.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1fik0Mf6Q
Stacy received Allen’s model car on a Valentine’s Day during the recess after art class. I helped Allen to paint the name ‘STACY’ on the license plate with uppercase letters in coral blue, which was her favorite color.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡauohaQGKKh
She was a talented and serious art student. She said coral blue boosts her ability in creative thinking, especially when she is deciding what to draw. However, rather than using blue colors, she loved using warm colors in her paintings. She seemed to be the happiest when drawing abstract pictures during art class. She once painted a universe filled by nine gigantic lollipop comets. Each comet was colored with alternating red and orange stripes, creating a strong contrast to the dark universe in the background. Some students thought that the concept of the picture was unrealistic and misleading, but that picture was my favorite among her works.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKSEZe76FX
The three of us knew each other well because we sat next to each other during art class and were often assigned to do group projects together. We are like a tripod, which couldn’t function if one of the legs was missing. Allen was the best in crafts and Stacy was the best in drawing. I was always the second best in the group, but my overall art grade was always higher than the two. If there had to be a reason to explain my higher grade, I think it would be my strong sense to make personalized arts and crafts that can touch or connect with people.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7Ybqjccyi
The relationship between Allen and Stacy only lasted about four months. They broke up on Stacy’s birthday in the middle of her birthday dinner. They didn't even make it to the main course. Their argument had started from nothing much, but it had taken a drastic turn for the worse until Stacy couldn’t hold it anymore. Breaking up with a girl on her birthday is the most horrible thing to do. Perhaps that didn’t apply to them because Stacy was the one who initiated the break up. I didn’t plan to go on with the details, but I would like to talk about the conversation Stacy and I had at Café Redmano the night they broke up.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IMr0WiGG2
Café Redmano was the place I go when I need some alone time. When I first visited the place, I fell in love instantly with its calming atmosphere and 1960s-style decor. It's a perfect place to be lost in a book. There was a section in the cafe with emerald-colored walls, dark leather seats, and a bronze LP record player. I still remembered the song they played during my first visit was Pale Blue Eyes by Velvet Underground. The soothing tune resonated strongly in my head the next entire day. I wished the song could be set on loop whenever I was at the café.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxNQcN5jUK
“Is everything ok?” I asked after sipping my double espresso.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPSf1izdv7
“I’m fine. Thanks.” she replied.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyPh0PeiwU
Silence.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡlus9lEXqYR
“Your eyes looked tired.” I continued.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfH4vIn4VS
Silence.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrr1JrRXKo
“It’s fine if you need some quiet time.”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6TkgeZdFY
Silence.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QeMVJuiOq
“Can I ask you something?” She finally spoke.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0RC2A4UyP
“Of course.”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqVbLbqKp5
“If I am not with Allen, will you ask me to be your girlfriend?”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuWXgRHL9v
“Wait…what do you mean?”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkw3XzE1tc
Silence.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLDMXoXn9m
“I love you. I don’t know if you can sense any of it.”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSQpP7hwSr
My heart raced.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24Mz7J8MLB
“I… I don’t know. You are my good friend … ”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBmCnk0lH9
Silence.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡIb1yARGSny
“Yes. But I love you. I love how you interpret my drawings. I loved drawing the lollipop comets for you. I love creating art with you. Not with him.”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqD5ZLP7xA
Silence.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwb59zp9U7
My tongue couldn’t taste the bitterness from the coffee.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCilbTcSLA
“If you loved me, why did you say okay when Allen gives you the model car?”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡq504b0P07n
“Because I know you were the one who decorated it! And I know you valued friendship more than anything else! You wouldn’t want to lose any of us!”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQTMW3mlcg
Silence.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwTLR5E3Xq
“I am sorry… I just … I should just stop,” she mumbled under her breath.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡEovEsGFhHM
Her eyes welled up. There was an awkward silence that lasted about fifteen minutes until she spoke again.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhDy4zCqVO
“I am going to study overseas after the summer.”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡHokA9cGOfD
“Really? Where are you going?”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡeT1KyurdM8
“UK.”copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rpE0udCU8
I didn’t respond. We just sat quietly and listened to songs played in the background from LP music player for almost half an hour, but the Pale Blue Eyes track didn’t come. copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBxLcGXSvd
That night we parted peacefully. I got home and took a shower immediately. I closed my eyes and tried to sort out my thoughts in the warm water.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡwK7yuF2WTO
I thought about Stacy. Or at least memories of her grazed at one corner of my mind. I once made a tiny lollipop keychain out of the leftover clay we used for a sculpture project. Stacy was amused and helped me color it with red and orange.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TfuyfYLSS
I also remembered she helped Allen and I wrap our art textbooks during revision week last summer because the book covers were falling apart. When she gave me back my book with a new plastic cover, she included a post-it note in the middle of chapter five that read “Hope this little note can cheer you up! Exams will be over in just one more week! Let’s hang out together during winter break!” At the bottom right corner of the note, she drew a lollipop comet with my name on it along with her initials .copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiur4G82yE
These fragment of memories all happened before Allen gave her the model car. Maybe I was the only one who received the note. Allen didn’t. I should have sensed something. I wish the note could be a little bit more obvious to make me realize. Just a little bit more. The fate between us was temporarily unavailable at that time.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5onDT2FPW
After shower, I decided to go for a walk near the neighborhood. Astonishingly, I saw a coral blue Austin Model one block down the street. The car appeared a lot bigger and bulkier than a mini cooper. There was a girl with shoulder length hair in the driver’s seat, waiting for the red light to turn green. When the light turned green, I heard her press on the speed pedal and the car accelerated. I stood still and watched the car gradually disappeared into distance.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTQKno0m9S
Where could it possibly be going?copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4bIwfpFiY
Long after the car vanished, the traces of faint white glow emitted from its taillights remained vividly within me. Maybe if the car waited for just one more second, it could made me start running after it. If I started running, she would see me running towards her from the rear view mirror. When she saw me running towards her, she would get off the car and run towards me. The radio on the car would start to play Pale Blue Eyes. She will tell me that she loved me. I would invite her for a dance. But car just keep driving. Maybe fate is temporarily unavailable. That extra one percent is just too hard to match.copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡjy3IVGBYlq
I dozed off as the scene slowly morphed into darkness. I wanted to phone Allen and check if he is okay, but the double espresso didn’t work its magic that night. Maybe it’s just that one percent. That one percent which is keeping me away from you. copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQkKAI9A4i
Listen to Pale Blue Eyes:copyright protection401ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjnD1UTqzb
