MONSTERNEXTDOOR, Chapter 09: Expecting Something From Someone Means We Are Starting To Feel Attached To Them.
I sat looking at the bell on my balcony for hours after class, and there was also a large sushi box on my lap. The dinner, which was usually delicious, suddenly didn’t seem appetizing.
The living being next door was too silent.
No bell sound. No TV sound. No sound of friends chatting, no sound of the glass door opening.
Everything was quiet as if no one was in that room.
It’s not something I’m used to.
I know that Phii Godt probably spent the whole day sleeping after his hangover, but more than that, I wanted to know if he had eaten yet, taken his medicine, if he had a headache, if he was asleep, or how much he had vomited.
“It’s so quiet.”
I sat talking to young-master about various things, watching him walk around in his square box, leaning against the wall, my gaze lost on the turtle-shaped wind chime that rang out with a clear, sweet like sound.
It sounded really nice when I heard it clearly.
Once again, not wanting to think too much, I picked up a book to read.
After finishing it, I forced myself to finish my meal, then played with young-master in the room, rolling around on the bed, even though there used to be so much to do.
I suddenly felt bored.
By ten o’clock, it was still silent, making me start to wonder if Phii Godt didn’t want to talk to me anymore.
Why? Was he bored? Was he tired of having to come up with conversations to talk to me, or did he have someone else to keep him company now…
Thinking about it, I began to feel down.
Alright… stop expecting anything. He’s just the neighbor. Just someone to chat with before sleep.
It’s normal. I’ve gone without talking to Phii Godt for seven days before; this is just one night. It’s fine.
I switched to lying down and playing on my phone when I noticed the LINE notifications, usually in the tens, had now reached the hundreds because I hadn’t been checking it. I had forgotten that I had added Phii Beert and Phii Wan.
The hundreds of notifications were from Phii Wan. Meanwhile, Phii Beert had only sent a sticker, so there was no need to choose who to talk to. Of course, I chose to talk to Phii Beert.
OnlyOne: Hi, Phii Beert.
Beer: Hi.
OnlyOne: I have something I want to ask.
Beer: What?
OnlyOne: Has Phii Godt eaten yet?
Beer: I don’t know, are you two not talking today?
OnlyOne: No.
Beer: He still hasn’t replied to my LINE, but I saw him when Wan celebrated with the seniors from the football team.
OnlyOne: Hmm.
Beer: He’s probably still drunk and hasn’t woken up yet.
OnlyOne: Thank you.
Beer: If you’re worried, I’ll try calling him, wait a moment.
And then Phii Beert went silent, almost ten minutes before he replied again.
Beer: He just woke up. Don’t worry.
OnlyOne: Thank you.
Beer: Sure, you can call anytime if you need anything.
OnlyOne: Oh
I turned off the phone screen.
Worried…
I was worried, afraid he might be struggling to breathe while sleeping, or have fallen and hit his head, or be in pain with a headache or stomachache.
When someone who’s never quiet suddenly is, it’s really concerning.
“Diew!!!” I was staring at my phone screen when I jumped at the shout from the next room. I quickly opened the glass door and walked out to the balcony, hearing Phii Godt muttering to himself.
“Who took down the wind chime? Always messing with things that don’t concern them.”
I felt a bit relieved. If he’s complaining like this, it means he didn’t slip and fall headfirst in his room.
“Diew, are you there?”
“Ugh,” I answered with a faint groan, and Phii Godt let out a loud sigh.
“Who took the wind chime?”
“A girl…”
“Huh?”
“A girl came to drop you off at your room last night, and she probably took it off. I haven’t heard it since then.”
“Girl…” Phii Godt said before quickly retreating back into his room.
Not long after, a loud, angry voice came out.
“Damn Biu, where the hell is my wind chime… Did you take it because you thought it was pretty… Ugh, how should I curse in what language… If you want one, go buy it yourself… I’m not buying for someone like you… Bring it back to me!”
Phii Godt’s words made me look down at the turtle-patterned wind chime, which was still ringing on the balcony of my room.
He didn’t buy it for a friend but for me… or maybe he already had one in his room?
“Sorry.”
“You’re apologizing to me again,” I muttered to the air in front of me; Phii Godt has a habit of always apologizing.
“Biu took it. Last night, I went drinking with some football friends.” “Yes.”
“Have you eaten yet?”
“I have. I thought you’d sleep until tomorrow morning, so I ate already.”
“Then I’ll go down to buy something to eat for a bit, the vomit smell is still in my mouth.”
“Wait!” I quickly objected before Phii Godt could leave the room, “There’s sushi and snacks.” Even though I didn’t know if they were still there.
“Huh.”
“I bought them for you this morning.”
Phii Godt went silent for almost five minutes before coming back with the sound of a plastic bag.
“You bought these for me?” His deep voice softened a bit.
“Yeah, last night I heard you vomiting all night, so I thought you’d be hungover today. If you’re hungry, eat the sushi, then drink the fruit juice after; it helps with the hangover. But if you’re no longer hungover but still have a headache, drink plain water instead, then take paracetamol, because taking medicine with fruit juice isn’t good.”
I didn’t know how Phii Godt’s face looked upon hearing that, just that he went silent again.
“I saw you were drunk and vomiting, so I went to buy some things for you in case you were hungry,” he said in a low voice. Hearing that made me feel a bit embarrassed; it was exactly the message I had written on the Post-it note for him this morning. “I didn’t know what you like to eat, so I bought several things. Eat some food first, then drink lots of water to cure the hangover, and take the painkiller afterward.”
“…”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you don’t eat chocolate.”
“…”
“Phii Godt.” The third time the silence fell, it made me slightly anxious.
“You don’t like it? I just saw you eating sushi that day, so I thought you’d like it. Also, I spent a long time choosing the juice because I thought you wouldn’t like the smell of celery like I do. If you don’t eat chocolate, have some Jolly Bears instead, or do you not like Jolly
Bears?”
It was the first time I spoke at length like that, but because Phii Godt wouldn’t reply, it made me anxious.
Phii Godt.”
“You talk a lot today.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“…”
“Phii Godt”
“I’m… meditating.”
“You’re so mad you need to meditate?” I said. Because I know nothing about him. I don’t know what he likes or dislikes.
“No.”
“Then you are…”
“Thank you.” His words of thanks made my heart beat faster in a surprisingly strange way. I looked down at my own chest, feeling my heart pounding, observing it with a mix of emotions.
Just a simple thank you… why does it make me feel so much happiness?
“No one has ever taken care of me like this before.”
“You have a lot of friends.”
But none of them told me to take my medicine before or after eating.” He laughed softly while unwrapping his food.
I sat back on the turtle pillow, enjoying the cool night breeze on the balcony, listening to the sounds of my neighbor eating. I didn’t know if he was happy with the food, but for the one who bought it, I was happy seeing him eat.
“Don’t you like chocolate?” I asked softly, letting the wind carry my voice to him.
“Yeah, it’s too sweet.”
“Then I’ll know not to buy it next time. Do you like Jolly Bears?”
“They’re okay, but I really like sushi, and I can drink juice too.”
“What do you like then?”
“I can eat any savory food except those with ginger. For sweets, I can eat everything except chocolate.”
“Is there nothing you particularly like?”
“Hm,” he paused for a moment to think, “I might try strawberryflavored Pocky.”
“You once said you didn’t like strawberries.”
“Isn’t it sour?”
You haven’t tried it yet; it’s more like a sweet, milky scent like cold milk, but not too sweet. You might like it.”
“Then I’ll try to eat it.”
“And what about drinks? What kind of drink do you like?”
“Anything that’s not mineral water, I like green tea that’s not mineral water.”
“Okay.” My brain remembered all his preferences without needing to write them down.
“But what I like the most… is eating with you.”
I choked a bit, turning my face towards the wall that adjoins his room.
“You must be lonely.”
“Crazy. Who’s lonely?”
You are, you’re the lonely Godzilla.
“Does your head hurt?”
“A little.”
“Should you take some medicine?”
“No need, talking is enough.”
“Okay.” But seeing that he was doing well, eating, and not having a headache was fine enough.
“Aren’t you going to ask who came to the room?” I went silent, thinking about the woman named Biu who came to Phii Godt’s room. She even stayed with Khun Godzilla until morning. I was curious about her relationship with Phii Godt, but asking wouldn’t do any good. If Biu was Phii Godt’s girlfriend, it would be normal. A guy like Phii Godt, if he didn’t have a girlfriend, would be strange; he’s friendly with every living being on Earth, even able to talk to a lone turtle that only gives one-word answers. Women must be all over him.
“It’s better not to. I don’t want to intrude on personal matters…”
“But I want you to intrude.”
“I know you have a lot of friends, and there must be a lot of people interested in you, so if you have a girlfriend, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Not a girlfriend,” he quickly objected, “I don’t have one yet.”
“Really? Are you lying?”
“Not lying.”
His voice sounded more serious than usual, and hearing that, I felt a little bit happy.
“Yeah, because if I had a girlfriend, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you like this, right?”
Phii Godt fell silent, making me remember something. I forgot to thank him for the wind chime.
“Thank you, the wind chime is really cute.”
“Do you like it?”
“I like it, it sounds nice.”
“Then if you want to talk to me, just shake the chime.”
“Uh.”
“Diew, I really don’t like your ‘Uh’ and ‘Oh’ responses.”
Oh, but I’ve always answered like that. Why suddenly dislike it?
“Then how should I respond?”
“Just say ‘Yes’ or something like that. No more ‘Uh’ or ‘Oh’.”
“Uh.”
“Again! No ‘Uh’, no ‘Uh’, this is an order!”
“Uh.”
“You little turtle!” I laughed when I saw him get frustrated. I don’t know why Phii Godt doesn’t like it, maybe because ‘Uh’ and ‘Oh’ seem to cut off the conversation, making it hard to continue, but that can’t be it, because even if I just say ‘Uh’, this guy will still find something to talk about with me anyway.
“You’re not overthinking about Biu, right?” Phii Godt asked while I was sitting on the balcony, reading a book.
Overthinking… I’m always overthinking something.
“Uh.”
“If you answer with ‘Uh’ again, I won’t talk to you for a day.”
I quickly shut my mouth, dictator!
“No.”
“Of course. Why would you overthink it? It’s nothing.”
“Uh… yes.”
“But I want to clarify, Biu is a friend from the same year, we’re close, but she doesn’t like guys, she likes cute, small girls.”
“Oh… I see.”
“And she’s got a sharp tongue, she’s the only woman I’m close to.” “Oh…”
“Ohhh, ahhh, if you want to shout, just shout it out!”
“What am I supposed to say to that!” You’re being dramatic again, huh?
“So, don’t overthink. If you do, stop thinking. Khun Godt is very, very single.”
“I wasn’t saying anything.”
It’s actually funny that you’re defending yourself so seriously when I didn’t care whether you had a girlfriend or not. I might just be a little disappointed if you did have one. We might talk less then.
“Diew…”
“Hmm?”
“Are turtles, besides being slow, also slow in the brain?”
“I don’t know, but there’s never been a study on turtle brains.”
“Is your young-master slow?”
“Are you asking if my young-master is stupid?” If you ask like that, I’ll tell young-master to bite your face off.
“I was beating around the bush.”
“Young-master is smart, like a dog, very tame.”
“Good. Why isn’t the owner smart too? But it’s good too, being slow has its advantages.”
And then the creature next door sat there muttering to himself for a minute before Phii Godt excused himself to take a shower because he said he stank of vomit, which was fair since he was vomiting all night.
But he said it’s better to vomit it out.
I’m not a drinker, so I don’t know much about this kind of thing, like how much one has to drink to get drunk enough to vomit. But I remember in high school, my mom once forced me to drink straight vodka, and not only did I not vomit, but I also couldn’t remember what I did before going to sleep, only that I woke up hugging a pole in front of the house.
Drunk people often do strange things, I think like that. Phii Godt must still be a bit drunk. That’s why he keeps saying weird things.
After sitting for a while, I caught the scent of shampoo wafting over from the next room.
“What are you doing?” Phii Godt’s voice signaled that he had finished his shower.
“Reading a book.”
“Reading every day. Don’t you ever take a break?”
“I’m reading a novel, not a textbook.”
“What are you reading?”
“Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“Whoa, you read stuff like that too?” The neighbor sounded surprised, what’s so strange about that?
“What kind of novel do you think it is?”
“The kind with some… stuff.”
I laughed at his response.
“Actually, reading any book is good, and since I’m reading it in English, it really helps with my language skills, especially since I spend a lot of time alone, so I read a lot.”
“Do you have any favorites?”
“Harry Potter, but really, I think all books are good. It’s just a matter of whether the reader likes them or not.”
“And what do you think about people who don’t like reading?”
“It’s their thing, I guess.”
“Wait… be honest.”
“It’s their thing. Not everyone likes to read. I’m someone who enjoys being alone, so books are my friends. You have lots of friends, so it’s normal that you don’t need books as friends.”
Phii Godt went silent as if he was listening intently to me.
“I think that everyone has their own reasons. You can’t judge that readers are good people and non-readers are bad. If you read, you might learn more, but it doesn’t mean someone who doesn’t read knows nothing.”
“There are many ways to learn in life. I might read books in my room, you might travel around the world. It depends on the person.”
That was the longest sentence I’ve ever said to Phii Godt, but I just wanted to explain that I never judge that people who read books are better than those who don’t.
“What made you such a thoughtful person?”
“My grandfather often taught me that we can’t judge someone by their exterior.”
“Do you know that you have a lot of interesting things about you?”
“I don’t know.” I don’t think I’m interesting at all, I’m even quite boring. Who would want to spend all day and night talking about books or academics when they aren’t interested in them?
“Quiet people have a lot to explore, my old friend was like that too, always holed up in his room, quietly reading books, living in his own world. But because I thought he must be lonely, it made him uncomfortable.”
“Actually, I’ve never felt lonely. It’s you who’s lonely.”
Phii Godt went silent, as if I had hit the mark.
“You might not realize it because you’re always surrounded by friends, but it’s that loneliness that made you have so many friends, because you can’t be alone like me.”
“Haha, you understand me more than I understand you.”
“It’s true that I want you to understand me. I have high expectations of you, and you should know that, but I can’t force you because I myself don’t like being forced. It depends on you whether you want to understand or not. If you really want to know me, I’m not someone who blocks anything off.”
“I know that already.”
We both fell silent again, letting the sound of the bell ring in our ears.
“Diew.”
“Hmm?”
“Talk more in the future.”
“Really?”
“I like your voice.”
“My voice?” Is he still hungover, suddenly saying he likes my voice?
“Your voice is like a chopper.” What’s a chopper…
“I’m a deer, even though I’d really like to be a pirate!”
“…”
“One Piece again!”
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