Empty Shell (Casca Bashi)

English Version

Sometimes we have difficulty accepting reality. We don't want to accept that we are wrong, and we prefer deceiving ourselves. I, myself, became a victim since I had a friend who covered my eyes from the truth about him.

I remember I was sitting in the Starbucks at Seaport Marketplace, drinking a capuchino when my old friend, Gregory, whom I haven't seen in a long time, came to surprise me at the table where I was seated. I was busy browsing the internet on my phone, and that's why I hadn't noticed him instantly.

"Who would've thought I would run into you here? Hah? Who?!" He said.

I just shook my head, and smiled telling him, "Well, this is a big surprise. Gregory! What are you doing here, man?"

"You know already, I came to watch a movie, but since there's still fifteen minutes left before the film starts, I decided to chill here for a moment. I didn't expect to run into you here, though."
"I thought so too."
Actually, to be honest, I didn't want to run into Gregory that day. Gregory wasn't a bad person, but let's just say that he had a bad habit of trying to gain attention.
"Hey, you're not gonna believe what happened last week. I went out with the most beautiful chick I had ever seen in my life. I'm guessing the guys around us were jealous or something since I've noticed they kept looking at us."
Gregory liked looking for a crowd to feed his ego. When I saw Gregory's face I just wanted to get up and leave, but you already know, I wasn't raised with bad manners like that. Sometimes I wished I did have manners, though. My heart was beating like a drum in my chest. His presence alone made me feel weak. My mind was working fast like a car on high speed, trying to find a way to escape, until I finally got an idea.
"Gregory, sorry, but I have to go. My parents came to pick me up, and well, since the traffic is busy, they went to wait for me at Renaissance. We'll keep talking another time. See you."
"Ah, alright. See you, man."
I got up, and I went out of Starbucks as quickly as I could. That just goes to show you how toxic certain people can be. It's better to only let positive people in our lives, and evade those who suck our energy like a vampires feeds on blood.

Papiamento Version

 Tin biaha nos tin dificultad pa acepta realidad. Nos no kier acepta cu nos ta fout, y nos ta prefera gaña nos mes. Ami mes a bira victima di esey dor cu mi tabatin un amigo cu a cubri mi wowonan for di e berdad di dje.

Mi ta corda mi tabata sinta den e Starbucks na Seaport Marketplace, bebiendo un capuchino ora mi amigo bieu, Gregory, kende mi no a wak pa hopi tempo, a bin sorprende mi na e mesa unda mi tabata sinta. Mi tabata bezig ta browse e internet riba mi cel, y pesey mi no a ripar'e di biaha.

“Ken por a pensa cu mi tabata bay topa bo akinan? Hah? Ken?!” E di.

M'a gewoon sacudi mi cabes, y m'a sonrei bisando e, “Wel, esaki si ta un sorpresa grandi. Gregory! Ki bo ta haciendo akinan, sua?”

“Bo mes sa, m’a bin wak un pelicula, pero dor cu ainda falta diescinco minuut pa e pelicula cuminsa, m’a dicidi chill ‘kinan un rato. Mi no a spera pa topa cu bo si.”

“M’a pensa mescos.”

Eigenlijk, pa ta honesto, mi no kier a topa cu Gregory e dia ey. Gregory no tabata mal hende, pero djis ban bisa cu e tabatin un mal custumber di purba di hala atencion.

“Ey, bo no ta bay kere loke a sosode siman pasa. M’a sali cu e chick mas bunita cu m’a yega di weita den mi bida. Mi kier sa tur e guynan rond di nos tabata jaloers of algo, paso m’a ripara cu nan tabata keda wak nos."

Gregory tabata gusta busca un publico pa subi su ego. P’e motibo ey, hopi hende no por a toler’e hopi, ni ami mes. Ora m’a wak Gregory su cara, mi tabata kier a gewoon lanta bay, pero bo mes sa, mi no a wordo cria cu mal custumbernan asina. Tin biaha mi ta desea pa tin mal maneranan si. Mi curason a bati manera un drum den mi pecho. Su presencia so tabata pone mi sinti zwak. Mi mente tabata trahando lihe manera un auto riba velocidad lihe, purbando di busca un forma pa scapa, te ora porfin m’a logra haya un idea.

“Gregory, sorry, pero mi tin cu bay. Mi mayornan a bin busca mi, y wel, dor cu e trafico ta druk, nan a para warda riba mi na Renaissance.  Nos lo sigui papia otro dia, topa.”

“Ah, suave. Topa, sua.”

M’a lanta para, y m’a sali for di Starbucks lo mas lihe cu mi por. Esey ta djis mustra bo con toxico cierto hende por ta. Ta mihor pa laga solamente hende positivo en nos bida, y evita esunnan cu ta chupa nos energia manera un vampiro ta alimenta su mes cu sanger.

Alexis