The joys of loving you

The golden finger

Charlie took a day to accept her new situation and being a practical person, she decided that she should very quickly accept her second chance and studiously study to make something of herself this time. It has been five years since she had to take these exams after all, she will need to catch-up on lost time.

The next morning, she decided to start with the subject she found the most difficult to study first, so she flicked through the physics textbook. When she finished reading the first chapter, she rubbed her eyes and thought it strange. It has been five years since she studied physics but now, she can remember every single word of that chapter.

Determined to test whether she did remember everything, Charlie turned on the computer and began to type out from her memory. Surprising she could write out every single word from the chapter and understood everything she read. Feeling a sense of disbelief, Charlie couldn’t believe what just happened, so she decided to do another test. She looked at all the complicated mathematics formulas that she had learnt in the advanced maths textbook and then proceeded to work through a test paper. Sure enough, she answered everything correctly.

At this point Charlie’s heart pounded rapidly and she is flushed with joy. Not bothering to fight the uncontrollable urge, she jumped up and down doing victory poses. This is how it feels like to be on top of the world! She received a golden finger from her rebirth, she now possesses a photographic memory as well as genius level intelligence.

Her mum was pleased seeing her daughter locking herself to study, pride swelled in her heart. With a head down bums up attitude, Charlie read all textbooks and redid all available test papers. Last time round, she was distracted with her family problems, but this time with her golden figure and knowledge of the future, Charlie just calmly blocked out all the drama.

Three months flew by and Charlie confidently sat her final exams. The tests were easy for her who have now read all the textbooks since highschool and memorised all novels, poems and essays that have ever been taught. She has been very proud of herself, over the last three months she did not waste a single brain space and ultilise her ability at speed reading and photographic memory.

In addition, one of the first things she did when she was reborn was to break it off with that boyfriend of hers. No way would she allow them both to be distracted and continue to waste their time on this relationship. He was unwilling and begged for a second chance, but she was firm that she needed no distractions during this period and that was the end.

In his heart, while he is unwilling, but he could understand the pressure students have to succeed in this life or death examination. Being a first year university student, he had felt the relief of having landed the dream course, so how can he not understand her? Thinking like that he is determined to court her again after the examinations and treated this as a short break. 

After the final exams, Charlie and her friend gathered inside their favourite café sharing a platter of crispy fried wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. This was their favourite cheap dish that these high school kids can afford. Charlie and Mon, her best friend, had decided to splurge on an iced chocolate with extra whipped cream to share.  

“Let’s go to the night club my sister told me about to celebrate?” said Suzy, the party girl of the group to the nodding heads around the table.

“Yes! But I’m still seventeen and don’t have an ID?” Charlie is eager this time around to go partying. Last time she adamantly refused, consistent with her conservation girl image she could never see herself in a sleazy nightclub. But she had serious regrets when she heard about how much fun it was and clearly nothing happened that night.

This time around, she must go and celebrate twelve years of schooling together with her best friends. After highschool these girls all attended universities in different states and then started working in those states. They rarely got a chance to get together, probably once or twice a year during public holidays and festivities. Thinking about this made Charlie slightly depressed a small frown appeared on her charming little face.

The other girls collectively groaned, that’s right, Charlie is the youngest in their year, having just recently turned seventeen! Now their collective first experience of a nightclub is foiled!

“Hmmm my cousin may have some connections, I can ask her?” Mon offered with a cheeky smile. That’s right, Mon’s cousin is a famous beauty, a year above theirs. During school, they heard of legends of how she tamed a gangster and captured a young businessman.

“Yes, our plan is saved, Mon, our celebration rest in your hands completely!” the girls collectively nodded with wide smiles as they continued discussing their exam answers.

After the girls finished their spread, they separately took the train back home. Mon and Charlie live in the same suburb so proceeded to walk home together. Mon is a tall, slender girl, with a beautiful face and extroverted personality. She is most worried about her thick wild hair and constantly trying to tame it. Charlie finds her hair the most charming but no matter how she tried to convince her friend that insecurity is difficult to shake.

On the other hand, Charlie is vastly insecure about her height. She is petite and generally quite small. With an exquisite roundish face, large eyes and naturally red lips, Charlie is like a walking doll. The type that one thinks is cute and wants to protect, rather than finding sexy and attractive.

Hanging onto Mon’s arm, Charlie who is half a head shorter than Mon, leans on her coquettishly as if they are a loving couple as they walk together. Mon finds it strange, her friend who is normally so uptight and proper has been super clingy lately. Though it is unexpected, she is happy that they now seem closer than before.

“Mon, let’s go on a trip together, over the summer before university starts?” Charlie suggested. In her memory they had such an amazing experience and so much fun that she wants to relive it. Also, she has an ulterior motive. She wants to convince Mon to study overseas with her at one of the world’s most prestigious university which is famous for its medical research and a world leader in artificial intelligence technology.

“Sure, let’s look at where we want to go. I’ll draw up a schedule and we could work out the costs, oh, this exciting! I’m pretty sure my parents will let me come! I’ll add to the list to ask then,” she said with a wide smile, her eyes curved into half-moons.

Always a planner, Mon quickly took initiative to plan and book their trip. Last time Charlie didn’t know what to do because she never travelled, but this time she knew exactly what to do to help.