"Strangers Met in Namtso" (3) Jokhang Temple (II)

When she returned to the hostel from the Jokhang Temple, she saw him chatting with other people in the lobby. She didn't say hello to him, so she went back to her room, ready to take a shower before the sun went down. If it is too late, the hot water bath cannot be taken after the hot water in the solar water heater of the hostel runs out.

When it comes to bathing, the bathrooms here are shared by men and women—meaning that everyone gets dressed in individual bathrooms before coming out, and there is no shared dressing area.

It was her first time staying in this kind of hostel, and it felt quite interesting. There are men and women in the bathroom. Everyone is grooming in this small space, which makes her feel like she is in a school dormitory—but she has never lived in a school dormitory before.

Or, is she using this environment to recover the college life that she has not enjoyed? she asked herself.

While blowing her head, she decided not to think about it.

Back in the room, I saw him sitting in his bed. looking at her.

"Why did you pretend to be invisible when you saw me when you came back?"

"I didn't pretend to be invisible, I just saw that you were chatting with people, and I didn't want to interrupt you."

"What are you talking about, I'm so bored by them that I'm crazy."

"Really, I don't see it. You seem to be having a good time talking."

"That's how I look, or I've been trained since I was a child, and I can chat with different people. But that doesn't mean I enjoy chatting with everyone."

"That's unbelievable. Isn't it more fun to talk to a group of girls than to talk to one girl?"

"Don't say that. I love talking to you. By the way, did you report to the group today?"

She wanted to explain to him about the report, but he suddenly said.

"I'm hungry, let's have dinner and talk."

Before she could respond, he said.

"I'll wait for you at the restaurant downstairs. Come over when you're done."

Then went out.

She didn't know whether to be angry or laugh. She planned to rest for a while before eating later. In the end, she decided to go to the restaurant to find him first.

When I saw him in the restaurant, he was chatting again. This time, when he saw her, he told the others directly that he had an appointment with someone, and then he ended their conversation and walked to her.

"You can continue talking to them."

"How can you? I called you here. Talk to them just because you weren't there. Let's order."

They ate Tibetan-style meals and drank Lhasa beer, and she suddenly sighed, "If only life could stay in this moment."

"What? You want us to stay in Lhasa forever. Where do you want to go and what to eat every day?"

"Is it not good?"

"If it's a month's life, that's fine. But if it's the same for the next ten or twenty years, then what's the good? People should be more practical."

"Then what kind of life do you want to live in the next ten or twenty years?"

"I think, maybe in a few years, I'll get married, buy a house, have children, take my family on trips from time to time, and then retire. That's it, right?"

"This kind of life is good."

"So, what do you think?"

"Many years ago, I decided I didn't want to go that far. Maybe I'll die tomorrow, and I often live with the realization that today is the last day of my life. I can do whatever I want, and go wherever I want. Go, I rarely think about tomorrow. I focus on the present."

"When you're a little older, you'll change."

She didn't want to argue with him.

"Maybe. Who knows?"

They continued chatting east and west, and unknowingly they sat late into the night. Both of them drank a lot of beer and decided to go back to their room to rest.

In the middle of the night, she woke up again.

She got up, walked out of the hall, poured a glass of water to drink. Late at night, some roommates outside were chatting, drinking and playing poker. She didn't participate because she was annoyed and went back to the room. She decided to try and see if she could get some more sleep.

After returning to his bed and lying down, he looked at him inadvertently, and in the dim light in the room, he found that he was staring at her with open eyes.

She whispered to him, "I'm sorry, did I wake you up? It's less than three o'clock, you can go back to sleep."

She spoke very softly. There was a passageway between the two of them, and he couldn't hear very well, so he got up, walked over to her bed, sat down, and said softly, "What did you just say?"

"I mean, did I wake you up, sorry."

"No, I just woke up suddenly, seeing you not here, thinking about where you went."

"It's okay, I just didn't sleep well, I just went out for a walk."

He paused and asked her, "Can I lie next to you?"

In the darkness, his sudden question made her stunned.

After a long pause, she came back to her senses.

"sure."

So he took his pillow and put it on her bed.

There are many roommates in the big room, and everyone makes a different voice. Surrounded by these voices, the two lay side by side on the narrow bed.

They can speak more quietly because the distance is closer.

"Try not to think too much, just empty your head and you can sleep."

"It's hard."

"Or think of something that pleases you?"

"I think of the Namtso starry sky that I saw with you."

"Then just think about it. Oh yes, do you owe a kiss from a handsome man? Add this part to your imagination."

She was starting to get a little sleepy.

"No, you can be here."

In the dark, he smiled.

(To be continued)