I woke up very early that morning and got ready to leave. It was windy and bleak, the perfect weather for parting.
By the time I finished getting dressed, E was already up. I hugged him tightly. Somehow this goodbye hug felt different. It was as if I'd never see him again.
As I walked uphill towards Roppongi metro station, weighed down by sorrow and my heavy rucksack, that old Malay saying floated in my head:
Garam di laut, asam di darat
Dalam kuali bertemu juga
And even as moisture gathered in my eyes, I smiled.
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