Mike was on a short break when the old man walked into the restaurant.  He briefly looked up from his handheld game.  The elderly man’s skin seemed to glow like the moon.  From his long, white beard to his big jacket and baggy pants, Mike thought he looked like a hobo, albeit an unusually clean one.  He was holding a small book and a big, white bag.  Mike’s older sister, Rachel, took care of the man, and he went back to his game.  To his dismay, he lost and had to start over.

If only life were like a game, he mused.  You could get a second chance and start over when things went wrong.

That was when Caitlyn Li walked in.

The bell at the door tingled when she opened it.  Mike looked up, and though he knew he shouldn’t, the sight of her made him feel like his stomach was full of helium.  He remembered the first time they met, when he was with some friends at Golden Gate Park.  She was walking with some of her own friends, laughing and twirling her long, black hair with one finger.  She had been modestly dressed in a t-shirt with some faded jeans and sneakers.  When she first saw him, she had given him a smile that made the rest of the park dull in comparison.

Presently, her eye caught his.  She took a step back and quickly averted her gaze, a pained look on her face.  She stared at the yellow wallpaper on the side of the restaurant until she was seated.  Mike was sure it was no accident that her back was turned to him.

He wanted to say something to her, but he wasn’t sure if she would even want to hear him out.  Then again, this would probably be the only chance he’d get to be close to her, his only shot.

Soon, Mike’s break was over, and Rachel came to tell him to get back to work.

 “You can start with that girl over there,” she said, pointing at Caitlyn.

“Can I help the old man instead?” he asked quickly.

“Fine,” Rachel said, “Just get back to work; it’s my turn to take a break.”  She removed her apron and quickly walked out the front door.

Mike walked over to the old man holding a small menu.  He was sitting in a corner by a window, the moonlight appearing to shine on him.

“Hi, welcome to Wong’s Chinese Restaurant,” he said, forcing a smile, “I’ll be your waiter today.”  He handed the old man the menu, and the old man smiled, his eyes almost like bright silver.  Mike briefly looked at Caitlyn, who was sitting by herself.  The old man turned to look as well.

“Do you know her?” the old man asked, his voice as calm as a warm, summer night.

“Yeah… sort of,” Mike said.  “We go to college together.”

“I see.” the old man turned around and looked again.  He turned back to Mike.

“She seems like a cute girl,” he said, and Mike winced at that.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Mike replied.

“Are you sure?  You see, if there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout all my life, it’s that talking helps people get over things.”

“It’s nothing,” Mike said again, “Would you like something to drink?” 

“Water is fine,” the old man said.

Mike went to get the water.  While it was pouring, he looked absent-mindedly at Caitlyn.  He thought back to the months that followed after they met; how she was friendly to him and him to her.  Seeing her on campus made his day feel brighter, and he began talking to her more, trying to get to know her better.  Looking back on those past events, Mike realized that there were already obvious clues that she wasn’t interested in him.  It had started with her gently declining to hang out with him, or to study with him.  Over time, she began making up excuses--- that she was busy, or already hanging out with other friends--- but Mike hadn’t paid attention.  Finally, when he tried (again) to ask her out on a date, she finally just came clean and said she wasn’t interested.  Mike had tried his best to seem okay; he tried to act like he could easily get over it, but really, it still bothered him.  And now Caitlyn couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as him, much less within ten feet.  That last thought made Mike wonder: why didn’t she just leave when she saw him now?  Was she waiting for somebody?  He noticed her brown, silk blouse and dark blue jeans, and the way her hair was braided; it seemed she wasn’t here for a normal evening meal.

The old man was looking through an old, dusty book when Mike returned.  He placed the old man’s water gently on the table and looked at the book.  He couldn’t read the writing; it was only a bunch of hashes and scribbles that reminded him of Chinese characters, except not really.  He briefly glanced at Caitlyn, still alone.  Maybe, he thought, he should go over and talk to her.  She was here, after all.

While he was taking the man’s order, the door chimed again, and Mike looked up involuntarily.  A young man in a collared shirt and jeans walked in.  Mike recognized him from school.  His name was Ricky Fujii; he was two grades ahead of Mike, and knew how to play the drums, guitar, and piano with ease.  In short, every instrument Mike couldn’t play.  Mike had occasionally seen Caitlyn and him hanging out on the college campus: walking together, talking together, holding hands… everything Mike wished he could do with her. 

Caitlyn got out of her seat and gave Ricky a hug.  They immediately sat down and began talking about their day.  Mike quickly went back to taking the old man’s order.  All of a sudden, it felt like someone had increased the heat of the restaurant.

“Well, that’s interesting.”  The old man glanced at Caitlyn and Ricky and then back at his dusty old book.  He chuckled a little bit.

“What’s so funny?” Mike asked him.  The old man didn’t hear him; he flipped a few pages of his book, all the while playing with some silk string he pulled out of his bag.  The string was a very bright red; Mike felt like covering his eyes.  “What kind of book is that?”

The old man smiled at him.  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

The man waved a hand over it, like a wizard looking over an old tome.  “This book,” he said, “records every person in the world, and who they will marry in the future.”

“You’re joking,” Mike said, backing away slightly.  “I can’t even read it; it’s all just scribbles!”

The old man laughed a little bit.  “Of course you can’t read it,” he said, “Only I can.  It’s a book from another world.”

Mike stared at him for a few seconds, his mouth slightly open.  He looked back at Caitlyn and Ricky, who were taking a picture on Caitlyn’s iPhone together.   He found himself staring at her again.

“Does it say anything about me?” Mike asked.

The old man looked at Mike.  Then he flipped through the book.  Mike sneezed; the book was filled with dust and smelled like something from his grandma’s old knick knack collection.

“Let’s see,” the old man said, using his finger as a pointer.  “Here we are: Michael Chan.  Your father was from China, but your mother grew up here.”

“Yes, I already know that,” Mike said. “Does it say who I’ll end up with?”

“It does,” the old man said, squinting at the page.  Mike took another brief look at Caitlyn.

“Is she here right now?”

“No, but you’ll meet her soon.”

“Soon?” Mike stepped back.  “Not now?”

“Sorry,” the man said. “Not now.”

He’s clearly crazy, Mike thought.  “I have to go back now; your order should be ready soon.”

The old man nodded.

Mike looked back at Caitlyn and Ricky; they had just ordered food and were still talking.  Caitlyn was laughing at something funny Ricky told her.  Mike cursed under his breath; he wished that she was laughing at something he said.

He made up his mind: he would talk to her.  He didn’t care if some crazy old man said she wasn’t the one for him; he wanted to talk to her, to win her back.  He would do it first chance he got.

A few minutes later, Ricky’s phone rang.  Apparently it was important because he had to excuse himself, leaving Caitlyn alone.  Mike wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity like this.  He quickly went into the men’s restroom and checked himself in the mirror; he looked at his short, black hair, and made sure his face was clean and free of dirt or obvious blemishes.  When he finished, he walked out, trying to shoo away any negative thoughts.

Mike walked up to Caitlyn, his feet making no sound on the red carpet.  It was as if he was back on that fateful day.  Again he wondered, should he be doing this?  But before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth.

“Hi, Caitlyn,” he said, noting the quietness of his voice.

Caitlyn turned in her seat to look at Mike, placing her phone down on the table.

“Hey, Mike,” she said, managing a smile.  “It’s been a while.”  It was the first time she had spoken to him in months; her soft voice sounded both familiar and alien to him.

Been a while, Mike thought.  What did that mean?

 “So… how you been?”

“Good, I guess.  Physics is killing me, but it’s not so bad.”

“Really?  That’s good, I guess.”

“Yeah,” she said, “Ricky’s been helping me out with homework.  He’s a pretty good tutor.”

Mike could see Ricky outside through a window, caught up in his phone conversation; it didn’t look like he’d be coming in for a while, which was just perfect.

Mike turned towards Caitlyn, and took a deep breath.  “Look… Caitlyn…” he began to say.

Caitlyn stared at him with her dark brown eyes.  She had cut her bangs a bit.  Mike continued.  “Can I talk to you about something?”

Caitlyn seemed to think it over.  “Uh,” she began, “Okay.  What is it?”

Here goes nothing, Mike thought.  “I’m… I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, or bothered you too much… or…” He paused, thinking of what else to say.  “I mean, I’m sorry that…”

“It’s fine.”

The way she cut into his apology was like being beheaded mid-sentence.

“What?” he said, taken aback.

“Don’t worry about it, Mike.”  She was smiling, but the way she talked didn’t really sound like she accepted his apology; it sounded more like Let’s not talk about this anymore.  Just forget it.