Day 2 (III): Silent Pact

What happened next made me confused. It was the mixed, complicated emotion that bothered me. Tiong Wei and Theen Yew knew how much it has bothered me, butI have no intention to explain it here. I want to talk about the cause. Because this is something I did not clarify to the rest of the team. It was caused by myriad feelings that I had at that moment. Frustration, grievance, disappointment, self-condemn, shame and empty, unrealistic comment given.

At first was jogging for one round. The requirement, as usual, was to ensure no gaps between teammates. Then, we had to do something harder. Theen Yew was supposed to carry Tiong Wei on his back, while two of us supported Tiong Wei’s legs. Another one supported the bottom. It was tough. The distance. The time limit. And the weight. Tiong Wei’s leg was slowly slipping out of my grip. But with girl’s encouraging shouts, we struggled to reach the ending line, that was when one of them collapsed onto the track and the other followed. But they both turned out to be intact.

We were then given a very short time for water break. In order to fill up the water bottles in a lightning speed, some decided to go to the toilet that was actually out of bound for them. I watched the astounding scene in disbelief. A Captain from another House saw. He cursed loudly, and when we were all lined up, he exchanged words with Trinity.

I was waiting for the storm. But after a laugh of sarcasm and a few scolding words, it was gone. We were facing the assignment of carrying Theen Yew as a House. A very tight time limit had been set. I told our new Captain about my concern. “Come on, you must push yourself.” This way? Soon, Theen Yew was carried by Kaizen and Tiong Wei. They carried him on shoulders for less than half a round and switched with Mat and I. If they could do it, so could I. I told myself. But under Theen Yew’s weight, running became staggering only after covering a few metres. But I did not give up, though I was slowing down by second and my right shoulder could barely support Theen Yew. What had been mentioned about endurance? I questioned myself. At last, we wore off, and both Mat and I were taken over by the previous pair again. I felt shameful. And I failed to endure. Outcome? Exceeded time limit by more than one minute. We were scolded about it, and I felt too embarrassed to raise up my head, though I was told, and realised by myself later on, that it was not the fault of an individual.

Soothing words by two of my friends really worked well. I looked at them in the eyes. And we exchanged opinions. That was the end of it. It was late, and three of us should be in our bunks. But, to the heck of it, we were going to bathe. To wash off the unhappiness and frustration. Refreshed, we regained confidence, and the expectation to success. Great Expectations. The episode was never mentioned again.

We soon returned to Dance Studio, our dormitory. In the darkness, Tiong Wei switched on his torchlight. “Tomorrow we will do better.” he whispered, holding out a hand. “Yes, tomorrow we chiong.” Theen Yew said slowly, not accommodate to pronounce Hokkien words. We lay our hands on one another, and made a silent pact. It was a pact for proving ourselves, a pact for not letting ourselves down, and a pact for unity.

Day 3: Final Endeavor; the Birth of Leaders is coming soon…