She shivered on the naked corner where Creek Avenue met Sultonfolk. Winter held her firmly in her grip, not intent on letting her go. She was heavily conflicted with regard to her dress. The skimpy had gotten her the opportunity but once she had gained entry into his world, she had been treated as royalty. Rewind to last week.
The chirping birds woke her up and as she slowly gained consciousness, the rays of light that pierced through the blinds that clothed the windows pricked her eyes and made her reluctantly open them. The moment she woke up to the light she realized something was wrong. It was usually unbecoming in her line of work to leave in the judgement that was proudly sponsored by daylight. Especially from a nice establishment like this one. There were drunk and married clients that hire lodges. Those didn't mind what time she left, as long as they didn't leave together and as long as her stay didn't accrue extra charges on their tab. Now this was no lodge. This was a well furnished apartment and every article inside occupied deliberate positions. Designed trumped default in spaces between each and every corner. This was not just a house, it was a home. The transition from lying on the bed to sitting upright on it with her feet on the floor was instantaneous. Her arms ventured away from her body as she squeezed all the remaining sleep in her into active dormancy. She wore a white T-shirt and underneath it only her underwear. This was standard for the morning after a transaction. She wondered what had happened the night before. She remembered Jake giving her his robe to cover her naked body and subsequently sitting next to him on the couch as he watched the TV. She also recalled he had gone into the kitchen and made her a hot cup of cocoa and some warm food. Next she remembered falling asleep on the couch. After that, her mind had nothing but blanks. What happened? Could it be he had drugged her? Despite all these questions she felt nothing wrong inside her. Then the next question hit, where was he?
She came down from the bed and fit not-so-perfectly into a pair of morning slippers that were by the bedside. The robe she wore the night before was hung by the closet door. She swept across and rescued it from the nail where it hung and gave it a temporary home on her body. Then she headed for the door. The house was air conditioned and the chill of ruthless winter dared not step inside. She navigated her way into the hallway and into the toilet. Once her business inside was finished, she went out and then went into the living room. On the couch where she had fallen asleep lay the prince. He slept like a baby. She tip-toed across the room, careful not to make a sound as a lioness when it creeps upon a mindless buck. She made it successfully. She sat and watched him as he slept.
As she sink into the comfort of the soft velvety couch, the warmth stole her and drifted with her into lalaland. It was only when she felt a gentle touch on her left arm that consciousness revisited her. Her eyes opened to a handsome young man with the most tender of smiles and a rugged beard that made him somewhat caveman adorable. She stared deep into his brown eyes in search of what his secret was. There had to be a catch. Why was he so nice? To her, heaven had visited and settled in her world. But she felt she wasn`t worthy. She smiled as her hands ran straight to her head. She ran her fingers through her hair in order to give herself a quick beauty fix. His hands went up and stopped them. Then he said, "Please let me take a look at you". He looked at her mesmerizing mess and put on a poker face to maintain the mystery in the encounter. He let her hands go, put his on the ground and leveraged them to get off from where he rested. He disappeared into the kitchen. Her eyes accompanied him all the way till he was out of sight. She continued with her mini salon and adjusted her sitting position. She wondered whether she had to follow him in the kitchen, whether to stay in the living room and play guest. She wondered whether she was going to get paid because even though he had picked her up in a manner which warranted payment, she had gotten more than monetary value could express. She had found some value in herself. And for the first time in a long time, she felt like a woman. Not some form of sex object.
After half an hour, give or take, he emerged from the kitchen with a tray containing a lot of promise. He came and placed it on the table and the invited her to join him. He had made scrambled eggs and coffee. There were several slices of buttered toasted bread in there too. Call it what you will but she saw a breakfast of royals. All the good things in their continuing moment were coming in abundance. Except one thing, words. "So… What do you do for a living Jake?" she thought she`d break the ice. He looked at her and smiled and then with a piece of toast in his mouth replied, "I work on the sixth floor of a very tall building". She laughed. He had a sense of humour, yet another admirable quality. "Which street if the very tall building by the way?" she inquired further. He stretched and reached for the remote and turned on the TV. All of a sudden they were three with the morning news lady. He looked into her eyes and said, "Maybe I can get to show you someday". So maybe this was going to be more than a once off thing. It was going to be going concern. She liked the idea of that. They took their breakfast graciously in the audience of the early morning news team. She wanted to inquire and dive a bit deeper into his ocean of mystery but she thought she could ruin it and just kept quiet.
After breakfast, she got up to clear the table but he prevented her. Instead he showed her to the bathroom and equipped her with all she would need for that particular escapade. When she came out, she was fresh and focused enough to conquer the world. She put on her clothes and came to meet him in the living room. There was an envelope on the table and as she gently lowered herself into the seat opposite to the one he occupied, he reached for it and extended it to her. She opened it to check the contents and discovered the shock of her life. Her face changed. "What`s this for?", she tried to relax but the awe remained glued to her face. This pay check was way too much even for someone who had worked. He raised his hand and his palm and outstretched fingers halted the production of any more words. "Please take it, that`s how much this was worth to me", he said as he leaned back into the couch. "I wish I had more to give". She looked again into the envelope. Still she remained incredulous.
He called her a cab and when the doorman rang to announce its arrival, he went with her outside to see her off. After she had settled in, he paid the driver and they took off. She tried as much as she could to not look back but that was the concise and complete definition of impossible. She turned back and saw him waving at her. Millions of thoughts in her head, like germs, kept multiplying. Chief was the question would she ever see him again? As she pondered on this thought, the cab driver`s hand reached out to her and handed her a note. She opened it and read it and as she reached the full stop of the one simple sentence note, her world opened up to endless possibilities.
The chill in the night carried with it plethora of negative thoughts and feelings. She had been upbeat but her parade was soon to get rained on. She reached into her purse and looked at the note once again. Wondering whether she had failed to comprehend the message, but each time she read it there was no new twist to what the words were saying. The letters were as clear as transparent glass and in capitals 'SAME TIME SAME PLACE, NEXT WEEK'. This was the day, the girl was ready, and the guy was almost an hour late. Was he even coming? Was this a test? Was this a means of making her earn the money he had generously given last time? She had let countless potential clients go and it seemed she was about to pay the price. A single ounce of sense within her told her not to give up hope. But that sense was hanging on by a piece of thread, drowning into a sea of negative energy that was in her heart. This was the first time while she was in this line of work that the heart was engaged to do more than just pump blood while out on duty. She not only wanted to see him for work reasons, she wanted to see him. She looked at her watch. Something must have been wrong with it. It was ticking in the wrong direction. It was going the right way but as long as it wasn`t leading her to him, it was all wrong. Her legs were growing weary from standing but she couldn`t sit down. It didn`t portray a good image. Something within her tweaked and her resolve broke. She was calling it a night. She wanted him to come but this wasn`t going to be the night. The street from which the Mercedes had emerged last week was illuminated only by streets lights. Her heart was torn, how it was still beating to her was a mystery. One she did not intend to solve, at least not tonight. She skilfully lowered her feet in order to get from the pavement to the road she intended to cross. She felt footsteps coming up from behind her. Maybe it was a walk in customer. She was too emotionally spent to take on a customer now. She would make this night hers. She looked both sides intent on crossing as a force of habit since she heard no car sound polluting the night serenity. As she was about to cross the road, a hand gently rested on her shoulder and she flinched and took a few steps forward before turning to see who it was. Then a familiar voice calmed her shaken, pounding heart, "Hey, hey… It`s me. I`m sorry I'm late". She looked at him, still with her startled look, her lungs slowly but heavily clearing out all the air and then filling them up again. A tear rolled down from her eye and cascaded down her cheek till it hung on her the edge of her chin. They were two metres apart but she felt as if he was a world away. Never mind the heels, she ran to him and hugged tighter than a bear trap could. His arms wrapped her body till not even half an air particle could go through them. He could hear a suppressed cry and his heart melt. She whispered, "I thought I'd never see you again. Don't you ever do that to me again". The street light coloured their night, from orange to green. They remained in each other's grasp whilst in the middle of the road. In a matter of seconds, her heart had unbroken.