"Hi Lira, my gorgeous little kitty", the sweet little voice comes on from within for my Lira but as always, she looks completely unfazed by it. I love her. As I wake up to conquer another weekday, I open the drapes to see wet grass, greyish clouds, and an unearthly yet alluring looking sky. A strong scent of rain greets me. There is something nostalgic about the smell of the rain; I don't know what I'm reminded of. I despise the wetness however. I choose to look at the bright side though. Kind of ironic talking about brightness when I literally have to switch my night light on at seven in the morning. Still, I like the beauty in this darkness.
Buzz buzz buzz Misha probably, I assume as I reach for my phone. Unknown number. Well, today I feel bold like the sky under me so I guess I'm going to accept this call; it better be worth it.
"Hello maam, is this Ciara speaking.. without the K?" I hear a customer support agent-like voice from the other side of the phone.
"Umm, yes, Ciara with a C", I answer.
"Great, I wanted to let you know that your order for the espresso machine will be delivered in an hour. It should be delivered to your home address, correct?"
Goddamn, I wish. Must have accidentally clicked on order last night as I was mindlessly browsing through the fancy catalogue of espresso machines.
"Um, sorry. This is most definitely a mistake on my end. I never meant to click on order. Please cancel this order. I'm really sorry for this inconvenience". I'm slightly embarrassed but hey, at least I'm fully awake now.
"Oh but it's already been paid for."
"By who?", I ask.
"By a person named Lira". Duude, what?
"Um, are you sure, it's Lira? L-I-R-A?" I spell each letter of my cat's name just to be completely sure.
"Yes, ma'am, it's L-I-R-A. Now, will you be available to receive your item at 8am or should I have it delivered later in the day?".
"8 am will do". I respond in a flash.
"Sure, thank you for your confirmation and have a great day!" I hear a cheerful voice on the other end and then suddenly a click, signalling the end of the call.
I don't know about great but I sure as hell am feeling pretty bizarre. I hope this is some sort of a joke by agent M - the Gothic chick.
Buzz Buzz Great, another call. I look at the screen to find a call from an unknown number but this time it's a different number. Perhaps they called back from a different number to let me know there has been a mistake.
I sigh and pick up the call. "Hello?" I initiate the voice from the other side to give me answers.
"Hi Ciara without the K. The rain is hitting pretty hard, eh?" That unfathomably deep voice. Those eyes that I had forgotten for a split second come rushing back into my memory.
I have so many questions.
"Is this the new guy, how did you get my number?" I ask almost defensively.
"Yes, this new guy's name is Perth by the way". Okay, that's his name. Perth. "I got it via Misha of course."
Agents M and Mr. Mysterious-no-longer teamed up. Lira and I, we're all alone again.
"Did you play that ridiculous joke of Lira paying for an espresso machine and having it delivered at my home?" I ask promptly.
"Yes, did you like it?" He doesn't even attempt to conceal his playfulness that is so obvious from the tone of his voice.
"I'm not laughing". I say hoping he'd somehow see how far my eyes have rolled, massaging the back of my skull if they could.
His chuckle gives me a shudder for some strange reason. "That's okay, the joke was for me. Anyway, I hope I get to drink an espresso shot at your home someday, at least." And then he clicks off.
What was that supposed to mean...Perth?