Chapter 4
The umbrella
It was after work. Adam drove his sports car into the underground parking lot and parked it in a lot that was near the lift.
He stepped out of the car and picked up his briefcase. He patted it gently, as if to comfort the briefcase, which had become so thick and full because of all the important documents it held. Adam strolled slowly to the lift and pressed the button for the second floor.
The lift doors closed and the lift proceeded upwards, first the two underground levels where the carparks were, then the ground floor. As the lift reached the ground floor, the doors slowly opened. Adam frowned. He disliked taking the lift with strangers. Maybe it was the awkward silence that usually followed. It was probably because usually neither he nor the stranger made an attempt to engage in friendly conversation.
It wasn't that Adam was hostile, nasty or mean. He just didn’t like the feeling of polite, curt conversations. The frequent ‘how are you’s, the very polite and foreign smiles; he disliked them all.
The lift door opened and Adam looked up reluctantly. At the entrance of the lift stood a middle aged man, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase like him. He grunted as he entered the lift and pressed the button for the third level. Just as the lift doors were about to close, Adam hear a yelp-
'WAIT! Wait!' it was a woman’s voice, and her voice grew louder as she ran towards the lift and stuck her hand between the lift doors. Sounds quite familiar, I seem to have heard this voice somewhere, Adam thought to himself. He pressed the open door button and the lift doors opened, revealing the girl who had helped him pick up his umbrella the other day.
She was drenched from head to toe and she was breathing heavily, probably because she ran for the lift. She muttered 'thank you' and looked up, her brown eyes meeting his green ones. Her eyes mirrored the surprise that were in his eyes as she stood at the lift door.
'Erhem, maybe you want to step inside,' the other man in the elevator was apparently annoyed by her appearance and wanted the lift to go up quickly. She blushed, embarrassed and stepped into the lift.
As the lift went up, silence prevailed, besides the sound of the elevator working and the random sounds of the girl sneezing. Adam looked past the man, at the girl, who was on the other side of the lift. She was trying very hard to sneeze quietly but failing miserably. The man who stood in the middle scowled everytime she sneezed and made no attempt to hide the displeasure on his face. Adam took a hankerchief out from his coat pocket and passed it to the girl. She looked up in surprise, then stretched her hand to take the handkerchief. She smiled apologetically and mouthed the words 'thank you'.
'Ding!' the lift exclaimed as it reached the second floor. The doors opened and Adam stepped out. He turned around and realized the girl was getting out also. As he walked to the door of his apartment, he realized she walked to the apartment which was directly facing his.
So we're actually neighbours within such close proximity, he thought. He dug the keys out from his wallet and started unlocking the lock on the gate of his front door.
'Hey. Thanks a lot, for your handkerchief.' She said.
'It's okay. You’re welcome.' He turned his head around and replied. 'Didn't bring your umbrella?'
'Erm, actually I don’t own one. Haha. Yeah.' She smiled cheekily and stuck out her tongue.
'Oh. So you don’t have one. Hmm. You like my transparent one a lot right? You want it? I can give it to you. I have lost of other umbrellas.' Adam offered.
'REALLY? You’ll give it to me?' Her eyes widened in disbelief.
'Yeah. Erm, you wait here, I’ll go in and get it.' Adam put down his briefcase at the doorstep and walked into the living room. He found it lying on the coffee table. He picked it up in one scoop and walked out.
'Here. And it’s no big deal, just an umbrella-' Adam said as he passed it to her. She grinned widely and opened the umbrella.
'I've always wanted an umbrella like this! Thanks a lot. Oh, forgot to say, im Chris, nice to meet you.' She offered her hand to Adam and smiled at his as if he were her benefactor.
'Oh. My name is Adam. Nice to meet you too.' Adam gave a loop-sized grin. He was beginning to feel tired already. Maybe it was the rain. As if Chris sensed his weariness, she patted him on the back and asked him to rest and that maybe they would see each other again soon. It was just a friendly gesture, not feminine charms or shots at seduction but Adam frowned. He gently brushed the place on his back where Chris patted him and squeezed a smile before closing the door and saying goodbye.
The umbrella
It was after work. Adam drove his sports car into the underground parking lot and parked it in a lot that was near the lift.
He stepped out of the car and picked up his briefcase. He patted it gently, as if to comfort the briefcase, which had become so thick and full because of all the important documents it held. Adam strolled slowly to the lift and pressed the button for the second floor.
The lift doors closed and the lift proceeded upwards, first the two underground levels where the carparks were, then the ground floor. As the lift reached the ground floor, the doors slowly opened. Adam frowned. He disliked taking the lift with strangers. Maybe it was the awkward silence that usually followed. It was probably because usually neither he nor the stranger made an attempt to engage in friendly conversation.
It wasn't that Adam was hostile, nasty or mean. He just didn’t like the feeling of polite, curt conversations. The frequent ‘how are you’s, the very polite and foreign smiles; he disliked them all.
The lift door opened and Adam looked up reluctantly. At the entrance of the lift stood a middle aged man, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase like him. He grunted as he entered the lift and pressed the button for the third level. Just as the lift doors were about to close, Adam hear a yelp-
'WAIT! Wait!' it was a woman’s voice, and her voice grew louder as she ran towards the lift and stuck her hand between the lift doors. Sounds quite familiar, I seem to have heard this voice somewhere, Adam thought to himself. He pressed the open door button and the lift doors opened, revealing the girl who had helped him pick up his umbrella the other day.
She was drenched from head to toe and she was breathing heavily, probably because she ran for the lift. She muttered 'thank you' and looked up, her brown eyes meeting his green ones. Her eyes mirrored the surprise that were in his eyes as she stood at the lift door.
'Erhem, maybe you want to step inside,' the other man in the elevator was apparently annoyed by her appearance and wanted the lift to go up quickly. She blushed, embarrassed and stepped into the lift.
As the lift went up, silence prevailed, besides the sound of the elevator working and the random sounds of the girl sneezing. Adam looked past the man, at the girl, who was on the other side of the lift. She was trying very hard to sneeze quietly but failing miserably. The man who stood in the middle scowled everytime she sneezed and made no attempt to hide the displeasure on his face. Adam took a hankerchief out from his coat pocket and passed it to the girl. She looked up in surprise, then stretched her hand to take the handkerchief. She smiled apologetically and mouthed the words 'thank you'.
'Ding!' the lift exclaimed as it reached the second floor. The doors opened and Adam stepped out. He turned around and realized the girl was getting out also. As he walked to the door of his apartment, he realized she walked to the apartment which was directly facing his.
So we're actually neighbours within such close proximity, he thought. He dug the keys out from his wallet and started unlocking the lock on the gate of his front door.
'Hey. Thanks a lot, for your handkerchief.' She said.
'It's okay. You’re welcome.' He turned his head around and replied. 'Didn't bring your umbrella?'
'Erm, actually I don’t own one. Haha. Yeah.' She smiled cheekily and stuck out her tongue.
'Oh. So you don’t have one. Hmm. You like my transparent one a lot right? You want it? I can give it to you. I have lost of other umbrellas.' Adam offered.
'REALLY? You’ll give it to me?' Her eyes widened in disbelief.
'Yeah. Erm, you wait here, I’ll go in and get it.' Adam put down his briefcase at the doorstep and walked into the living room. He found it lying on the coffee table. He picked it up in one scoop and walked out.
'Here. And it’s no big deal, just an umbrella-' Adam said as he passed it to her. She grinned widely and opened the umbrella.
'I've always wanted an umbrella like this! Thanks a lot. Oh, forgot to say, im Chris, nice to meet you.' She offered her hand to Adam and smiled at his as if he were her benefactor.
'Oh. My name is Adam. Nice to meet you too.' Adam gave a loop-sized grin. He was beginning to feel tired already. Maybe it was the rain. As if Chris sensed his weariness, she patted him on the back and asked him to rest and that maybe they would see each other again soon. It was just a friendly gesture, not feminine charms or shots at seduction but Adam frowned. He gently brushed the place on his back where Chris patted him and squeezed a smile before closing the door and saying goodbye.
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