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9.
" Ummm..." He started. I watched silently as he swallowed nervously and starts all over again. " The gruel was delicious. Thank you for cooking for me. Here, I come to return the plums." He said awkwardly and held the bottle to me. I hesitated before reaching out to take the bottle from him.
" You are welcome." I mutter to my shoes.
Silence froze as we stood as such for minutes. "Ah! It's cold outside! Come in quick." I gestured hurriedly when cold wind whipped against us. I stepped back to allow him to enter before closing the door. While waiting for me, he stood in the middle of the room looking lost, just like I was in his house earlier in the afternoon, I thought secretly.
"Have a seat." I invited as I head for the kitchen to get him a cup of tea. I panicked when I realized that I had invited a stranger into my home without much thought! Worry about how to get rid of him flooded my whole being. He had decided on the seat by the low table where my half written articles are and presently he is engrossed in reading one. I placed the cup of tea before him and sat down next to him absentmindedly.
"Huh?" I snapped out of my trance after I became conscious of a constant murmur next to me. "What did you say?"
He is looking at me with a look of surprise and that irksome amusing grin. I start to frown and that wiped the playful smirk off his face totally. He cleared his throat in an exaggerated manner. " I was asking, are you a writer?"
" Yes."
" For a financial magazine?"
" Yes."
" You are not local?"
" No."
" You just moved here?"
" Yes."
An awkward silence followed. My body is stiff and erect with worry while he took the chance to survey the room. His glance landed on the tv set. Without a word, he got up and head towards it. Before I could stop him, he starts to gather up all the cables. In a flash he had all the cables plugged in the right places and the tv turned on. The face on the screen shocked me. It looks exactly like the one sitting next to it!
" You? Him?" I uttered incoherently, pointing to him and the face on the tv. Then I stop and watch the tv intently. One minute the person on tv is laughing with abandon, the next he is cheering loudly. The audience had followed suit and cheered, creating a rowdy atmosphere of a popular show. The man sitting next to the tv is silent and withdrawn.
" For a moment I thought that was you!" I giggled feeling embarrassed for my hasty assumption. " That's me." He answered dryly and grinned. The shocked expression on my face must have been very comical because he started laughing soon after. I closed my jaw with indignation and stare at him angrily. That stopped him in his tracks immediately. He cleared his throat while I continue to stare at him.
" You are not a local."He remarked understandingly and even nods his head wisely.
" If you are famous enough, I would have recognized you." I retorted cruelly. Never would I have known how wrong I am. "And you wouldn't be living here." I added harshly.
Instead of answering, he got up from his seat and head for the door. For a moment, I thought I hurt his feelings. He was about to open the door when he turned abruptly. "Enjoy the show, it has another half an hour to go." He grinned and left. |
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