Chapter 2
I had spent the day in a conference room, and I was ready to have some time on my own. I excused myself from the social activities planned for the evening and started heading to my hotel alone.
The fall chilled New York City. It could start pouring any moment, and passers-by hastily pushed their way forward, barely aware of each other’s presence. It was not a good day for walking, and I could have taken a cab. The streets were jammed though, and I relished the shuffles of wind ruffling my hair, they felt liberating after the atrophy in which the previous hours had plunged me.
But when I reached 5th Ave. hell suddenly broke loose, the slashes of rain fell hard, drenching me within minutes. I tried to hail a cab, but I couldn’t get anybody to stop for me. I silently cursed the drivers, and looked around for somewhere to shelter myself till the rain would subside.
There was a hotel at the corner. I stood at the entrance, monitoring the sky for some sign of respite from the downpour.
A man stepped out of a limousine, accompanied by a guy holding an umbrella over his head. I observed the scene, fascinated by the perfection of the man’s attire and disgusted by the way he strived to overstate his power. I smiled a sarcastic smile at the hidden weakness this overstatement implied.
The man noticed, and he was not the type to let go.
“Not a good day for walking, is it?”, he told me, stopping in front of me
I took my time to reply, a detached smile clinging on my lips.
“There are worse things in life than getting wet”, I said at last, my tone plain
The man’s light blue eyes scrutinized me, before locking onto my dark gaze. I could sense strength in the lightness of those cold eyes, and my smile warmed, yielding. For a moment I felt tenderness at the man’s Achilles heel.
“And there are better things than standing in front of a hotel, soaked to the bones. Be my guest for a drink”, he asserted
It didn’t seem strange to accept, so I did. And this is how it all started.