MY FATHER'S WIFE

I watched as Clarissa and Victoria hurriedly left the dining hall, leaving me behind. Clarissa, with her calm smile, interested me the most. She was elegantly beautiful; she was so attractive and appealing. Her eyes shone like emeralds, sparkled with intelligence and kindness. Her smile, so radiant and warm, could light up the darkest of rooms. Initially appearing somewhat distant, her attitude softened as we conversed. Her offer of a handshake before leaving signaled a potential for friendship, a gesture that I eagerly embraced and anticipated. I had made sure to get her phone number, hoping to arrange a meet-up soon. I would like to be close to that girl. She was a medical student, I recalled. She and I could be good friends, I’m sure. Just then, my phone beeped. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was a text message from a hidden number. The text message read: “Stay away from that girl, do not go close to her. Be warned”. Who the hell was this unidentified sender, I thought to myself. And which of the girls was the sender referring to anyway? Was somebody watching or thinking about me? I couldn’t tell if anyone was monitoring my conversation with Clarissa and her friend earlier or, weirdly, somebody was recording my thoughts. Lost in my thoughts, I was startled when my classmate Harry called my name. He had been looking everywhere for me, unaware of the fact that I was busy fantasizing about the intriguing Clarissa. "Hey, dude," I greeted you with a smile, pulling myself from my thoughts. "I've been looking for you, Harry. When I couldn't find you, I decided to wait here, hoping you'd show up soon," I explained. "Any progress on that assignment?" Harry inquired. "None at all," I admitted. "We should start working on it now, Chris. Shall we head to the library before our 1 PM lecture?" he suggested, gesturing for us to go. "Sure, Harry," I agreed, following him very hurriedly. "I suppose I'll have to set aside my thoughts for now and focus on academics," I murmured with a smile as we entered the library. After our lectures, Harry and I ventured into town to pick up a few items, one of which was a thick, lovely winter jacket that I assumed would suit me well. With winter fast approaching and most of my jackets left behind in Texas, Harry encouraged me to get them, noting how nice it would look to me. “That jacket must go home with you. Looks like it was deliberately designed for you, Chris”, he said with a smile. “Oh really! I had better take your word for it”, I said, picking up the jacket and walking over to the counter to make payment. Just then, another guy waved a smile at me. Not sure if I had known him before, I smiled right back. It was after I had left the shop that I realized the face was familiar. It was the same guy who had gestured for me to join his table just before I had headed to Clarissa’s table during breakfast. During a casual shopping outing, I quietly purchased some exquisite fragrances as gifts for Harry's upcoming birthday. He had mentioned his birthday was approaching during one of our playful conversations on a weekend. Knowing he loved fine fragrances, I had selected a variety that I thought he would appreciate. Harry had a unique habit of combining different perfumes, creating a unique and pleasant scent that accompanied him wherever he went. One evening, during our playful conversations, I asked him: “Hey dude, What’s the name of your fragrance? Just maybe I could also smell like you” I asked him jokingly. “Well, I don’t have a particular scent. I prefer to be very unpredictable. So, I wear different scents most of the time” he replied. In addition to the fragrances, I also picked up a Rolex watch which I was sure Harry would love and a few other items that I knew he would enjoy. Aware of his love for reading, I selected a colorful and beautifully designed romance novel from the bookstore, a title that I had never seen among his collection. I carefully hid these gifts from him, eager to surprise him on his birthday and see his reaction to the selection. One evening, I went downtown to a shop to get myself some items. I observed a beautiful lady at the counter. I was immediately drawn to her. There was something really special about her. Something captivating even though I couldn’t figure it out just yet. I decided to engage her a little. “Hello beautiful” I said, choosing my words carefully. “Hi, she smiled right back at me. “I am Bekah Steinfeld” she said right after I had introduced myself. She and I immediately connected, and so we exchanged contact information. Her name was Bekah Steinfeld she had introduced. We chatted and called each other from time to time and I could tell that there was something special about her. I liked her really much, and she liked me too. But, I didn’t want to ruin the feeling that I had been nursing for my dear Clarissa. So, I decided to under study Bekah. I thought that it was better to keep her close, but not too close. As for me, Clarissa seemed more special. Many days had passed without a sighting of Clarissa and Victoria, neither on the streets of Harvard nor in the dining hall during meals where we had first met. " Were they both so occupied?" I wondered. I desired to call Clarissa, but I hesitated, wary of being too forward. I knew many women didn't appreciate men who were overly persistent with their phones. So, I waited for a stroke of luck to encounter her again, thinking that after a few more meetings, I could then consider making a call. "I don’t want to upset her by calling," I muttered to myself. Many at times, I purposely strolled through the corridors of the Medical School, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but my efforts were in vain. One faithful afternoon, I was strolling around Harvard Medical School. Praying very hard to catch a glimpse of Clarissa and Vicky. But just like other times, I never saw her around. I was discouraged. “It has always been a fruitless search”, I thought. As I stood still pondering my situation and what my next point of action would be, I began to feel eyes on me. I had been having a weird feeling all day, since I left my apartment, that I was being watched but have been ignoring it. I immediately looked up and caught a guy staring, but swiftly turned away to avoid me, and positioned the baseball hat on his head. He looked familiar, like I had seen him before, and I could have sworn I saw him following me earlier in the day. I took a quick look around to see if there was someone else staring. Just then, I noticed his mouth move, like he was communicating with someone. And was looking away to avoid making eye contact. Sure, I wasn’t daydreaming. It was the same guy at the shop downtown and in the dining. I walked up to him carefully and engaged him. “Hey dude, I am Christopher Walton”. I quickly introduced myself. “Hello, pleased to meet you. My name is Felix”, he calmly replied. “Looks like I’ve seen you before. I said, stirring closely at him. “Me, not sure: he responded, looking confused. “Yes dude. I’ve been seeing you around. It looks like you’ve been following me everywhere I went. I hope you are not stalking me? I asked with a stern look. “Stalking you? Hell no. Don’t you think it might just be coincidental that we may have been around each other unknowingly? I’m a student just like you, man. He responded shakingly. “ Coincidental! I really hope that’s the case. Because if I figure out that you are really stalking me, you will be sorry”, I said and walked away. One weekend, I decided to go with another friend, Johnson, to a nightclub downtown. Clubbing was something I enjoyed back in Texas. I had been too busy with my studies that I now felt rusted. So, I chose to club at least once a month while still at Harvard. I had fun at the club and had one pretty girl for the night. Since my best friend Harry was a church boy, he tried to talk me out of clubbing, sometimes without success. I particularly loved girls, and the club was the place where I could easily find one if I required them. Some of those girls I had previously had relationships with, but they never lasted. After several more days of waiting without seeing Clarissa anywhere, I decided to call her. "She wouldn't bite," I reassured myself. I recalled how she had offered me a handshake before leaving the dining hall that day, a sign of potential friendship. Perhaps, if she had my number, she would have called, I presumed. Today, I thought, in fact, right now, I would try. Gathering some confidence, I picked up my phone and dialed Clarissa's number. It rang for a moment before she answered. "Hello?" Clarissa's voice came through the phone. "Hi, Clarissa," I managed to say, unsure of what to say next. "Oh, who am I speaking to?" She asked, surprised that the caller knew her name. "I'm Chris, Christopher Walton," I quickly introduced myself, adding, "I met you and Victoria a fortnight ago in the dining hall." "Oh, certainly, I remember now," she said in a friendly tone. I felt relieved. We exchanged some friendly pleasantries over the phone, and just before I hung up, I summoned the courage to ask her out for a drink that evening at seven. “How about a drink this evening at seven”? Interestingly, Clarissa had accepted my offer for a meet-up, exceeding my expectations. I couldn’t believe it. I was super-excited. Within me, I knew that I was nervous. But I needed to be brave. I had been longing to see Clarissa since the first day I met her. Now the opportunity is just around the corner. I must make good use of it. As I began rehearsing my lines for the evening meet-up, suddenly, the building alarm went off.