MAYBE NEVER

CHAPTER TWO

It was at exactly two-thirty in the afternoon when the little hand of my analogue watch hit north that I finally felt my patience snap.

I had just spent a whole hour watching my secretary/friend Roslyn Deltoro turn a simple monetary exchange into an outrageous bidding war over an exquisite piece of antique furniture with the most unfathomable character I have ever seen.

He looked like he was around his early eighties, dressed in a fine pair of grey slacks fixed onto a pair of suspenders (the fancy type), a white long sleeved shirt topped with a button down thick grey sweater topped with a tweed beret cap. I continue to watch him with warily eyes as he persistently flows in his element as salesman/ auctioneer with an energetic hand gestures and good eye contact, despite the way he leaned onto his ancient looking walking cane like he might tip over at any minute.

But in spite of all this, I somehow found myself admiring the old man as he softly spoke in his painfully evident Bostonian accent, tainted with such natural charm that I began to wonder whether Roselyn was really his contender. Nothing about his personality gave any impression of any potential wits lost over the past decades, everything about him spoke intelligence with a familiar sense of gentle wisdom that had accumulated over the years not only in the ordinary world of a man but in the business world as well. And it was for this very reason that I knew this thing would not go down easy, but I had faith in Roslyn, if there was one person who I know to always have their way no matter what, it would have to be Roslyn.

“Urghhh!” I groan under my breath as I pulled out my phone when it made that familiar beeping sound of a message received.

Gary: *HEY BABE! What you up to?*

Me: *Not much, am at the Williamsburg flea market right now with Roslyn, it’s packed as usual, why?*

Gary: *oh nothing, just wanted to let you know that am on the next plane over. What do you think about brunch tomorrow, since everyone seems to be in town this week?*

I paused for a moment in surprise before replying. That’s weird, here are my observations: (1) That Gary’s current job and position make it that he only comes over for long holidays or the occasional business trip, (2) that the last time he made plans for a social gathering was when he announced that he had taken the job and would be moving.

So….?

Me: *really? Why so sudden?*

Gary: *I have a number of things to do, they are very important*

He answers vaguely. Which is rare for Gary. I stare at the text for a moment, important things to do? I shrug my shoulders dismissively and type:

Me: *okay, send me the pin for the venue*

Gary: *Okay, will do, see u later babe! ;)*

I rolled my eyes at that one before distractedly tucking my phone back into the inner pocket of my beige coat. I spend the next two minutes with my eyes trained on the scene in front of me when a sudden voice speaks out next to me.

My first reaction was to silently squeak under my breath before regaining my composure. I take a deep calm breath, turn and try not to act surprised at the tall mysterious stranger standing beside me with a simple grin on his face.

He looked like he had just been standing there for a while and probably conducting a one sided conversation with a seemly oblivious female who was possibly playing hard to get. Am sorry to disappoint you my friend, I have a pending PHD in ‘oblivious’ human behaviour.

“Oh,” muttered the young man as he looked at me as if he just heard my thoughts.

I blinked a little in bewilderment until it finally clicked to me when he said, “Sorry about that I didn’t mean to startle you or anything.”

I had half the urge to rise a brow, positively taken aback at this guy’s unusual politeness in New York…. At a Flea market at that! But judging from his accent, this guy wasn’t from anywhere around North America, despite his well-constructed English he did seem to have wiii bit of kiwi accent on his tongue.

“Oh don’t worry,” I said with a very guarded smile, “I was… kinda elsewhere so yeah.” I chuckled awkwardly as I gestured at the bidding war that was seeming to come to an end, and from the looks of it Roslyn seemed to be have an upper hand. Finally!

“No problem at this end, besides those too do seem to be….. Very passionate people, especially the blonde.” He said gesturing at Roslyn with a boyish grin that oddly enough reminded me of someone as I tried my best not to stare.

Though I found it quite ironic that he appeared to be blonde, dark blonde to be exact. I can’t help but stare at his unique and rather masculine features and wonder if his been in the wild? That’s a stereotypical thing to think I know. But I wasn’t really sure of why his s****l aura come off so intense: was it the way his piercing blue eyes seemed to twinkle when caught in the sunshine? Or the way he just ran his fingers through his strangely wavy hair just a minute ago?

Nah it has to be that deep baritone voice of his that’s sending chills down my spine. And no am pretty sure it has nothing to do with cool breeze blowing over the East river right now.

I am not so sure what I put in my coffee this morning, but I have a feeling that my debateable reputation as a somatic woman might be in trouble. Not like I care anyways.

“Can I help you with something?” I asked a little bit too suddenly. I knew I really wasn’t giving the guy a good first impression and that I had just probably insulted him to no end but he oddly enough didn’t seem that deterred by anything I just said or did.

Is he normal? You know, up there?

I gave him a swift looker upper and noticed that his clothes and grooming said a lot more about the man than he did. This guy was defiantly well off andddd possibly…… socially unaware?

“Well Yes, in fact you can,” his chuckled, his voice chiming with such charm I felt myself slightly shrink back in reaction.

Oh no……, I thought to myself as I struggled to maintain my calm. OH COME ON, NOT NOW! I thought to myself as a very familiar and humiliating sensation started to take its toll on me.

I blinked a couple of times before quickly turning back to see Roslyn doing that weird dancing thingy she does when she’s wins something, the only thing that made it much weirder was the fact that she was dancing for two and it looked wrong!

I could tell from the way the old man shook his head and averted his eyes that he definitely agreed.

“What is it?” I asked a little out of breath.

I wasn’t quite sure which started first, the nausea and the clammy hands or the increasing chances of publicly hyperventilating as my heart beat quickened against my ribcage.

Either way I am scared as hell!

“Woah, are you alright?” cried a familiar voice as I attempted to steady myself. Everything seemed so slow and weird….

I felt the presence of a helping hand closing in but swatted it away like a fly before storming out of the store like the hounds of hell were snapping at my heels. But only one thought rang in my mind: ..... Air, I need air!