Steer Me Up

Nick's Bike Shop

  I woke up to the sound of my alarm, I got off the bed, I cleaned my face and I headed to the kitchen. I also checked out of my window to see if she parked her bike on the sidewalk again; it wasn't there, I was relieved.
I made my breakfast and as every morning Buddy kept complaining about his food…he always wants more.
“You can’t have any more Buddy it’s not healthy for you”
“Meow!”
“Come on honey, if you are a good boy I’ll give lots of treats when I get home, ok?”
“Meow…”
“Good”
  Finally it was time to head to work. As always I took the same route I passed the park then Nick’s bike shop and there I saw Bill again. Every single day that I pass I see him there, I practically know everyone in this town but nobody knows me. Bill works at the Bike shop that’s where I recognised him last night but I couldn’t say anything to him or Katie; they might think I’m spying on him or something, knowing that he worked there and all, without even saying anything; like a total creep. 10 after minutes I arrived at the office and everything once again was the same; calm and everyone friendly, that’s why I loved this town; no one knows who I am and I won't make the same mistake of letting them know by accident nor on purpose.
“Good morning Jina, can you order us some coffee?”
“Good morning, yes of course Mr. Baldwin”
Yep, nothing has changed, I ordered everyone's coffee like an idiot and a normal day at work started.
“Hey Jina! You slept well? You seem better…more focused”
“Yeah thanks, I saw the owner of the bike last night”
“And? What did he say?”
“Actually he was a woman”
“Wow! Ok and what did she say then?”
“She asked me to read the note”
“What note?”
“Oh! Someone wrote her a note not to park on the sidewalk again”
“And she asked you to read it? Why didn’t she know how to read?”
“I don't know, maybe she wanted to see if I wrote it?”
“What happened next?”
“She was very rude.She said that if her bike bothered anyone they should have just moved it”
“That’s it? Is she serious?”
“I wish I knew”
“Did she park here today as well?”
I didn’t answer, my eyes were locked looking at the door, there she was the Asian biker from last night. What is she doing here?
“Hello! Jina! Where are you traveling, come back!”
“Katie it’s her!”
“Who? The bike’s owner?”
“Yes”
She passed us and with an arrogant smile she winked at me and went to Balwin’s office.
“She went to Baldie’s office”
Katie likes to call Baldwin Baldie, he’s not even bald though.
“Weird, do you think she’ll have any business with us?” I asked.
“I don’t see why not, were the only the only office in this town”

While we were thinking what could she want in our office a loud voice called my name:
“Jina!”
It was my boss! I have to go to the same office with her, is she gonna tell me anything about last night? Nah why would she?
“Oops looks like Baldie’s callin for you”
“What could he want?”
“Probably something he’s too bored to do himself, but you never know.You better hurry”
“You’re right”
Tension and anxiety started to take over me as I walked closer to the office. I didn’t do anything wrong last night nor today to be scolded. I couldn't even knock on the door. When I finally got the courage to do it, Baldwin called my name again,I got scared and I opened the door without knocking. I peaked my head inside.
“What took you so long, where were you?”
He asked and I got inside.
“I was right outside”
Right outside, nice response…Even that woman was laughing. Baldwin couldn't get mad at me in front of a customer so he told me what he wanted calmly.
“Could you please bring a glass of water to miss Kamiyan here?”
“It’s Kamiya”
She corrected him
“Of course I’m sorry”
Is he serious? That's what he wanted? Katie was right he just wanted something he was too bored to get… He also wants to seem like a powerful person that has control of his employees, since most of us are women, what an ass. At least he pays us well.
“Will you get that water for us, please?”
“Yes I’m sorry I’ll go get it right now”
I walked out of his office Katie was waiting for me there.
“So? What did he want?”
“Something he was too bored to get’ he wants me to get water for her”
“Meh what a surprise”
“I know, A'mma get that water real quick”
I filled up the glass and headed back to his office… How am I gonna look at her again? I’m so embarrassed. I shouldn't be. Come on, I can do this, it's not like anything happened. I opened the door and there she was; the boss was talking to the phone, I stood at the door for a second he gestured me to get closer, She turned to look who was at the door, I was walking closer to her and she was looking at me with a smile; she wasn't arrogant this time.
I left the cup on the desk and before it touched the desk she touched my hand and said thank you with a kind smile. She is so pretty. I nodded with a startled smile and left.
“Jina, can you do me a favor please? Please leave these files at my desk. I'm pretty busy... You ok? If you can't it's fine I'll do them later ”
“Oh no I'm fine, just confused Kamiya seems double faced or something ”
“Who's Kamiya? The biker?”
I nodded
“Well we'll talk about her later, how about the park?”
“Whoa wait!”
What park? She planning to take me out again? Oh no! And she left… I suppose I could give it a try if it's just the two of us… It's nothing. I have to relax.  I have to reduce that panic of mine…seriously.
*Hours later*
  “Jina sorry I swear I thought I'd have some time in between to talk to you but it's fine we can go to the park like I said”
“... Sure…but why the park?”
“Bill's going to finish work soon and we're gonna go to the movies after dinner, you should come too”
Phew, so weren't going to be alone.
“Nah I'd hate to be a cockblock”
She laughs hysterically, was the joke that good?
“Don't worry Jina, you're a good person and I want to hang out with you more, I moved here 5 years ago with Bill and all my friends are back in the city so I'm alone”
Just like me, well you have some friends somewhere, mine all left me. All of them are disgusted by me and they all hate me.
I suppose it wouldn't hurt to hang out with Katie… I'll be normal like that, I need to be more friendly with my coworkers as well; they don't really talk to me. That's because I avoid them as much as I can…I feel like they know my secret and they want to cast me aside. I can't do anything about it, it's just who I am…should I really be ashamed about it?
“Jina! Look, isn't that Kamiya? She's leaving ”
Katie really needs to stop hitting me every time to get my attention. Kamiya was actually leaving and walked past us and didn't even look at us.
“ It's been hours, I thought she had already left... but you know what I'm thinking?;She's weird… very weird”
“What do you mean?”
“When I saw her last night she was kinda mean, but when I gave her the water she smiled and said thank you and now she completely ignored us”
“Maybe she was in her own world? She just went out from an accountant's office, her mind must be thinking all this paperwork and stuff”
“What could she want though?”
I asked Kate but she shrugged. A loud voice came from Baldwin's office.
“JINAAA!”
“Gah what does he want now?”
Katie patted me on the shoulder and I went to Baldwin's office.
“Jina, here's Yukiko Kamiyan's information. Inform her by email about the details of her job there, here's the details”
“It says Kamiya Yukino”
“Yeah whatever, I can never say it right, won't even bother to try. Thank you Jina”
“It's not even that hard”
I mumbled.
I walked in my desk and sat down to do my job, might as well see some information about her:
Last name: Kamiya
First name: Yukino
Age: 33
Nationality: Japanese, Tokyo/Kamurocho
Sex: Female
Employment : Unemployed.
“Unemployed huh? Well that'll change I guess… Bike mechanic, there! Wait what?”
Good thing Katie's desk is next to mine I leaned so she would see me, her monitor was in the way.
“Katie! Yukino will work here!”
“Here in the office?!”
“No in the city, she's a bike mechanic; it says that she'll work for Nick”
“Oh Bill works there too! What a coincidence”
Is she planning to stay here? How long will she work there?... 6 months. Will she stay here after that and renew her visa or not?
  What a weird personality she has though, I observe every person I see and I can read their character clearly but hers…hers I can't; there's a fog around her and I can't see anything. I don't understand who she is, but why do I want to know? I want to know more about her, I want to know more about that smile…and that arrogance...where does it come from?
“Hey! Jina! Are you planning to sleep on that computer? We have to go”
  Shit how long have I been staring at the computer for no reason?
“Yeah sorry”
“You've been staring at her picture for more than an hour”
  Fuck! I was?! I didn't even notice I was too zoned out
“Sorry I didn't even noticed…I had completely zoned out haha”
We walked out of the office and we got hot cocoa from the nearby coffee shop, Katie got some for Bill too. Katie and Bill are a good couple, they don't make you feel left out at all. It makes me feel like old times when I had my friends and we were hanging out just like that.
Memories got me walking slower just as if I wanted to stay behind, behind with those memories.
“Jina look! It's her! She will actually work there! Jina? Where… what are you doing behind there are you ok?”
“Sorry I was thinking about something ”
“You sure you are ok? You were thinking something at work too, was it something important?”
“It's nothing, I was just…memories that's all”
“What are you? 90 years old?! ”
We both laughed, I catched up with her and headed to the shop.