Robert Loughran takes up the job that he dreaded. It might have been his fate that he took to the job. While he struggles to cope up with the complications of his job and worries about family: his wife Nadia and his daughter Tasja, his life goes bey...
"Look, I was not intending to disappoint you. A pinch of salt or a spoon full of spices will do wonders. You can improve." Harley's singsong voice pulled Bobbie out of his contemplation.
He hadn't realized that she was near him. Even with the wheelchair, Harley glided down the tiled floor. His instincts betrayed him with Harley's presence. Every time he was left surprised. It was as if she was intruding on his privacy and personality.
Following Harley's words, he did not know what to think or how to feel. There was a cold shower of relief soothing his soul.
He would get a chance to improve.
"You better eat fast. We need to talk," Harley said.
"I have arranged your room for you. But you will have to sleep in my room." Harley said as a matter-of-fact. And then giggled like a lunatic on seeing the puzzled look on Bobbie's face.
"Why?" Bobbie asked.
"Because I want you to. Don't worry you will get a bed of your own." Harley continued giggling. Now, Bobbie had his dignity like little flowers in Harley's hands. Her taunting giggles were crushing them.
"OK, I guess. Just stop giggling," Bobbie muttered.
"Sorry," Harley said and started moving. Bobbie took his bags and followed her. "This is your room. You can keep your things in here. You will have enough privacy. Is it okay?" Harley said. She fiddled with the keys till she found the right one and opened the lock.
"Does it matter even if I answer or not?" Bobbie probed.
"You can't be too obvious," Harley chirped. Then she started on with the head splitting giggled that echoed in the hallway into Bobbie's room. Triggered, Bobbie jumped into his private part of the house. He slammed the door behind him in a feeble attempt to counter the different layers of Harley's most irritating habit.
The room stood welcoming. It synchronized with the house from rafter to floor: lavish, gray and modern. He dropped the bags on the tiled floor. The surroundings were silent. Harley's alarming tendencies had a persistent effect on a person's ears, always. So, the surroundings were familiar to Bobbie for several yet, satiate reasons. This room had a vibe akin to the room he had years ago. To be more accurate the time when he was single, fixing and breezy. He was alone then and how it seemed as if he was back to square one. Maybe, it was all a circle with no edges and no ends. Anyway, it was silent.
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He inspected the room. It was large with a glass window. It gave the panoramic view of the blue pond, not far away, bordered by rocky cliffs and evergreen trees. It will the same color as his Nadia's eyes, the coolest shade of blue, as deep as the sky and wide as the ocean. Her eyes had the most intoxicating shade of blue. It lodged in the brimming white and withheld the coal black pit that grew with desires. It was fascinating, cunning and in all cases, lovable in the most teasing ways. Time floated by as he gazed at the peripheral water body. Even in its stagnant stands, it looked clearer than his thoughts.
The room was huge to fit him. The few pieces of clothing he had bought took a little place in the large, walk-in closet. Even the washroom had the most disturbing empty space. It spelled luxury of exquisite hotel suites that suffocated him due to the vulgarity of the money. It had the stink of selfishness and air was thick with the diabolic richness. He hated the venomous nature of money.
Bobbie took out his smartphone from his pocket and dipped into the soft, queen size bed. He unlocked it and typed into the search box of the web browser, the name of his boss. As soon as he pressed the search button more than a thousand search results appeared. He opened her profile. It read,
"Harley W. Sinead is an English composer, singer, and songwriter. She is one of pop music's greatest stars, with an estimated 270-300 million records sold worldwide. Born and raised in London, she performed in various competitions as an undergraduate and after graduating from the Royal academy of music, Harley was given a recording contract by the 'Vine and Winter recordings'.
Harley's debut album, 'Kismet' was released to commercial and critical success. It is certified six times Golden in the UK, and two times Platinum in the US. She released her second solo album, 'The Journey' which contained the tracks 'Different Time Zones', 'Perfect Gift', 'Bleak', 'Back Home', and 'Hard Cash', all of which are known for realistic touch and mellow imagery. It was thirteen times Diamond Certificated in the UK and eight times in the US. Her marriage to a US marine Hamish Boyd and subsequent life in the US inspired her critically acclaimed album 'W.' It earned her numerous awards including six grammy awards and eighteen times diamond certification in the US and UK..."
The bed was sleep inviting. While Bobbie read the profile heaviness burdened his eyelids and he laid down on the bed. Sleep overtook him like a drug.
