Random Encounter

Chapter 1 - Research

I was in my 5th hour of study when I decided to have a break. I had a huge assignment due in a month about the one and only Charlie Chaplin. I had seen a few of his films before this assignment but I knew I didn't know enough about the man to get any where near a decent grade so had decided to spend my free day researching.

I walked out of the library, leaving my laptop and books where they were to the Uni cafe next door. As I was feeling drained and hungover from last night I decided to get a vitamin drink and cake. “This should give me enough energy to get through the day” I thought to myself. I sat back in my seat and decided to have a break from the books I had been reading for five hours but I still felt like I should be doing something productive so, I looked online to see if there were any films made about Charlie Chaplin. To my surprise I found one I hadn't seen before. A film called Chaplin starring Robert Downey Jr. “Huh I didn't know Robert Downey Jr was in a film about Chaplin” I thought to myself. I pressed play and settled into my seat to watch the film. By this time it is getting late, not that it matters as the library is open 24/7 and I prefer peace and quiet, especially when watching movies.

 One hour into the film and I was the only person left in the library. I decided to move to the sofas at the back of the library so I could enjoy the last hour of the film in comfort. Once it got to the end of the film I sat there for a moment in awe of such perfection in acting. Of course I had seen Robert acting in the Iron Man films so I knew he could act but this; this was a whole new level. I packed up my stuff and exited the library.

 The cool winter night air hit me hard as I wrapped my coat around me in an attempt to stay warm. I had my Ipod plugged in and was humming away my music so I didn’t realise I had started to walk in a Chaplin like fashion. Feet to the side and swinging my umbrella. Suddenly my brain snaps out of it and I realise what I’m doing; at this exact moment I walk into a seemly short guy wearing a baseball hat knocking what he was carrying onto the floor and into a puddle. I automatically bend to pick up his stuff while mumbling the words “I'm so sorry”. As I bent down I was caught of balance from the weight of books in my backpack and fall over backwards with my arms swinging about wildly. I manage to catch myself on the back of my heels and with my hands on the floor. The man, who up until this point hasn’t said or done anything other than look rather pissed off, stops picking up his stacks of neatly bound papers and offers a hand to help me up, still without saying anything.

 I gladly accepted his hand, as I didn't see any other way of getting out of the position I found myself in. Once I was stood up I finally got a chance to look at the man I knocked into. He's quite short (for a guy anyway), brown hair peeking from under the baseball hat, dark brown eyes and he's wearing blue jeans, Nike trainers, a blue shirt and a leather jacket. I have to admit being able to stare at such a fine specimen of a man was worth the embarrassment of walking into him.

 “Humm sorry for walking into you” I say as he picks up the last pieces of paper from the wet floor.

 Standing back up straight he says “that's ok, don't worry. But can I ask why you were walking like that?”

 Then I suddenly remembered what I was walking like and feel embarrassed as he must have seen me. I looked him in the eyes and prepared an answer in my head when I saw a familiar face looking back at me. “Bloody hell, that's Robert Downey Jr” I thought to myself, “but what’s he doing here?” A load of questions shoot through my head before I remembered I hadn’t given him an answer.

 “Well this is going to sound stupid but I was walking like Charlie Chaplin, I have been studying him all day in the library (I pointed to the building behind me) and I guess I immersed myself in that world too much because I didn't even notice I was walking like that until I bumped into you'

 “Sorry again for that” I say as an after thought.

 “So you like Charlie Chaplin then?” he says.

 “Oh yes. I watched a few, I think three, of his films but I have an assignment due in a month for University so thought I best get researching”.

 While I was saying this I noticed his eyes never left mine while I was talking. He must be really interested in what I’m saying.

 “Well I wish you good luck in your assignment and take it from me if you're going to walk like Chaplin try looking where you're going” he says as he walks off down the street exactly how Chaplin's tramp walked in the movies. I giggle to myself and watch him continue to walk like that until he's out of sight. I carry on my walk home.