SERENDIPITY

Chapter 1 "A happy meeting"

A few Christmases ago, one of my internet babies asked me to write a story based on the movie "Serendipity". Better late than never. This is for you baby. Enjoy!

Terrence Grandchester was young British business man living in New York. It was the holiday season, in fact, five days before Christmas. It was snowing on New York City; the stores were open late and shopping malls were full of people. He was alone without his driver who had dropped him off earlier. He was waiting for him to call him so he could come and pick him up. He found himself in front of Bloomingdale's the big and famous department store, which was packed. People were doing their last minutes Christmas shopping. He went to where they were selling gloves and scarves...

A young blond woman with freckles on her nose and big green eyes. She was in New York for a few days, she wanted to buy a pair of gloves in cashmere as a souvenir from her visit to New York... She had to leave for Chicago the next morning to get back to her perfectly planned life. For her everything happened for a reason in life: everything was predestined... So she got into the famous Bloomingdale's big department store and she went to the gloves and scarves sections for winter accessories. She looked around and she saw gloves of different colors , she wanted some black ones and there was none. She saw an employee arrive with a pair of black gloves in cashmere. She ran so she wouldn't. She got in front of the counter and she reached out to take the pair of black cashmere gloves... She took it and she turned around to leave...

Terrence wanted a pair of black gloves for his girlfriend, he was disappointed at first because there wasn't any black one, but he saw the employee arriving with a pair of black glove. He rushed so he wouldn't miss it, he got to the counter, reached out with his hand to take the last pair of gloves, he turned around to what to the till...

They both did two steps and something pulled them back. They turned around at the same time. They looked at each other... and there was a thunderbolt that our protagonists didn't hear.

- I'm sorry, said Terrence.

- I'm sorry, said the young woman.

- You can have it, said Terrence.

- No, you go ahead, said the young woman.

- Let's go ask if they have another one, said Terrence looking.

There was an employee behind the counter. He talked to her.

- Excuse-me, Miss, excuse-me, do you have another pair of black gloves?

The employee, very busy during the holidays, answered without even raising her head:

- Everything we have is on the counter...

- You don't have anymore in stock? Asked the young woman.

- No...

- Or in the basement? Asked Terrence

- No, said the employee turning around to look at him and we don't have any in the attic either, she added while leaving.

Terrence and the young woman looked at each other.

- You can have them, he said, I don't really need them

- Oh, you saw them before me, said the young woman, take them

- I insist, said Terrence, wait, I'm going to put them back, there.

He put the pair of gloves back on the hook...

- Take them now, he told the young girl

But an older man arrived to take them...

- No, excuse-me sir, this pair of gloves is ours, said Terrence showing the young woman

- These are your gloves? Really? But they were on the hook, sleeping with the other, with their price tag on...

- We were discussing who was going to buy them...

- Well, I've got news for you, said the old man, you can go discuss it outside while I go and pay for them!

- Calm down, sir, said Terrence, calm down...

- You want me to calm down? It's 5 days before Christmas and I'm in a big department store in New York and he's asking me to calm down! Said the old man to the young woman.

- You see, said Terrence, these gloves are destined to be a very beautiful present for someone very special.

- Yes, very important, said the young woman, we thought about it a lot...

- Really? Said the old man, who are they for?

- My boyfriend, said the young woman.

- My girlfriend, said Terrence.

They had both talked at the same time. The old man looked at them one at the both of them, one at the time...

- His girlfriend, said the young girl pointing at Terrence.

- Her boyfriend, said Terrence showing her.

- A pair of gloves for two people? Said the old man

- It's difficult to explain, said Terrence...

- Go ahead, said the old man, I'm listening...

- Oh, said the young woman, at this moment, he's my boyfriend...

- But in 18 months..., continued Terrence.

- After the surgery, said the young woman without conviction

- He will be..., said Terrence.

- She will be..., said the young woman.

- My girlfriend! Did you get it? It doesn't make much sense, doesn't it?

- No, said the old man giving him the pair of gloves. Merry Christmas anyway!

- Thank you very much, said Terry.

He left.

- Now you take them, you deserve them, said Terrence giving her the gloves.

- It was a team work, said the young woman smiling

- Yes, indeed...

- I don't know how to thank you.

She went to pay for the gloves and they both got out of the store together.

- You want to have a cup of coffee with me? Asked Terrence

- All right, she said smiling

They went together to a small pub not too far named "Serendipity". They sat down at a table and they order iced coffee together. They were talking.

- I don't know if what you said to that man made sense.

- Well, it scared him and he left... I'm going to pay the bill and I insist, said the young woman, that's the least I could do.

- Thank you, said Terrence, but now, I have to buy another present for my girlfriend.

- Oh, it was for your girlfriend, said the young woman faking a bad mood, then I can't accept them...

- Yes, you're going to accept them, otherwise, you're not going to pay for the bill!

She burst out laughing.

- This is a very good iced coffee! How did you know about this place? Asked Terrence.

- It's because of the name "Serendipity", I like that word...

- Why?

- I don't know, I like the meaning, like our meeting... except I don't believe in chance, everything is planned, predestined, it's destiny.

- You think so?

- Yes...

- Everything is predestined, we don't have any choice at all?

- I think we make our own decisions and that destiny gives us little signs which allow us to make choices that determined if we're happy or not.

- Little signs? Said Terrence smiling.

- Yes, said the young woman smiling back at him.

- Happy accidents, happy discoveries, like Christopher Columbus and America

- I don't think native Americans would agree with you...

- I suppose not... true.

- Fleming who discovers...

- ... penicillin..., they said at the same time.

- Fleming was his name? Asked Terrence

- Yes, she said laughing.

- Or Terrence and the gloves...

- I don't know that story, said the young woman

- You don't know that story? It's a classic story, a popular folkloric legend. Our hero Terrence go to look for a pair of black gloves and by a perfect and unexpected act, serendipity, he meets a very beautiful and attractive woman who has a boyfriend... you have a boyfriend, don't you?

- Yes...

- I thought so...

- What about you? The gloves for the lady?

- Yes...

- It was the right moment...

They finished their iced coffee and got out of the pub.

- I hope you're going to enjoy the gloves you've bought.

- Yes, in general, I enjoy what I buy for myself... What do you want for Christmas?

- Golf clubs.

- Oh...

- So, you're going to go back to your boyfriend now or what?

- No, I think he's doing what you're doing...

- Really? He's having the hots for someone else's girlfriend?

The young woman had a little laugh.

- No, I'm sorry. I really spent a nice time with you...

She wanted to stop a cab, but she stopped.

- Maybe you should give me your phone number, just in case...

- Just in case of what? Asked the young woman.

- You know, don't you? In case life... I just spent a great time and I won't be able to see you again. It's just not the right moment right now.

They continued walking while talking and they got in front of a yellow cab from New York, that was parked. The young woman wanted to take it. She turned to Terrence.

- Well, if we're destined to meet again, then we're going to meet again. It's simply not the right moment, now.

- Maybe we should meet on GMT time, we're 5 hours too soon.

The young woman laughed.

- Come on, I don't even know your name. My name is Terrence. Does that makes you want to say something to me? He said looking at her with eyes full of hope.

The young woman looked at him.

- Yes, she said smiling.

She pulled herself on the tips of her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

- Merry Christmas, she said lasting longer than she planned.

She turned around to open the cab door to get in and she told him:

- And thank you again.

She closed the door and the cab left. He stayed there looking at her go.

"That's it? " He asked himself.

He really had lost his touch! How could he not get her phone number of this young woman? Instead of crying on himself, he biped his driver and he walked to the front of the store to wait for him. When he got to his car, he realized that the forgot his scarf at the pub...

- You go ahead Milton, he told his driver, I'll come back on my own.

- Are you sure, sir?

- Yes, I need some fresh air.

- All right. Good night sir.

- Good night Milton.

So he went back to the pub, "Serendipity" and he went to ask if the hadn't find a scarf.

- They didn't bring me anything, said the employee.

- I'm going to go see upstairs, that's where we were sitting.

- All right...

Terrence went up the stairs and he got to the place where he was sitting earlier with the young woman.