WHIRLWIND
I am sitting in front of the head psychologist waiting to begin what he had called me to his office for. He rubbed one hand against the other, and smiling gleefully, said ‘hey Al, how are you feeling today? Good?’ I shrugged but said nothing. ‘Good?’ he said, ‘you should be because it’s good news, really good news - trust me, it won’t be long now before we’ll be talking about the last session. I’d hate to let a client like you go, particularly because over these past,’ he looked down the papers in front of him, up again and then asked, ‘two years?’ then answered, ‘yeah, two years it is. In two years, you’ve become my most interesting client and a friend.’ He then went on to inform me of how through personal observations and reading through the transcripts of all the other doctors, he has noticed remarkable progress.
I want to believe him, I really do. Because that would spell the beginning, a new start to my freedom; to reclaiming all that I have lost through one night of drunken misdemeanour. Trouble is, I don’t see it, I don’t feel it either. How can I, when all that I go back to when I leave him would be bars and blank walls all about me.
‘But Al, there’s something I’d want you to help me do.’
‘What?’ I asked.
‘I’ll want you to run through the story of how you two met again. Take your time about it. It’s really important that you remember all the details, especially at this crucial stage of the therapy. How did you meet her,’ he asked.
While he waits for me to speak, I leaned slightly forward and twice, in quick succession, fold and unfolded my arms across my chest. ‘But doctor, I’ve told you and Doctor Momoh the story before. Check the files, it’s all there.’
‘Right, yes you have. I agree, but tell me everything again. Trust me; it would be of great assistance.
‘It would take a whole day.’
‘I have a whole day,’ he responded.
‘I don’t,’ I countered.
‘We’ll continue tomorrow, any other time. Please, don’t let us waste any more of your precious time haggling.’
I unfolded my arms, pinched the bridge of my nose. You patronising bastard prick, I thought. But then, I said ‘Okay,’ I readjusted comfortably. Beginning to think back on how we met, I felt better and, I smile. ‘It’s kind of funny,’ I began, directing my gaze slightly above his head and beyond the walls just outside his windows, to the bright noonday sun and the bird flying about the trees. ‘Like I said before, I was used to taking my lunch at Poyang VIP Restaurant. You know, the one behind the Millennium Park, I like it there – particularly sitting by the window where I could watch passersby and cars without been noticed. But then, there was this one day, when I had too much to do in the office, so I skipped lunch. As at the time I got to the restaurant, it was late evening; the rain was threatening, the bright light of the day was already fading, being methodically mugged by the cloud and since it was not time to put on the floodlights, it was getting too dark outside for me to see anything of interest. I was forced to turn to observing the goings-on inside the restaurant instead. My attention was soon focused on the tables directly in front of me. There were three people on the table; two very well dressed gentlemen and a lady. The two males were intently listening to her, almost as if in a trance as she regale them with whatever it was she was saying. They laugh when she smirks and sad when she grimaces. I was fascinated, so I focused solely on her. She was stylishly dressed in a close to knee length black skirt, same colour jacket and shoes with a pink inner low-cut dress that accentuated her alluring cleavage. I noticed how when she talks, her index and thumb, fingers, when not poking or pointing at the men, was gently, sensuously tracing the contours of her drink-glass’ lip. My revelry was interrupted when the waiter appeared unannounced, with my dinner.
Annoyingly, I looked at him momentarily, turned back towards her and backed that he goes back and pack the food for take-away and further instructed that he gets me a bottle of the best chilled red wine instead. I knew that with the wine, I could be drinking and still keep an eye on her.
‘What brand of red wine sir?’ the idiot asked.
Without bothering to look away again, I waved him off and said ‘go, go ask your supervisor, manager, director, whoever. Just get out, please.’
God! I though, all stupid, irritating waiters deserve to be shot. Imagine letting this one, such an ignoramus, spoil this one evening I have chancily been blessed to bask in the casual, vivacious and happy dinning atmosphere of a goddess. By the time I was done finishing the bottle of wine and she was leaving with her party, I had had too much. You see, I don’t drink. I mean, not more than one glass, if I must. I could not go back to the office in my wobbling state, so I called in tired and headed home.
All night, like a living painting, I saw her in my head; her oblong face, with the delicately sharpened nose, tiny mouth and narrow chin. The all packed-back flat, smooth and shinny pony-tailed hair; she was entirely flawless and exquisite. Just before I drifted off to sleep, I was wondering how I can feel so delighted, bewitched and yet, very frightened at the same time.
‘Ok, so you left for home that night. How then did you two meet t?’ he asked.
I smiled. ‘I was back at the restaurant the next day and having discovered, through discreet questioning, that she dines there often and at about same time, I decided to, permanently, quit having lunch, which afforded me the opportunity to see her at my dinner time, every night.
‘For how long did this go on?’
‘About two months, I think. Yeah, nearly three, but definitely, not up to three.’
‘Mhmm. So, you stalked her for nearly three month?’
‘No, I won’t put it like that. Let’s just say she comes to the restaurant for her dinner, and I chose to be there too, always, at the same time. Anyway, look, that’s not important.’
‘What is important is,’ I continue my story. Just before the end of July, she surprised me by coming over to my table. I laugh, I mean, she nearly made me choked. You know, there I was sitting on my same table, spying, then my dinner arrived and in the little while I turned to attend to it, she came over. I mean,........
I want to believe him, I really do. Because that would spell the beginning, a new start to my freedom; to reclaiming all that I have lost through one night of drunken misdemeanour. Trouble is, I don’t see it, I don’t feel it either. How can I, when all that I go back to when I leave him would be bars and blank walls all about me.
‘But Al, there’s something I’d want you to help me do.’
‘What?’ I asked.
‘I’ll want you to run through the story of how you two met again. Take your time about it. It’s really important that you remember all the details, especially at this crucial stage of the therapy. How did you meet her,’ he asked.
While he waits for me to speak, I leaned slightly forward and twice, in quick succession, fold and unfolded my arms across my chest. ‘But doctor, I’ve told you and Doctor Momoh the story before. Check the files, it’s all there.’
‘Right, yes you have. I agree, but tell me everything again. Trust me; it would be of great assistance.
‘It would take a whole day.’
‘I have a whole day,’ he responded.
‘I don’t,’ I countered.
‘We’ll continue tomorrow, any other time. Please, don’t let us waste any more of your precious time haggling.’
I unfolded my arms, pinched the bridge of my nose. You patronising bastard prick, I thought. But then, I said ‘Okay,’ I readjusted comfortably. Beginning to think back on how we met, I felt better and, I smile. ‘It’s kind of funny,’ I began, directing my gaze slightly above his head and beyond the walls just outside his windows, to the bright noonday sun and the bird flying about the trees. ‘Like I said before, I was used to taking my lunch at Poyang VIP Restaurant. You know, the one behind the Millennium Park, I like it there – particularly sitting by the window where I could watch passersby and cars without been noticed. But then, there was this one day, when I had too much to do in the office, so I skipped lunch. As at the time I got to the restaurant, it was late evening; the rain was threatening, the bright light of the day was already fading, being methodically mugged by the cloud and since it was not time to put on the floodlights, it was getting too dark outside for me to see anything of interest. I was forced to turn to observing the goings-on inside the restaurant instead. My attention was soon focused on the tables directly in front of me. There were three people on the table; two very well dressed gentlemen and a lady. The two males were intently listening to her, almost as if in a trance as she regale them with whatever it was she was saying. They laugh when she smirks and sad when she grimaces. I was fascinated, so I focused solely on her. She was stylishly dressed in a close to knee length black skirt, same colour jacket and shoes with a pink inner low-cut dress that accentuated her alluring cleavage. I noticed how when she talks, her index and thumb, fingers, when not poking or pointing at the men, was gently, sensuously tracing the contours of her drink-glass’ lip. My revelry was interrupted when the waiter appeared unannounced, with my dinner.
Annoyingly, I looked at him momentarily, turned back towards her and backed that he goes back and pack the food for take-away and further instructed that he gets me a bottle of the best chilled red wine instead. I knew that with the wine, I could be drinking and still keep an eye on her.
‘What brand of red wine sir?’ the idiot asked.
Without bothering to look away again, I waved him off and said ‘go, go ask your supervisor, manager, director, whoever. Just get out, please.’
God! I though, all stupid, irritating waiters deserve to be shot. Imagine letting this one, such an ignoramus, spoil this one evening I have chancily been blessed to bask in the casual, vivacious and happy dinning atmosphere of a goddess. By the time I was done finishing the bottle of wine and she was leaving with her party, I had had too much. You see, I don’t drink. I mean, not more than one glass, if I must. I could not go back to the office in my wobbling state, so I called in tired and headed home.
All night, like a living painting, I saw her in my head; her oblong face, with the delicately sharpened nose, tiny mouth and narrow chin. The all packed-back flat, smooth and shinny pony-tailed hair; she was entirely flawless and exquisite. Just before I drifted off to sleep, I was wondering how I can feel so delighted, bewitched and yet, very frightened at the same time.
‘Ok, so you left for home that night. How then did you two meet t?’ he asked.
I smiled. ‘I was back at the restaurant the next day and having discovered, through discreet questioning, that she dines there often and at about same time, I decided to, permanently, quit having lunch, which afforded me the opportunity to see her at my dinner time, every night.
‘For how long did this go on?’
‘About two months, I think. Yeah, nearly three, but definitely, not up to three.’
‘Mhmm. So, you stalked her for nearly three month?’
‘No, I won’t put it like that. Let’s just say she comes to the restaurant for her dinner, and I chose to be there too, always, at the same time. Anyway, look, that’s not important.’
‘What is important is,’ I continue my story. Just before the end of July, she surprised me by coming over to my table. I laugh, I mean, she nearly made me choked. You know, there I was sitting on my same table, spying, then my dinner arrived and in the little while I turned to attend to it, she came over. I mean,........
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