Good-bye and Thank-you

I have another good day, a very good day, in fact. I got to office on time, had my morning coffee and stayed glued to my PC gratefully. It had never felt so great to have a job. Today is also one of my colleague's last day. I have to say I don't know him that much, but it was pleasing to hear his parting words and this was not unexpected, knowing him. I guess the fact that he is leaving gives him the courage to say what he has to say. And it was a well-prepared 4 minutes speech packed with sincerity. Some colleagues even thought he was close to tears. He spoke about how our colleagues need to develop themselves, to pick up new skills and in my own words, to stay relevant. He didn't express in so many words, but I can read his concern. He spoke about something also close to my heart, on the need to hone their presentation skills and their PowerPoint technique, although all these may seem irrelevant to them right now, but you never know. All in all, I found myself thankful to be there and having the privilege of listening to his last words.

I breezed past the rest of the day, keeping myself busy, with letters, calls and suchlike. And came the end of the day at office, I said my last and first good-bye to the colleague with a firm handshake and an "all the best", both of which I did, mustering all my respect for him. He had done well.

Off I went to night class. My day had not ended yet, and gladly so. I get to see my one hell of a lecturer, and her, of course, the girl with the sliver earrings. No, she isn't the reason for my good mood lately - she wasn't even half on my mind the whole day. She cut a half-weary figure as she finally appeared but looked to have freshened up. There were the sliver earrings again on her earlobes, hiding amid her flowing locks - they caught my attention easily. We talked a bit, she returned me some notes and it was back to the lesson which was far from being one big yawn. The lecturer sprouted his normal jokes and wits, some current and some recycled, but we laughed all the same.

The class ended slightly late. And all the china ladies, local girls and aunties rushed for the door, hoping to get to their adoring boyfriends and clueless husbands ( married couples don't communicate much, you see) before the hookers across the street do - we were at Geylang, the red light district after all- or just in case, the men had wandering feet and wavering hearts. I followed behind her, but was swamped by the crowd all too soon. I lost her at the lift and calmly decided to wait for the next lift - I knew exactly where she was heading, you see.

I finally caught her at the MRT station's platform, or rather she caught me. I was there first, having given up on waiting for the lift which was stuck at the fourth level (ours was at fifth level) for the other students. She slipped in comfortably enough beside me, welcomed by my grin. We chatted a little, about the class, about my other paper which I sometimes input in preparation for her next term. It was adequately natural, I guess, the whole relation, conversation and exchange. Sometimes, I muse about what exactly she wants from me; could I be more than just a mate to feed her with her missed lessons? Or perhaps, she caught me looking (not leering, mind you) at her the first time...Notice how all my thoughts about her was positive? Well, she is actually quite an easy-going, innocent-looking type of girl - I know, looks can be deceptive. No, I am not in love. Sometime, one has to trust his gut's feeling, his instinct, his men's intuition or whatever you called it; you just know.

Anyway, we chatted some more all the way back to Clementi; about our jobs, the listed company she is working for, the organisation that gives me fat bonuses and you know what - time really does have wings. I truly wished for a magical pair of scissors to clip them off.

Just before I dropped, I looked deep into her eyes and asked her - as I would ask any other girl with me - about her safety home. She was sweet, her eyes flashing with gratitude as she replied that nobody was waiting for her at her stop, despite being past eleven. And that it was all right as she is used to going home alone at this hour since she started night class. I thought for a moment perhaps to ask for her handphone number for messaging confirmation of her safety upon home, but a shadow passed my mind, and the idea was gone. I said my good-bye and went on my way, thankful to have spent my journey with her and for a glimpse of heaven, maybe.