Chapter 2: 2. Have we met before?
As soon as she saw Janet's car speed off, she made her way to the library.
"Good morning, Mr. Stewart." She greeted with a sunny smile. Mr. Stewart looked up from the big book he was scribbling something into. A broad smile broke onto his face at the contagious smile of Miriam, as he took off his reading glasses.
"Hey, my dear. It's been ages." he said as he put the pen down to give his full concentration. Miriam was like a daughter to him. Well, that's a giving since his only daughter who died of cancer years ago was also called Miriam. He saw his daughter in her.
"Its been just three days, Mr. Stewart." Miriam chuckled. Okay she used to come there everyday, but now she had to focus on some projects, including putting together some ideas on some recipes. Speaking of, she had a recipe in mind to try. She needed to hurry back home to get it done.
"Well, it feels like ages. I missed you already." He said.
"I missed you too." she smiled broadly. "I had to do some stuff. I couldn't finish the book on time. I had to start yesterday and I just finished reading it. It's a really nice book though." Miriam said, looking down at the book once more. She really enjoyed it, she must say.
"Oh, that's a first. You always finish your books in a day. Well, I hope your 'stuff' went well." He stressed on the 'stuff', raising his hands up and gesturing the quotation sign and they both chortled.
"It was actually a project I had to work on. I'm still on it, though, but I'm almost done, just a little shaping here and there." She explained since she saw the teasing smile on Mr. Stewart's face. She gave him a mock-glare and he chuckled. She didn't know exactly what was going on in his mind, but she was sure it was something naughty.
"I'll be going out now, Mr. Stewart. Have a good day."
"Okay, Mimie, take care."
"Alright, you too. Bye."
Miriam finally turned to leave but paused on her tracks and turned when she heard her name.
"Um... Mimie. You didn't take a book with you today? I just realised."
"I actually have something to do tonight and bringing a book with me is not a good idea." She remembered telling her roommate she would not bring any book with her today. Not like she was afraid of her or anything, but Janet was the nagging type and would make a fuss about anything. She didn't want that tonight. And she also had plans on trying out a new recipe she had penned down. "I think I'll pass this time. I'll be here tomorrow."
"Oh come on, you're going to love this one," he said, sauntering towards one of the shelves nearby and picking a book. "You can start tomorrow or whenever you are free" He pressed on. It was always like that, he would always give her a book when she returned one. It was nothing new to Miriam as well.
She groaned inwardly, looking at the book in Mr. Stewart's hand stretched out towards her. She sighed and took the book. As a matter of fact, all his recommendations were awesome. And she couldn't say no to this man right here in front of him. He was like a father to her.
"Okay, thanks a lot. I may return it a bit later this time," she mumbled the latter part but audible enough for Mr. Stewart to hear, and he chuckled.
"Anytime, sweetheart. Now go ahead."
"Okay." And she left.
She made her way to the roadside to get a taxi home. She absentmindedly opened her bag to put the book inside and she didn't notice she dropped something very important. She dropped her pen drive and her credit card.
Just in time, a gentleman was just about to alight from his car when he saw a lady drop something. Looking at the distance between them, he knew calling her would be useless. He got out of the car and sauntered across the street to where she dropped her stuff. He saw a pen drive and credit card. 'How can you be so careless? Such important stuff?' He thought as he bent to pick them up. He turned to the direction where the lady went and made his way towards the dainty figure not far off who by now was trying to get her ringing phone from her bag. He was just a few feet away from her when he heard her talk over the phone while still making her way to the roadside.
"Hey mom, I was just about to...wait, what?" He saw her pause on her tracks. She had her back facing him, but he could deduce from her posture that she had tensed up from whatever news she had received. He also paused and listened to her. Well, he didn't really mean to eavesdrop. He just happened to be there at the moment.
"Dad? What happened to him?...Is he okay?...which hospital are you at right now?...Home?... Don't worry I'll be right there." The call ended, but the lady seemed to be lost in thought. Few seconds later she recomposed herself and started walking, but was slightly startled by a voice from behind. She turned abruptly and saw a gentleman standing just about 3 steps away, looking at her intently.
Their gazes were locked on each other for some few seconds. He looked familiar to her, but she couldn't really put her mind to it where exactly. Similar thoughts were going through the guy's mind. He seemed to find this lady standing before her quite familiar, but the more he tried to find out where, the more he thought he was mistaking her for someone else. He was pulled back to reality when Miriam spoke.
"Excuse me?"
"Uh... sorry, but you dropped these," he said with his right hand stretched out towards her with a card and a pen drive.
Miriam lowered her gaze to his outstretched hand, and to his face again, then back to his hand. She slowly stretched her hands and took the card and the pen drive.
"Thanks," she said as she looked at her stuffs and back to his face. That face. She badly wanted to ask if they've met before but...
"Have we...met before?" The guy beat her to it. He couldn't help but ask. He was keenly looking at her, straight into her eyes, trying to read her every expression.
"I...I don't know... I don't think so." She stuttered under his gaze. This looked so familiar. She was about to say she was thinking same, but what's with this gaze on her? She was feeling so uncomfortable with such an intense gaze on her. "I have to go now. Thanks again for...these," she managed to say and turned to leave. Her father needed her help right now and wasting time was never an option.
"Wait," Miriam heard and turned sharply to look at him, looking quite annoyed. She held the urge to roll her eyes at him.
"I can drop you. Get in the car, I'll just drop you..." he paused when he saw she had a questioning gaze on him "...that is, if you don't mind." He added awkwardly after some few seconds.
Miriam wanted to refuse, giving that he was a stranger, but looking at the scotching heat emanating from the sun and the unpredictable time she may have to wait to get a taxi home, she decided to go with him. And at this crucial moment, she couldn't think of anything but getting home right on time to see how her father was doing. So after a few moment of contemplation, she nodded.
She followed him as he made a beeline to a blue-black Lexus LX parked some few metres away from them. Miriam gasped in disbelief. 'This is Lordy's dream car!' She exclaimed inwardly, but quickly composed herself and put up a straight face so as not to embarrass herself. Had it been a normal day, she would have been super excited and would probably take pictures around and inside the car to tease her brother. Right now, all she could think of was that his father was not doing well and she had to focus on that.
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