The whole city had a festive holiday atmosphere because December was coming, but not everyone approved of the festival. Ella was one of the rare individuals who won't enjoy a holiday season at least a bit, for she was being single after a terrible break up last year.
Holidays were difficult days for singles. Lately Ella was obsessed with blind dates, she aspired to meet someone for the New Year kiss, sometimes Lisa had to accompany her per her request to set up a double date.
On Sunday morning, it was so early and Ella was all dressed up and waiting on the living room to attend another blind date party. Lisa decided to rid herself of the burden of the secret that she would like to confide all her secrets to Ella.
"Ella, there is still much time. Can we talk for a moment?"
"Ok, you are freaking me out a little, just spill it out."
"I am still a virgin and I can't be into a serious relationship with a man emotionally or physically."
"Oh, I knew. On our last double date, you were doing really great until the guy showed real interest in you. The poor dude thought he had a shot, but you peremptorily repulsed his advances. From then on I am guessing that you are not going into a romantic relationship with any men. Are you a lesbian?"
"I am not a lesbian, I love men. My lady friend Rebecca, and also my shrink said that I am suffering from the fear of intimacy. Luckily it was restricted to my love life and it did not show in friendships or my daily life, right?"
"Now let me get it straight- You can be friends with men, but you do not want to have an intimate sex relationship or a long-term relationship with them. Is that correct?"
"Something like that, I recognize that the objective existence of love, I just do not believe I will be hit by the arrow of Cupid. Actually I had a boyfriend during my sophomore year, we had been friends for years then he wanted to move forward. So we gave it a try, I felt so relieved when he broke up with me. But I was pretty sure that I liked him and he was good to me, he said that there was no emotional attachment to him in our love. And I have never had sexual intercourse with him maybe the cause of the end of relationship as well."
"Wow, being in love without sex for a year at college. He must really love you, you really broke his heart."
"I know, that is why I never date ever since. Nevertheless, someone who deliberately hurts another one can simultaneously claim to love that one. Until I am getting better or making up my mind, I do not want to hurt anybody anymore."
"It is said that experience of abuse or neglect tends to predispose a person to being afraid of allowing themselves to become vulnerable to a long-term relationship. What happened to you?"
"My parents quarreled very often when I was growing up, occasionally I was beaten and humiliated by them. Do you know that I secretly hoped that they could get a divorce, but they claimed that they stayed together for the goods of their children because divorce can be traumatic for children. Seeing them torturing each other and hating each other all those years, I made my mind that I would not enter into a marriage or having any children, I am such a good lady should die alone."
"Lisa, It's all over now and it is absolutely curable, instead of allowing fear of intimacy to take charge of your life, stepping out and dating decent men. You may fell vulnerable or afraid at first but those fears will pass, learn to enjoy ‘being touched’, you have my blessings."
"You sound just like Rebecca, maybe you two could become best friends."
"Who is your Rebecca? Originally, the friendship also has new and old love, if you want to find new love, I am not even an old one?"
"Ella, you are the new one. Rebecca and I goes way back, she was my neighbor and we went to same school from elementary to high school. She graduated with a degree in Psychology and she is a high school teacher at Shui City, maybe she will visit us on holidays."
"Lisa, I understand why you are telling me these, but you cannot escape today's double date. I will help you dress up and please wear a make-up, you did not even wear make-up on our last date, there were still guys chasing after you. It's not fair."
Ella was so intelligent that she saw right through her little game, Lisa's attention to duck the blind date party was unsuccessful. She overrode Ella's objections and put on her new sweatsuit which was very soft and cozy, then she went to the party with Ella.
The rendezvous was appointed at a café shop in the pedestrian mall, the guys was expecting them.The café shop was located in the Centre of the bustling city, surrounded by restaurants, bars, a movie theater and shopping markets.
The mall was less crowded with online shopping had already become a more comfortable alternative way of shopping. While enjoying urban prosperity, people also craving for the tranquility of a slower pace of life.
When Ella took her seat beside her date, he did not even look up from his phone, whereas his behavior was considered offensive in a blind date. Ella asked some questions friendly in order to get to know him better, he began to show signs of impatience.
When meeting with ladies, being obnoxious meant getting shot down. Before she could finish her drink Ella had slipped from the room.
Lisa's date clearly showed interest in her, but she got off without saying goodbye after seeing Lisa's departure.
Free at last.
Walking on the street they were spitting how awful the dates were and doing window-shopping. Lisa stopped at a boutique, it was undoubted that she had remarkable interest in the jewelry.
There was something odd about her that she did not like fashion- buying cloths or wearing make-up, but she loved beautiful jewelry and bijouterie. Ella was pulling her along while she was immersing herself in a delicate ruby.
"Lisa, Look! it's Joseph and his new lady, thank God today is not for nothing."
Joseph and the girl were walking side by side on the street, the girl was laughing hard at something Joseph said. Joseph wore casual clothes which looked different but nice, if she did not know better, she considered him as an office worker of medium.
She was beautiful!
The lady stood out from the crowd because of her curly long brown hair and red dress, she paired her pretty urban girl style with a set of rose gold neckless and bracelets, with her face and her height she probably was making waves on social media.
Being a gentleman, Joseph opened the door of a fashion house and they went in. They were not holding hands or having any physical contact so far, Ella made an instantaneous assumption that they were not official yet, Lisa could not care less.
But Ella was in the mood of playing Sherlock Homes so they followed the happy couple for meters.
"Lisa, I have a brilliant idea. Why don't you date Joseph? It is a perfect setting. If the relationship works out, he is rich and good-looking, besides he can help to cure you. If it does not, you had already made your mind to live a life without marriage or children. It is a win-win game for you. Don't you think?"
"Ella, do you like him or did he do something to hurt you somehow? Your obsession with Joseph is unhealthy, why not leave him or me alone?"
Lisa got angry and walked passed her, when she was near the house Joseph and the lady were ready to come out. Joseph was surprised to see Lisa, but he pretended not to recognize her. She was inwardly furious and she vowed within herself that she would never be the first to say Hello to him.
For the moment if she ever had an Archenemy, he was on the list.
"Did you see the pictures she had been uploaded?" Within about a week, rumours of Joseph's new lady friend swept through the company. From what Lisa had heard around the water-cooler, the soon-to-be-a-girlfriend of Joseph was a reporter of the local television, she was a real celebrity in town dressing fashionably and appearing well-groomed. The routines of work could sometimes make it seem like a dull and deadening life, it was important for them to have a topic. It was a gossip-filled society, but each person reacted differently towards gossiping. For Lisa, she liked the collaborative and relaxing environment and she wanted to get along with her colleagues. Lisa was definitely in her element doing her job, being able to ride a bicycle to work with Ella was an added bonus of the job. To her surprise, she met Henry on her way a few times. Whether she was at the senior staff meeting, eating at the café, or run into Joseph in the elevator or any circumstances, not saying hello or ign
On a typical day's shooting of the company, the crew would come in and rig the equipment and help to put sets together, it was Lisa's job to accompany them through the whole tour. At half past nine in the morning, Lisa meet the crew members in reception and she led the way to Peter's office.Rose was not there, Joseph would pick her up and host her personally per their arrangement.The first leg of the day's journey was the interview of the CEO, a talk with Peter of how he became a CEO of Hixcth and the industry-level trend in terms of market dynamics and product development in the future.To some extent, the talent of the top manager usually determined the company's future prospects, and in Lisa's opinion that Peter was the best leader anyone could ever dreamed of.Peter had just celebrated his 23 years' service with the company, it was his first and only job after he got his PHD in economics. And he maintained consistency of his personal life and his work life, his wife Melinda was
Lisa is sitting on the terrace of his penthouse, making a pretense of watching the sky Garden restaurant. It is one of Joseph's properties, there would be no need to worry about neighbors peeping is just one of the perks of being living on the top floor.Over years Joseph develops a few harmless eccentricities, some is partly a matter of personal style. For example, he likes being naked every time walking out of the bathroom.He is standing at the door, wearing nothing not even a damn towel.Joseph catches his underwear thrown him, shaking his butt cheeks while putting it on.One reason he loves about Lisa is that she cannot hold a secret, it is all over her face if she has something in her mind. He is not going to leave her alone, he reaches to hug her tightly and kisses her cold lips."Now can you tell me why we need to hide from Ella? It is my day off so I have a whole day, Lisa, do not try to dodge the topic. ""All right, she had a secret crush on you. Did you know……""Lisa, I am
"What's up?" Joseph sent Lisa a message which created an intersection between two parallel lines, life indeed was full of coincidence. Everything was in a thorough mess for Lisa after Ella left the country with her newly husband. The new girl Janine who covered for Ella was a scheming girl and she did not get along with Lisa at all, but the guys in the office seemed to like her very much. And Lisa did not want to find a replacement as a roommate. It was a humid evening on work day, she had nothing better to do when a message came in, it was Joseph. It was a message even more casual and meaningless than any words, yet, somehow, it was a consolation. By the time she was unable to find anyone else to talk with, Lisa replied immediately, he was a talkative guy and she struck up a conversation with him. They spent hours talking about their dreams, how she wanted to see the world, his of being a new CEO in the family business. Sometimes those that put on the happiest of faces all the t
"Adieu! Adieu! Janine." Lisa hoped not to see her again. It took two days for the work handover, then Janine was transferred to Marketing because Peter thought her skills might best be used in the new department. Lisa had been so busy that she had neither the time nor the inclination to think of other things, though she had to work harder than before, she felt no fatigue. Suddenly the air in the office was as fresh as ever, with Alex and William in the office treated her as before like Janine had not been there. It was not that Lisa did not hold grudges against them, she just did want to struggle and only Peter mattered. It wasn't until Ella had gone that she realized, for her at least, being friends with colleagues didn't emerge as a priority at all. Life was once again very hectic but empty. At the start, Ella chat with Lisa online very often, lately they did not talk at all, Lisa took it for granted that life moved forward. She was very concerned about Leopold, she initiated
"Have you heard the news? Janine and Charles are having an affair."The breaking news went viral in the company almost overnight; today's careers offered more opportunity for extramarital affairs, for example Charles as the vice CEO and the head of Marketing and his newly young and beautiful Secretary-Janine.It didn't occur to Lisa that Janine would tolerate a man older than her father, besides Charles was neither sexy nor funny.Unlike talking about the gossip of Joseph, people were being judgmental and critical about Janine, using the worst swearword in the world. One of the most elementary rules of life was never hit a man when he was down-in other words, never took advantage of a person's misfortune. Although what had happened in the office caused Lisa and Janine were not incompatible, Lisa did not want to talk about Janine behind her back for this matter.Lisa was too busy to studying at night and occasional weekends to get a MBA degree with Peter's recommendation, she was so th
Lisa is thinking about buying a more suitable couch if they are getting spontaneous again. When he is done his cheeks is flushed and he looks triumphant, the colour upon Lisa' spread over her face to her body. One of Joseph's hobbies is purchasing houses, this is an instance of childhood trauma and it is pretty commonplace in other families in the country. "What first put you onto texting me? I mean the message comes from nowhere."Joseph is a cuddle-a big surprise; the emotional wounds of early childhood leave ineradicable scars. He is lying on the couch with Lisa in his arms and a guilty look on his face. His mind travels back to the hot sultry day at the airport four years ago.After his mother Lucy named him CEO of the family business, he thought it would be a great time for him to do some actual work for the company. It turned out he was too naïve, Lucy disapproved all his ideas, then they started to argue about how the company would grow. Finally, he yielded the palm to her, in
Lisa truly understood the unpredictability of life, which often changed within an instant without being noticed. Just when it seemed life was going well, Peter's sudden death from acute myocardial infarction was devastating.Sometimes life hit you in head with a brick, two days later Charles took his place as the CEO of the company.The day before it all happened, Peter felt uncomfortable because he got a cold. Lisa asked him if he need to take the day off to go to the hospital, Peter interpreted his illness as being less severe. So he took some cold medicine and went back to work.Peter took good care of his body, he did not smoke or drink, eating healthy food and doing sports twice a week. When Lisa was about to go off work, she found out that Peter was fall sleep on the sofa in his office, she knew it was the pill so she did not care to wake him up.She had class the night and she told Alex that Peter was asleep, then Lisa left the company. The next day morning she had been told th