THE LITTLE PINK PURSE

God! Please don’t let me be late again, thought Julia as she limped hurriedly towards the bus stop. She stole a quick glance at her watch and groaned nervously. It was past eight-thirty in the morning. She was already running late and her broken sandal worsened her plight. She contemplated picking it up and making a dash for it, but as sedate office goers filled the street she decided against it.

So she limped along, her dignity intact, only to see her bus leaving, a short distance away from the stop. Julia’s heart sank. She just couldn’t afford to be late today!

Suddenly, something inside her snapped. “Hey, wait!” she yelled, as she picked up her sandals and made a run for it. But it was too late. Julia watched helplessly as the bus raced off. She had missed it by an inch, literally!

She sat down to catch her breath and thought quickly. The train station was just a few minutes away. If she hurried, she could catch the next train which was due in twenty minutes. She would still get to the office a bit late, but at least it would be faster than catching the next bus. Julia sighed; this was going to be just one of those days!

A little while later, Julia settled down on a platform seat as she waited for the train to arrive. She placed her bag on the seat beside her and bent down to examine her sandal. She tied the broken strap into a quick knot and sighed. That quick-fix would suffice until she got to a cobbler. She sat up straight and checked her watch. She had about fifteen minutes to go before the train arrived. She fished out her reading glasses and settled down to read her latest pick, by Jeffery Archer. Right now, the novel was the best remedy for her nerves.

***

Having purchased his ticket, Andy picked up his duffel bag and headed towards the platform. He had about ten minutes before the train arrived. He hoped he would find some interesting company on the journey. He hated travelling alone, but he had no option this time.

He looked around, hoping to spot a vacant seat. As he scanned the platform, his eyes fell upon a young lady who seemed to be engrossed in some book. He studied her intently for a while and frowned thoughtfully. She looked a bit familiar, but he couldn’t recall having met her before. He noticed the empty seat beside her and smiled to himself. That appeared to be a good option! She seemed like a regular, and her companionship might come in handy along the way.

“Excuse me, miss? Is this seat taken?”

Julia looked up with a slight start. She had been engrossed in her book.

“May I?” asked the young man in front of her, gesturing towards her bag on the adjacent seat.

“Sorry,” mumbled Julia, picking up her bag and placing it on her lap. She scowled inwardly. Did he just have to bother her? Couldn’t he find anywhere else to sit? There were so many empty seats around, but he had to pick this one.

She watched quietly as he put down his rather heavy-looking duffel bag and sat beside her. She observed him from the corner of her eye, pretending to be engrossed in her book. He was a tall, dark-haired youth, clean shaven and neatly dressed. But there was something about him that made her feel uneasy. Maybe it was just the bold manner in which he had approached her. She continued to read, hoping he didn’t sense her nervousness.

Andy studied her silently. Hmm. Not a very friendly contender, he thought to himself.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah! I’m a famous supermodel!” she replied with a slight smirk. “And we usually aren’t too friendly.”

He laughed, “I’m sorry. That did sound like some corny old pick-up line. But you really do look terribly familiar.”

Julia shrugged and went back to her book, but was unable to concentrate. She really didn’t want to befriend a stranger. There were so many awful stories in the news these days. The city was not as safe as it used to be. She forced herself to appear composed. She could not let him realise she was afraid. That would just make her seem like an easy target and she would not let that happen.

“A Jeffery Archer fan, are you?” he persisted, nodding toward her novel.

“What business of yours is that?” She snapped back. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

He seemed astonished at her reply. “Well! That was a first time.” He muttered with a wry smile. Julia blushed slightly. Maybe she was just over-reacting. She studied him again. He did seem okay. But, she wasn’t taking any chances. She turned back to her book.

Andy wondered if he should just leave her alone. She was not as friendly as she appeared! But her unwillingness to engage in casual conversation seemed to challenge his ego. A few moments later he decided to give it another shot. “Do you always read like that?” he asked.

She turned and scowled at him but said nothing.

“I mean backwards,” he explained. “Do you always read backwards? You were at page 75 when I got here and you are now at 55.” His smile was mischievous now.

Julia felt her face flush. She had been only absent-mindedly flipping the pages since he had parked himself next to her and his sharp observation worried her even further. “Look mister,” she began, “I’ve already had a terrible day so far without you having to make it any worse. I’ve missed my bus, I’m going to be late to work and I’m probably not going to make the best first impression on my new boss. The last thing I need now is to befriend some stranger who will probably just run away with my money!” she blurted, all in one breath.

Andy was momentarily speechless. He stared at her wide-eyed with amusement. “Well,” he said finally, “That’s a real nice impression you have formed about me! I didn’t realise I came across as a mugger! Guess I’ll have to work a little more on my appearance.”

“Listen mister, I just …”

“No, it’s okay. I understand,” he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Sorry to have bothered you, miss. You have a nice day,” he said to her as he strode off casually and disappeared into the crowd.

 ***

Moments later, the train pulled into the station. Julia fought her way through the crowd to a vacant aisle seat in a compartment. She settled down and pushed the stray strands of hair off her face. Phew! Thank God she didn’t have to deal with this stampede every morning!

She could feel tiny rivulets of sweat run down her spine.  She was feeling so sticky and sweaty, she was sure she’d be reeking by the time she reached the office. She would just have to freshen up in the ladies room.

She rummaged through her bag and dug out her pink purse. She checked her ticket and leaned back in her seat, satisfied. But her tranquility was soon shattered by a painfully familiar voice.

“Well! I was hoping I’d find better company in the train than I did on the platform!”

Julia’s heart sank as she turned to face the speaker. If only she had noticed him before, she wouldn’t have made the terrible mistake of sitting beside him. She frowned, “Maybe today just isn’t your lucky day!” she told him.

“Or yours!” he grinned.

Julia grinned back unable to suppress herself. Today had been a rotten day and it wasn’t showing any signs of getting better!

“Wait a minute!” he blurted suddenly. “You aren’t stalking me, are you?” he asked accusingly, in a rather icy tone that sent a shiver down her spine. He gave her a cold, hard stare and she stared back bewildered, “I … But you …”

He raised his hands up in the air in mock surrender and laughed heartily. “I’m sorry! I just had to see that expression!”

Julia smiled weakly. But she was far from amused. She could feel her heart pounding. Images from the thriller flick Red Eye danced before her eyes. Who was this guy? What did he want? What if he held her hostage? But, what could he want from her? She shuddered. She didn’t intend to stick around and find out. Her heart raced. She had to get away from him. Her head suddenly felt very light and her legs felt like jelly. She could feel beads of sweat forming on her brow.

“Are you okay, miss?” he interrupted her thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You don’t look too good.”

Julia stared at him. “I’m okay. Just a little motion-sickness, I guess.” She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

“Maybe you’d prefer to sit by the window?”

“No thanks!” she almost growled at him. The last thing she needed was to be trapped in that corner.

“I just thought …”

“I’ll be fine,” she cut him off. “I just need to shut my eyes a while.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but didn’t say anything. Julia heaved a silent sigh of relief. She shut her eyes and began assessing her options. She just had to get away from this guy! Maybe she could get off at the next station and catch a cab from there. It would be an expensive option, but at least it would get her out of this mess. She tried to relax till then.

 ***

Julia wove her way through the crowd, her heart thumping away. She hoped he hadn’t noticed her leave. He had been asleep when the train pulled into the station and she had tiptoed away, off the train. She quickened her pace, only to trip on her sandal.

Damn! Don’t give way now, she prayed silently as she glanced over her shoulder. Her heart sank at what she saw. Her stalker was steadily weaving his way through the crowd and he was headed towards her. She panicked. She was right about him after all! She hastened her steps and prayed she would find a cab soon. Just then, she felt the knot snap. Damn damn damn! She dragged her torn sandal along as she made her way to the exit, not daring to look behind. Her eyes scanned the exit for a taxi.

Only a few metres away from the exit gate, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat and she spun around to face her tormentor again.

“Look here mister,” she yelled at him as ferociously as she could. “Just leave me alone!”

“Listen, you …”

“You just stay away!” she hissed, stepping back from him. Her warning seemed to have the desired effect and he froze in his tracks. She turned and hurried away but he sprinted after her.

She stopped and whirled around to face him again, her eyes blazing. “Stop following me,” she warned, clutching in her hand the weapon she had dug out from her bag. She would use it if she had to.

“Look miss,” he said finally, looking quite infuriated. “All I was saying was …”

But she didn’t wait to hear him out. Julia aimed the pepper can right at the man’s face and sprayed its contents straight into his deep brown eyes.

“Ow, ow, ow …” he hollered, grabbing her hand as he staggered forward in pain and shock. With all the force she could muster, Julia swung her handbag straight into his face, adding to his agony. He let go of her hand and clutched his eyes. “I can’t see,” he cried. “What the hell have you done?”

As soon as she was free from his grasp, Julia dashed towards the exit. She was trembling all over and her hands were cold. She had dropped her glasses in the scuffle but she dared not stop to pick them up. She had no idea how long the effect of the spray would last; she had to get away as fast as possible. Luckily, there was a taxi waiting just outside the exit and she dashed into it. She glanced over her shoulder as the cab drove off. Her assailant was standing bewildered, amidst curious bystanders. He seemed to have recovered from the spray and was staring at her rather strangely.

 ***

Andy’s teary eyes felt like they were on fire. This was the first time anything like this had happened to him! As she sped off in the taxi, he had recognized her face. Now, he realized why she had seemed so familiar! He had recognized her only without her glasses. He picked up the little pink purse she had dropped during the struggle and grinned, despite his smarting eyes. He slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and headed to the station washroom to rinse his face. Then he called the office to say he would be a little late.

 ***

“Shirley! What did I miss?” whispered Julia as she sank into the chair next to her friend.

She had reached the office ten minutes late and, after a quick trip to the ladies room, had rushed to the conference hall. Almost all her other colleagues had already gathered in the room and were anxiously awaiting their boss’ address.

“Nothing much,” yawned Shirley. “The new boss just called to inform Mr Thomas that he’d be a bit late.”

“Wow! Late on the first day itself!”

“Sounds like your kind of guy,” Shirley teased.

Julia scowled, “Very funny Shirley! You wouldn’t believe what a dreadful morning I’ve had. And I even lost my favourite little pink purse.”

“What happened?”

“There was this guy on the train …”

Just then, the door to the conference room opened and in walked a tall, dark-haired youth, clean shaven and neatly dressed in a white, full-sleeved shirt and a blue tie.

Julia stared, open mouthed. This had to be a horrible dream. This just couldn’t be happening, she thought mournfully! She slouched down into her seat, praying he would not notice her. But, as if he had read her mind, he turned in her direction and his eyes met hers. Julia flushed when she noticed they were still red from her brutal attack! And, in his left hand he was holding a bright pink purse!

She barely heard Mr Thomas: “Everybody … Mr Andrew Martins … your new boss!”

__END__