Topiary of Love - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – What Are Friends For?

The Connection We Had
And Can’t Wait To Have Again
Is Something So Special
And Usually Hard To Find

Don’t Want To Lose You
So Please Take My Hand
Trust and Forgive Me
And Leave the Past Behind

- unknown -

Yawning like a wild lion, I awoke the next day feeling a stronger enthusiasm for life. I sat up and propped my pillow against the head of my rickety old bed of too many years and turned on my laptop, hoping to have an offline message from her.

Unfortunately, Yahoo dashed my hopes sitting there with nothing showing up. Oh well, what was I expecting? It was only a hug, possibly a friendly one and I was making it look like she was getting me all riled up for a night of hot, passionate and supremely orgasmic wild sex.

Shutting the machine down, I got out of bed and made preparations for work, humming a little tune to myself. Come to think of it, that irritating tune came from the McDonald’s advertisement – I’m loving it’.

Life seemed to have made a U turn last night as I found myself unusually polite and courteous whilst on the way to work. The CTE, as usual, was jammed packed with vehicles heading into the city. I made a conscious effort to give way for every other driver who wanted to turn into my lane. If only the traffic police would see me now, they would either give me an award for road courtesy or even pull me over for road hogging. Yes, I was really going that slow and still feeling good about it!

Work-wise, it was the usual routine. I kept checking Yahoo if she had come online so I could get a little chat going. My heart was yearning for her company, even if it was just online company, anyway she was in another country altogether. Sadly, she must have been really caught up at work. I had to keep myself from sending her an SMS but decided against it as I did not want to look too “sticky” in a new born relationship. There I go again, it wasn’t official yet and I was thinking as if I had found a new girlfriend already.

As the day wore on, more urgent tasks were presented to me that had to be attended to in the soonest time possible and I got entrenched in a deep pit filled with work that just had to be done somehow. Putting aside my romantic thoughts for the time being, I kept going at work with a gusto never before experienced. Even the old maids felt that I was a changed man and came over and asked if I was ok and if I needed any help.

Sometimes, the effect of another person in your life may just do the same to you. At this juncture, it certainly felt that I was falling in love with her; a remarkable woman that I’ve only met the night before but had tons of chat logs to re-read and fall head over heels all over again.

Nearing the end of the day, Jack, a good friend of mine, sent me an SMS. The message wrote, “Yo bro, wanna go 4 a drink?”

It had really been a long time since I hung out with Jack. I haven’t been doing much socially since taking on the new position and an invitation to catch up over a few beers was definitely very welcome.

We met at our favorite waterhole – The Axis Bar at the Oriental Singapore in the evening and were just making small talk about work, life and his favorite, women.

I think it’s only fair that I provide a little background information on Jack. Jack’s a very adept and resourceful software engineer. Most people would relate to a geek or a nerdy person when it came to an IT professional but not when they’ve met Jack. Back when we were in National Service, the gang, as we used to call ourselves who included the other buddies, would frequent Zouk whenever we had our allowances released from the Government.

Built like a fighter pilot with good looks to boot, Jack would almost every time bring home a beautiful woman for a romp when we left the club. Till today, Jack still has kept himself looking as young and handsome that he always has been. Despite his good looks, Jack’s bane is that he’s very alcoholic (at least by my standards). He drinks relentlessly, never stopping even after he’s certified drunk by the people around him. And when he gets drunk, the male ego takes over and he will absolutely do anything you ask of him.

As the night wore on, and after a couple of whiskeys, I was telling my story to Jack about her, fervently going on about the special feeling I felt and the way she made me feel as a person. Jack probably didn’t look very interested but I just had to let someone know what I was going through and he just happened to be the one.

“Just fuck her man. If you won’t, send her my way, I will.” He muttered while downing another shot of whiskey on ice.

I felt disturbed having that imagery of him with my baby doll. “Come on lah bro, I told you about her cause I want you to know I may have found the ONE man!”

“Ok whatever,” he replied, glancing over my shoulder at the table behind me. “Tell you what, forget her today. I’ll go over and get that chio babe over here to keep us company.”

I turned around and saw a lanky lady sipping on an orange colored cocktail. She looked as if she was alone and definitely a tourist. I would reckon a guess at maybe Russian at my initial look. Noticing that Jack had already made his way to her, I turned back and sighed at myself. Here we go again. Another tale of Jack’s adventure would be penned in my mind tonight to share with another ‘gang’ member – Patrick. If you can recall, Patrick appeared in a previous story when he messaged me on Yahoo when I was still living the good life in the company I left.

As expected, it wasn’t long before Jack came back, holding her drink and introduced his new found friend to me. Her name was Monika, from Poland and was here in Singapore on a business trip. We exchanged name cards and I noticed her Director of Marketing position. Another yuppie as I guessed she would be around the same age as us.

The assimilation of another drinker to a party would normally be in the best of interests for all concerned but this time, I felt left out as Jack kept going at her, teaching her the wonders of local drinking games and laying on the charm as much as he could. Together with his good looks, I could tell she was slowly getting hooked.

I lay back on the couch and wondered why Nature was so unfair in creating us human beings. Why did only a select few have what it takes whereas the rest of the population had to endure watching the select few excel in something that only we can only hope to achieve.

Jack noticed my boredom and grabbed my arm and told Monika that we’re going to the boys’ room. Still giggling from another one of Jack’s lewd jokes, she said she would be coming along to the ladies’.

In the gents, Jack made me a proposition, “Grim, I seriously don’t mind and I think she won’t too. You want to have a threesome? It’ll be fun!” He asked as we both faced the urinal and emptied our bladders.

“You siao or what! You know I don’t do these kind of thing. You drunk already is it?

He laughed as he zipped his pants, looking into the mirror and adjusting his clothes. “Good things big bro like me always share. Last chance, want or not? She already said I could send her up to the room when we’re done later.”

“Nope you go ahead. Haven’t you been listening when I told you about…”

“Yeah I know, Huan Zhu Ge Ge, I know.” He interrupted me before I could finish. “Anyway it’s your prerogative.” He wiped his hands dry and we both made our way back to our table, leaving the indecent proposition dead in the men’s room.

I think Jack must have had a drink too many. After downing his god-knows-how-many next glass of whiskey, he lay back against the couch and looked seriously dead drunk. The night was over. I didn’t have much to say to Monika as Jack was the one keeping her company the whole night and I suggested that I’ll send Jack home since he was already dead to the world.

Monika suggested we get him to her room at the hotel to see if we could freshen him up but I courteously declined. Jack wasn’t going to be much good in bed today from the looks of it, but she insisted about doing so. She did make sense though since her room was only a lift journey and Jack was staying all the way in faraway Changi.

Moving a drunken man is akin to transporting a tranquilized elephant. Heavy, uncooperative, with the occasional grunt and incomprehensible mumble. Somehow or rather, we made it into her room and I laid him down on the soft and warm hotel bed.

Now I’m not sure if this is typical of the Polish women but when I came out of the bathroom after washing the mix of drool and liquor from Jack on my clothes, I saw a naked Monika giving Jack, who was also naked now, a blowjob on the bed.

I stood at the doorway transfixed. Jack was already so drunk he couldn’t get himself any form of erection. He just lay there and slept while Monika was trying her best to elicit a response from him. Her head bobbed up and down furiously as her hands swirled around his limp and lifeless member. Till date, I should have whipped out my mobile phone and caught this scene on video but my mind was at a loss of what to do as I stared at this couple, not knowing whether if it was rude of me to start laughing!

It must have been a few minutes later than Monika gave up. Turning to me and asking me in her thick Polish accent, “Grim, you want one too?” She beckoned to me as she said it.

That was the last straw. I hurriedly said no thanks and picked up my laptop bag and left the room. I’d rather keep my reputation as the man with no sex than to make out with a stranger who I have no chemistry with right in front of my good friend, notwithstanding that he was already dead to the world.

I made my way home, laughing to myself as the memories of Monika and Jack replayed itself over and over. It would be a great tale to tell the rest of the guys, a vulnerability of Jack that would haunt him for the rest of his life and as long as we are his friends.

The next day, I awoke to a new SMS sent at 5am from Jack. “Bro, Monika told me what happened. You better dun tell anyone, ok?”

Sure Jack, sure…

-End Chapter 3-