Lunch With Aleka at Pitt Street (Part 3)

A Thumbs Up From Jana

The time was 12:30 p.m. when I headed back to work and as Jana was on the phone I walked softly to her desk and confidently placed her files on the desk. Putting her thumbs up as she was on the phone she noticed that only half the files were there so checking the filing I did for Kelsey I found the rest of them. Giving me a big thumbs up I headed back to my lonesome desk, knowing that deep down, Jana would be proud of my forsythe.

In the half an hour that I did have to myself I received a call from Aleka downstairs in the mailroom. Just before I headed upstairs I headed down to the mailroom so we could chat about our having lunch together but she wasn’t around. The new young guy must have felt the urgency to inform her and from that she decided to give me a phone call. In our conversation we did discuss having lunch at 1:00 p.m. in which I would head downstairs and meet up with Aleka at the front doors of the mailroom.

Visitors Before Lunch

In the half an hour I was trying to get down the filing I was also approached by Linh who came over to my area. Noting that his friend (Whom I went to Hungry Jacks with when we all went to lunch) was celebrating his birthday, Linh wanted to know if I would like to accompany a group of them at the bar down the street.

This sounded like a genuinely friendly offer but I couldn’t say yes as I had plans. “Sorry man” I apologized as he told me it was alright, no damage done. As our conversation was closing to an end I uttered something about having lunch on Monday, that was pretty much it. Work related friendship, isn’t it great…

The third person that came to visit me before I headed off to lunch was Delphi. She didn’t actually come for me but as she was looking for files we had a little chat around my desk. I’ve found now that people are able to chat with me because I don’t seem so hard to approach because of my former anxiety to reticent behavior. My coming out of my shell is how I can hold conversation with the Scottish girl, Calla, Kalinda, Kelsey, Thalia, Delphi, Linh, Jonas everyone in legal and especially Najla, my partner in crime.

Waiting for Aleka

Najla and I had a great Friday despite the workload looming over our heads. Najla was mostly completing briefs through our day apart from the incoming and outgoing mail. We had our finer moments of laughter in the day which evoked itself from our idle humor and sarcastic overuse in discussion. Anyway, skipping ahead to when Najla actually came back from lunch early, it was my turn to prepare myself for an outing. Finishing up an invoice for claims downstairs I kindly asked Najla to finish it up for me as I put on my suit, collected my belongings and headed downstairs to meet with Aleka.

Flushed from work with expectancy on my mind, I headed downstairs via the elevator and walked around the corner to meet with Aleka at the mailroom. While on the topic of stairs or the elevator, I’ve found that I rarely take the stairs down at the turn of the day. Back when I began the stairs were the commodity as the elevators would be too packed but now, I either squeeze in or there isn’t much people on them.

Back to my initial story now, Aleka was taking a little time to get herself ready as she was teaching one of the new juniors there something regarding mail. Standing almost impatiently as the minutes rolled by I started whistling to create some idle humor in the echoing hallway. Soon enough Aleka was complete with her edification and as she walked out the door we ran errant, trying to look for a location to eat. “Man you women take a long time for everything”

I noted in sarcasm. “You take forever with applying makeup, preparing yourselves and now, you take your time with lunch”. Somewhat undecided on where the both of us wanted to go I mentioned Sushi but Aleka cringed at the idea. Releasing the reigns as loose a grip as I had on them I let Aleka decide. Speaking of a food court up on Pitt Street where we could buy foods like lasagna, ravioli and meatballs I decided to go along with it otherwise we would have nowhere to go.

Finding My Confidence

Embarking upon our small journey to Pitt Street I found that our conversation was just like us having known each other for years, as are old acquaintances. There were no jitters as when I started working and I had all the gaining confidence in my tone as has been in the initial days of this month. This vibe that calms me and subdues all anxiety of speech really has helped me to come out and be able to express myself.

When I started work I always had the question of my not being able to fit, of not having any individuality or personality. I always used to think that I wouldn’t be able to be a person that can just start speaking about some topic and pull of some idle conversation. Now, I know all these simplicities of temperament are in the cards and all I have to do now is slowly lay them on the table.

My personality, character and individuality shines at work now and although it is only to people mostly in legal that I associate with, that will stem out forthwith. Like I’ve noted, all I have to do is talk with someone I don’t know and I’ll instantly be their friend, it’s that simple. However, I just have to calm my anxiety and take that first and sometimes awkward step of initialization and from there, smooth sailing.

Food Court Above Pitt Street

Location-wise, I’m not exactly too sure what building it was in the shopping complex of Pitt Street but you had to travel up a long elevator to get there. It was right next to an underground bookstore and a couple of stairwells away from the Imperial Arcade. As we headed up the long elevator Aleka noted how the pictures on the wall had been changed again. “They must change them every week so people don’t get bored” she remarked.

Once on the third floor food court we walked over to where Aleka wanted to purchase her lunch. Looking at the entrée of items on display I decided to buy myself two large meatballs, cauliflower, broccoli and pumpkin dipped in special sauce. This dish ended up costing me $7.50 but I wasn’t too phased about the price. With Aleka still buying her dish I noted that I would look around for a table and finding one with the sun gleaming upon us from the glass roof I walked back to Aleka to inform her.

Taking a seat we both didn’t like the sun being in our eyes so deciding to jump out of an uncomfortable seating we sat on a spare table with an Asian girl eating alone next to us. Having to walk across the bench because the tables were too close to my side I sat myself down, Aleka sat herself down and we began our conversation over lunch.

Aleka Talks Marriage

Our conversation lasted the course of the meal, where I, between our morsels did encourage words by my questions. Aleka also had some idle conversation to speak of but I feel that most of the conversation (By no means of my own) regarded Aleka’s life in some way. For example, she started speaking about her brother going out with a half Macedonian, half Serbian girl and her averse reluctance to the situation.

Aleka noted how in her family, despite not being strict, it was righteous to marry a Greek girl to traditionally keep it in the family. Having nothing against Macedonians in general, Aleka just didn’t like the idea of her brother going out with one for four years in which he is going to marry her.

On the same topic of marriage she brushed upon the topic of her having a man lined up, preparing for marriage. “How old are you know and when are you thinking of getting married” I inquired and as I noted of my intentions to hopefully marry at 24 she agreed on the same age. Aleka told me about her boyfriend and as she noted he was Greek, fairly solid and had short black hair, I could almost picture what I had already gathered in my assumption of what he looked like.

Surprised I was when asking “Do you keep hassling him for marriage” and her saying yes. I could just imagine her constantly saying “So, when are we going to get married” and him saying “I’m not ready for it yet, speak to me in a week”. Basically they are on the ropes of getting engaged and in a couple of years she hopes to notch him up.

However, their past wasn’t all roses as they broke up after a couple of months going out then after a while they decided to get back together. Other points of our conversation in which was regarded to my end of the stick had mostly been chat about clothes. I informed Aleka on what clothes I had bought and how I wanted to head back to the City on Saturday to buy some more clothes.

Clothes and Healthy Eating

To me, even do I go along with these exploitations I do believe myself to be ostentatious to a certain degree. I talk about my buying clothes with pride and because I want people to know that I have fashion sense but I don’t gloat. I guess some people enhance their lives by speaking about their boyfriends or they cars, I find my safeguard speaking about what I love best, fashion and clubs.

Eating the last bites from my plate we chatted for a couple more minutes and then with fifteen minutes until we were to head back to work we headed back. To mention some more points to philosophy, back a couple of months when I used to eat at home, I would constantly be drinking cordial with my food. Now that I am working I have seen a dramatic and probably good change to my eating habits.

Apart from eating smaller and more healthier portions of food I also wait until after a meal to buy myself a drink. I read somewhere before that if you drink while you eat it doesn’t digest the food properly and therefore, to eat and then drink is best. Therefore, just before we reached the doors of our building I walked into the newsagent right next door and bought myself a drink. Aleka also decided to buy herself something due to my marketing the store to her cravings.

Girls With Boyfriends

With the both of us walking into our building together we thanked each other for lunch and noted that we should do it again some day. Back when I started getting accustomed to Aleka or anyone else from work I used to compliment them on their beauty and think “She has a thing for me” or “We could probably head out to a club in a group together”.

Now that I know them to a more personal level, I don’t really flinch or feel the pinch of apathy when I hear them speak about a boyfriend for the first time. Yes, in the emerging days of our friendship I probably did write provocative or glistening thoughts about my premonition of future association but now I don’t kick myself in the ass for it.

You can probably tell that until I actually find out they have a boyfriend I write of possibilities that my fantasy conjures but as soon as you hear they have a companion, the luster stops. Nevertheless, there’s no love lost when I do hear there’s no hope because I well enough know that I probably wouldn’t have gone out with either of the girls on account to my favoring taste. The girls I do adore I speak of in less forcible wantonness, girls like Calla from work. If I was to hear she had a boyfriend I would be as passive as what not but I would love the chance to be her companion.