Najla’s Pink String and Lunch With Keith (Part 3)

Late to the Office

When finally arriving to work at 10:00 a.m. I made my to Jana who was very aware and understanding of my late arrival. Kelsey hadn’t arrived yet but within the next couple of minutes she fronted up and the two of us chatted about our being late. Kelsey had to catch a bus back to Glenfield where she caught a train through the Liverpool way to the City. She was glad to some point that it was an express train but as she arrived as late as myself, she wasn’t too proud of how Cityrail handled the problem.

Najla had already finished the mail and after I visited the toilet to blow my nose, I started on two briefs that I completed before lunch. For the whole day, Kelsey, Thalia and Najla drew most of the conversation from my feeble appearance. Calla and I embraced a couple of words and Aleka came up after lunch to chat with me whilst Najla was around but apart from that, I kept local because I was too sick to diverge.

Trouble With Najla

What tends to piss me off nowadays is the threading of the thin string that my relationship with Najla has created. After a while, being bunched in with someone can have adverse effects, no matter how good you think you’re getting along. In the starting weeks, Najla and I used to have great conversations and we used to laugh heaps. After a couple of weeks, we started getting tied down with work, stopped laughing as much, cracked less jokes and in turn, got hung up with more work.

Nowadays, the stress of work has gotten to me so much that I’m argumentative to myself when Najla doesn’t appear to pull her own. For example, Najla hates doing filing as demonstrated again at the end of today. Disliking a messy area despite it always looking that way, I keep getting frustrated when I ask Najla suggestively to do some filing only to see her get out of it somehow. What’s more, I’ve been chiseled into hating it when people call me an idiot and as I’m being playful in some way, Najla tends to overuse those words in her Catholic innocence.

I don’t need to be reminded that I’m an idiot everyday and as much as I would rather her call me a wacko or crazy, I still don’t appreciate the put-downs. Maybe my tying the last of our pink string to the scissors, a pen and the stapler is a bit too much but I don’t need her to laugh at my prank and then say “You’re an idiot”. As much as I try to shrug it off with a laugh, inside, I just want to let out the silent rage I know is dwelling inside.

A Call From Keith

Throughout the day, everyone kept noting how red my eye was and how I should avoid spreading it to my other eye at all costs. Conjunctivitis is easy to spread around as Jana noted later in the day. Ottilie, Livia, Kelsey, Najla and Thalia all noted my conjunctivitis problem and kept tabs on my getting better until today. Najla ended up going to lunch first at 12:00 p.m. and as she headed out, I think I completed some filing.

Regardless, before Najla headed out I received a call from Keith who told me he would be driving into the City for the day to have an interview. Noting that he was headed for ‘Hardware House’ he asked what time I was having lunch and upon his request, he tried to arrange the both of us to meet at 1:00 p.m. For the third day in a row I had plans for lunch and if I only made plans with Linh on Friday, it would have been that whole week.

Najla Gets Lost

When Najla left for her lunch she also took a brief with her and noted that she would probably be a little late in coming back after lunch. A little was an understatement as I headed out for lunch at 1:00 p.m. and then upon being dropped off by Keith at 2:00 p.m. to buy a newspaper for him from the newsagent next door, I noticed Najla walking past. “Najla” I yelled as I was paying over the counter for the Daily Telegraph and Football Weekly, “Where have you been”.

Running over to Keith who was double parked and handing him the two papers so he could enjoy some reading instead of falling asleep as he waited the next couple of hours to pick up Tamsen, Najla explained her story. For the last one hour, Najla had been walking around aimlessly, not delivering a brief but actually looking for new pink string to buy. Giving her directions and noting that it was above the DX office where she had to head, I offered to take it myself but it seemed she was intent on heading out for an hour.

To me, it felt like she was going to take her time on the errand, I just didn’t expect that much time. Anyway, Najla pledged that she got herself lost and went the wrong way on my directions and went as far as calling 013 to try and locate a stationary shop that supplied pink string. Najla came back to work empty handed, not exactly what the both of us needed.

Petty Cash and Calvin Kleins

With Najla’s predestined failure, I had to head out immediately after to the DX office with the petty cash entrusted upon Najla. With $100 in hand I made my way up to the stationary shop, bought the $90 pink string and then headed back to work. On the way I stopped off at Kay’s Optical shop where I tried on those expensive Calvin Klein Glasses again. This time around as I talked to another guy he increased the discount to $15 which had the glasses under the $300 mark but still, I don’t think I’ll be purchasing them in the near future.

Aleka ended up catching an elevator up to level two with the both of us as we all met on the ground floor. Aleka told me how she’s now working full time in the Bridge Street office, hating the team leader guy who pretty much had her kicked out. Aleka came to visit some friends and as she made he way to my desk, she chatted both with Najla and I. Making the stupid mistake of writing my work number on a piece of paper, I should have realized that once is enough for everyone, that’s why we haven’t had lunch since.

Keith’s Interview Plot

Now in regards to my having lunch with Keith, it all started out innocent enough. What pleased my ego was how Keith was double parked, waiting for me to arrive through the doors. It was a shame that no one could see this spectacle that would have made me feel good, like a somebody. As Keith began driving I learnt the reality of his trip to the City.

I knew that Keith was heading down to the City for an interview but what I should have known was that somehow, Tamsen would be behind his weak impulses to pussy-whipped potential. I quickly learnt that Keith had an interview at Hardware House in the City, the same place that Tamsen worked. In fact, Tamsen lined up the job for Keith in which he turned up to the interview but he was as good as home.

How desperate is Tamsen now getting, to keep Keith by chain and as close to her as possible by having him work with her. She must be starting to feel insecure, what with Min-Su out of her life as a best friend and everyone else rebelling with the fact that the two of them aren’t meant to be. What tedious information also bugged me was how Keith thought to note “By the way, Tamsen and I are full serious now, we’re definitely going out with each other”.

I just sat there thinking to myself “Yeah right, like I really needed to know this dull insight into your insipid life”. It wasn’t that Keith was insecure about his relationship, it was the fact that he had to shed his insecurity, knowing I had my doubts about the relationship and feeling this tension enough that he had to clarify himself. “Now you can give me a lift home everyday” I tended in conversation, figuring that Keith would be driving hoe with Tamsen everyday.

As they both finished at 5:30 p.m., I would have plenty of time to make it to their car but do I really want to subject myself to their eerie arguments, as if déjà vu engulfed that very car. In addition to our conversation, Keith also thought to note that Tamsen had an accident in the morning where a semi trailer hit her car. That was half the reason why Keith headed out so early in the morning, the other half was for his interview.

Oxford Street Parking

Location seemed to be the query on our mind and where we would spend our lunchtime. Sticking with secure thoughts, I suggested that we head to Centrepoint for lunch but noted it would be a bitch to find a parking spot. In our short trip getting stuck in traffic, I had a brilliant idea to head for Oxford Street. Apart from my desire to do some shopping and check for a long sleeve club shirt with yellow sleeves, we could have lunch up there and find parking easier.

Therefore, that was our plan as we made our way up Oxford Street, finding parking almost as soon as we entered the bustling street. Parking near Central Station Records, I noticed a hot girl dressed in a skirt, zebra high heels and a baby pink polo neck sweater. Being blonde and gorgeous, she stuck outside of a shop and then walked in, oblivious to me and rod jumping out of the car. Squealing in my normal fashion, I didn’t forget about my vision as I noticed another of equal beauty, Hound Dog.

For a short while I perused the contents of the shop as Keith also walked in and looked around, thinking to himself, “So this is where Tony buys all his ‘Sick Leb’ gear”. Heading down into Central Station Records in hope of finding that special shirt seen nowhere else, we stumbled upon some other peculiarities of fashion. Taking a look at blue lens glasses and trying them on, I noticed a pair of huge red bumblebee glasses I had to try on.

No doubt, they were the size of a ruler and the lenses were so huge and long, they were an instant fashion statement at any nightclub. I could just picture someone like Lenny Kravitz wearing these oversized glasses, sort of like one of those oversized vehicles on a country road. Having our laughs as I tried the glasses on, we checked out some jewelry and then headed back out, eager to get something to eat.

Burgers and Snooping

Hungry Jacks seemed to be the attraction and as Keith siphoned money out of his depleting bank account, I made my way inside to order and grab some seats. However, before I even got the chance to order, Keith was inside and next to be served after me. Buying myself a whopper meal we made our way upstairs and as we both sat down to eat, I checked out the little pamphlet cards I had obtained when heading out of Central Station Records.

As I looked at all the new places we could head to in the City, Keith sniffed out our plans with his nosey snout. “So are you going to the City on Saturday” he asked, trying to get me to feel guilty for keeping him in the dark. Feeling no such guilt, I didn’t even feel the need to ask Keith to head down with us as I knew he wouldn’t suit the establishment as well as the fact that he would dog it hard or make my night living shit.

Keith was more or less, snooping around for some insider information so that he could wreck plans when the weekend arrived. There is no doubt that Keith was feeling left out but as you have probably heard of his weekend dogging, he’s the one that’s leaving himself out.

Lunch took twenty five minutes to achieve as I absorbed the better portion of my meal. With fifteen minutes to head home, I was contemplating whether to head to Guys and Dolls but figured I would deplete too much time. Therefore, the both of us jumped in Keith’s car, heading back to work and with two minutes to spare, Keith asked me to buy him two papers so he could read. For the next couple of hours Keith was going to wait around for Tamsen to finish work and then he was going to drive her back home in his car.

Shopping After Work

Figuring that he was going to go on a ferry trip to waste time, he thought more economically when he asked me to buy his papers. Meeting up with Najla and then going on my errand, I headed back to work, only to help Najla finish off the outgoing mail. When all was done, I completed some filing for the remainder of the day, not pushing myself at all because I had a cold to conquer. When work was concluded at 5:00 p.m. I headed out with her and farewelled her as I met up with Linh, Thao (Whom I called Leroy methinks) and Matthias.

The three of them were standing around, planning to head to Pitt Street before heading home and figuring I had some shopping to attend to, I followed along with them. Along with that other Leb guy I think is called Kit, we all walked into Just Jeans or some shop to that liking as they looked around at all the styles. Surprising me at their pick of shops, I decided to break off as I had to complete a spot of shopping for myself before heading home.

The actual splurge of money has been well documented as is my reaction to the clothing but I shall elaborate a touch on the train trip home. Feeling sublime for having so much bags stashed away under my feet, I felt more privileged when some Asian guy wanted to grab a seat next to me. Pushing the three full bags under the chair as much as they could go, he stood there with patience, smiling as his lady friend sat on the two seater across from me.

Figuring that he wanted to chat with her, I moved to the middle of the three seater, sparing him the trouble of stepping over my goods. Trying to get myself some sleep on the train proved horrible and as I caught the next bus home, I arrived rightly so at 7:15 p.m.

The rest of my Thursday night at home has been explained as I had been typing at the time. Nevertheless, I still have my conversation with Lyssa to speak of as well as a possible conversation with Naqi. Anyway, the time is 11:24 p.m. now and as I’m starting to get back into the swing of routine, I’ll get to sleep now and enjoy six and a half hours of sleeping bliss. You bet that when I grace these pages again, I’ll have plenty to write about, you can be sure. Until then, let these fifteen or so pages based on the one day be enough to tie you over until our next meet, until then…