Gemscentric

Written by Julian Robov


Thirty One


She still couldn’t figure out why George had rescued her from Seri’s goons. Carly sat speechless wondering what else was in the offing. George was talking on the phone to someone for so long, she lost interest listening to their conversation. He was talking in a different Chinese dialect. The more she pondered, the greater was the confusion and mistrust she had about men in general, because of her past experiences. She had no one else to blame other than her parents. She wished she wasn’t born in China, and at the same time didn’t wanted to dump everything on destiny.
After the phone conversation was over, George sat close to her on the sofa, as if he had something to share. She watched his eyes intently.
“Are you happy?” he asked.
“Yeah! I think so,” she replied. “Why are you helping me?”
“Because I love you. That’s all I can say at the moment. At least you’re safe now. No one is going to take you away anywhere. You’re going to stay with me forever,” George added.
“Can I ask you something?” she said cutely.
“Sure. Go ahead,” he answered smilingly.
“Will you teach me what you do?” she asked.
“Good question,” he said, and then went dead silent. He then lurched forward to say something, but retreated quickly. She sensed there was something wrong the way he was looking at her.
“Are you okay?” she asked trying to calm him down.
“I’ll teach you about blue sapphires—the gem I like the most. Did I answer your question?” He paused.
“That’s a good start,” she said cautiously.
“Try if you can forget the past,” he continued. “All you need to do now is to concentrate on the future. Forget about Seri, your friends in captivity, and your parents. It’s all history. This is your life and in return, I request you to be loyal to me—forever. The rewards will follow in due course.”
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“Look, I know how you feel about the situation. It’s hard to cope, but you must try hard to overcome your fears. Only you can do it. All I can do is to do the best I can for a soft landing to feel the real world. I want to give you a chance to be like a normal person. Do you understand?” he said.
She remained silent. It was hard for her to give up the mistrust about men, and their crafty devices she had accumulated over time. Even though George was acting like a man of honesty, she still had difficulty understanding men and their covert promises. She had nobody in the world to rely on, and knowing the insecure world she was living in anything was a possibility—good or bad. For some strange reasons she had survived, and instead of blaming it on destiny and parents, she decided to change her old way of thinking. She had the power to do something about it.
They were living in a posh condo on Sathorn Road, near the Burmese Embassy. She had never been out of the building, and had wanted to see the real Bangkok environs without the fear of being constantly watched. As she was pondering with the thought, George asked her to change her clothes. He had several plans. He had a new pair of sun glasses and a wig for her to try in order to see what she looked like when strolling with him in the streets of Bangkok. He loved disguises all the time. Now with a unique collection of his own, he just didn’t want to be recognized, either by his friends or enemies. He wanted her to feel free for the first time in a long time. They both giggled and laughed loudly watching their new identity. He wore a wig impersonating Albert Einstein, while she simulated a rich Chinese woman from the past. It was deliberate. Both loved the new gimmick.
They hailed a taxi from Sathorn Road. Their destination was the World Trade Center. The skyscrapers and sheer amount of traffic awoke her, and the streets looked worse than Hong Kong. In thirty minutes, they arrived at the World Trade Center. She loved the look and design, and the number of people that strolled the facility. There were so many Japanese tourists, and wondered what attracted them to feel glued to the internationally well-known shops and stores, especially the jewelry stores and discount counters offering apparel and handicrafts taking her breath away. It was for the first time she was viewing ruby and sapphire necklaces in such quantity wondering about their value. Under the incandescent lighting they looked just beautiful. George was watching her moves and emotions. He felt sorry for her. But he had other ideas. She was asking a lot of questions. She loved the way he answered her inquisitive queries.
There were two main department stores: Zen and Isetan. Both were Japanese run stores. George bought some lingerie for her, as she strolled the second floor. In fact, she bought a lot and a few designer outfits. He had no problem. She loved shopping. The third floor was mainly men’s clothing. She bought Gucci and Pierre Cardin designer clothes for him. And he paid the bills promptly. Their shopping bags were getting heavy. Stationery items and kiddy’s corner dominated the fourth floor. The number of children playing with their parents brought them to a halt. She loved children and wondered when that opportunity was going to come in her life. She then remembered her childhood. She didn’t want her children to have a similar fate if and when that occurred in life. He noticed that and decided to leave her alone for a while to be herself. He understood her feelings. He signaled her to take her own time collecting the shopping bags from her. He took a vacant seat while she observed the kiddy play. It was just amazing how parents were spending money on their children. She never had such a luxury during her childhood. She touched the kids and the toys they were playing in order to feel them. Though strange, both the kids and their parents allowed her to do so, and she enjoyed the experience. She wanted to cry and laugh watching the kids and innocent play. He watched from a distance the whole act not knowing what to say. It was an awesome experience.
After wiping the tears from her eyes, George and Carly moved to the sixth floor. There were a few Japanese and Thai restaurants catering to visitors, and the line was getting longer and longer to have a seat. Instead, they chose the Thai vegetarian restaurant. It was quiet. After ordering from the menu, they sat near the window seat glimpsing the traffic outside. She loved the solitude, and he was thinking in a similar way. In fifteen minutes, the food arrived. The food was great. He paid the bills, and walked past Kinokuniya book store to check the movie. She loved movies, and after checking on a touch-screen, he bought two tickets. It was a Robert de Niro movie, his favorite actor. The multiplex theater looked cozy full of foreigners. It was a mob comedy. They both could hardly stop laughing. But she didn’t like a lot of the characters in the movie. It was full of crooks, and she began to compare her situation with the characters in the movie. He tried to console her knowing her feelings. He knew she had problems coping with dark humor. After a while, she came to her senses. It was just a movie. Now, she began to laugh. All in a spit-second.
After strolling the stores and other eateries, they bought brownies and other delicacies from the Oriental shop as a take away.