Prologue 4

There is no point in elaborating on my next few days while I waited for my coffee break with the genius's secretary. The time between consisted of me barely doing work while worrying and waiting for the day to come, and also trying to re-draw whatever I had seen on the papers.

Finally, when Sunday rolled around, I went to fetch my coat and shoes and began my adventure into the unknown. As all gentlemen do I went to her house to pick her up for our meeting. The house I pulled up to looked neglected. The yard was nice-enough, but the house looked like it was slanted along the x-axis as if about to fall over, that is, if it wasn't in direct contact with its neighboring structure. The paint was somewhere almost directly in the middle of black and white, but the house had bright red shutters on either side of the windows. The paint on the house was chipping and the windows were quite hard to see through, meanwhile the door looked to be solid and secure with its locks all in place. It had a neutral air to it all, as if it couldn't care less about anything happening around it.

Apparently, somehow, she saw me through the windows, and therefore opened the door to greet me. When the door swung open I was almost surprised to see that she looked exactly the same as she had previously. Her dark brown hair fell just beyond her shoulders, her eyes were a piercing shade of Blue, her uniform was business-like but not unfriendly, there was nothing distinguishing about her which meant she could easily fade in with the rest of the population. She only stood there for a moment, or two, before waving me aside and then walking up to my car.

When we got to the coffee shop; I held the door open for her and she sat down while I ordered our drinks. This gave me time to think about what I was going to say to her before sitting down, but my head seemed to be a bit fuzzy, and I couldn't think of a single thing to say even after I sat back down with her. We started with the usual small-talk, the weather, a fake understanding of sports, some talk of industry and invention, global news, and then I remembered what I was actually there for. She seemed a little surprised when I changed the subject to something of more substance. I could tell that she was curious as to why I was asking about him, but there was also a fleeting look of caution when she spoke. I started by asking the basic questions that would seem less intrusive, and then I asked a few that were directed at him alone. From this; I could understand a few things. First, is that she had worked for him for all of three years, and that for those three years he was always just as crazy. Also I learned that his company was responsible for various electronic devices of a variety of sizes and processing power, and was responsible for filling out unusual requests for some ideas thought up by customers. And the last piece of information about him, that I was allowed, was that he frequents pubs and bars at this stage of his life which seemed to concern her since this was quite a new development. Also I learned that her name was Kassie, she doesn't like sports, she reads the newspaper frequently, she finished college with a Masters Degree in business, she is hard working, and she understands the importance of a good book. We talked for an hour or two before we were asked to leave, on account of the store closing, and so I walked her back out to my car in the rain. When we got there I didn't immediately start the engine, but instead asked her how she liked the event and if she would like to repeat it later on. She agreed, but also informed me that she had a lot of work to do, and couldn't spare much time so it might be a while till our next visit. I took this politely, and opened the door for her again when we got to her house and walked her up to the entrance with a courteous "goodnight" and a brief handshake.

Driving back to my apartment was quite lonely. I had not really given any thought to how few friends I had, or how little social interaction I got, until that point. The realization hit me in waves. I suppose I can also understand how I didn't realize it sooner; since you can't tell that something is a gap unless its been filled first. I never felt lonely up until that juncture because I never understood what it was like otherwise. Its a bit like how you can't want any particular kind of food without having eaten it first. Its somewhere between a lack of understanding, and an unhealthy amount of ignorance. When I got home and I unlocked the door, I stared off into my white walls and gray roof, and I browsed my beaten furniture and appliances, I walked into the kitchen and saw the formidable pile of dirty dishes I had somehow managed to create. I looked at the dining room table with its chairs having never been used, and for the first time in my life I finally understood how uncomfortable a bed feels when its too big for just one person.