Acquaintance

2. Rosey

     Every time I think of Rosey, a whiff of fragrance brushes over my conscious. It brings me back to the exact pleasure that her scent brought to me. It builds up a world full of aroma. Her scent resembled that of fresh tulips, it brought out a sense of timelessness as though a baby's breath. There was an added perception of joy and happiness, like that of a sunflower. And a sensation of romance that was propelled by great beauty. Beauty only read in books. As though a goddess. Perhaps, that of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty and passion. I had tried to figure out what cologne she was wearing. But the effect it had on me, I couldn't bring myself to that task. I was carried away. I was floating in the skies of redolence and fragrance.

     My encounter with Rosey was amazing. I was heading for a meeting. A client had read my books and was impressed and he had a business proposition. I was eager to meet someone in love with my work. I had received an email the previous week inviting me to the meeting. This was not easy fit because I was not used to this at all. My agent, Jesse, had briefed me the previous night on how these kinds of meetings go about. He took me through the response protocol and something about entrepreneurial behavior, I think. We were 15 minutes early – this was good for the image - Jesse's words. I recall the warm welcome at the reception. It was as if we were people of great importance. Little did they know that we were just two young lads looking for good pay, that's all.

     Jesse had studied business management back in college. He holds a degree. He was best fit for the position. I had not understood the need for a manager, it just seemed to be a requirement since the email mentioned them not having details on my manager. It is why they had reached me directly. Why would I want a manager? How would I pay a manager? Anyways, I figured my friend Jesse studied this for almost five years, so he clearly knows how to go about it. Furthermore, I trusted him.

     We sat facing the adjacent wall, right by the window. The conference room was rather big. There were so many seats, this made me anxious. I thought people were going to fill the room just to talk about me. Jesse explained to me that we would only meet a maximum of 4 people so there was no reason to be anxious. I found comfort in that. It was 9 O'clock already and they had not showed up yet. I started thinking about my shoes, how they were slightly undersize. They were really uncomfortable. I felt like my feet were held tight. And this was really frustrating, trust me.

     A woman trudged in, she was tall and serious. She was carrying a small briefcase. She sat on one of the chairs opposite to where we sat. She tried forging a smile but I could clearly tell she was forcing it. Her face was not used to smiling. A man marched in. He looked more enthusiastic than the woman. He also seemed younger. Behind him was a young lady. A young, gorgeous lady. My eyes could not let her go. She was... simply, splendid. Now her face was made for smiles. The guy sat in between the ladies.

"Hello there, gentlemen. My name is James Crooks." Pointing to his right, "this is Sarah, my head of publishing" pointing to his left, "and this is Rosey, my secretary." The guy spoke.

"Well, nice to meet you all. My name is Jesse Banks and this is Jeffrey. I am his manager." Jesse responded.

     My eyes were fixed on Rosey, I even admired her name. She had started jotting something down already. I knew that I had to focus on the task at hand but I will not lie that this was easy because clearly, it was not easy at all. Rosey's eyes were admirable too. I really enjoyed watching her.

"So, I read a couple of your books and honestly, you have a way with words, Jeffrey..." James spoke.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate your positive feedback. I really do." I replied.

I was honestly delighted at his feedback.

James had noticed my liking for his secretary. A man's language is always understood by a fellow. Just like I had understood that he had no interest in his secretary. Or I just didn't care.