Interlocking Squares: Vincent (3)
Thursday 12 January 2006
Vincent was humming happily as he let himself in.
His roommate David looked up. 'Back late again on a Thursday night,' he said. 'That makes it three in a row. Another hot date?'
'Nothing like that,' said Vincent. He was used to the sort of things David said: the two of them had known each other since Form Six. Like Vincent, David was in his final year; unlike Vincent, he was studying electronics engineering. Vincent had peeked into one of his textbooks once and thought: better David than him.
He sat down on the bed to unlace his shoes, a process slightly hindered by the fact that he had to shift several piles of paper aside first. The paper was David's – hastily-scribbled lecture notes and photocopies of book chapters. He had spoken to David before about David's habit of letting his possessions overflow into Vincent's personal space – several times, in fact – but... David was sitting in front of his laptop, surrounded by even more stacks of paper, an open Word document on the screen. Probably an assignment due the next day – David always did last-minute work. Vincent decided to let the matter slide. Having to endure a messy room for one night wasn't that big a deal.
It didn't get past David, of course. Few things did. 'You aren't getting on my case about those,' he said, nodding towards the stacks. 'Which means you're in a good mood. Which means it must have been a hot date.'
'I told you, it wasn't a date. I wasn't even planning to ask her to dinner or anything, but then she came up to me and said – '
'Wait a minute.' David stopped giving even cursory attention to the page he was holding. 'You mean she asked you to dinner?'
Vincent nodded. He was still feeling pretty surprised about it himself.
Vincent stepped out of the classroom, conscientiously shutting the door behind him. He turned around, and found himself face to face with Ching Juan, who was leaning against the wall directly opposite.
'Oh, hello,' he said. 'I didn't think you'd still be, you know, around.' She'd practically bolted out of the room the minute the lecturer pronounced the class over. He'd assumed she had some urgent appointment or something.
'You did?' Ching Juan said, fidgeting with the notebook she was holding . 'I mean, yeah, I am. Still around, I mean. Um.' The notebook fell, and Vincent thought he heard a smothered stravag as she bent swiftly to pick it up. She straightened, and the movement dislodged her water bottle from a side pocket of her bag. It went rolling down the corridor, and from the look on Ching Juan's face, it was obvious she was trying not to scream.
'I'll get it,' said Vincent, already running after it. He scooped it up and handed it back to Ching Juan, who thrust it back into the pocket with considerable and quite unnecessary force. 'Stay,' she growled at it. And, turning back to Vincent, she added in rather milder tones, 'Thanks.'
'You're welcome.'
For some reason, an awkward pause ensued. Ching Juan picked at the binding on the spine of her notebook, and Vincent alternated between watching her do that and fiddling with his car keys. Finally, he cleared his throat and broke the silence.
'Do you... need a lift back or something?'
'No. Well... yes. I mean, sort of. I mean... Well, I was sort of wondering, if you didn't have anything else to do – you might be busy or something – but anyway, if you don't... I thought we could have dinner. Unless you've got other things to do, of course.'
It took Vincent a few moments to formulate a response. 'No! I mean, no, I haven't got anything else to do. Dinner sounds... sounds good. Great, in fact.'
Ching Juan looked almost... relieved? 'Well... good then.'
There was another pause containing further notebook-fidgeting and car-key-fiddling. This time it was Ching Juan who broke it. 'Well... shall we?' she said, nodding in the direction of the exit.
'Aren't we waiting for your friends? Selina and... and...' Vincent racked his memory; he'd never been much good with names. '... and the others,' he concluded – rather lamely, to his mind.
'Oh, them. Well... they're not coming. I thought... I sort of told... I mean, they're busy. All of them. Assignments and whatnot. Yep, busy.'
'Oh.' Vincent felt rather relieved himself. It wasn't that Ching Juan's friends were unpleasant, as such. It was just that they seemed to be talking a different language, one he couldn't make out no matter how hard he tried, and they all spoke it very fast. 'So it's just, um, you and me, then?'
'Hm? Oh. Yeah, I guess.' Ching Juan gave him a quick smile as she fell into step beside him. 'Yep, you and me.'
Vincent was humming happily as he let himself in.
His roommate David looked up. 'Back late again on a Thursday night,' he said. 'That makes it three in a row. Another hot date?'
'Nothing like that,' said Vincent. He was used to the sort of things David said: the two of them had known each other since Form Six. Like Vincent, David was in his final year; unlike Vincent, he was studying electronics engineering. Vincent had peeked into one of his textbooks once and thought: better David than him.
He sat down on the bed to unlace his shoes, a process slightly hindered by the fact that he had to shift several piles of paper aside first. The paper was David's – hastily-scribbled lecture notes and photocopies of book chapters. He had spoken to David before about David's habit of letting his possessions overflow into Vincent's personal space – several times, in fact – but... David was sitting in front of his laptop, surrounded by even more stacks of paper, an open Word document on the screen. Probably an assignment due the next day – David always did last-minute work. Vincent decided to let the matter slide. Having to endure a messy room for one night wasn't that big a deal.
It didn't get past David, of course. Few things did. 'You aren't getting on my case about those,' he said, nodding towards the stacks. 'Which means you're in a good mood. Which means it must have been a hot date.'
'I told you, it wasn't a date. I wasn't even planning to ask her to dinner or anything, but then she came up to me and said – '
'Wait a minute.' David stopped giving even cursory attention to the page he was holding. 'You mean she asked you to dinner?'
Vincent nodded. He was still feeling pretty surprised about it himself.
Vincent stepped out of the classroom, conscientiously shutting the door behind him. He turned around, and found himself face to face with Ching Juan, who was leaning against the wall directly opposite.
'Oh, hello,' he said. 'I didn't think you'd still be, you know, around.' She'd practically bolted out of the room the minute the lecturer pronounced the class over. He'd assumed she had some urgent appointment or something.
'You did?' Ching Juan said, fidgeting with the notebook she was holding . 'I mean, yeah, I am. Still around, I mean. Um.' The notebook fell, and Vincent thought he heard a smothered stravag as she bent swiftly to pick it up. She straightened, and the movement dislodged her water bottle from a side pocket of her bag. It went rolling down the corridor, and from the look on Ching Juan's face, it was obvious she was trying not to scream.
'I'll get it,' said Vincent, already running after it. He scooped it up and handed it back to Ching Juan, who thrust it back into the pocket with considerable and quite unnecessary force. 'Stay,' she growled at it. And, turning back to Vincent, she added in rather milder tones, 'Thanks.'
'You're welcome.'
For some reason, an awkward pause ensued. Ching Juan picked at the binding on the spine of her notebook, and Vincent alternated between watching her do that and fiddling with his car keys. Finally, he cleared his throat and broke the silence.
'Do you... need a lift back or something?'
'No. Well... yes. I mean, sort of. I mean... Well, I was sort of wondering, if you didn't have anything else to do – you might be busy or something – but anyway, if you don't... I thought we could have dinner. Unless you've got other things to do, of course.'
It took Vincent a few moments to formulate a response. 'No! I mean, no, I haven't got anything else to do. Dinner sounds... sounds good. Great, in fact.'
Ching Juan looked almost... relieved? 'Well... good then.'
There was another pause containing further notebook-fidgeting and car-key-fiddling. This time it was Ching Juan who broke it. 'Well... shall we?' she said, nodding in the direction of the exit.
'Aren't we waiting for your friends? Selina and... and...' Vincent racked his memory; he'd never been much good with names. '... and the others,' he concluded – rather lamely, to his mind.
'Oh, them. Well... they're not coming. I thought... I sort of told... I mean, they're busy. All of them. Assignments and whatnot. Yep, busy.'
'Oh.' Vincent felt rather relieved himself. It wasn't that Ching Juan's friends were unpleasant, as such. It was just that they seemed to be talking a different language, one he couldn't make out no matter how hard he tried, and they all spoke it very fast. 'So it's just, um, you and me, then?'
'Hm? Oh. Yeah, I guess.' Ching Juan gave him a quick smile as she fell into step beside him. 'Yep, you and me.'
8:06 PM, April 05, 2006
hahahhaha....vincent and his hot dates...the story is getting more exciting...!!!
is rafique gonna make an appearance any time soon?
"yo vin, my man...!" top
1:25 PM, April 06, 2006
There is no Rafique.
There is no spoon.
There is no cow level.
David is forcing the story to undergo a fundamental change in its basic structure. I'd kill him, if I weren't starting to like him.
Wonder what the faculty Vincent would think of this... unless he's still busy nursing that wound the size of Stadio Della Alpi. top
8:19 PM, April 06, 2006
hahahahaha...arsenal rocks,so fun to kacau bacau the fac vincent...:)
rafique is cool, and if you won't have him, i m gona put him in one of my stories...:P of course you'd like david better, who wouldn't? he isn't bland like white bread vin (of the story la...)
basic structure doctrine is good, kesavananda bharati v state of kerala...and datin having an oops moment with prof hari chand...!!! ka-de-ka-ka... :)(my famous hybrid laugh) top