There was an excruciating silence as both of them looked at each other, not knowing what to say next.
“The one in the scarlet chair we took last year during the Day of the Dead—it’s a perfect photo of you and you look so sexy.”
Clarisse sighed while taking her dark-brown hair and pulling it back into a ponytail—adjusting it until it was dead straight and flawless. It was her way of releasing the tension from her body.
The contours of her dark-brown almond eyes blended into her sculptured face and accentuated her model-like beauty. She inhaled through her nose and out through her mouth ten times, while in deep thought. It was a breathing technique taught to her during her counselling sessions in the hospital to make her feel calm.
Mindfulness, she thought. Mindfulness …
Marjorie waited for her to finish the breathing technique before making any further comments.
“I remember that picture you took last year on the Day of the Dead … have you got it? Can I see it?” Clarisse asked.
Marjorie turned the laptop towards her and said, “This would turn on any guy.”
Clarisse pulled the laptop closer to get a better look.
“Hmm, this is not a bad pic at all. I remember it now.” She was wearing a short, tight green dress, just above her knees. Legs crossed and her hands together, placed on her thighs—she had a cheeky look that resonated deep into the camera. Her luscious red lips and long fake eyelashes accentuated her gorgeous round face. Her smile told a thousand words and invited you into her beaming presence. Marjorie had been very deliberate in choosing this picture because it was a standout and men would fall all over each other to meet Clarisse.
“So, now that you’re finished with your anger … do you want me to send your picture?” Marjorie said.
“I thought I told you I was not interested?”
“He has a single friend, and he keeps asking about meeting a beautiful girl from Manila,” Marjorie said.
Clarisse’s luscious, full lips broke out in an infectious smile and her face filled with benevolence.
“So, you told them I was beautiful?” Clarisse asked curiously.
“Yes—he asked for a copy of your photo.”
“Really! What did you say?”
“I said I would ask you.”
Clarisse had gone from exalted anger to controlled optimism in just a few minutes. She was never surprised with Marjorie—always trying something different and testing the boundaries.
“How do you connect with your friend online? Is it through an application you use—Viber, WhatsApp, or some other chat?”
“Don’t mention this to anyone, but it’s a dating site.”
“What? You want to put my picture on a dating site?” Clarisse choked.
“I don’t want to put your picture anywhere.”
“Oh, I see.” Clarisse finally understood there was no malice.
“Do you want to chat with this guy or not?”
“That’s a little soon, don’t you think?”
“Well, do you want to think about it then?” Marjorie said.
“How do I chat with him just like that? I don’t know him—how do I start the conversation with a stranger?” This type of impromptu chat with a foreigner was new to Clarisse. The courting process in her country was long and formal and getting to know someone was a step-by-step approach.
“Chatting may do you some good, Clarisse, after what you have been through. It’s online and easy to turn off—particularly if you don’t like the conversation,” Marjorie said enthusiastically. She did not feel bound by the informal rules embedded in her culture. Always willing to test the boundaries—but knowing when to stop if she had gone too far.
“I guess there is no harm in it,” Clarisse said. Her hair was bouncing into her eyes as a slight breeze of warm air sent petals from the jasmine sambac onto the garden bed. “I suppose nobody needs to know except you, Marjorie … how do you set up a profile?”
“We can do it now if you like. It won’t take long, and I already have your photo with me.”
“You’re very quick off the mark … how about I think about it—we can meet this afternoon?”
“I can prepare your profile and then show you what it looks like later on?” Marjorie was insistent.
Clarisse took another sip of her tea and paused for a while. “Let’s wait until this afternoon,” she said, still reluctant.
“OK then—it’s a plan.” Marjorie picked up her laptop and stood up from the garden chair. “Well, I will meet you in a couple of hours then.”
“Yeah, sure. I will see you then.”
Throughout the afternoon, Clarisse thought about building her profile for the dating site and including photos to raise her appeal. The images looked irresistible and provided snapshots of how beautiful she was—a slender body and a curvature that women would pay lots of money to replicate. Clarisse was so pretty that men could not stop gaping at her. Instead, she ended up with a lousy character who thought he could play around to suit himself without consequences.
Clarisse had become desensitised to the attention of other men. She was not the type that revelled in the attention or counted how many men had shown interest in her. She was not interested in boosting her ego. The issue for Marjorie was how to filter the number of approaches by men seeking a conversation with Clarisse on the dating site.
Although reluctant initially, Clarisse became more accepting of the concept of talking to a man from another country—although she did not like dating sites and Marjorie had to find another way. It offered her the safety of distance and the ability to ‘turn off the tap’ if that was how she felt. No dates, personal visits, phone calls or commitments to uphold—and it suited her perfectly for now. She was finished with relationships and the infidelity that tagged them. This offered her a way of having conversations with a man without all the responsibilities that went with it.
They met in the garden again, and Marjorie came up with an alternative to the dating site.
“Why don’t we create a Skype profile so you can chat and see each other without going through a dating site?”
“You mean like the Skype we use at work to speak to our office overseas?” Clarisse asked.
“Yes, the same, and that way it’s personal—you only contact one another when you want. No public profiles or random messages from people trying to contact you on a dating site.”
“I can live with that, Marjorie, because I am in control … and it’s not a dating site.”
She assisted Clarisse in setting up a private Skype account with words to describe her personality, likes, dislikes—without overdoing it too much. Clarisse demanded a real representation and not a blown-out depiction of someone she wasn’t.
“I’m not out to impress anyone—I am who I am, and they need to see me as a normal girl,” Clarisse said.
Marjorie agreed to keep the profile as close to her original self as possible. Without her knowledge, Marjorie placed a filter on her profile as to who could contact her. It would be to the advantage of her Australian chat mate.
She was concerned for Clarisse and what she had been through with her fiancé. Setting her up to chat with a man from overseas was part of her strategy. Clarisse needed to move on and forget her past with her tormentor. A long-distance conversation would be harmless—becoming friends with someone from a faraway place may be the distraction she needed.
Marjorie completed the profile, and everything was ready to go. Clarisse tested her login details and cross-checked her credentials to make sure Marjorie wasn’t too creative with the content. Marjorie made sure her long-distance friend had the Skype address they needed to send an invitation to Clarisse. Now it was a waiting game—waiting for the invitation to connect. Marjorie informed her to check her email inbox every morning and afternoon to respond to the request when it arrived.
The person that Marjorie introduced to her was called ‘Harry’. He was an engineer from Melbourne and worked for the same communication compa
ny since he graduated from university. He was about five years older than Clarisse and looked after his fitness and diet. This provided him with youthful looks and the characteristics of someone younger than his age. Like Clarisse, he had also been unlucky in love, and his marriage did not work out. Not because of anything that he had done—it was beyond his control.
Harry had an interest in the history and colonisation of South-East Asia—and read lots of books on the topic. He understood the background of the century’s conquest of the Philippines by the Spanish conquistadores. He read about life in Manila—referred to by locals as the ‘City of Affection’. He learned how the country became a devoted Catholic one during the years of Spanish influence. He remembered reading a commentary from a historian on the subject: “The Americans gave them the English language, but the Spanish gave them God.”
They were profound words that made lots of sense to him at the time.
If anything, Harry would be curious to learn from Clarisse about their culture. He was open-minded when it came to experiencing other cultures. Being a calm person that enjoyed routine, he didn’t like taking risks either at work or in his private life. His marriage breakdown made him unsettled and withdrawn from life. The old swagger he used to have was a distant memory and he mainly kept to himself—except for his long-time friend Matt, who was always there to support him.
Marjorie went to get another pot of tea—the dating site was opened and logged into her profile. Clarisse moved the laptop towards her and made a bold move. She decided to access the dating site by pretending to be Marjorie and go for a test run without her knowledge. As she became more acquainted with the navigation links, she searched the profile of her ex-fiancé. Knowing that he would have operated under an alias and probably lied about his age and relationship status, she tried different search criteria that closely linked with his profile. After performing up to ten different searches, she nailed it. There he was—all muscles and wearing no shirt. He posed by flexing his muscles to accentuate the build of his body and six-pack. He had been on this dating site while they were together, she could tell by the month and year that he first set up his profile.
Clarisse was not upset and found it amusing that he would go to such lengths to attract a girl. It also vindicated her feelings that he was no good. For now, she had found undeniable evidence of his infidelity.
She was still feeling apprehensive about chatting with a foreigner on Skype. It was not something she would ever have considered doing in the past—but her life had changed with recent events. She had a different outlook on life. The thought of talking to someone from another country sounded intriguing, but it also made her apprehensive.
3 long-distance relationship
Harry received a knock on the door. It was a courier with a sealed envelope with an official stamp that read ‘Harrington’s Divorce Lawyers’, and he had been expecting it.
I know what this is, he thought.
His relationship had broken down after two years of marriage. It was fine until he got married, purchased a home and they had moved in together permanently. Before they made their commitment to tie the knot it was fun—they lived in separate apartments and maintained flexible work commitments. It did not matter if either of them was away for a couple of days on a business trip. That all changed when they got married and moved in together—as they struggled to keep the same lifestyle and working arrangements they had before.
Perhaps they were both naïve, unrealistic and selfish and never realised it. Harry’s wife ramped up her career with a management promotion that required working extra hours and extended travel commitments. She was always in a different city, living out of a suitcase. She was a corporate lawyer attending to quite sophisticated legal matters that required her full dedication and she made them a priority. They had no life outside work and maintaining a relationship via Facetime had a limited lifespan.
It only required one moment of infidelity, vulnerability or drunkenness for their relationship to go sour. His wife woke up one morning in a hotel room next to her boss. It was the result of a drunken escapade after a dinner with clients. She enjoyed his charisma while they regularly travelled together. They spent more time with each other on the road than she did with Harry.
Was it a one-night stand or something else in the making? Harry found out when she came home and told him everything due to the immense feelings of guilt she had developed. She had just cheated on her husband. It was irreconcilable, and it broke his heart. Harry could not get himself to trust her anymore and didn’t want to live life thinking about it all the time—they separated and called it quits.
As for the envelope, it was a legal summons to appear in court to settle property and assets. It got ugly—there was no financial settlement in sight. From hope to carnage and love to bitterness—his marriage had become a pariah and a source of deep frustration.
His ex-wife believed he would forgive her transgression and infidelity and they would make a new start together. But she did not want to change anything, preferring to keep her career and lifestyle. Harry wanted nothing to do with it and packed his bags—the relationship was doomed.
His divorce had been a life-changing moment for him; he now held different views about women and relationships. He was not in the same singles market as before—the type of women showing interest in him had a different profile. They were older, stubborn and with high expectations he found difficult to accommodate. They carried terrible habits and baggage from their previous relationships that served as a constant warning. He was not craving love and affection. He wanted to keep to himself.
Harry had arranged to catch up with his best friend Matt at the local café. Matt had returned from Manila two days ago and had lots of stories about his escapades. The most exciting story was his meeting with Alicia—his chat mate on Skype of almost six months. They caught up in Manila on many occasions, and Matt was excited about her.
The Riverside Café was a popular spot for people living in the local area. It served walkers, runners, bikers and exercise fanatics of all persuasions as an after-exercise retreat. Harry chained his cross-country bike next to the same tree as he had done many times before. He was the type of person that revelled in constant familiarisation with his environment. He would go to the same hotel and beach resort every year and sit on the same spot at the beach. Oh yes, it was his spot, and beware anyone wanting to take it from him!
He noticed Matt sitting at their usual table away from the main bar and facing a large window with a view of the river. He liked this location because it was tucked away and not as noisy.
“Hi, Matt! And? How was Manila? Did it meet your expectations?” They shook hands and took their seats.
“Mate, it was great—I have so much to tell you … so where do I start?”
“You look very refreshed and relaxed. It looks like this holiday did you some good.” Harry grabbed the menu and pointed to the list of beers. “Would you like a beer to start with?”
“Yes, that would be great. Are you paying the first round?”
“I will take care of it—but you can pay for the next one.” Harry went to the bar to fetch the beer and returned to the table. “So, tell me about the girl … what’s her name?
“It’s Alicia …”
“Oh yes, Alicia—how did it go with her?”
“She was great. We caught up on three occasions.” He took a sip of his beer and wiped his mouth. “She has a wonderful personality and is very pretty.”
“I want to know more …” Harry was curious.
“I have a photo of her on my phone. Look—that was taken outside my hotel.”
“Well, haven’t you done all right for yourself,” Harry said. “She has a great smile and looks happy next to you.”
“Yes, I must admit when I first saw her, she was stunning. The ash-blonde hair is not her natural colour, but it seems to be very popular. She is always dressed to perfection and presented immaculately.”
“Wh
at about her personality?”
“Oh, she is so bubbly … likes to joke around and loves to sing karaoke.” Matt took a sip of his beer and looked at Harry with sparkling eyes. “Not a bad voice either … she tried to get me to sing—but that wasn’t a good move.”
“I know you can’t sing, Matt.”
“It was because I had a few beers that she managed to get me on the microphone!”
“Did you do much else in Manila?”
“Alicia took a day off work and showed me around the tourist sites—it’s a big city.”
“Are you going to see her again?”
“Yes, I would like to return in the next three months. I will take another week off work and head off to Manila again.”
“That sounds promising. I’m happy for you.”
“I met her friend Marjorie, and she joined us for dinner one night. They work together in the same company. They both have similar personalities. When they are together, they are very entertaining—one joke after another.”
Matt paused for a moment and looked at Harry with a smile. “But that’s enough about me, how are you going?’
“Oh, you know, same old shit. Lawyers, court hearings … just one thing after another. I know she is trying to torment me.”
“I always find it interesting whether we would marry the same person again if we knew everything about them in advance.”
“Like a marriage-warning indicator that can assess future relationships?” Harry said.
“The first person to invent a marriage-warning indicator that works will become a rich person!” Matt said with a cheeky laugh. “Marjorie showed me a photo of her family friend Clarisse, and she is beautiful.”
Harry looked at him with a confused expression. “Who is Clarisse again?”
“She is the beautiful woman in the photo I sent to your phone from Manila. You didn’t get it?”
“I haven’t checked. I’m sure you sent it—I didn’t pay too much attention to all your messages because of the problems I have been having with the lawyers. But you never actually met Clarisse?”
The Girl in the Scarlet Chair: A New Adult and Clean Romance with Supernatural Elements (City of Affection - Book 1) Page 3