by Katie Dowe
“But, I am going to come up with an original idea, that would be completely mine.”
“Go ahead, but till the time you come up with something, we are going to read and discuss each and every one of these ideas.” Kitty dropped a few files in Janet’s lap.
Both of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Janet finally gave in.
“Alright! Lets do it.” She knew Kitty was not going to budge and so she started reading the first file. Kitty joined her with a pen and notepad. Together they started going through that big pile of files.
“Is this for real?” Janet cried with disbelief. “Are people really working on an app like this?”
“What is it?” Kitty looked away from her file.
“Haterz!” Janet started reading. “This useful app tells you who has unfollowed you from your instagram, youtube, twitter and facebook pages. Let those haterz know that you know… so basically people are creating apps that would let people know who stopped following them on social media??”
Janet and Kitty looked at each other and the Haterz file was thrown on the floor. Janet picked up another file and started reading.
“Directions! An app that lets you leave your own set of directions for various routes and places. Let your friends know the best way to reach a place and help many others discover a better route to reach there.”
“What is that? I don't think I get it.” Kitty expressed her confusion.
“It's like giving directions to reach a place, over an app. Your friend can tell you how to reach a place via this app and it will be there for the whole world to see.” Janet explained reading and understanding from the file.
“Don't we already have Google maps for that?” Kitty asked.
Janet again read the file. “They say sometimes Google Map cannot tell the right direction because the data is not available. But in this app, people can use their own knowledge as the data and help others… This is so ridiculous!” Janet exclaimed after understanding the concept, “I don't want to waste my time with this anymore.”
“Alright, I think I have a good one here. Listen to this.” Kitty started reading from her file.
“Rate Money! It's an app that pays you for rating all kinds of businesses. You rate, we pay!”
Janet was a little intrigued, “Tell me more.”
Kitty started reading again, “Ratings are super important to businesses these days, for they can make or break them in the age of the internet. So for every rating you give to a business, that business will pay you. This way you will get something in return by giving the businesses your valuable opinion.”
“Sounds crude, but interesting.” Janet said while analyzing the idea in her head. “Lets discuss this.”
Kitty started making notes while reading from the file, “The businesses will pay you for your ratings.”
“Yeah you told me that already.”
“But it's written again!” Kitty said.
“Also,” Janet suddenly had a question. “Why would any business pay you to rate them? And how much are they going to pay for any rating? This could influence the kind of ratings the customer will give them. Suppose a restaurant that pays its customers more for a good ratings. How can you trust this app then?”
“Well they say that the ratings would always adhere to the central rating rate, fixed by the app developers.”
Janet chuckled, “Trash this file! This is nonsense. But I think we can make something really nice out of it.”
And so Kitty threw that file on the floor as well. The two of them kept checking more and more files till they felt sleepy.
*****
The next morning, Janet met the group of her new friends in the Tiki bar by the beach.
“You care for a swim?” Joseph asked Janet as she joined them.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Good! Come then.” Joseph finished his drink and started walking towards the ocean. Janet walked behind him but stopped when she saw Joseph taking all of his clothes off. In his birthday suit, the man jumped into the water. While Janet stood there, watching him in awe. She then turned to the rest of the group behind and found them grinning and chuckling.
“What was that? Is this a nude beach?” Janet tried to come up with explanations of what Joseph just did.
“Nope.” Elena replied. “He is just French.”
“There are no nude beaches in India,” Ted added. “But Joseph is cool and so we let him.”
“You still want to join him?” Bilal asked Janet with a naughty smile.
“I think I will stay here with you guys, thank you.”
“Hey Janet! Why are you not in the water?” Joseph called her, while Janet just waved instead of replying. Joseph soon forgot about her and lost himself in the waves.
Janet got busy with the rest of the people at the Tiki bar.
“So Janet, who is that beautiful friend of yours?” Bilal asked quite knowingly.
“Oooh!” Rose said with her drink, “Somebody is crushing hard.”
“So what? I am supposed to like people on holidays. Aren’t I?” Bilal justified himself.
As the group teased Bilal, Janet came to his rescue. “It's alright! Her name is Kitty and she is a wonderful girl.”
“What does she like?” Bilal asked being more detail oriented.
“Well,” Janet started thinking. “She is a sharp girl and likes smart people..”
“Then Bilal has no chance.” Ted cut Janet off in the middle. A wave of laughter overtook the group. Bilal just played along while Janet continued.
“She has an eye for detail and likes people who focus on their work and things around them. And she likes men with curly hair.”
Suddenly, Bilal’s eyes grew wider and a smile danced on his lips. But then Ted patted his back jokingly. “Too bad your curls are fake, Bil. You had a real shot here.”
Bilal laughed with the rest of the group.
“Excuse me, can I have a Mojito?” A deep voice grabbed Janet’s attention.
She found a tall man with wheatish complexion and broad shoulders standing behind her at the bar. The barkeep started working on the man’s order while he looked around. His eyes met with Janet’s and a courteous smile appeared on his face. Janet replied with another smile as she looked at him.
And when she turned back to her friends, all of them were looking at her with an open mouth. Making sure, she was not seen by that tall broad shouldered dude, Elena mouthed, “Wow!” to Janet.
The group didn't do or say anything until the tall dude got his Mojito and walked away. Janet’s eyes followed him till he disappeared behind the hotel wall.
“Tell me Janet,” Rose asked, “Are you single?”
“I am on a holiday with my friend. What do you think?”
“Is she your special friend?” Rose asked.
“No.” Janet could sense what Rose was asking.
“Then why didn't you talk to that Mojito Guy?”
Janet tried to look for an answer in her head, but there was none.
“I don't know. It happened too fast I guess.”
“Oh come on!” Ted jumped in. “The man was there till a mojito was conjured. How much more time do you need?”
Janet knew they were right.
“You know what, he is here with us. His room is around mine.” Elena said. “Next time you see him, just talk to him.”
Janet did not see any reason to not talk to that handsome man. “Maybe, it will start something exciting,” she said to herself. And so she was ready to mingle with this tall, broad shouldered man.
The same evening, fate presented Janet with the next opportunity.
The group was getting ready for their daily bonfire and today Janet had brought Kitty out. Usually Kitty did not like to go out and sit with these complete strangers but today Janet had pleaded her to come along and meet her new friends. Unable to say no, Kitty succumbed to her best friend’s pressure and was now standing beside this curly middle eastern man who s
trangely seemed attractive to her. But she kept her feelings to herself.
“So Kitty!” Bilal asked trying to sound casual. “Where are you from?”
“United States.” Kitty replied without taking a moment.
“I know that. I mean where are you from in the United States?” Bilal tried again.
“Washington DC.”
“Ooh the capital,” Bilal exclaimed.
“Uhh yeah!” Kitty said without any emotion.
An awkward pause filled the air as Bilal tried to come up with something to talk to her about. The group was noticing this and it was amusing them. Janet gently nudged Kitty with her elbow, signaling her to talk to this cute guy who was interested in her.
After giving Janet a stern look, Kitty thought really hard what to say next.
“Where are you from, Mr Bilal?”
“Dubai! I am from Dubai.” Bilal replied as if he was waiting for her to ask this question.
“Oh it's a beautiful city. We were there just last year.”
“You like Dubai?” Bilal asked being excited.
“I guess, I like how it's rapidly growing. I mean it used to be a desert not long ago, and now look at it. They created a snow park and an indoor beach. Not to forget a man made island in the middle of the ocean, in the shape of a tree. I think that's pretty amazing.”
Listening to so much praise for his town, filled Bilal with joy and pride.
“I am glad you liked it. I really am!” he said with a big smile on his face.
But then, Kitty realized she was out of words. And the awkward silence took over the air again. Bilal could see Ted’s face with his encouraging smile.
“Would you like to walk with me on the beach? It's really beautiful at this time of the day.” Bilal asked Kitty who looked at Janet.
Janet gave Kitty a subtle signal with a smile and a blink.
“I guess.” Kitty said, agreeing to Bilal’s proposal and soon the two of them were walking on the beach together.
“Look at them. Two people from different corners of the earth, trying to get to know each other.” Rose exclaimed with admiration and love.
Something in those words, stirred Janet’s brain. And suddenly she was not thinking about Kitty and Bilal anymore. Instead, the words said by Rose repeated in her head.
“Two people from different corners of the earth, trying to get to know each other.”
Soon the words started modifying themselves —
“Two people from different corners of the earth, getting to know each other.”
“People from different corners of the world, knowing each other.”
And suddenly, Janet’s train of thoughts was derailed with a sight that made her heart skip a beat. The tall broad shouldered man walked past her.
“There he goes!” Elena exclaimed looking at him. “Janet go, and talk to him.”
Janet’s feet froze as she looked at that man walking away. But Rose grabbed her shoulders and gave her the energy to move along, “Don't let him disappear again. Go and talk to him.”
Before Janet could know, she was walking behind that man of mystery. Starting with slow paces, Janet then walked quickly but without making much noise. And as she caught up with the man, she slowed her pace down to look normal and walked up to him.
“Hey!” she said very casually.
“Hey!” the man returned the greeting with a warm smile.
“It's a beautiful evening.” Janet said.
“Certainly it is. I love this place.”
“You come here often?”
“No, this is my first time, but I have been here for around a week. What about you?”
“I am a first timer here as well, but I am loving this place.”
Janet was now walking with this dude and so it only seemed fair to exchange names.
“I am Janet, by the way.”
The dude smiled and looked at her, “I am Marcin.”
“That a nice name. Where are you from?”
“Krakow, Poland… you?”
“New York, United States.”
The two kept walking by the beach when Marcin stopped.
“You want to sit down, Janet?”
Janet showed her agreement by nodding and both of them sat down on the sand, facing the ocean. The Moon grew bigger, coming higher in the sky and soon the stars appeared all around the sky.
“So what do you do Janet?” Marcin asked.
Janet was not expecting this question but then she remembered that she was not with her group where talking about work was forbidden. She decided to play with the new rules.
“I create new ideas and turn them into profitable businesses.”
“Nice! So you are both a business woman and creative person, I am guessing.”
Janet could only nod her head in embarrassment.
“And what do you do?” Janet thought it was no harm in asking now when the rules have changed.
“I help create policies for people living in and around Krakow.”
Janet tried to understand what that meant. Marcin could see that he had confused Janet and so he explained himself further. “I am a politician,” he said chuckling. “So I help in making policies and legislation.”
“I see that now. But why did you tell it to me like you were a king of some sort?”
“Because, most people do not like politicians.” Marcin replied. “And so I use this method to introduce them to my job. It makes them connect to me as a person first, rather than a politician.”
Janet found this approach both new and refreshing. Her nervousness had now dissolved and she was talking freely to Marcin. Soon they were discussing the new emerging business trends in the west and their favorite TV shows. And with each topic and discussion, Janet was liking this man more and more.
“So tell me Janet, why did you come here?” Marcin asked when they ran out of things to discuss.
Janet knew she could be honest with this man and so she did not hold back. “I am trying to come up with a new idea for a business. My friends thinks I should buy somebody’s idea and work on it, but I don't want to do that. Instead, I want to create something of my own and then work on it.”
“That's a very noble approach in today’s age. Most people do not wait to create something of their own.” Marcin admired her.
“Yes, but the problem is that the clock is running against me. If I won't be able to come up with a new idea, I will have to buy one. And the time on this island is all I have.”
“You know what, I have somebody who can help you with this.” Marcin jumped with joy.
“Really?”
“Yes, come with me. I will introduce you to him.” Marcin got up and offered Janet his hand. She quickly grabbed his hand and together they both walked back into the hotel.
“I am not a creative person. I am more like an administrator. But he is a genius.”
Janet was already impressed by this person without even meeting him. Marcin was singing all kinds of praises for him while taking her to the room.
Marcin knocked on the door and another handsome man opened the door. As he saw Marcin at the door, a big smile ran on his lips and he opened his arms wide to embrace him.
Marcin hugged his friend but Janet was in for a shock when they kissed each other passionately. It was not the first time she had seen a same sex couple, but she was not expecting Marcin to not be interested in her. In a brief moment, Janet had her hopes and dreams shattered before her.
“How was your walk?” the man asked Marcin after breaking the kiss.
“Wonderful. And look I made a new friend.” Marcin looked at Janet who suddenly remembered that she should stop staring and start smiling.
“Janet, this is James — my partner! He is a genius.” Marcin said holding him tight in his arm.
“What are you talking about?” James had no clue what Marcin and Janet were up to.
“Janet is looking for a new idea and I thought you would be the best person to help her.”
Janet was not ready for this. In her hopes and day dreams, she was holding hands with Marcin and kissing him under the moonlight. But now all she wanted to do was get out and not be the fly in the ointment.
“I think I should come by later,” she said while scratching her head.
“Oh no! Come, have a drink with us. You both can discuss your ideas. I love watching him work.” Marcin left James to open wine. Janet decided to just let her feelings go and joined Marcin and James on their balcony.
Hours and some wine glasses later, Janet forgot how shocked and upset she was on seeing Marcin with somebody else and became her usual self. Both the men enjoyed her company and soon they digressed from their main subject of discussion. Instead of ideas, they discussed music, films and the places they have seen.
Later that night, Janet came back to her room with a smile and buzz.
To her surprise, she did not find Kitty in the room.
“At least one of us is getting some action.. I hope,” she said while falling into the bed.
And before she knew it, Janet fell asleep.
*****
“It's late!” Kitty said looking at the waves under the moonlight.
“Would you like to go back to your room?” Bilal was trying to hide his sorrow. He did not want for Kitty to go, but he was also not going to stop her. Both of them had finished one and a half bottles of wine — and the bonfire that Bilal lit was almost dead. He knew it was getting late.
“I want to go back, but not to my room.” Kitty said looking at Bilal. There was a short pause in their universe where they did not feel time moving any further. Bilal tried to realize if he had heard and understood this beautiful woman correctly.
“Do you want to go someplace else then?” he asked innocently, with no ulterior motive or thought whatsoever.
“How about your room?” Kitty made herself clear and suddenly Bilal wanted to jump with excitement. But he kept quiet and stood up instead. He offered his hand to Kitty and helped her in getting up. Leaving the fire by the sand, both of them walked back to the hotel. Their feet felt light but their hearts were pumping really fast.
Bilal opened his room and entered after Kitty. After locking his room from inside he turned to this gorgeous woman who leaned onto him and planted a deep kiss on his lips. She started moving her fingers through his curly hair and bent one of her legs, touching Bilal’s thigh with her knee.