The theory of unexplained
Chapter 1
It's late evening, mid of March 2016. The weather was lovely today. Sunny, blue sky. Still a bit cold, but we are in London, so nothing unexpected. I visited two very interesting clients today and now heading back to my expensive apartment at Bishopsgate. The streets are still a bit noisy, but not as much as during the day. I'm walking on London Wall street in a direction from Aldgate. My last meeting was with a woman travelling from Argentina. She is staying in the Chamberlain hotel on Minories street. A small British style hotel which has two front entrances with wooden double doors, with big glass windows and the doors always confusing which direction they open. The Minories street is not so interesting on its own. Few pubs, bars and restaurants. Generally no traffic as currently only one direction traffic is allowed - they are repairing streets around the Aldgate station. And one of the favourite places to spend evening is the Chamberlain hotel.
The ground floor of the Chamberlain hotel is a nice pub with long wooden bar welcoming you as you open the entrance door. They sell many different types of beer and ales which you can enjoy also in a fairly big area with tables and chairs.
As I entered the pub this evening I realised it is not so busy on Tuesday and it is rather empty. Even the dining area far behind at the back wasn't busy at all. I did few steps towards the middle of the pub and looking around me, trying to spot my client. My long black winter coat is copying my moves and I'm noticing random couple of people sitting by the widows close to the entrance. I'm never late and I want to check my wrist watch. As I'm lifting my left hand towards, someone says my name... "Gabriel?" I'm turning around and before I can spot who it is, I can smell the most lovely perfume yet unknown to me. "It must be her", sounds in my head for a fraction of a second and I ask "Christina?". "Yes, it's me" she replies in her sexy accent. She is standing there, in long red winter coat, which is difficult to oversee, having lovely smile on her oval shaped face and looking at me with her big dark eyes. Her lips are so full that I can't stop looking at them, but I'm also noticing that her long and wavy dark brown hair perfectly shapes her silhouette. She is short. I think a bit shorter than me, but probably wearing shoes with high heels now. "Gabriel?" She asks again. "Sorry, I was just..." - I can't even talk now - "It's lovely to meet you Christina. Shall we take a seat over there?" I pointed to a small seating area in the corner with comfy sofas. "Yes, that would be nice", she replies and I lead her around small round tables to back of the room. Three steps up to the comfy area with classic dark British pub carpet on the floor and leather sofas. Every time I briefly look at Christina, if she is still following me, she gives me the lovely big smile. "Let's take a seat here" I stopped at the small table with a sofa in the corner. Christina quickly looks at the area and agrees by giving me the smile again and she start unzipping her long red winter coat. "Sounds good" she adds and I'm stepping closer to her and helping to take the coat off. It's a cashmere coat, nice to touch and not heavy as it looks. Her perfume is really seductive and makes it very difficult to stand back enough from her and try to not touch her hair. As I'm taking her coat off, I can see she is wearing short black dress which is layered with a top layer similar to a black lace. Nothing see-through, but still the glamorous look. I can also see her legs now. She is wearing dark sheer nylons and her shoes are dark coloured boots with high heels.
We sat down. Christina facing the sitting area and windows, me facing the bar. Our conversation is starting very slowly so I think I can offer a drink now. She would appreciate a glass of red wine. I get to the bar and ask for large glass of red wine and one old fashioned. While the drinks are being prepared I'm looking at Christina. She seems to be a bit nervous, but that is nothing unusual. As I'm paying £14 for the drinks, she started looking at me in a way I can't just leave without any attention. She is smart, I can say already from the first calls and emails we exchanged. And she is pretty damn hot. I need to keep my professionalism and don't think of unnecessary things. So let's bring the drinks back to the table and see.
"Thank you Gabriel", she starts, "I imagined you a bit taller, really." She smiles and lifts the large glass of crystal red wine. "I'm as tall as you imagine me to be.", I reply back with a cheeky smile, "How was your flight? This is your first time in London, isn't it?". "Flight was good. Very tiring, but I did sleep for a quite a bit.". She is almost laughing. That's how big smile she is giving me. I think she is curious about next couple of hours and about the whole situation and as she is nervous and curious together, she is also looking forward and covering it with smiles behind the excitement.
This evening, we discussed the whole problem with a passion. It turned out that it wasn't a real issue as big as anticipated initially. And we scheduled the second meeting for tomorrow when we both have more time to talk. Christina is brilliant. I had a lot of fun today and there is something which can't make me stop thinking of her.
I'm almost home now. The dirty grey and dark street led me to the main door from the building where my flat is. The outside of the door is a bit hidden in the wall itself, just one step up, oak wood frame with three large glass windows and a small buzzer panel with numbers. Number 14 is imprinted to the top glass window on the door and I can see long corridor leading to the stairs is enlighten in yellowish light of light bulbs hanging from the corridor's ceiling. There is no lift up, so I believe this is a good exercise as my flat is the top floor. Floor number 6. The steps of the stairs are made of properly old stone and the whole spiral stairwell is surrounded by forged railing. It is hard to imagine how other flats here look like. As I'm climbing the stairs up I can see that every corridor on each floor is exactly the same. I don't even know how many people lives here as I barely ever meet anyone here. Neither the mail is getting piled up at the entrance.
I got a bit short of breath today. It's been a long day and very surprising indeed. The door from my flat is black imitation of some wood structure and I have three locks to find the keys for. It is slightly unusual to have three, but I feel a little more safe like that. I even have custom made security door which costed a lot of money to get made and fitted in. Finally. Unlocked all the locks and as I'm stepping in, I say my daily "password": "It's me.". The voice recognition home automation lights up the hall and the lounge. This is always the best way how to impress guests coming with me when it's dark outside. The effect of the light is simply stunning. I have programmed it the way that each light gets switched on one by one in a direction away from the entrance door and reasonably slow, so as the hall and lounge is being lighten up, you are noticing almost each meter of the room. The wooden floors, the green plants, the paintings on the walls, everything. I don't wear shoes in my flat. I think it is disgusting. All the dirt and germs from outside. So the floor is heated up to very comfortable temperature and there is a small rack for couple of shoes just next to a proper embedded wardrobe with another fifteen pairs of shoes. So it looks neat and tidy all the time.
At the end of the hall is an entrance to the kitchen and the lounge starts on the left, just couple of steps from the main door. The wall and ceiling colour in the hall is very dark grey, almost black, but depends on the angle of the light. The hall is more like a visual element of the flat rather than functional piece. A place to keep shoes and coats and it freely flows to the lounge without any door, but keeping the wall and ceiling colour different than in the lounge. All the natural light is normally coming from East facing windows in the lounge which is fairly spacious, with large flat screen mounted on the left hand side wall and floating stair steps with glass fencing on the right hand side wall. Two modern design sofas are facing the TV, there is lovely bar in the left corner and a door to a guest room on the opposite side of the lounge. I don't like leather sofas, so the mine ones are made of some light colour fabric which goes well with the light brown tan wooden floor and dark rug laying under neath of them.
The flat is decent size. More than enough for me. Has this stunning open space stairs to the first floor where are two bedrooms and an outside terrace. Hard to find one like this and even harder to pay for it. I just got lucky at some point in my life.