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Jaruzel.com
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Ringing the doorbell, I studied the closed door in front of me. It was blue with faded peeling paint; in some places the previous colour of dark green was visible. The outline of the hallway beyond could just been seen beyond the frosted glass. Growing impatient, I rang the doorbell again. A muffled thump, and then the shout ‘hold on’, and moments later a dark shadow appears behind the frosted glass. Bolts are pulled back, and I hear the jangle of a door chain. The door opens. Candace is about my height, with short brown hair, tousled in a boyish sort of way. She has slim figure, accentuated tonight by the fitted ribbed jumper and tight jeans she is wearing. Both garments are in black, I guess she likes that colour, as so far, I’ve never seen her wear anything but black. “Where have you been?”, she demands, “We were expecting you over an hour ago.” “I’ve got held up, I’m sorry.”, I reply, “Here, have some wine”. I hold out the bottle wrapped in tissue paper, by way of a peace offering. Candace takes the bottle. “Thanks. Come in, we haven’t started yet, so you haven’t missed anything.” I follow her into the brightly lit hallway, taking off my jacket. I look for a place to hang it, but there are already several coats of varying colours and styles on the coat rack, so I just hang my jacket over someone else’s, hoping it will stay put. Candace has already moved to the front room, where I can hear muffled conversation, and the quiet tones of some soft music that I recall belongs to the soundtrack of last year's most popular British film. I pause and take a deep breath. I’m never very good meeting new people, I get too nervous. Braced, I enter the front room. |
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