Unreal Realism Chapter 2

Matthew and Judas were stuck in gridlock. It was the afternoon and the peak hour outbound traffic was horrific as usual. On the other side of the road, a black hatchback drove into the city with ease. The man behind the wheel had short black hair that was not styled. His brown eyes were focused on the road ahead of him. He had an unbuttoned short sleeve green dress-shirt on top of his white t-shirt. With this very casual look, he wore a pair of camel tan cargo pants and a pair of white Converse shoes. A lovely lady was sitting in the passenger seat next to him. Her red hair fell down to the level of her neck. Her eyes, the lightest blue ever, was constantly switching between the scenery and the driver next to her. She wore a black t-shirt with a pair of faded blue jeans that matched her eyes. The jeans were tucked into a pair of black leather boots that reached halfway up her calf. The radio was on, blaring a hit single being broadcasted from one of the local radio stations. The lady turned it off. This caught the attention of the man who for the first time in a while averted his gaze from the road to his passenger. The smile that was on his face had disappeared, being replaced with a worried look, “What’s up?”
         “Oh come on! As if you don’t know,” The lady then cheerfully slapped the man’s chest playfully, “where exactly are we going?”
         “If I told you that would ruin the surprise now wouldn’t it?” The car slowed to a stop at the traffic lights. He took this moment to properly look at the lady, something he did not have the chance to do since the start of their car ride. He then flashed a cheeky smile.
         “Oh no,” the lady giggled as she wagged her finger, “don’t think that smile will get you out of this one,” She then playfully assaulted the man, who played along, “we’ve been driving for nearly half an hour now. It’s driving me insane!”
         “Seriously,” the man was laughing wholeheartedly for the first time after a long week at work, “I know you’ll love it and if I told you right now, it will take all the magic away from when you find out.”
         “At least give me a hint.”
         “I can’t.”
         “Please?” She tilted her head as she gave a sad puppy face.
         A honk from the car behind caused the man to check the traffic lights which had turned green. The man raised his hand to thank the driver and began driving on. He then laughed as he spoke, “Got to concentrate on driving now.”
         The lady laughed to herself as she got comfortable back in her seat, turning back on the radio. It played for a moment before she turned it back off, “I know! You’re taking me to that restaurant I always wanted to go to but couldn’t because of the massive waiting list...right?”
         “Look I’m not going to tell you. You’ll just have to wait.”
         “Ha!” The lady was pleased, “I know that answer! That means ‘no’!”
         The man laughed as he shook his head, “Fine, you win that one. We’re not going to that restaurant. Think...bigger.”
         “Hmm...” The lady took a while to think before guessing again, this time with a disappointed look, “Don’t tell me you’re taking me to the opening of that new exhibit at the art gallery. You know how much I hate looking at art...”
         The man looked surprised, “What, you hate looking at art?”
         “Like, seriously?!” The lady was annoyed, “You don’t remember? I told you when...”
         The man finished off her sentence “when we were down in Melbourne with absolutely nothing to do and you still didn’t want to go to the art museum even though it was the only place we could go to at the time?” He looked with a smile on his face at the lady who rolled her eyes, laughing at herself for being played like that.
         “You’re not going to tell me are you?”
         “Nope.”
         The lady raised her hands in a mock surrender, “I give up.” She then turned back on the radio and leaned back in her chair, enjoying the sights while another pop song filled the car. After a while, she noticed that they were exiting the city, “Wait, we’re not staying in the city?”
         The man laughed, “Nope,” he then looked at the lady momentarily before looking at the road again, “trust me. It’s going to get better.”
         After a short moment, they were at the seaside. The lady looked around, “Hey...this is Bondi isn’t it?”
         “Yep,” there was a slight pause, “and this is only the beginning.”
         Finding a vacant parking spot by the kerbside, the man pulled into it. Before the lady could get out, the man spoke, “One moment.” He then got out of the car and closed his door before hurrying to the other side to open the door for the lady. As he did so, he bowed his head and offered his hand for the lady to take, speaking with a nasally accent, “Milady.”
         The lady laughed, placing one hand on her face to try and hide her embarrassment, the other hand placed in the man’s, “Oh God...” She then stepped out of the car.
         “What?” The man closed the door behind her and locked the car. He then grabbed her arm and wrapped it around his, “is there something wrong milady?”
         “No, no. It’s nothing, kind sir.” The lady was trying to contain her laughter.
         The man began speaking in his normal tone of voice again, his joy of the situation clearly reflected in the words he spoke, “Alright alright, let’s go.”
         The pair huddled together to brace themselves against the infrequent cold wind that blew as they walked down the street. Neither of them spoke a word as they paced along the fairly empty footpath. Instead, they simply enjoyed each other’s company. Bondi beach had a feeling of calmness to it at this hour. The buildings were not as intimidating as the ones from the city. They were short in stature and also fairly recently built. Also, the noise that filled the city streets were absent, instead it was filled with the occasional distant sound of waves crashing onto the shore which was only interrupted by the odd car passing by. The pair stopped at a set of pedestrian lights where the lady broke the silence, “Still not going to tell me where we’re going?”
         “Nope,” the man smiled as he spoke, “but on a different topic, how was your day today?”
         The lady shrugged, “Dunno, guess it was fine?”
         The man looked confused, “What do you mean you,” He imitated the lady in a mocking tone, “Dunno, guess it was fine?”
         The lady looked at the man disapprovingly while laughing, “Hey! I don’t sound like that!” She then returned to her previous state, “Nah it’s just...working as a high school teacher is basically the same thing day in day out. You turn up to a building for about eight hours, yap to a bunch of school girls who think it’s more important to be texting their boyfriends than to listen to me,” she pointed to herself, “the one who sets their exams.” She shook her head in disbelief, sighing at her hopeless situation, “Then you got the boys who are always looking at me,” The man laughed, knowing where this was going, “not because they’re interested in what I’m saying,” She pointed to her chest, “but because of these.”
         The man stared at her chest dopily before shaking his head as if to help him focus, “Um...sorry, you were saying something?” He gave her a cheeky smile.
         The lady scoffed with a smile on her face, “Sometime I don’t know why I put up with you.”
         “And I love you too.” The man then stopped and leaned in to give a short kiss on the lady’s lips. They then both continued down the windy street in silence, smiling from the slight buzz they were feeling.
         “But it’s not all bad you know?”
         “Oh really?”
         “Yeah. Like I got really good co-workers and the head teacher’s not half bad. And...,” she ran her fingers up his arm and his neck, finally stopping at his nose with a giggle, “There’s this really awesome guy who always comes and visits me every now and then.”
         The man asked sarcastically, “Should I be worried?”
         Playing along, the lady replied, “Nah, heard he’s got this really awesome girlfriend. Don’t think he’ll be leaving her anytime soon.”
         “Wow, wish my girlfriend was that awesome.” He had a guilty smile on his face as he looked at the lady, as if he was a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
         “Oh...you wish I was as awesome as she was. Cause what I heard was...”
         The lady was interrupted by another lady who was screaming at her, “Hey Rachel!”
         This caused the man and lady to look at the female running towards them from across the road. She was a brunette, her long hair that hanged down a good distance down her back was tucked away into her purple hooded sweatshirt.  Her hazel eyes were the only prominent features on her face, having a slightly smaller than average nose and mouth. Her purple hooded sweatshirt had a pair of deep dark blue jeans and a pair of white Adidas running shoes to match it. She extended her arms out for a hug as she ran towards Rachel, “Rachel! It’s so good to see you again.”
         Rachel freed her arm from James’ and gave the female a hug, “Oh my God Kim! It’s so good to see you too! How was your trip to China?”
         “It was brilliant. Speaking of brilliant,” Kim then turned her attention to the man who was obviously confused about what was going on, “who’s this brilliant man here?”
         Rachel laughed. She gestured to the person as she introduced them, “James, this is Kim. Kim, James.”
         James extended his hand for a handshake, “Hi Kim, great to meet you.”
         Kim shook his hand as she smiled, “Trust me James, the pleasure’s all mine,” she paused to look at Rachel, “Seriously, if you’re not dating him then I will, cause...” she then hid her mouth with one hand and pointed to James with the other as she mouthed, “he’s hot!”
         Rachel was embarrassed, “Yeah...I’m pretty sure he still knows what you’re saying.”
         James acted dumb, “Oh no, I have no idea what you were saying Kim. Great system you got going there.”
         Kim playfully punched James on the arm, “Why thank you,” she then began speaking to Kim, “Such a gentleman.”
         “Ha! Do you hear that?” Rachel looked at James slyly, “She thinks you’re a gentleman.”
         James then did a half bow with his arms out, “One does one’s best milady.”
         Both Rachel and Kim laughed before Rachel spoke, “We’re just kidding Kim. He’s actually a great guy, a really great guy.”
         “Wow...,” Kim giggled, “you lucky girl. Oh hey! If you’re not too busy now, want to grab a cup of coffee? You know, catch up and all?”
         Rachel looked towards James, “Do we have time to?”
         James thought about it briefly, “Yeah, we should be fine.”
         “Alright then,” Kim pointed to a cafe nearby, “Let’s go to that one. The coffee there is great! I was just on my way to getting one when I ran into you guys. Unless you guys want to go somewhere else...?” She then looked back and forth between James and Rachel.
         “No here’s fine,” Rachel then grabbed both James’ and Kim’s arms, “Shall we?” With that, the three of them walked as one towards the cafe.
         The cafe had a sharp modern look, the way the light bulbs hung from the ceiling, the dark blue walls, the look of the table and chairs, everything gave it that feel. The exterior of the cafe had a couple of tables outside with some heaters. The inside was dully lit, but lit just enough to see where you were going and what you were doing.
         James stood at the counter with his wallet, “What do you two want? Today’s my treat.”
         “That’s alright, I’ll get it myself.” Kim reached into her pockets to take out her wallet.
James raised his hand to stop her, “No really, it’s fine. Please, allow me.”
         “Well, okay then,” Kim let the wallet fall back in her pocket, “I’ll take a large flat white to go thanks.”
         “No probs. What would you like Rachel?”
         “A small cappuccino thanks.”
         “Really? Sure you don’t want anything bigger?” James was a bit surprised as he knew Rachel was a coffee fanatic.
         “Nah it’s fine. Don’t know if we have enough time or not for me to finish anything larger.”
         “Don’t worry sweetie, we have plenty of time.”
         “Oh well, in that case, get me a large cappuccino in a take-away cup. Come Kim, let’s go find a seat.” Rachel then led the way to a table tucked away into the corner of the cafe.
         James turned to the man behind the counter, “Hi could I get one large cappuccino, one large flat white and one large long black all in take away cups thanks.”
         The man replied, “Sure dude, it’ll be thirteen dollars and eighty cents thanks,” he then accepted the money from James, “Okay, here’s your change. We’ll bring the drinks over when they’re ready.”
         “Alright, thanks.” He pocketed the change and pulled out his mobile and dialled a number. Someone on the other side picked up the call, “Hey there, James here...I know what time it is...Yeah there’s been a change of plans...Look I’ll see you later okay?” He then hung up the call as he was nearing the table Rachel and Kim had sat down at earlier.
         Rachel was in a conversation with Kim as James sat down next to her, giving her a peck on the check before getting comfortable in his seat, “Who was that hon?”
         “Jusr a friend. Drinks will be here soon.”
         “Great!” Rachel then started her conversation with Rachel again, “So tell me more about the trip to China.”
         “Oh it was awesome. No really, the sights there were just fantastic. You should go there one day!”
         Rachel looked at James, “What do you think James? Next trip, China?”
         “Yeah sure, if you want.”
         Kim was surprised, “Like, really? Just like that? You’re off to China?”
         Rachel smiled, “Yep, he’s not kidding around. He’s taken me to so many places at the drop of a hat. Let’s see... there was Melbourne, the Gold Coast, New York for a week...”
         “What?!” Kim was surprised, “Like...Like...how does he even get the money?”
         “He’s a psychologist,” Rachel then rubbed James’ arm with a smile, “a really good one. Not to mention he comes from a pretty rich family.”
         James rolled his eyes, “I’m not that rich.”
         “Oh no...,” Rachel was being sarcastic, “you just have a waterfront house at the north shore area, a valet driver with a limousine...shall I continue?”
         “Fine. Maybe I am rich. That why you love me?” James smiled as he raised his eyebrows.
         “Among...other things.” Rachel winked sexily.
         “Alright you two, get a room.” Kim looked away, giggling as she did. After she felt that the two had settled down, she looked back at them, “So how did you two meet anyways?”
         “Well...,” Rachel began, “It was about 6 months ago. I was lining up to buy a ticket at the movie counter and I dropped my wallet on the floor. He then picked it up for me and offered to buy me my ticket. I asked him how he was so sure I wasn’t with someone else already. He replied,” Both Rachel and James spoke in unison, “A real man would never make a lady get the tickets.” They then both laughed at their silliness.
         “We’re you with someone?”
         “Oh no, I was alone,” she noticed the look on Kim’s face, “What? I had just broken up with my last boyfriend about a week ago and wanted some me time...,” realising this did not change Kim’s opinion about her action, she continued on with the story. At that point, the coffee had arrived, “Thanks. Anyways,” There was a slight break as she sipped some of her coffee before placing it back on the table, “we had a great time after the movie. We went out for some dessert, he got me a bunch of flowers and took me home. Didn’t even try anything funny on me. Just asked me if I wanted to do this again some time and if he could get my number,” she grabbed his arm to draw herself closer to him, “And that was our first date. The perfect first date with the perfect gentleman. Did I miss anything?”
         “Yeah! You missed the part where we were riding on a white horse down the seaside!”
         “Oh honey, if you did, I would’ve dragged you up to my bedroom that night, whether you liked it or not.”
         “Um...guys,” if Kim’s tone of voice did not convey her lack of shared amusement with the two, then her face did, “I’m right here.”
         Rachel giggled, “Sorry,” Kim thought it would be best to change the topic, “so how are things with Reynold?”
         “Oh you know, the same old.”
         “Wait, who’s Reynold?” The new name left James a bit confused.
         “My boyfriend, although...” Kim looked like she was going to lose it, “sometimes...”
         Hearing this all too familiar situation again, Rachel laughed, “So still the fighting and making up then huh?”
         Kim sighed, “Yeah, sometimes, he can get on my nerves a bit,” then a smile crossed her face, “But still he’s a great guy. A really great guy.”
         “Aww, that’s so cute,” Rachel paused for a short moment to feel the joy, “and Sylvia?”
         Knowing that James would be confused, Kim looked towards him and pre-empted his question, “My sister,” she then shifted her attention back to Rachel, “she’s great. She’s been really busy with work          though. She works as a nurse and you know how they always say they’re understaffed.”
         James chuckled, “Yeah, good ol’ government jobs. They work you to the bone and as a reward, they choose to pay you less than what you deserve for your work.”
         Kim shrugged, “I guess so, but she does say it feels rewarding.”
         “I definitely know what she means.  I work at the RPA and, though the pay is not as good as the private sector, I do think it’s more rewarding. Well, at least I think it’ll be, never really worked in the private sector before.”
         Something had caught Kim’s attention, “Wait...did you say the RPA?”
         “Yeah, why?”
         “My sister works in the psychiatric clinic at the RPA.”
         “What...,” James’ voice trailed off a bit before returning to its normal tone, “wait...that Sylvia? Long black hair? Looks kind of like you? About ye tall?”
         “Yeah, that’s the one.”
         “Wow,” Rachel was surprised, “small world huh?”
         At that moment, James’ phone rang. He took a look at it before getting up, “Excuse me ladies, I’ve got to take this.” He then headed outside as he was talking, “Yeah, hello?”
         Seeing as they were alone, Rachel decided it was safe to ask, “So...what do you think?”
         “I think he’s great! He seems like a real catch. The only thing that’s got me worried is that,” Kim gestured towards James who was now outside talking on his phone, “he always seems to be on it. Doesn’t that worry you? Like last time, he just said it was a ‘friend’.”
         “Not at all. It’s not the first time he’s spoken to a ‘friend’. Always later a friend of his will pop up with whatever surprise he’s had planned.”
         “Well then, I guess I’ve got two questions. First, do you love him?”
         Rachel answered straight away, “Of course I do. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and then some.” She had a sad look in her eyes, knowing what was coming next.
         “That leaves the next question. How do you plan on introducing him to your parents? You know your parents will never approve of him.”
         “You think I don’t know that?” Rachel was doing her best to fight back her tears, “I’ll figure something out when the time comes.”
         James had returned back from his phone call. Joking, he said, “Hope you girls haven’t been saying anything bad about me behind my back,” he then changed his tone after noticing Rachel was upset, “Everything alright?”
         A tear had managed to break through Rachel’s resolve. She wiped it away before putting on a brave face, “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
         “You sure? You don’t look fine. We can cancel the surprise and do it another day you know.  We’ll do whatever you want instead.”
         Rachel’s countered with a joke, “Oh? Is that so...? I bet you messed up the surprise didn’t you? You’re just using this as an excuse aren’t you?”
         “No, it’s not like that,” James was relieved to find Rachel in a more cheerful mood, “Well, if you still want to go, we have to go now. The ‘surprise’ is starting to get a bit annoyed.”
         Rachel had pretty much returned back to her normal self, “I thought you said we had time.”
         “Yeah, so did I, but I guess I was wrong.” James then picked up his cup of coffee.
         “In that case,” Rachel stood up, taking her cup of coffee with her, “it’s probably best to get going,” she walked over to Kim and gave her a hug, “It was nice meeting you again Kim. We should meet up more often.”
         “Definitely. Have fun you two!”
         “Oh I’m sure she will. It was nice meeting you Kim.”
         “Same here. You better look after her ‘cause I’m rooting for you!”
         “I wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise. See you around,” he then looked at Rachel, “Time to go.”
         “See you Kim!” Rachel then placed her arm around James’ and they both walked back out on to the cold street.
         “See you guys!” Kim shouted as they left. She then muttered to herself, “Why did you have to choose him...” She then took a sip from her cup before leaving the store, heading in the opposite direction to the two.