12:12 - Called Ivan Povolny about my resumé again. He seemed annoyed that I was calling him for the second time in two/three days, and didn't tell me whether he had my resumé this time either. I have no idea whether I should send it addressed to him or not. I don't think I will.
12:24 - Got dropped off at Epping Station by mum. Good thing too, or I would never have been able to meet that 13:15 meeting time.
13:20 - met with Vivien, Stephanie and Danni.
13:25 - Jian met us.
13:40 - Carrie arrived, very pleased that she'd bought herself an electric guitar.
13:43 - Carrie and Vivien went to the toilet.
13:53 - Carrie and Vivien come back, saying that there was a queue.
around 14:00 - we meet up with Nada and Hyde at the Pancakes on the Rocks. Blackforest pancakes is basically flat chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream and strange coloured cherries. All up, the group of 8 ate about $50.00 worth of pancakes + drinks
14:30 - go to look at beads and candles. Crystal beads cost a lot, but they're very pretty. Bought two candles. They smell like the candle shop.
15:00 - split up to walk to Market City, because Nada and Hyde needed to buy fabric. Didn't think I had time to DDR so didn't. Turned out I got there early anyway, even though I stopped to buy a chicken souvlaki from TH Station. I put it in my bag, saving it for later. Lost the rest of the group on the way. They walk slow... they thought they'd lost me.
15:10 - Nada and Hyde arrived. Nada bought something from Easy Way. Hyde had bought earrings for Vivien and was trying to make Nada give them to Vivien so it would look like Nada had bought them. Smokers stink.
around 16:25 - Walked to sticker photo place and took 'sticker photos'. Well, everyone but Hyde, Stephanie, Jian and I. The photo booth didn't fit everyone in. The last photo I took at that place turned out with me looking like some lunatic anyway.
Danni and Vivien laminated the rather nice photo card. Vivien was given her new pink earrings (from 'Accesorize' store in QVB; she was going on about that before back at the Rocks). Yay for air con.
16:50 - Group split up, Nada, Hyde and Carrie to go to Paddy's; the rest to walk around Market City; I to head further down George St. Arranged to meet everyone back at the Easy Way outside Market City.
16:55 - Reached my destination (building 841). Too early. Lurked at the top of the stairwell of the Internet Café nearby, reading the ads on the noticeboard, making the money-collecting guy look at me strangely until I asked if I could just wait there. He said ok and showed me a white/patterned couch which I didn't sit on. Prices were too high. $2.00 half an hour; $3.00 one hour. It showed. There were a total of 3 other people in the room - one female customer, one yellow-skinned asian male who may have been a customer, and the yellow-skinned asian male who was the money-collecting guy.
16:59 - Left the Internet Cafe, discovered that I couldn't actually see the exit to building 841, and walked into the Convenience store that was next to the building. Stared at the slushie machines (there were 4), so the counter guy asked if I wanted a cup. I shook my head, and just went on staring at them.
Actually, I was staring through the gap between the first 2 and last 2 slushie machines, at the window, watching for Net147. Don't know for how long. Felt like a long time, but it probably wasn't.
sometime after 17:00 - Saw Net147. He glanced right, then headed left. I waited maybe four seconds, then stepped out of the store, watched him walk a bit more, then started following, keeping a distance of about five metres behind him; sometimes closer through congested areas; more during empty stretches. The first street, he walked through the red pedestrian light but I had to wait for the cars to turn, so had to jog to catch up to him afterwards. Second light was busy, and red, he waited. I stared at the microphones that just happened to be in the window of the store, then stepped back to view the jewellery after the light stayed red for almost a minute, all the time hoping that he wouldn't look behind. Stood there for so long that my leg started shivering. Net147 has longer strides than I do.
Decided that I didn't want to do this anymore; it felt exhilarating, but wrong. I decided that I would tap his shoulder at the next lights. The next set of lights seemed to take forever to appear.
He was looking left; he could probably see out the corner of his eyes that there was no one on his left side. I tapped his left shoulder anyway, standing behind and to the right of him. He wasn't fooled; he looked right.
Hello. I followed you. You told me. Didn't you? AIT, Haymarket? *grin*
Walked. "How's life?" A fluttering gesture of the hand - 'so and so'. "Interesting last day of work experience. Time spent ghosting computers and on the internet. Renaming computers after ghosting." "How many computers?" "20? 30? 50? I did three rooms." "Heheheh. Pick a number, any random number. Hmm... about 30 then."
Later, I ask, "Did you notice?"
He shakes his head. "Many people do that to me in the city. I don't often notice."
At the next lights, he decided it was too hot, took off the familiar blue jacket and stuffed it into his familiar blue bag. Same grey polo shirt; same cargo pants; same sneakers. Healing wounds near his right ear.
"You have a moustache."
I cover/wipe my moustache with my hand, looking somewhat embarrassed. It's sweaty, like the rest of my face. Saved by the green light.
Next red light -
Step behind.
Turn to face.
Step behind again.
Turn again.
Step once more.
Tur-
"Stand still!" Grab at bag.
Wince, stand still.
Look closely, poke dried brown spot. "You have blood on your shirt."
..."I have another one down here on my pants as well."
Blood spot on his back and on his left pant knee. A week old, he informs me, also saying that he should probably wash that particular set of clothing. We walk down the stairs that lead to TH Station. "Why am I going this way?" "Not catching a train home today?" "No, though I did earlier in the week." "To get food then?" "Maybe."
He bought water from the newsagent, walked some more, then commented that the price of chicken souvlaki was going up - they're $2.90 each now.
around 17:30? - Headed back to the surface. I followed him around the block. "You're just going to keep walking until I give up, aren't you?" He just smiled. Turned left into the Kinokuniya building, then went up the escalators. "This is probably the fourth time I've been here." "This week, you mean?" "No, my entire life. First was with my cuz, second time was with a friend, third... was also with a friend, and the fourth... I forget."
Something about a Japanese shop, long lines? "Ok, I follow you now."
A strange look at him, then lead, stop to look down through the glass on the George St side of the 'bridge'. He bonks me lightly on the head with his mostly empty drink bottle, then stands next to me, looking down also. A few seconds later, I turn, stick my tongue out at him, and head for the English manga section.
"Ah, this place. Lots of familiar titles here."
"Oh, they moved it!" Look around. "They moved it to where I can't reach!"
"?"
Walk over and wave my hands at the Priest manga series. He smiles and reaches up, showing me that he can reach.
Wander through the red shelves. Comment on existence of the 'Idiots' series being available for everything - Cartoon drawing for Idiots is on the shelf.
"I wonder if there's a book for writing that series for idiots."
Wander over to touchscreen. I activate the search, then wonder what to search for. He points to Navi. 'Lain!' pops into my head. He pokes the screen several times and draws swirlies. I look for a laser grid, but find none. His hands, close, almost touching mine, which are resting on the silver frame, but our hands don't touch. I won't. He won't.
He types in 'TEST'. 'There are too many matches. Please refine your search.'
I type in 'DIABLO' after TEST. 'There are no matches.'
Back to Main Menu. "They detect changes in voltage."
"Oh."
I wander around the non-fiction area, eventually finding a place to sit for a few minutes, before getting up and heading - in the wrong direction at first - to the large curved corner window that overlooked the Town Hall crossroads. He walked up next to me and chuckled, "Heheheh."
"What can't you see from here?"
"What's behind me. The rest of the building."
He wanders. I sit on the wide seat-ledge at the window and call Hyde, notifying her that I am at Kino, don't want to walk back to Market City, and will be going home from TH Station. She tells me that the group has sort of split up.
He stands around the corner of where I am sitting. I get up and look at him. I blink; he blinks back; I blink again, then smile and break eye contact, remembering a certain line he'd said online about rapid blinking. The image of his eyes hasn't gone away though; I now have two images of his eyes; they are brown, bright and intelligent.
We wander around the children's bookshelves for some time, and then out of Kinokuniya, because he is running out of time. His uncle is waiting in the office for him, to give him a lift home.
around 18:00 - Down one escalator, and head towards the monorail. "Where are you headed?"
"I don't know. I said I was following you."
Turn around, go back to the escalators and go down another floor.
"Hey, which way is the way out? I'm kinda lost..."
I point, and then walk. The man who plays the beer bottles is on the other side of the road. We stand there for a few minutes, watching him. After a while, Net147 takes a few steps away, then turns back to look at me. I look at him, not really understanding. Knowing that he probably needs to go now, but not wanting him to go. He lets me stand there for a while longer, then puts his hand on my left shoulderblade and gently turns me towards the steps that lead to the underground station.
"I thought your uncle was waiting for you?" I ask him, wondering why we're down here again.
"Yes, but I'm sending you off." He walks me to the gates, waits while I get my ticket out, then walks behind me. I turn to him; he waves. I manage a smile and wave back. By the time I am at the stairs to platform 2, he has made his way to the Woolworths. I stop and watch as he seems to doublecheck the place, then head up the stairs and into the shop, where I can't see him. I go down the stairs to platform 2, notice that my train will arrive in 12 minutes, and take out the cold stick of chicken souvlaki. Although cold, it still smells good, and tastes ok. By the time my train comes, I have finished chewing on the kebab stick as well. There wasn't much taste left in it.
I fell asleep on the train on the way home. Some guy who sat next to me asked me what the pointy stick I was holding was for. I told him it was for the chicken souvlaki I'd eaten.
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