A group of choreographers and dancers were summoned to be part of a national dance presentation which was to mark the end of our perennial church program and luckily, I was among them.
Before the invitation got to me, I had already stopped practising. I knew I was a bit rusty and a little lubrication would do, so I started practising with a few other dancers in my radar. This was a great opportunity for me and it also entailed that I was going to leave the confines of my room. It wasn't so much of a discomfort since I was leaving my comfort zone to do something I actually loved doing.
I told a few friends about this recent development and Dan seemed to be the happiest amongst all the friends I told. He was utterly happy for me, not because I got selected among the few but because I was finally going to frequently set foot outside the house.
On one of those days, I went for dance rehearsals and immediately after practice, I got a pleasant surprise. Dan was at the foyer, waiting. Unannounced. That was the least person I expected to see that day.
"Dan? What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Is that a way to greet a friend you haven't seen in such a while?" He responded, with a smirk. Typical Dan.
"No, no. Forgive my manners. I'm just terribly surprised." I said as I moved in for a hug.
"Well, Miss Wong, I was on my way to check out my new office and I recalled you mentioned something about rehearsals. So, I dropped by to say hello and possibly abduct you."
"Your new office? You finally got a place you like? I asked.
"Yes, I did. A friend directed me there and it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. You'd see for yourself."
"Congratulations to you. That's actually amazing ". At this point, I was speechless but I knew that I was very happy for him.
Dan had been searching for a place where his clients could actually go whenever they needed a massage session. The places he found in the past were either too expensive, at a bad location or didn't just suit his taste.
"So, shall we?" He beckoned.
"No, I don't think I can. I just finished dancing and I'm all sweaty. Maybe another time?" I said, trying to escape as usual but he was used to all my theatrics.
"That wouldn't be a problem. Moreover, we wouldn't be staying for long. Just a quick view and we're out".
The fact that I wasn't going to spend so much time there managed to convince me.
"Fine. I have an hour or so to spare. Let's go see this new office that you finally picked."
The journey to the location was less than ten minutes. We arrived at our destination and right from the gate, I knew that I was in an amazing and outstanding place. We walked in through the gate and the gate was manned by very trained and armed security men. I did a scan and there were over fifteen of them that I could see. What were they really protecting?
We walked up one of the story buildings using the employees staircase and soon enough, we were at the office. The office looked great. It was a nice space to welcome people who wanted to relieve stress. However, the most awestricking view was that of the environment. I could clearly see everywhere and everyone from where I stood. It was a really beautiful place, apart from the numerous security personnels who were lurking around.
I stood by the window for over ten minutes just gawking at everything. Is this place real? I thought to myself. This was the kind of place I saw in the movies. Out of curiosity, I finally asked Dan the question I was supposed to ask thirty minutes earlier.
"Where are we Dan?"
"Oh, this is one of the Villa Hilton complexes. You know about them?"
"No. They aren't a subject of interest. So I don't."
"Well, Villa Hilton is one of the world's top five best hotels and they opened this branch two months ago. So ma'am, we're in a prestigious place."
I quickly browsed the internet to see if this information was true. And in fact, it was. I felt a wave of joy as it was indeed a pleasure to be here when the complex was still pretty much new.
After this, we took a tour round the complex and after seeing so many amazing things for the first time, I decided that it was time for me to get going, to avoid being oppressed. Because it felt like everyone there was wearing their best outfits and I wasn't. I had planned on spending only an hour there but at some point I didn't even feel like leaving the vicinity. It was a tour of a lifetime and I'm glad I accepted the spontaneous offer.
All images used belong to me and were taken with my mobile device except stated otherwise
Love, Wongi 馃
