Reverse

1 July 2019 (Monday)

There were times when Chris dreaded Mondays. The start of the workweek could be boring at times and laborious when it is not. He was sitting at the dining table, sipping the coffee and looking at his phone’s calendar.

He thought: “What’s next? Oh...I’ve slotted in slots for dating. (He chuckled) Let’s look at June. Uh-huh, there’s that girl. I didn’t do a closure. I had probably left her hanging or maybe she doesn’t care. Regardless, I don’t wanna ghost. Let’s give her the truth.”

20 June 2019 (Thursday)

On the train to work, Chris clicked on the calendar’s entry for the day. It reads: “6.30 pm - Kate (2)” They had arranged to meet at Pete’s Brewery for a pub date after work. This was the second date for them. The first was a dinner date at a fine dining restaurant followed by a movie. Chris had read some research about dating that singletons should date more people before settling on a partner. It made sense to him. There is science behind that, he reckoned. Looking at his parents, he knew that he had to do the opposite of what they do. His parents were divorced. He thought that they have gotten married due to social convention or convenience. It was wrong from the start. Incompatible and doomed to fail.

Kate is working as an investment banker at the Bank of Sicara. Chris and she worked on the same floor of the same company, albeit in different divisions. They had bumped into each other and exchanged contacts.

Chris knocked off work and walked to the pub. He had a pint before his date arrived. Looking at the time, it was approaching 7. He heard hurried footsteps approaching.

“Sorry, I am late. Caught up with work.”

“Yeah, it’s alright. Want a pint?”

“Yeah, that’d be good.”

They started chatting. Half an hour into it, Chris could not keep his focus. Kate was rambling constantly about some merger and acquisition deals. Chris’s mind was elsewhere. He looked around at the other people in the pub. Kate caught a glimpse of that.

“Hey, what do you think I should do to appease my boss?”

“Sorry. Say what?”

“Hmm, you weren’t listening. You aren’t interested, are you?”

“Look, Kate, hearing you talk about work after work is pretty exhausting. If you are busy, we could have chosen another date. I just want to chill.”

“Chris, we are young. I am driven. I really want to do well in my career and have a better future so that I can enjoy my golden years.”

“What if someone has accumulated all the things that she wanted but could not enjoy it somehow. Ya know, like...having lost the ability to enjoy. If one only has the future in mind, what about the present? Does the present holds more weight or the future?”

“Do you mean we should all just slack off and live in the moment? Imagine not planning for the future? What does your future hold?”

“Kate, obviously, you know that it’s not throwing in the towel and live like there is no tomorrow. I’m saying that both are important. Can’t you just take your mind off work when you are not at work?”

An awkward silence followed and Chris drank his beer while looking at the people in the pub. Kate’s phone rang. It was a call from her manager.

“Chris, things at work are on the line for me right now. Here’s the money for the drink. Keep the change. I have to go. Thanks.”

Chris had a blank look on his face and waved goodbye to her.

“Mate, this girl’s not easy, yeah? But she has a damn hot body. That’s what you gonna miss, ain’t it?” The bartender winked at Chris.

“I’d be alright. There are probably more than 50 thousand females between 20-35 in this city. Crossed out 1 and move on.” Chris laughed.

Chris remembered this night. In his “Real” world, he went home after saying this. Right now, he is thinking.

“What if I stayed longer in this pub? Maybe serendipity strikes?”

He decided to stay and looked around.

“Hi, I am Josh. I am not sure if you remember me. I am an intern working in the Bank of Sicara. I don’t work in your department but I have been there to get some documents. How’s it going?”

“Josh...hmm...I don’t recall your name but I have probably seen you before. Chris.”

“Hi Chris, are you meeting someone?”

“Yeah, but she has left. What about you?”

“Oh...I am here with a few friends. They are from the same university as me. You see the table over there? Why not join us for a drink?”

Chris looked over at the table. A girl caught his eye. She really resembles the waitress at the Chinese restaurant. The one who left him smitten after the dinner with his baseball mates. He knew what to do.

“Josh, if you don’t mind, I would like some company.”

“Sure.”

Chris joined Josh and 3 others at their table. They introduced each other while more snacks and food came to them.

“Hi Chris, I am Sandy.”

“Sandy, are you working at Lucky Town?”

“No, what’s that?”

“A Chinese restaurant by the river downtown. You don’t know about it?”

“No. You probably saw someone there that looks like me. Anyway, I am new in town. Having graduated from the University of Pomona this year. I moved here to try it out in a buzzing city.”

“Wow UOP, that’s my Alma Mater. Pomona is my hometown. Welcome to Sicara, the city of sin.” Chris smiled.

He was thinking: “Gosh, that was close. I shouldn’t have assumed that she worked there. It’s months before our encounter. Let’s behave as if I knew nothing.”

The group was chatting about their aspirations upon graduation and someone started a topic on trading.

“Hey Chris, do you know about Open Traders? Heard it’s great. No commission, very low fees, and good leverage.” asked Josh.

“I don’t use that. They are the new star in the market. Many are raving about it. I will check it out. I don’t trade. The investments that I have made are for dividends. By the way, do you understand leverage?”

Josh went on to explain leverage and his strategies for trading revolving around it. Chris was rather surprised by his understanding and concern about the potential risks that Josh would carry. The others at the table were also excited by the talk about trading and Open Traders.

Chris had a thought. “Many will fall due to their greed and the almost non-existent barriers to enter trading now. Some of them have no understanding of the risks at all and they will go broke with trading. I should do something. Even if I could only save 1 person from this fire, I should.”

The group ended the night after the discussion on trading. Chris did not ask Sandy for her number. He wanted it to start from the chance encounter in November. It would be more interesting to follow the script that was written originally, he thought. Once he was back on his bed at home, he began to think about the ways to save people from financial ruins due to trading.