The Green Coat

It was fifteen past ten in the morning and Sam was going at an unprecedented speed, blow-drying her hair. She was running awfully behind time. She was expected at her friend’s house for Thanksgiving lunch at 11 o’ clock. For once, she wanted to surprise everyone by being at some place she was invited to on time. Last night, she finished watching Netflix shows at 10:30 and was on bed at eleven. With plans to get up early, she closed her eyes not giving in to her Instagram temptation. Her phone started ringing at 11:15pm and her mom’s face was smiling at her. She decided to pick up the whatsapp video call and everything from there on started going south. Sam slept around 3am only to snooze her alarm million times in the morning to finally wake up at 9:45.

She managed to get out by 10:40 only to realize after stepping out, she had forgotten her new but secondhand coat inside that showed up yesterday all squeezed into her mailbox. It was a freezing day indeed so time had to be made for fetching her coat. The coat that was long awaited. She promised herself never to buy another merchandise from this website as it was literally being shipped from China, not just made in China in this case. It took them only two months to deliver. Only reason she was more happy than relieved that it arrived was because it was a beautiful, cotton-blend long green coat with floral embroidery randomly done on the coat which she got at a bargain price. She put it on once last night and was pleased with its flattering fit.

It was 10:50am and out was Sam driving her car to her friend’s house that was thirty minutes away. Big Thanks to Thanksgiving, roads were almost clear as everyone was where they should be. Apart from few cars and traffic lights here and there Sam did make it ten past 11am. She felt very accomplished on not being the last guest to arrive as there were few people who made their way into her friend’s house after her. On her arrival, she was greeted by her friend Ira and Ira’s husband, Sean. Both Ira and Sean held lucrative positions in the world of fashion and law respectively. Entertaining big group of friends was second nature to them. Expectedly there were twenty people in their ginormous living room. Ira always trying to be the matchmaker for Sam, introduced her to a man named Benny from her work.

Benny, became quite clingy from the word go. He stood right behind Sam in the food queue and was constantly talking about all things fashion that didn’t invoke any interest in Sam. Only because he was Ira’s friend from work, she didn’t disregard him and listened to his fashion prowess sagas. It didn’t end on their way back to the table and went on and on. As Sam was sitting down, she was staring hard at Ira who was all giggly. In her mind she was helping Sam come out of singlehood. Wine started to flow around as soon as Ira’s husband finished saying his Thanksgiving prayer. Benny continued talking with food in his mouth and Sam was simply cursing Ira at this point. Sam who was almost finished with her food decided to interject this one-sided conversation. Before she could, a man sitting across from her who has been watching Sam and Benny from quite some time said abruptly “Benny, now that we know all about your fashion escapades how about we hear from the lady her name.” Then he looked directly at Sam.

“Sam” politely she said looking straight into this man’s ocean green eyes.

“Logan, nice to meet you Sam.”  Logan stood up to shake hands with Sam sitting across the table.

“How do you know my name?” Benny asked Logan.

“Saw your name card that’s currently facing me.”  replied Logan with a gentle smile.

“So, what do you do Sam?” asked Logan.

“Yes, what do you do Sam? We have been talking for so long and you haven’t told me anything about you yet.” said Benny.

“Isn’t that something Benny!!!!!”  said Logan with an unbelievable look on his face while looking at Sam who understood the underlying sarcasm.

“I think this place is too loud. Sam if you are finished eating this lavish spread would you like to get some fresh air?” asked Logan.

“I would love to” Sam quickly rose from her chair wiping her face.

“Where are you guys going?” asked Benny.

“No rush Benny, take your time. We are just hanging out to get some fresh air.” replied Sam.

Before Benny could think, Sam and Logan disappeared. Sam very well knowing the nooks and corners of Ira’s house took Logan to one of the decks where Benny would not be able to find them.

“Oh My God!!!! Thank You so much. You have no idea how grateful I am.” Sam said with the utmost gratitude.

“You think I did it for you to escape Benny? By now I can write a biography about Benny. I needed to escape” said Logan.

“Well, either way Thank You.” said Sam while smiling at Logan.

“Don’t worry. So, what do you do Sam?”

“I am an IT engineer. How about you?” asked Sam.

“I was a lawyer at a firm till few days ago. Currently I am jobless.”

“I am so sorry.”

“No, please don’t be. I was going to quit anyway but before I could go ahead and put down my resignation papers, they kicked me out.” Logan said unabashedly.

“And you are fine with that?” asked a very perplexed Sam.

“I am fine with not working for that firm anymore, not so much fine though about being kicked out. That hurt” Logan continued with a pause “well my ego, self-esteem, bank-balance and few other things.”

“I am really sorry. And please don’t stop me for feeling sorry for you. But without sounding intrusive what other things if I may ask?” Sam persuaded in the most cautious manner.

Logan looked at her. Her wildly luminous black eyes looked eager.

“My fiancé broke up two days after I became jobless because she could not envisage a secure future with me.” Logan smirked while gazing at the snow-covered backyard of their friends.

“How is a secure future with no one to share it with better than having a future with someone you love?” Sam said those words very simply without looking at Logan. At this, Logan looked at her intently.

Sam swiftly moves on to other things. “They have their own winter wonderland in their backyard. When they were building this place, I remember Ira and Sean fought over this frozen swimming pool. Sean never had a pool while growing up and desperately wanted one when he could finally afford it. Ira agreed to go with the pool only if Sean would let her keep her first car that is a piece of junk now.” Logan didn’t interrupt and waited for Sam to continue.

“She bought that car after saving rigorously for six months, nothing fancy. Sean got his pool and Ira got to keep her first car that was a secondhand. You might wonder why I am telling you all this.” asked Sam.

“I am curious and you have my undivided attention.” replied Logan.

“Ira says that car is a constant reminder of where she came from. She doesn’t want to forget how happy her very first car- a secondhand car, made her. And if one day all this goes away, she won’t forget how to be happy and build her life from there. When you find someone like Ira who values the difficult times and loves the person for his strengths and weaknesses, in this case Sean’s then you know you have the right person next to you. And if one can bargain like Ira does, you have also found an ideal financial partner as well.” Both laugh together.

Logan is still looking at Sam’s serene face, only this time with admiration for her genuity and many other feelings that he is feeling for Sam. Sam turns to her right and looks back at Logan only to find him gazing at her, that slightly made her feel uncomfortable and so she asked “What?”

“I like your green coat. Looks really good on you.” Logan switched his thoughts in a totally different direction without creating any further awkwardness between them.

“You do??” asked Sam with a grin. “Thank You! Like all good things in life, it’s also secondhand and the best part, it arrived in my mailbox yesterday all the way from China in a matter of only two months.” Sam spoke like the proud owner with an underlying sarcasm.

Logan laughed “It’s worth those two months, you look good in it.”

“Hmmmm” Sam said that with a smile.

“What is so funny?”

“At first, you said the coat looks really good on me. And now, I look good in it. Pick a side Mister. This coat gave me a lot of distress. The Green Chinese Coat or the girl wearing the green Chinese coat.”

“I like the green Chinese coat because I kind of like the girl wearing that green Chinese coat.”

“A man who not only rescues me today but flatters me as well. Man! It’s my lucky day.” she laughs as she slips her hands into her coat pockets. She felt something in her right pocket but doesn’t remember keeping anything inside. Her right pocket was empty so she checks into her giant pocket inside the coat and finds an unopened pack of cigarettes with things written in a different language.

“You smoke?” Logan asks Sam.

“I don’t. This coat got delivered yesterday and I am wearing it today so unless I got super drunk last night and put this in and now, I don’t remember – that’s one possibility. But I didn’t get drunk at all last night and these cigarettes are not from here.” Sam is still holding that blue pack of cigarettes with golden border while looking all baffled. Logan moves closer to her to see what’s written on it.

And they both say it at the same time “That’s in Chinese.” Now looking at each other in a silly yet happy disbelief.

“If it has come all the way from China after being in that pocket for two months for you to find them, we should respect its journey and smoke one each.” Logan nudges Sam.

“Well, it would be kind of foolish to not try them. They have come a long way.” Sam finds the lighter in one of the wooden shelves near the grill. She takes out two cigarettes and hands one to Logan. Logan lights both their cigarettes. Sam starts coughing but keeps going.

“You smoke like a pro.” Sam notices.

“I used to smoke back when I had just started working. I quit few years ago but this cigarette on a freezing day like today feels like heaven.” Logan closes his eyes while releasing the smoke out of his mouth.

Both continue talking as they finish smoking their cigarettes. Logan like he never quit smoking and Sam in her own immature style of smoking. As they are done, the sunshine starts peeking through the clouds.

“Aaah! this is what I needed after this cigarette. Some sunshine on such a dreary looking day. It feels magical today for all the reasons I cannot explain.” Sam smiles satisfactorily while looking at the sky.

Logan looks at Sam and asks in a very hopeful tone “Would you like to continue this magical day over a cup of coffee later?”

“I need to learn your name before I say yes.”

“Logan Marshall, and you Sam?”

“Samyukta Bal and Yes, I love coffee.”