Chapter 5 The miraculous encounter

MPD- Chapter Five

"My Priceless Diamond"

" Please, beg the lady's pardon!" Someone cried.

" This is obviously a very 'superior' chic!" observed another sarcastically.

" Say, do you accept cheques? yet another taunted.

Vultures were now gathering, encircling. Impatiently flapping their wings, baring their long talons and hooked beaks; they waited for the kill to either breathe its last or embark on one last vigorous struggle for the survival. They were hemming her in now; jeering, pointing and generally having a field night. After all, such scenes were not frequently rare these days. Was it not the other week that, in another part of the town, a lady, after begging for and hitching a ride in the rain, turned around and, screaming and grabbing the gentleman's shirt collar and trouser's flap, insisted that he pay her the 'agreed' amount, more than what she expected.

A cold shiver ran down her spine almost forcing her teeth to chatter. She panned her eyes from side to side like a video camera covering a riot scene. The faces she encountered had no pity on them. The prevailing ambiance was one of wicked fun. Then, a beam of light flashed on everybody's face as a car drove into the hotel premises. The occupant parked and came down.

" Can someone tell me what's going on here!" he shouted about the suppressed altercation.

" Oh, please, sir!'' began the uniformed security personnel.

" This girl here came alone requesting for a room"

"Said, she needed a job," interrupted the bouncer, reluctant to relinquish to another his privileged position as the 'hero' of the night.

" A job!" This caused some laughter and cat calls among the increasing crowd.

At this point, another car drove in followed closely by two others. The one in the middle was a Rolls Royce, gleaming black, sleek and chauffeur-driven. The back door of the owner's corner swung open, and a pair of pure crocodile-skin shoes stuck out one on the heels of the other, glistering against the inner lights before the car door shut them off. His time piece sparkling as he passed a security light. Gold, they say, has no hiding place.

" And to what do we owe all this hullabaloo?" He was addressing himself to the manager who had run up to meet him", That was Mr George the CEO of TELECOMMUNICATION PLC.

" If you don't mind, sir" the hotel manager began to almost sing.

" Why is the lady over there in tears?" he queried, holding up his left palm to shut the blabbing manager up.

" If it pleases you, George, this em...em... lady... em girl came here alone asking for a room--"

" Please, ask her over here." George ordered. The authority in him was unmistaken.

The crowd was now parting like the red Sea to let Millicent through.

" Good evening, sir," Mimi greeted respectfully in a tear-ladden voice, genuflecting in the process.

" What troubles you, young lady?" George began soothingly.

" I can pay for a room. I have money. But both the bouncer and the security officer over there would rather have me shamed and embarrassed," she sobbed, dabbing away her tears with her neatly folded handkerchief in the most delicate fashion of well-bred cultured ladies in movies.

" Do you have a name, my lady?" Asked George.

" Millicent, sir... Mimi for short," she replied.

" I will call you 'Mimi'. Where do you come from ?" he enquired gently.

" I'm first of all a human.''

" First... of...all... a human,'' he repected slowly, tilting his head to left as if he was considering the position of female humans on the human existence map. " I think l like the sound of that," he remarked, brown eyes swept all over her like a searchlight, not missing anything.

" I had a great desire to come to Azuma-city, sir.'' Mimi said

" From which part of our country, if I may ask?"

" The East. Roye-city to be precise," she was beginning to regain her confidence.

" Roye, the greatest ?"

'' Yes, sir. Roye-city, the greatest among all. Sir, it's like you knew that area?" she looked up enquiringly at him.

" You see, I'm so sorry you should be dragging into this, George,'' the manager interrupted apologetically bowing slightly. All our customers are aware that I make the most painstaking efforts to maintain decency and decorum here, bringing all my professional training and twenty years experience to bear, just to ensure guest's satisfaction, and to attract the creme-de-la-creme-"

"Give the young lady a good room and sumptuous meals for as long as she wishes to stay. Everything is on the house!"

" George, I crave your indulgence to", " Your rhetoric would be better employed on some political campaign rally ground." The manager said.

" This is a hotel, and your guest,'' he tilted his head towards Mimi," who is waiting to be shown to her room." With that, he turned towards Mimi, and bowing slightly, said. " It's been a pleasure. Do enjoy the hospitality."

Before Mimi could open her mouth to thank him, he turned in a flash towards the executive wing of the hotel, with his aides falling in behind except the one that rushed ahead to swing open the entrance door for him. Mimi made an attempt to run after him, to thank him but the aides barred her.

She stood still, spell bound, her enchanted gaze trailing the tall, athletic built, broad-shouldered prince in shinning armour. The man , in her inexperienced guess, was a god of some sort, splendidly attired, soft spoken; his voice and speech displaying none of the beast-like mien of the crowd that just embarrassed her.

"If you wouldn't take offence, Ma, I would rather you most graciously followed me so that I could show you to your room, Ma"," Besides, George has sent a word that he would want you to join him for dinner at the Exclusive Restaurant, Ma." Said the manager.

Mimi did not know whether to cry or laugh at this sudden transformation from a brutish bully to a woman-fearing yo-yo, bouncing up and down at her whims and caprices. Was it the money? Or was there more to it than meets the eyes? Maybe, it was just the usual sycophancy of the poor to the rich.

"He is... He is really a good man. she ventured, falling into step with the now sober manager as they navigated through lounges, corridors and doors to her room.

" A good man indeed, successful business mogul, a doyen in many respects. First class honors in Literary studies. Needless to say that this hotel boasts of very many of such men and women of high timber and caliber as regular guests." The manager said.

" Here we are at last," he announced, pushing open a door that admitted them into an oval-shaped room that housed all the trappings of modern pleasure.