the one who wanted to have an affair

One day, just for fun, I displayed my actual photograph as my msn profile picture. It wasn’t my usual practice back then but I was happy with my new haircut… the only thing I was happy about in a bad week.

Suddenly, n.g. messaged me out of the blue. “Hmm… it’s been ages since we chatted,” I thought as I saw his nick flashing, indicating an unread message.

“Hey, you look so pretty,” he typed. I laughed it off. In my mind, he’s always been a joker. n.g. was a former client by the way, in my former company. He was the kaypoh sort who’d crack stupid jokes to people. He was witty too… in an R(A) sort of way.

Once, he disappeared from work for a couple of days and when he returned, told my ex-colleague that he attended a course. “What course?” she asked, genuinely curious. “Intercourse,” he quipped. So yea… you get the idea what sort of person he is…

Anyway, we just updated each other on what we were doing before he went on to confide in me how he’s always been interested in girls of other races. “Uhoh…” I didn’t think I’d like where the conversation was leading.

Ok, the conversation went something like this:

n.g: you want to go out on a date?
(I recalled how I had been invited to his wedding a year ago. Ok… I better clarify before this becomes an embarrassing misunderstanding)
me: huh? What do you mean?
n.g: i am serious wanna have affair with you la… date meaning...going out as bf and gf lor. but secretly la
(silence)
n.g: your jaw drop is it... hee
me: so this is what you’ve been doing behind your wife’s back is it?
n.g: no lah never do this kind of thing before...if you are ok with it...you are the first lor

What the hell? I felt so insulted. He still had the cheek to tell me I would be the first! I was so pissed, I ignored him and immediately complained to a couple of friends online. “Not all men are like that,” my male friend, a staunch Christian assured me when I roared and ranted about how men nowadays are unfaithful and simply cannot be trusted.

“He sounds like he's trying to be funny and thinking that its cute. He doesn’t even sound serious. Think you're taking it too seriously,” my female friend said.

Was I taking things too seriously? I don’t know. All I knew was that I’ve known him to be quite cheeky but harmless. And I HAD been having a bad week, maybe it got the better of me? Maybe I will see the humour in this once I cool down, I talked to myself.

Well eventually I chucked it in the dusty crevices of my brain and forgot all about it. Until…

I attended an ex-colleague’s wedding a year later. A few close former colleagues and clients were also invited. And guess who should waltze over to my table? n.g. approached another of my colleague to say hi. I didn’t think he realized I was there. When I turned around to face him, his eyes darted away.

Hmm… if what happened had been a joke, he could have at least looked me in the eye, right? But noo... we never made eye contact. Well, cos he avoided mine. I looked at him directly as he stood there, all tall, dark and… well… NOT handsome.

He came alone, I overheard him saying. And immediately I thought of his poor wife.