A Cup of Coffee

A Short Story by G.S.Vasukumar

Frank Willis was seated in a hotel and was sipping a cup of coffee. A Young and beautiful woman came and sat opposite to him and ordered for a cup of coffee. Her face seemed somewhat familiar to him and he was wondering where he had seen her before ?

Anyways, she was just another stranger to be forgotten, he thought. He placed the empty cup on the table and looked at his bill and his hand reached for his back pocket of his trouser and he was shocked...searched his other pockets as well.

“Did you lose something ?” she asked, looking at him curiously.

“Yes…my wallet.” He replied, looking at her.

“And do you expect me to pay your bill ?” She asked.

“I would really be grateful to you if you would do that for me.” He said.

“You’re good at it.” She said.

“Good at what ?” He asked.

“Lying !” She said.

“Come on, miss, I am telling you the truth and you are…” He said.

“Alright, let me believe you for a while…tell me the last good thing you had done in the recent past and if I am convinced, then I will pay your bill.” She said.

“Fine, it was sometime back when I was driving in my car in the highway that I saw a car which had met with an accident, the driver of the car was a female and her head had hit the steering of the car and was bleeding very badly.Her pulse rate was feeble, so I didn’t think that she would make it….” He said.

“Yes, continue, please…” She said.

“Anyways, I wanted to give one best try to save her life and I rushed her to the hospital and I went to see her the next day, but they had discharged her. Actually, I went to give back this chain to her…” He said, taking out a golden chain with a pendent from his coat pocket and showing it to her.

“Nice story…you are almost the hero of it! ” She said, “And did you steal it from her ?”

“Come on, Miss.” He said.

“Just kidding. Tell me, if you come across her again what would you do ?” She asked, curiously.

“Well, I would propose to her.” He said.

“Then will you marry me ?” She asked.

“What ?” he asked, shocked and surprised.

“Well, I am that woman whom you had saved that day.” She said, pulling her hair up and showing the mark of the cut on the right side of her forehead.

“Oh, I am so glad that I finally found you.” He said.

They were about to leave when the waiter took a wallet from below the chair, where Frank had seated so long and gave it to him.

“Oh, thanks…” He said, “ It should have fallen down when I had pulled my handkerchief out of my pocket.”

Only he knew that he had dropped it deliberately and she grinned thinking that she was not the woman whom he had saved that day.

The End