"Maybe"

So last night, I went to bed with my phone, having turned off all the lights. I held it up, drafting a reply, deleting it, then drafting another one. I wanted to indicate I'd come, but also I wanted a reply.

Eventually I replied with this:

Me @ 22:23 - How about I come see you Friday at about 11pm?

That's good. You specified a time this time and phrased it as a question.

I put my phone to the side, telling myself not to expect a reply, yet at the same time, waiting for the message tone was like throwing a grenade and waiting to hear the explosion. As I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, it went off.

Oh my god!

Naby @ 22:24 - Ok.. See we then..

Ok...maybe she means "we see then".

I wanted a bit more. What had just occurred seemed a bit 'plain'. I felt flirty...and maybe even a bit daring.

Me @ 22:25 - Miss me? :)

Not getting a reply to this would've been lethal.

Naby @ 22:26 - May be.. Kkk :-)

I smiled. I decided it was best to leave it at that. Now that I knew that "kkk" meant something like "hehehe", it was a good sign. However, the negativity and insecurity in me wondered if it was just a "gentle no". I dozed off to sleep thinking about it, but mostly gushing inside.

Woke up today and went to work, bought some food from Breadtop for breakfast. Bummed around a bit before heading off with Moira to do the list. The courtroom opened just as we got there, and things started almost immediately.

I was really surprised at how fast and nonchalant Moira was doing the matters. She didn't need help. She was completely competent. But part of me thought maybe she was going a bit extra hard to put on a show for me.

I did mention my two matters when the courtroom was pretty crowded.

We got through most of the matters before 11am, so had an early morning tea break. We went to the cafeteria for a coffee and we talked about the list. When conversation was dying, I thought it would be best revived by gossip, so we talked about our work and office politics. I learnt that she recently applied for a job at the SLA. I was kinda shocked. I never saw her staying here long term, but now? Damn. It'd be sad to lose someone as competent as her, but at the same time, I guess that narrows down the candidates for possible promotions.

We went back at noon and did a few more matters, and then headed back to the office at lunch. I returned by myself as there were only two matters left. At the very end, I said "that completes the list" and the mag said "you have a very soft voice or I'm going deaf. I think it's the first" lol.

I walked back to the office dragging my suitcase, relieved it was all over. I was tired, but spent my time writing up the files and following up on a few things. I left the office at about 6pm. I wanted to do something, maybe go for another walk. But it was raining so I just went home.

Thinking about the texts exchanged last night, I was in a more upbeat mood today. Seriously, last night I thought there was a chance that her "may be" meant "not really" or a polite way to avoid an answer. But thinking about it, with the "kkk" I was more confident it was flirty.

Feeling pretty good right now!

Emotions cut off

"There's a switch, I flip, emotions cut off"
-- Welcome 2 Hell, Eminem & Royce Da 5'9"

Although I told myself yesterday not to message her until about Friday, I couldn't help myself and went to bed with my phone. As I laid there, I texted a message.

Me @ 22:31 - Are you ok? Is everything ok??

I laid there, half trying to fall asleep, and half waiting for that Ryu ringtone of mine. I never got it.

This morning, I didn't feel ready for work. I had a sort of a big weekend. I mean, I went punting for three nights in a row and blew a load of cash. On top of that I met with two girls who were complete strangers. It was a hangover, just not the alcoholic type.

However, I got into work easier than expected. Preparing for the upcoming week and tomorrow's list assist kept me very busy. So busy in fact, that I went to lunch at a bit past 1pm, whereas a lot of my office days I'm waiting for the clock to strike 12 to go eat.

I turned my phone off silent waiting for a message to come through.

My plan was kinda to call the shop after work. I was fairly confident she'd be working by now, and I was thinking back and forth whether I should see her if she was.

In the late afternoon I was in Moira's room preparing the files for tomorrow. She seems to take an extremely casual approach to it. I don't even think she looked at any of them. She said she just deals with it on the day. I, on the other hand, like to make sure I know everything ahead and that everything is ready to go. However, I think it'll be interesting tomorrow to see us in action, both being ex-defence lawyers. You saw a hint of it today, when we were both making fun of some subs someone else did, lol.

Mary stopped by for a chat, which usually means at least 10-20 minutes taken out of your time. I walked back to my room after a while and checked my phone. There was a message. I obviously didn't hear it whilst in Moira's room. I wondered who it could be. A small part of me hoped it would be Naby, but I knew better. I had already set my expectations so that she'd send me a message later in the week, if at all. Anyway, I read the message.

Naby @ 16:04 - Yeah.. I am ok.. May be I go to work this week Friday and saturday. Because I go to school ever week 5 days.

I was surprised she replied, even though it was so much later. I didn't know what to say. I mean, obviously I was going to say something like I'll see you on Friday/Saturday, but I didn't want to reply straight away.

As time passed, the message sunk in a bit more. I wasn't sure if I should be so happy she replied. It obviously seems like she only wanted to see me at work, not outside of work. That really put a downer on me. What Shuing said about "feeling empty" really hit home to me.

It was so bad, that after work (I left at 5:30ish) I took a walk towards the casino, thinking about it. I first headed to Town Hall. I then crossed the road and walked towards Darling Harbour. I figured it'd be good to sit down on the water side and read that message some more. But then I found myself walking through the shops on my former usual route to the casino. When I got through the shops, I figured I'd sit by the water nearby, but I ended up walking towards the casino.

I made my way in there. I really think the type of air they ventilate in there is very synthetic. It really gets the heart pumping. I first checked out the baccarat tables, then went to the roulette tables. I did think about withdrawing some cash and dumping $800-$1000 on one spin, but when I watched one spin and pretended I placed a bet on black and the third column, the number was 19...I would've lost all my money just like that.

I walked around a bit, but mainly stayed around the roulette tables. I watched as a black man in a business suit lost all his chips and walked away lonely. I knew that feeling. And what's more, I knew he was feeling it. I watched another guy exchange $500 for chips, then lost it in one spin. I watched as he took another $500 out and lost it in the next spin. I overheard a guy talking to another guy behind me saying "he just lost $1,000". Wow, that could've been me.

I eventually made my way out. One thing I noticed about the unfinished refurbished casino is that there are no seats for people to just sit and do nothing. All seats are attached to some game. If you're not playing, then you're standing.

As I walked back out, I figured it'd be much safer to just buy shares in the casino. It's good to have the house advantage.

I went to the supermarket nearby and bought a 'limeade' drink, which was pretty sour. I then went through the Harbour shops again and bought a large fries from Macca's. I was thinking about the Naby message in the back of my mind. I felt conflicted now. As I walked back to the bus stop, I would wish I could be like Eminem - just cut off my emotions. I wished I could be cold.

Now, I didn't like her so much. Maybe it wasn't so much about the content of the message. Maybe I just didn't like being ignored, and I just wanted to prove something. Now that she had replied, I knew I hadn't been ignored and felt like the 'power' was in my court again. Another part of me didn't really want to spend another $220-$270 given my recent splurge. And then another part of me queried whether I'd even have time on Friday and Saturday to see her.

Having had more time to think now that I'm home, maybe it's not as negative as I thought. Again, I seem to impose on her my untold words. How would she really know you wanted to see her outside of work? Did you expect her to ask you out? Also, if you don't go, how would you even try to get her back? By text messages?! I think if I want any chance, I'd have to see her in the shop at least once more.

I also wonder whether ensuring just one customer such as myself is such a big deal for her. Surely if I wasn't there she wouldn't lost out on much. Also, it's kinda surprising that she still wants to see you, even if it's just as a customer, after all this time when this year you would regularly go 3-4 weeks without seeing her. If she was really money hungry, she probably would've left you behind a long time ago. Also, I can now see why previously she never sent me messages such as "long time no see, when are you coming next?" because it was sooooo obvious as a money making tactic. Maybe she didn't want to come off as that? Maybe at least a small part of her wants to see me because she likes me? Or at least, doesn't find me repulsive?

Tiffany / She really is sick

I don't know why, but I got up at about 6:30am today, grabbed my dad's phone and used it to dial Naby's number. It rang out. I didn't want to use my home number as she might start thinking it was always the same person (ie. me) calling, so I thought revealing a number would alleviate some suspicion.

Anyway, I went back to sleep, woke up at 8ish. I had breakfast and jumped on the net and then had a further nap, waking up at about noon. I bummed around a bit half waiting for my dad to come back with the car.

I had decided: I was going to Naby's shop or my old massage place. I wanted either to see Crystal or Amy in the line up, or find a new girl to 'pursue' from the massage shop. I figured the massage shop method would be a lot cheaper in the long run. I called the shop and the guy said Naby was "day off" today.

I told myself that maybe after a bit more than a year, this thing had to end somehow. I semi-accepted it. I believed that she was eluding me for whatever reason. I told myself that I had a good run, but sometimes relationships just end. Maybe it was time to find a new one. I needed to take my mind off Naby and the best way to do it, right now, was to see Crystal or Amy whom I have had a start with, or meet a new massage girl who I could see potential with.

My dad came back at 2pm. I hurriedly got changed and left. I drove to the shop, parked, got some money out and went in. No security guard. I was greeted by a new guy, definitely not the usual guy I used to see. I wonder what happened to him. But then again, I come here for the girls, not the male receptionist.

I went to the bathroom and then returned to the main waiting room. I was shown four girls. One I think I have seen in a previous line up. None looked at me. One looked kinda older. After they left I asked if there were any other. The guy said there were two upstairs, would be ready in half an hour. I asked what their names were, hoping it'd be either Amy or Crystal, but nada.

I went with the girl in the middle whose hand covered the number. I later walked out to see her, thinking she wasn't much to look at, but maybe I was just still in with Naby. I walked up first and she indicated left on the second floor. I saw she was holding a Domo handbag and I said "domo" when I walked in. She confirmed I was referring to her bag and laughed.

She went out to get the towels, and when she came back I asked what her name was. She said Tiffany. As I was taking my shoes off I saw that she was wearing badge #99. We both got undressed and had a shower. I asked how long she'd been working here and she said 10 months.

Bingo, so you must know Naby.

Shower had a bit of talk. I said "choar" when the water was cold, and had to say it a few times before she knew I meant "cold". After the shower I said "kamsa-hamnida" and she laughed. I dried off, then gave her a towel when she finished.

I pointed to a notice on the wall which said something about taking the condom off was rape. I said that was new and she just laughed and shook her head.

I laid on my tummy as she got on and wiped my body some more with a towel before kissing the back of my body. After that she asked me to turn around and so I did, and she licked my nipples before going down on me, then doing the fire and ice thing.

Then she put the condom on and got on top of me. She placed her hands on my chest and abs, so I tried to bend up a little so she could feel how hard it was. I eventually sat up to suck her breasts and she didn't know what position I wanted and we both laughed. We changed and I got on top of her.

I started sucking her breasts before entering her. Maybe it was because I already had sex the previous night, but it took me a while to finish. I was going at it hard which caused her to moan a lot. Part of me thought it was fake, but her legs would spread really wide and then grip my waist. Then we switched to doggy where I eventually finished. She actually said "thanks" as she was breathing hard when I pulled out. Hmmm...maybe she did enjoy that.

I laid down with my left arm stretched out and she put her face on it, wanting to go to sleep. I decided to ask about Naby. After a bit of chit chat, I said I used to come here a lot. She was surprised. I asked if she'd ever seen me and she said no. I said I only see one girl, Bibi. She was like "ah, Nabibi" and I was like "huh?" but yeah, she knew who I was talking about. She said Bibi is very tall. I said she was about her height. She said Bibi was about 170cm and she was 168cm, and I made a "urrnn" sound as if to say that was negligible.

Anyway, I said I used to see Bibi but she's disappeared. She said she was sick!

Oh my god!! She IS sick!!!

I asked if it was like a cold and she said yes. I told her about how Bibi had left Australia and come back, and how I hadn't seen her since she came back. She didn't seem to understand at first, but said she came back for one day. I thought about asking if that was a Friday but didn't. I don't know why. Stupid me.

I told her not to tell Bibi I was here and made a "shhh" gesture with my finger and lips. She understood and smiled. She asked if I liked her with a bit of a knowing smile on her face and I said I did. I told her I messaged Naby but she didn't reply so I thought maybe she doesn't like me. She said that wasn't the case.

We went to another topic, and I asked her about what she did in Korea before. She said something about answering the telephone but drinking a lot so that customers could smell the drink. I asked if she had a boyfriend in Korea and she said yes. I asked if he knew she was working here and she said no, then she broke out candidly and said she was joking. She said she had one about two years ago but he was with many girls. She tried to find the word for it and I said "player" and she was like "yes!"

We talked about Sydney and Korea. She asked me how long I'd been here and I said 23 years. She asked if I liked it and I said it was ok, but there were too many people. I asked if she drank "choonga" and she said no because it was too expensive. She said $10 here was $11 in Korea.

She asked if I had a girlfriend and when I said no, she asked if I was married. When I said no she asked why. I said I'd been seeing Bibi for more than a year. Not sure where I was getting at. I remember asking her again not to tell Bibi.

By now we were both laying on our tummies talking. I could see from before how far apart our hips were, so I guess this was a good indicator of how close two people were. At one point I stared blankly at a bottle of Listerine thinking about Naby until she clicked her fingers in front of me. I just told her too much Listerine was not good for the mouth and also that the ice cube was not good.

As we were talking, her little alarm started going off and she reached for it and turned it off, and we continued talking until the buzzer went, then we went for a shower. I went first and got the water temperature right before having the shower, then I handed it to her.

I walked down the stairs first and then waved goodbye to her at the bottom. As I was leaving the receptionist guy asked if it was good service. I said "good, very good".

So now my mind was back to normal. I wasn't going crazy anymore. I wasted $730 over three days just because I am insecure. If only I had believed that she was sick. Trust. The key word is trust. And I didn't trust her.

Dinner with two strangers / Mimi

Man, seriously, I woke up today with the "what the fuck happened last night?" feeling.

So I met this girl on Oasis called Phoebe. We chatted on MSN a bit and swapped numbers. We text sometimes when she asks me out and spoke on the phone once about meeting. I think I posted about this. Despite all that, last night was the first time I met her.

Yesterday morning I went to the Wick to drop off my suit at the dry cleaners, hoping the Fitness First chick was there, but she wasn't. I then went to buy a cake for my physio since it had been a year since my surgery. I called up the physio section but there was no answer, so I fugred maybe it was just the receptionist area that was closed.

I bought a mango cheesecake and spoke to Phoebe on the phone as I walked to the hospital. She asked if I was doing that night and I said no, so we agreed to meet up for dinner.

I went downstairs to the physio but they were closed :( No one in sight in that section. So I took the cake home and shared it with my family.

I then got a lift off my dad to the city for bball training at KGV. I was half an hour late, getting there at 10:30am. When I got there, Nick was shooting around. Phil messaged me saying he'd be late. We suspected Bo had been drinking on Friday night.

Anyway, there was a comp game going on on the other court and some guy came over and asked if one of us wanted to play. I suggested Nick so he went. I just kept shooting, trying to focus on driving to the basket. Then Bo arrived and we shot around until Nick finished his game. Then a girl came over and asked if one of us wanted to play in the next game cause they were short of players, so Bo went. I didn't see the need to play to risk my knee.

Then Phil arrived, and we spent the time between shooting around and watching Bo play. Nick told me that Bo really hated Angelo, lol. I really wanted to add my two cents (or 100 dollars) to it but held back. I wanted him off the team now, but I think I'll just have to put up with him till the end of the season.

After Bo finished, we played a four on four half court game. I tried to drive it but Bo was marking me and usually backed off on defence to give me room. Also, when I did drive it, I found Nick at the center in my way. It was a bit dumb I suppose. Here I was telling myself to drive it 100% of the time, yet I then realised that Bo would keep backing off until I hit some outside shots to make him an honest defender and start coming out at me.

Nick left at about noon and we continued playing. I did back down one small guy (who used to play at Moore Park and had now seemed to bulk up a bit) and faked to my left before turning around back to my right for a fadeaway. It felt ok and was surprised it went in.

One of our last games was against a team that had just played in the other comp. It was Bo, Phil, me and some kid wearing a Kobe jersey. We got off to an amazing start, like 6-0, before the other team started scoring.

I was hitting my outside shots and everything seemed good, but after a while I noticed Bo and the fat Indian guy he was marking were getting a bit physical. At one point the guy said to Bo "really?", took the check, and drove it straight at him. This wasn't going to end well, I knew.

Later things came to a heat when both were talking, and Bo said he was just going to leave. Phil and I had no choice but to leave with him. Bo came back in and argued with the guy more before we got changed on the sidelines. The guy came over and sort of apologised, saying we didn't need to leave. I was being diplomatic and just said we were old and tired, unlike them. I reckon they would've been about 17 or something.

I thought it was sensible of Bo to walk away, but at the same time, I wondered why he always attracts trouble.

We walked back to the city and Bo suggested eating. I initially agreed, but then looked at the time (1:30pm) and said I needed to go home. The real reason was because I wanted to see if Naby was working.

As I walked to the bus stop, I called the shop and asked. The guy said she had "day off". Hmmm.

I went home, had a shower and then at about 4pm I dropped my dad off at work and my mom at the nearby RSL club. I went back home to get ready to go out to meet Phoebe.

I left home at a bit after 5pm and drove out to Bankstown. I found her address, which was very close to where I used to work. I called her and she said she'd be coming down in a bit. I couldn't believe I was doing this - waiting for a stranger in my car. I also couldn't believe she was up for it - to be picked up by a stranger.

She called, and then I saw a figure up ahead standing there. I turned on my lights and she came over. She got in my car. As it was dark, I didn't get a real good look at her, but she did resemble the picture she had shown me once.

I started driving off towards the city and we just made small talk. I had Bad Meets Evil playing at a low volume, but loud enough to make out the words if there was silence. I couldn't help but go quiet a bit at times. She said we would meet her cousin later and told me not to be too quiet. Hmmm. As the drive went on, I came to realise that she was quite a demanding, picky and snotty person. I should've known when she asked if my car was older than five years old and if it had air conditioning.

I had her call the restaurant to make a booking, but they were all booked out for the night. Unbelievable. We agreed to just walk around and find one. I got to the city and parked in the car park behind the cinemas. As I was driving onto that street she saw some Spanish restaurants and suggested we have Spanish, so we ended up at one on Liverpool St.

We were shown to a table for two, and when we sat down I got a good look at her. She was ok I suppose, but she had this arrogant aura about her. She said she didn't eat most seafoods. I forgot about this and asked about the prawns as an entree. She said yes, but later pointed out it out to me. Silly me, but she did say yes. I didn't care too much because I didn't really feel like I wanted to impress her. She told me her real name was Cecilia, so I was not to call her Phoebe when I met her friends. Also, in the car, she said if anyone asked, we met through work.

She wanted to move to a bigger table, so she told the waiter another friend was coming, and had us moved to a four seater table. I thought she was lying, but her cousin did end up coming.

The prawns came first which was a bit awkward. She encouraged me to eat them and I had a couple before I decided to wait for an additional entree I ordered for her, which were the scallops. I noticed she didn't invite me to eat the scallops. She also asked for bread, and so we just chomped on them before she started whinging about the food not coming.

Sometimes I'd go quiet and look out the window behind her. She asked me what I was thinking and I said a lot of things. She said that wasn't good because it was like a girl. She said her ex-boyfriend used to just "space out" and think about nothing, which was what guys were supposed to do.

When she went out to get her cousin, I had the waiter check on the food and he came back to tell me it was coming. I was a bit nervous waiting for her to bring her cousin back. I couldn't believe I was going to have dinner with two complete strangers. Her cousin when she walked in was a bit of a stunner. Short, petite, but nice hair and face. Her name was Julia, or Jude or something.

Julia did seem a bit happier to see me. I noticed constant eye contact. At one stage Cecilia even asked her what she thought of me, having sensed a bit of a connection between us. She said I had a nice feel, lol.

As we ate, we talked about what to do next, and I noticed they mainly just ate the bread with the sauce on the meals. Cecilia didn't like the steak and didn't touch the chicken at all, saying there were many parts of the chicken she didn't eat.

Julia and I seemed to strike a better connection when I mentioned chilli crab with bread in Cabramatta. It was even better when Cecilia knew nothing about it. We suggested trying it next time. There was also talk about meeting up the next night for dinner at a Brazilian restaurant, and we talked about meeting up for me to wash their cars. I wasn't sure if they were serious, but I played along and said sure, even though in the back of my mind I would've preferred to go into the office.

I could tell Cecilia was going sleepy from the wine, as she got more and more quiet. She also didn't seem to want to do anything after dinner, wanting to go home instead. Julia wanted to play pool at Cheers. I suggested the arcades which Julia also seemed open to.

After some reluctance, Cecilia agreed to pool. We got the bill and it was about $143. I put my $50 down. There was no way I was going to shout this one.

We went out and walked to Cheers. I couldn't believe I was walking into a place like this with two girls. I reckon other guys would've looked at me and thought "what does this guy have?" We went downstairs and they went to the bar to order drinks, and I went to the bathroom. When I came back I saw they had ordered shots and had them at the bar. We then went over to a standing area with their drinks. Julia wanted to dance but Cecilia didn't want to.

There were some guys there trying to start a dance on the dance floor, who just looked sad to me. I could see them checking out Julia because she was wearing a tight white dress.

Eventually we left and met a couple by the name of Rob and Jenny. Rob was an older Caucasian guy, whereas Jenny was a younger Vietnamese girl. The first thing I noticed was she had two different eyes. I think she lost one eye and so one is fake. She would be absolutely stunning if she had both real eyes, and I doubt she'd be with Rob.

We went to the Star Bar. At the bar, they were ordering drinks and I again went to the bathroom. When I came back, I offered to hold their stuff for them as I didn't want to dance. They piled their stuff onto me so I happily sat on a stool and just browsed the net on my phone. Sometimes I'd think about Naby. I looked around and half expected her to be there.

Later Julia came over and asked me to go over to where they were. I said I'd come in a moment and did. I walked over to see that there actually weren't that many people dancing on the dance floor. Just people standing around with their drinks, watching two people hired to dance on some platforms. I watched the dancers as I minded their stuff. It enthralled me to see how creative they were. If it was me, I'd have some sort of cycle where I repeat my moves, but they never seemed to do it.

So that went on for a while, with one of them coming over occasionally to check/get their things. There was a bit of an issue of what to do after. Cecilia wanted to go home and I said I'd drive her, but she kept saying I should stay with Julia. I figured that I picked her up, so I was obligated to take her back. I did offer to come back for Julia, but when Cecilia wanted to leave, Julia was nowhere in sight, so that was the end of that.

Cecilia wanted to get a cigarette so I went into the arcades. Spent $10 and didn't get anything. We then went to my car and I drove her home. I semi-needed her guidance but she fell asleep and I figured out the way anyway.

When we got there I nudged her awake. She looked around and fell back asleep a few times before getting out. Can't remember if she thanked me or not but she didn't say much when she got out. Oh well.

I then drove to Naby's shop. I was crazy. I'll admit I'm not in the right mind frame right now. I needed to crap and went into the shop where the security guard opened the door. I went to the toilet almost immediately and chucked a relieving crap.

I returned to the main waiting room. It was quite busy. Indeed, a lot of older Vietnamese men as one forum described.

I was shown four girls. One of them was Mimi, on the far left. I think I remember seeing her in the lineup when I chose Crystal. She kept looking at me, so I chose her, even though she was not that great looking. In fact, none of them were.

I waited a while before I was invited to come out. I walked up the stairs first and we went to the third floor. I was pretty quiet, not really in the mood to talk. We got naked and showered. I asked her how long she'd been working and she said three weeks, so I figured she probably didn't know Naby.

After the shower I laid down on the bed. She was a lot better at sucking the back of my body than Crystal. When I turned around she went down on me for a while and was pretty good at it. She asked something about the condom and I just said ok. She put it on and got on top. Don't know why but I was pretty close to finishing so I quickly said "change" and got on top. I licked her nipples a bit before entering her and finishing like that.

She cuddled up to me and I held her and we slept like that for the rest of the session. I actually fell asleep, noticing when my hand would fall off her and placing it back there again.

We were woken by the buzzer and quickly showered and got changed. Her English was pretty bad, but I got the feeling she kinda liked me. She thanked me for sleeping and then pecked me on the lips before we walked out the door.

I walked out $270 broker.

First DC sentence / No Naby / One year sobriety coin chip!

I got to work at 8:15am yesterday to finish preparing for my sentence. I realised I had probably left it a little late - next time I need to put a whole day aside to prepare. I could hear people like Mary talking and I hoped that they wouldn't come over because I really needed peace and quiet to prepare. Luckily, they didn't.

I eventually left for court. There were only two matters in my courtroom, so it was pretty certain that it'd be going ahead. Part of me wanted to beg for an adjournment. But I know that even if I got one, the same thing would happen next time.

Kathy arrived and we talked a bit about the matter before waiting around. Then the cop Tricia arrived and we had a little chat, then waited for the judge to come on. When he did, he gave judgment/sentence in another matter first. I sat in and listened as the dude was sentence for, amongst other things, armed robbery. I looked at him and thought what he did was pretty bad, as the judge read out the facts, maybe even worse than what my guy did (import). But of course, it was apples to oranges.

As I sat there, sometimes I thought about meeting Naby later that night and making love to her.

That matter finished at about 11:30am, just in time for the morning tea break. The judge asked us to hand up our papers informally so he could read over them during the break and asked us to come back at 12:20pm. I just stayed in one of the conference rooms to read some further material, and before I knew it, it was time to go back. Time really flies when you're busy!

Anyway, I went back at 12:20pm and we managed to get a start. We got our papers back. The def had been brought up into the dock. Kathy asked for him to speak to his family, and it was a bit sad, so I tried not to look.

It seriously was my first DC sentence as a pros, but I didn't tell anyone here. I started reading an outline before the judge stopped me to ask if the def adhered to his plea. I continued, and then formally handed up my papers. At times I was questioning if I was doing the right thing, or if there was a next step in the process that I wasn't aware of.

But it all went rather smoothly. I told myself not to xx the def, but I did ask him a few questions because the judge seemed interested in the money aspect. I think I did ok. My questions were:

1. I'll take you back to 4 August ok?
2. At that time you owed x?
3. And you were told if you did this, then y would be cleared off the debt?
4. And do you remember telling the police that z told you if you did a few runs then that would clear the debt?

I was obviously trying to force him to say yes to all those, which he did. Phew.

The judge adj to 3pm for judgment and it was only about 1pm, so I decided to go see how the celebration lunch was doing. I went to the Civic and saw Ogre, Clare, Moira, Mary and Michael at a table. They were waving me over. I went there and they were in the middle of their meals. I went to order and then went back to the table.

It was pretty bad seating position for me. I was next to Moira, and there was too much noise to hear what Mary and Michael were saying at the head of the table. I'm sure it was gossip and/or funny stuff, which I think was the main reason they wanted the lunch anyway. Damnit, I really wanted to hear it.

I feared my lunch would come too late and I'd have to eat it when everyone was leaving, but it came just in time I suppose. I was, however, the only one eating as everyone else had finished. I felt a bit left out as everyone talked and I just ate my prawn pie (which wasn't really that good).

Later Trent's dad Steve and Frank arrived. It was a bit funny, because earlier Michael was teasing Moira about how good looking Frank was, lol. I was glad I wasn't the only one who thought Frank was a fuckhead. Just looking at him made me feel sick. It's not so much his look, but he just has sleaze written all over him, and he's an over-confident prick. I remember seeing him in Wick once with his Asian girlfriend. Another case of "why can't I get a girl like that".

Luckily we left soon, and we all went back to the office. I bummed around until 2:30pm when I left for the court again. It was an easy ride from here, although I was mindful that the judge may still ask me questions. As I listened and wrote down what he was saying, I thought that he had a really nice steady voice, and he did a good job as a judge. I remembered the time I volunteered to be a judge, and it was pretty hard, so now I appreciated his job that much more.

When he read out the sentence, I couldn't help but glance over and look at the def to see his reaction. I thought maybe it was a tiny bit harsh, but not an error. He didn't have any reaction. He looked a bit like John actually, lol.

You read about sentences all the time, but it's not until you're actually there and writing it down that it really hits you as to how long it really is. This guy will come out in 2014. Damn. That's a long time. I don't know what I'd do if I had to be sent away until 2014.

Afterwards I saw him smiling at Kathy, so I guess he was happy with his result.

I left with Tricia and she said she would've liked more. I reminded myself that she had a very pros view.

I went back to the office, glad that I had done my first DC sentence smoothly and also that it was near the end of the day. I went to tell Mary about it without much planning or thinking. I told her how the judge had said something about fixed terms and I "gave him a 'I don't know what you're talking about" look. As soon as I said it I knew it didn't sound too well. She looked at me and I caught a glimpse of her look which indicated that she now thought I was dumb.

God, I really should think about things before I open my mouth. I kept mentally banging my head after that.

I just bummed around and talked until 5pm when I left. I had messaged Ele at 4pm asking her if she was doing anything after work, and I didn't get a reply so I thought I'd go for a walk. I had thought about going to the casino. Part of me wanted to place one big bet to celebrate my one year anniversary of my surgery and also being gambling free. I had placed this thought on a gambling addiction forum and one person gave an analogy of robbing a bank, getting caught and going to jail. Would I celebrate two years released from jail by robbing another bank? Good analogy.

But I wanted to go for a walk along that usual path I always took to the casino as I felt a bit sad about the sentence. Even though it was along the main street, walking in the context of my gambling addiction days brought some old feelings back. And I didn't like it. I remembered how I used to rush through the streets to get to the casino. I also felt that old familiar feeling of telling myself to "win one bet, and leave" and how I never adhered to it. Oh god.

I got to the QVB and checked my phone. Ele had rang. I called back and she said she was near the cinemas, and we agreed to meet. That probably saved me from going to the casino.

I walked through the drizzling rain to meet her. I thought she was near the sushi restaurant but as I walked in she spotted me at the entrance and waved. I walked over to her in my long coat. She was dressed rather casually with a white jacket. I wanted to tell her straight away about my sentence but I didn't want to come off as selfish, so we talked a bit about her day at work. I eventually told her about it as we made our way down the main street.

She was very interested, and I really wanted to talk about it, so it was good. We stopped inside a small mall to avoid the heavy rain. We talked a bit about raising kids these days (and she also told me about how people are stuffing alcohol into their vaginas/anuses which was a bit weird) before I felt hungry and thought about the food stalls in Chinatown on a Friday night. I suggested it, although she said she wasn't hungry, but she said she would accompany me.

We went there and I felt like it was a bit like a date, only I was sure she didn't feel the same way. I saw her speaking on the phone to Yang to tell him where she was. I bought a box of fried calamaries and she took a piece. She asked Yang if he wanted anything. She said she wanted to go buy some meat so we went to the butcher in Market City as I ate my stuff. She said they had the best pork.

We passed the Morning Glory where I had bought the Totoro and I asked if she thought it was cute. She said it was ok, lol. I waited for her as she bought her meat and then we walked off. I started telling her about one of my cases where there was a raid recently on Chinatown on people selling fake stuff, and she said she was there when it happened. Wow, how coincidental I thought.

We walked to Central and when we got there we started talking about superannuation and the share market. Then I said I'd let her go. She didn't seem like she wanted to go, and asked if I wanted to play table tennis with Yang and Samuel. It didn't really appeal to me so I said no. She just stood there and I was like "ummm...you should go to the gates" and then she went, lol.

I caught a bus back home, got changed and bummed around on the net waiting for my dad to get home. He got home at 10:30pm. I got changed into my suit and got down to the car at 10:40pm. I called the shop and asked if Bibi was working. He said she was sick. My heart sank. I asked if Naby was working and he said there was no Naby.

My mind was spinning.

Sick??

What was up with that? I would've thought if she wasn't working she'd tell me. What's the point of telling me to meet if she wasn't working? Was this deliberate? Was she trying to avoid me? Was the shop lying? Or was she really sick? I thought maybe she was working under a different name, so I sent a message:

"Are you sick? Shop said you were sick"

I didn't get a reply. Not an instant one anyway. So I thought that was the case and maybe she was with a customer. I told myself to 'decide' after an hour. I drove towards the casino. I thought about going in to check, but I knew it wouldn't be a good look to be seen there after being a pros in a gambling/drug matter on the very same day.

I stopped, fixed my mirror, checked my phone, and drove off to the shop. I figured I might watch from the outside until the hour was up. I was really disappointed. I had shaved, I had the Totoro ready and I had gotten a haircut for this. And now it wasn't happening. Very, very disappointed.

Maybe she was working earlier, and she was waiting for you, but you didn't come so she left? Maybe she thought you meant 6 or 7pm?

What were my options? I could go to another shop, or I could see another girl in the shop. The latter, of course, might cause a problem if Naby ever found out.

When I got there, I saw a security guard standing outside. This was new.

Maybe an incident happened earlier? Involving Naby?

I parked across the road and gave him a nod as I walked in. The door was opened and I was directed to the first room on the left. I asked the guy if Bibi was working and he asked another, and he said no. I mentioned the security guard and said that was the first time I'd seen one, and he said there has always been one. I asked for the line up. It came in sooner than I expected, and I sat back with my arms crossed, expecting to see Naby.

I was shown about five girls. One kept looking at me. I know I should've picked her, but for some reason I picked a girl called Crystal. I don't know why. None of them really appealed to me. I wanted Naby. I paid for an hour. I was told to wait a few minutes as she was eating. Whatever. When I was finally told to come out, I had my glasses on and looked around. I caught a glimpse of a tall girl with dyed orange hair walk by and I heard a bit of a squeal. My mind told me that was Naby seeing me but I don't think it was. She was too tall, and Naby didn't dye her hair all orange.

I followed Crystal up the stairs. I noticed she was wearing any shoes. When we went into the room, she went out to get the towels. I said "no shoes" and she thought I said "nice shoes" and laughed and said thanks. I asked her how she was and she said good. She seemed a bit reluctant to get undressed so I just nonchalantly took my clothes off, with a bit of "let's get this done with" feeling.

When I finished, she was naked and in the shower. We showered together and I noticed she looked a bit like a younger Amanda. She wasn't ugly, some may think she was quite cute, but it really wasn't my cup of tea. I wanted Naby. She had my rinse with a bit of Listerine. I jokingly asked if I should swallow it.

I dried myself and then laid on the bed face down. I was looking forward to this as I hadn't had it in a while. She kissed my back and down to my legs. I felt like she was rushing it. She didn't "DD" though, which I was looking forward to. She asked me to turn around. Before she went down on me, she asked me a question about my dick, which was a bit weird. Then she proceeded and I must admit, she was good at it. She then put the condom on, saying to be careful as it was a bit big, and then got on top of me. She rode me for a bit as I felt her breasts, and then asked to switch. I asked if she was tired and she said yes.

I stared licking her nipples causing her to moan softly. Then I entered her. I was closer to finishing quicker than I thought. I slowed down to last longer, but that didn't work too long, so I finally finished.

I laid down and she laid next to me. I sort of had my left arm spread out. If this was Naby, she'd wrap my arm around her and sleep on it. Crystal placed it back next to me so she could lie down. It was quiet at first as I thought about Naby. But eventually we made some small talk.

She asked me where I was and I asked her to guess. She got China after a few guesses and then I told her HK. She asked me how old and I had her guess. She said 25 at first and made her way up to 29, and then said I looked young. She then asked what I did for work and I asked her to guess, and she laughed and said it was hard because there were so many. I didn't really want to, but I told her. She wanted my business card, but I had her pass my phone to me and I asked for her number. She said no, so I just typed in my number and told her to remember it.

I asked her about her work. She said she'd been here for four days and this was her first day working. I asked what she did in Korea and she said just play and go clubbing. She had never worked before. After I told her about my sentencing matter and the case where a guy had his eyeball pulled out, she told me a story about her friend who was a working girl, who had a boyfriend but a customer fell in love with her, and the customer and boyfriend had a fight and the boyfriend was killed.

I took the opportunity to ask if a working girl here could have a boyfriend. She said no, because if they had a boyfriend they had no need for money. I asked why. She said girls thought differently - she added that a handsome guy with no money might be fun for a while, but ultimately the girl would choose the guy with money. She said if the boyfriend had money then there was no need to work.

I didn't mention Naby, as I didn't want any of the girls connecting who I was.

As we talked, we held hands, but I could feel the distance between us as I noticed how far apart our hips were as she had her right leg bent and away from my body. Sometimes she would squeeze my fingers. Sometimes I'd just put my right hand over my head, thinking about Naby, as I held her hand with my left.

She asked if I had a girlfriend or was married. I said no and showed her my left hand. She asked why not. I never know how to answer these questions. She asked if I had one a long time ago and I said yes.

I asked her if she drank and she said yes. I asked if it was soju and she said it didn't taste good, but I should ask for "choonga" next time I was at a Korean restaurant.

Her timer sounded and I asked "finished?" and she said five more minutes. We talked a bit more before another buzzer sounded and she said shower. She showered me, and looked up at me for a moment which made me think maybe she fancied me a bit. I didn't feel the same way. I wanted Naby.

I got dressed and she waited for me. I asked her what her badge number was and she said 555. I asked her how to say bye bye in Korean and she said it was the same and laughed. We walked down the stairs. I think she looked in the mirror to see if I was looking at her.

I walked out of the shop as a few older men walked in. I drove home, feeling Naby-less.

My insecurities always win out.

5-8-1

Some more thought on those messages. I posted them on a forum to see the feedback, and one person said it didn't sound like she was my girlfriend. Then it clicked - of course she wasn't my girlfriend! I was supposed to have known this all along! But somewhere along the lines, my mind, I came to think that she was my girlfriend, and I, being disillusioned, incorrectly expected her to be.

So stepping away from that perspective, those messages aren't too bad. She didn't find out about Amy. She isn't going to dump you. There's no trap involved. Seriously, if it was anything bad, would she even reply? Would she even agree to see you?

Ugh...

Anyway, on Wednesday morning I got up really early to go to Newcastle. I felt like I had a lot of wax in my left eye and kep trying to get it out. Even in the shower, I felt like I couldn't get rid of it. Then when I looked in the mirror, I saw that my left eye had swollen up. It was pretty ugly to have one eye bigger than the other. Now I knew how Lewis feels. Or at least a micro-fraction of how he must feel.

I drove off a little after 6am, listening to the Dr Dre CD Malay gave me. It's ok, some skits are funny, but I still prefer Eminem.

When I got there, I walked around looking for a public bathroom. I asked a girl if there was a shopping centre, and she asked what I was looking for. For some dumb reason I was too embarassed to say toilet, so I was like "uhh...shops, mall..." and she pointed me in the direction of a mall. I found two bathrooms - one was out of service and one was locked. Great. So I just had to wait till court opened.

I went back to the car to get a ticket and then went to court. I quickly used the bathroom and then waited near the courtroom. I thought my cop would be there already so kept an eye out for him. When the courtroom opened, I saw Maria and she introduced me to her husband, who was on the other side.

We went out for a chat, and he was surprisingly friendly. I always imagined she married some old fart for money, but I could see this guy was a good match for her. As we spoke, the cop walked up to us and the three of us had a chat. The matter was later mentioned and stood down to noon, so I just sat in the courtroom waiting. I got so tired, not sure if it was because I woke up early or because of my eye.

When it was finally our turn, we did it, but the mag wanted some more material from both of us, and so we have to go back in a fortnight. Great.

I went to have Subway for lunch. I noticed that the cashier girl was really friend towards the customers before me, but was kinda cold when it was my turn. Hmmm.

I ate my sandwich outside, went to the candy store to get something back for the office, and then drove off again. Midway through the drive, I felt so sleepy I turned off the freeway and stopped in a residential area to rest my eyes. I thought about Naby and dozed off. I'm not sure how long I was out for, maybe 20 minutes, maybe 40 minutes, but I resumed my drive wide awake.

When I got back to the office, it was about 4pm. I didn't do much - got caught in a long four way conversation with Mary, Moira and Clare, which somehow turned into gossip talk about how sleazy guys are in the legal profession. I just stood there awkwardly, wishing I could find an excuse to get out. I wonder how Steve deals with it.

I also spoke with Genie at the end of the day. She actually noticed my disproportionate eye, even though it had recovered fairly well throughout the day. She asked me what happened and I just said I woke up like that, adding that maybe I touched my cats before rubbing my eyes.

Afterwards, I went looking for a gift for Naby. I had come up with a solution - I didn't (couldn't) want to get something too expensive like jewellery, but then I thought a soft cuddly toy could do the trick. It's cheap, and all girls like it. I still remember the last time when I got her that Domo, seeing that sparkle in her eyes.

I went to Morning Glory and looked for something. There was a real monkey, one of those that sell for hundreds of dollars. I'm sure she'd like that, but I wasn't going to sneak that into the brothel. Imagine.

I ended up buying a monkey puppet, the type where you can slip your hand inside and control its mouth. I thought it'd be cute to play a character with her. I could picture it - I'd wrap my arm around her shoulder, having the monkey on the other side, and me saying in a cartoonised voice her name, asking her how she was, and telling her I missed her.

I went home, somewhat glad I didn't have to go to basketball. For one, it wasn't fun anymore with Angelo around. Two, I got to rest my finger (the doctor had called on Tuesday saying no fracture, but I should rest it 4-6 weeks). Three, I wasn't in the mood anyway, since I hadn't been to the gym all week.

I had my computer ready and poured myself a cup of grape juice, when my phone rang. It was Bo. He said they might not have five, saying that Any said he was sick. I called Abi and he messaged back saying he was at work so he couldn't make it.

I told Bo I'd go, but I'd just watch if they had five. I met up with him at Town Hall and we caught the train together. Turns out Phil was there, so they'd have five. But then white Mike said he could only play the first half, so I guess I was needed for at least the second half.

When the game before ours ended, Nick and Bo made a concerted effort to take the bench on the left. I don't know why, but put my stuff there anyway. Angelo had gone to the other side to shoot, while the team we were playing were already shooting on the side Nick and Bo had gone to. I don't know why, but Nick and Bo insisted on shooting there, so I just stayed in the middle doing push ups.

When the game started, I was on the bench. It was soooooo cold! I didn't make any effort to come on until the last few minutes of the first half when white Mike wanted to come off so he could play for his other team.

I basically played with the "eh, whatever" attitude. If Angelo wanted the ball, I'd give it to him, stand there and watch. I liked it everytime he missed or lost the ball.

It was a close game until Nick fouled out, leaving the four of us. I sort of thought we could win it and actually tried to give the ball to Angelo to score, but alas we couldn't do it. I still finished the game with the "eh, whatever" attitude. What annoyed me was I heard a guy from the other team say to Angelo towards the end "thanks, good game, you're the only one who..." and I didn't hear the rest as I was walking away. It made me so angry, because now everyone thinks he's the only one who can play. I was just showing that he couldn't win without the team. I can score if I wanted to. Fuckers.

Nick, Bo, Phil and I went to a pub afterwards to talk about it. We didn't labour on it too much, but the general consensus seems to be that Angelo (nor Any) will be playing after this season.

I caught the train with Phil, as Nick drove but could only have one passenger. I got home at around 11:30pm. I wondered how many people were thankful I came out, despite being injured. Certainly not Angelo I bet.

Today at work I spent the first half of the day preparing for next week, and the second half preparing for the sentence tomorrow. Probably should've started earlier as I didn't get to finish, despite leaving at 7pm.

At lunchtime I went to another Morning Glory. My thoughts on the puppet had changed. The main thing was, I wanted to give her a cuddly toy, but a puppet was slightly different. You can't really hug it.

So I went and bought a medium sized Totoro. I thought I could hide it under my jacket, but when I got back to the office, I had a go and there was no way it was gonna fit. Guess I'll just have to walk in with it in a plastic bag.

Ah, she's gonna love the Totoro.

Distant

That's the word to describe those messages: 'distant'.

But why is she being distant? Is it because after I said "sareng hai" that she had time to think about it, and felt that we should keep this a 'professional' relationship? Maybe she should've just told me to call the shop?

What if she knows?

While I was falling asleep last night, it came to my mind.

What if she knows I went to see Amy?

...

Some more thoughts on those messages

It seems a bit plain. Of course, it indicates a lack of interest. But I wondered today if maybe she was just sad. Maybe she had issues with her mother in Korea? I must admit, it had a bit of a 'break up' flavour to it - if we were in a relaitonship, it would seem like she wants to meet up to break up.

Anyway, I've thought of a good gift idea for her on Friday - a soft cuddly toy. She seemed to like the last one.