BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

I worked in an office in the heart of Sydney. If I had a choice of offices, I would choose this one. The windows overlook Hyde Park where, depending on the weather, I ate my lunch on a bench before walking a lap of the park. The railway station is only a five minute walk. Position! Position! Position! As the saying goes.

I was stationed at one of the twelve desks in the office. At the rear of this large room was a tea urn on a table and a fridge. At the front of our office was the manager and his secretary's office. I wondered if that's what's known as a managerial suite or the inner sanctum. The inner wall had a large multi-coloured sales graph and the other wall with its windows gave me a view of the park. It was all very pleasant.

The boss' secretary was retiring today. She said she wanted to travel the world mountaineering

and bungee-jumping but ease into it with a bit of aggressive crocheting first. And then she

introduced the new secretary, Lilith. Adorable! About thirty, my age, with long, dark hair and big, dark eyes. She was assembled splendidly. I wished to get to know her. I wished to have a

relationship with her. I wished to ravish her like a horde of invading Huns. But if wishes were

horses we would all be mounted—so to speak. She was staring at me. Am I that obvious?

She had a pleasant personality, became liked by all and is remarkably well organised. Maybe a

little intense? The latter came to the fore as the days passed.

Lilith had the same duties as her predecessor, but she was quickly re-designated as the Office

Manager. She stopped at my desk and told me that Clyde, the boss (first name?), thought I had done

a good job on my last assignment. “Well done, Henry,” She added.

“Thank you,” I replied as she moved on.

I noticed that she's a bit pushy and maybe manipulative. In a nice way of course. Occasionally at

morning tea time she would perch on the corner of a desk and hold court. All the drones swarmed

around her and were debonair and devastating. Being neither, I avoided the gatherings. I walked past one of these rallies once, interrupted the happy talk and told them that the opera season was about to start and would they like to make a season's group booking. Catcalls and operatic-type warbling was the result.

“Philistines! I called over my shoulder as I kept going. She checked the time and told her admirers that it was time to get back to work and earn a dollar for the company. Foreman material? This woman could order these desperates to tap-dance on the ceiling and they would break their necks trying.

On Friday's, they all go to a pub for lunch. I preferred to sit in the park, weather permitting, with my sandwich and fruit from home, read a book and then have a walk.

One day Lilith stopped at my desk and said, “You're an anti-social sort, Henry.”

“Not really, but it'd be hard to get a word in, with your devotees milling about you.”

“True. Were you serious about going to the opera the other day?” She asked.

“Not really with that mob. I was just having a stir. But I do enjoy some operas.”

“Well this is your lucky day, Henry---”

I interrupted her, “Wow! Shall we retire to the broom closet?”

Lilith looked me in the eye and said, “There's a three part answer to that question. A, No! B,

Don't be vulgar like the others! And C, Never!”

“Damn you Woman, You've dashed my hope.”

“Enough!" She commanded. "I've got two tickets to Friday night's Madama Butterfly. Would you care to accompany me?”

“Yes! Oh yes! How did you manage that? Butterfly's been sold out for months.”

“Cancellations- and I know somebody at the booking agency,” she smiled.

“Tell me,” I said in a whisper. “Did you have to kill the cancellers?”

“Shoosh,” she replied, laughing. Her fans were all looking at us. Probably thinking that she's

laughing at poor old Henry.

“Thank you, thank you. May I hug and kiss you?”

“No! Don't ever touch me, Henry. Ever! I'm pristine and I'm going to stay that way.”

“Bloody rubbish!” I exploded.

“You'll never know,” she smiled enigmatically.

Now there's a challenge, I thought.

“That's enough Henry, now here's the plan of attack. I'll tell Clyde that we have to get away thirty minutes early this Friday---”

I noticed she said 'tell' not 'ask'. Hmmm.

She continued, “---bring your good suit, we'll change and leave directly from here. That way we can fit drinks in before dinner.”

The cheek of the woman! This is my good suit! It's my only suit!

“Okay. Wait a minute, how do you know I drink?” I asked. “You're being a bit presumptuous.”

“If you don't, I'll drink yours.”

Came Friday, forty-five minutes before close, Lilith marched over, “Go for it, Henry. I'll meet you

back here in fifteen minutes.”

I gave her a five minutes head start and walked into the men's room. I always have a clean shirt and

a toiletry bag there for an emergency. A quick groom and I emerged resplendent. Oops. I raced back

to my locker and slipped my toothbrush into my pocket. You just never know! When I was a Boy

Scout, I was taught their motto- Be Prepared. That was before it was explained to me that I wasn't

really Boy Scout material and would I mind expanding my interests elsewhere. Nobody noticed my

resplendent emergence and amazing metamorphosis. Tasteless clods!

Then came Lilith. The whole room went silent. She was wearing a full-length black fitted gown,

a black shawl or scarf over her otherwise bare shoulders, her hair piled up on her head, artful make-up and killer heels. She undulated over to my desk, past her slavering fans, pirouetted and said, "Well?”

Fancy asking a man with palpitations that!   I said, “You'll do,”  stood and pirouetted as well,

“What do you reckon?”

“Stunning! Come on, Henry, our carriage awaits or taxi anyway.” And took my arm.

We ran the gauntlet of stunned and gaping cretins to the exit. I whispered in her ear, “You have no

idea how good that felt!”

“Savour it," she ordered.

Bloody rubbish! I reckoned she staged the whole thing. Dunno why.

The evening was going great. After dinner and the opera we had supper and a glass of port in the

Opera House restaurant. We reviewed the opera and our work companions. We were relaxed and

enjoying ourselves when Lilith decided that we get a taxi to the Marble Bar, they had top jazz bands

playing into the wee hours. A block short of the Marble Bar, she spotted a dress shop and had the

taxi drop us off. We peered in the window at the stunning dresses. “How come no price tags?” I asked her.

“The prices start at $1,000 and they don't want to frighten you away before the sales pitch,” Lilith

explained. I dragged her away from the window, both of us facing backwards, and bumped into

somebody. We turned to see a huge, staggering, drunk bloke.

“Watch where you're going! Bloody idiots!” He roared.

“Sorry Sport. My fault. I wasn't looking,” my abject apology. I was thinking If he turns nasty, I 'll

sool Lilith onto him and run for help. But it didn't come to that. He slowly focused on Lilith, leered

at her and grabbed her breast. In a blur, Lilith got both her hands around his throat, spun him around and slammed him back into the recessed door. I was looking over her shoulder at the brute. His eyes nearly popped out of his head and then rolled up. He slowly sagged to the ground, feet jutting out onto the footpath.

She was staring down at him, her back to me. Slowly she turned --- and looked at me. I'd never

seen a face like it. Yes I had! On a rottweiler, the eyes blazing, the lips drawn back over the teeth

as it lunged and strained at its chain to eat me. She was absolutely crackers! And staring at me.

I noticed her slipping what may have been a knitting needle into her handbag.

I was frantic. “What just happened? What did you do? Is he alright?” I was babbling. “We better

call an ambulance and the police.”

“I didn't do anything, Henry,” she hissed and moved towards me. "Nothing happened."

“But, but, but,” aware I was sounding like a motor boat. “We ---”

“Shut up and walk!” She dragged me along then turned and hissed, “Be careful, Henry. Be very

careful!”

I wished I'd never met this monster. I wished I was dead! I wish---

--

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