How a Seduction Turned into a Comedy? An Encounter with a Mysterious Girl in Yorkshire:
A Fortunate Suspicion in the Cold Night on a Lonely Dark Street
On a lonely Shivering evening: It was my 15th day of survival in the UK. After finishing my project in the remote village, I moved to another location which was a relatively urban city with all the basic amenities of a small city like hotels, shops, cash and carry joints, eateries, restaurants, garages, town hall, clock tower, buses, taxis, pubs & bars, etc. As it was still mid-February, winter’s chilling days and much colder nights were still there and appeared to keep their stay for many more days as there was no sign of any decline in the temperature even in the afternoon.
Like any other day after completing all the planned daily work, I returned to my hotel and took some rest before heading out for the early dinner which I used to take too early from even the resident’s point of view. But that day I started watching the famous movie about the World’s largest ship and how it got drowned after a minor accident of the impact of an iceberg on its very first voyage, and it was 7.30 pm already when I curiously checked the clock. I got up from bed and quickly changed dress which consisted of layers of T-shirts and jackets along with a cap and gloves to avoid any chilliness of wind spoiling my dinner experience as I had to walk around one and a half kilometers to reach up to my selected best restaurant serving Indian dishes. As expected I had a good warm dinner being alone in the whole restaurant and all the other diners had already left being too late a time for the month of the season. I looked at my watch and it was already 8:15 PM which made me pay my bill in a little rush and quickly embark out of the empty and appearing bit scary market premise with long quick steps.
Out of Nowhere: There was a PUB situated on the side of the road I used to follow every day while visiting the same restaurant every day. I used to kind of peek inside through a partly open window while keeping my steps slow and used to see a sparse crowd of people chatting and enjoying a Mug of drink or smoke in their hands. This used to appear a little surprising for me as all other outlets in the market on the road used to close well before that time. On that particular day, being late than every day I was walking a little faster than other days, while passing through that PUB I became a bit slow due to my usual natural daily habit and peeked inside again. To my surprise, it was more crowded and people displayed more free spirits as they were hugging and dancing and cuddling with way louder music than on other days. It gave me a bit of shock and started walking faster till the moment just outside the PUB’s door I was stopped by a young girl in may be her early 30s, wearing a black leather dress and covering her head with a furry white hat.
Lady in the black dress: — “Excuse me”!
I replied: — “Yes”
Lady asked: — “Are you staying nearby”?
I: — “Yes”
Lady asked again: — “Do you have cash”?
Not knowing is a boon sometimes: At that moment being new to the country I thought CHANGE of a bigger denomination of money into a smaller one was asked like that since she was just outside the PUB and might be while paying the bills she needed CHANGE of money in a smaller denomination, so I replied: — “Yes, I’ve”.
And started to put my hand in the jacket’s pocket to take the wallet out as I wanted to reach my hotel room quickly to have some rest and more than that to escape from that extremely cold wind gushing into my eyes and nose.
Suddenly She said in a cold voice: — “No, no, not here, it’s a public place”.
I was surprised and taken a little aback as to what might be the issue in giving a CHANGE of money to anyone in a public place but again since I was new there so I thought maybe exchanging money in a public place wasn’t allowed there as per law.
Again, she said: — “Let’s go to your hotel and there you can give me the cash”.
I thought why to discomfort a girl on this cold night and just to exchange money why to make her walk around 2–3 Km and waste some 20–30 minutes?
So, I told her,
“Oh, your time will be wasted in going there and coming back, so let’s do it here”. (Not knowing that by saying this I was affirming her Indirect intentions)
She replied:-“ Here….hummmm actually, there is nothing to sit here and also it’s so much bright, anyone can see us”.
Danger on your face: Again, my surprises were having no end, I heard this and thought what! Can’t the money be exchanged while standing and in the light? I was getting confused and a little conscious also as to what is the real scene! I am a little frightened now for my passport and money security rather than my own.
Quickly she looks around points her finger toward the sideway of the PUB and says,
“Let’s go there, it’s a bench there big enough for us to sit or lie and do it there and also the light is very dim for anyone to see us at this time”.
Time to face it: Now my small sense of doubt started getting bigger and I started talking in my mind to myself as to Why she wants to take CHANGE in the dark place and what’s the use of a bench in this whole scene? What if she is a gang member of a gang robbing people in the dark and this is her modus operandi of taking people in dak might be her gang members would be waiting there and the moment I go there they will attack me.
Now, I thought I’d figured out that asking to go to my hotel also might be a plan to take money from me legitimately by trapping me by taking pictures or anything, etc.
By this time, I was becoming clear that it was not about the CHANGE of money but some kind of small robbery or money looting plan and I had to get out of this without showing that I was escaping away.
I told her: — “There? Ok but let me check my wallet as now I remember I paid the dinner bill with the last of the Pounds and am left with a few coins only, just let me check.”
I acted as if there was no money and told her that I’d go to the hotel reception and borrow some cash and quickly come back but she need not wait and could carry on and I’ll search and find her inside or outside the PUB and then will do the “Money EXCHANGE” as she wants.
She hesitantly agreed and said: — “OK but surely, you’ll come back? I’ll be around here only”. See you then in a few minutes”.
In the end, it ended well: I replied: — “Yes, why not? I’ll just go and come back soon but don’t wait much”. Giving a subtle hint also that may be due to some unavoidable circumstances there is a faint chance of me not even returning, to not to keep her in a long wait there.
I started quickly towards my hotel and within minutes I was inside the room with no intention of going back as I was afraid of losing my money, purse, and whatnot. There was a little guilt also as I told her a lie and she might wait for me there and will be sadly surprised to not find me back as told. But it was a pursuit of saving my money, and passport, and maybe a slight threat to my life also as understood by me then.
Later on, I kept on thinking about this incident from various angles What if She was in actual need of a CHANGE of money? What if she was stuck in a situation from which my help could’ve taken her out? What if finding me not coming back she searched for me a little far in the dark and faced some problem? But the biggest thing for me then was to keep myself safe in all situations as I was new and unaware of the local rules and policies. Anyhow all those thoughts started getting subsidized slowly till one fine day I realized,
WHAT IF SHE WAS A FOR THE TIME BEING COMPANION (Most of the world refers to it as AN ESCORT) AND TRYING TO PROVIDE “A forbidden SERVICE” IN RIGHTFUL EXCHANGE FOR MONEY!!
