The Lord of the Geeks

II. Stella's Story

Back in Auckland, Stella regretted not taking the whole tour package that the travel website offered. Had she done so, she would have been immersed in a hot spring with Greek god-lookalike Eddie that night, instead of dining in the hotel's only restaurant alone. The thought depressed her so she ordered room service, but added a glass of Riesling to continue her exploration of the New Zealand white wines.

It was raining and her room overlooked a park, so she sat by the window, listened to Chopin's "Raindrop" prelude, and watched the autumn leaves and park benches being drenched, all from the comfort of her warm chair. Her mobile phone suddenly rang, and she wondered whether Eddie had telephatically gotten her number. But she saw that it was Richard calling. Her heart jumped and she grabbed the phone.

"I'm still not talking to you," she said, in a voice that did not sound convincing.

"Stella, my lovely, how was your tour? Did you get to brush Legolas' hair?"

"I was in Bag End, you silly, ignorant brute. Legolas is an elf not a hobbit. Call me when you have your Middle Earth facts straightened out."

"Oh goddess of perfection, what will the world do without all the knowledge that you store in your pretty little head? My world is falling apart. I need you back. I need you to help me figure out the cable and TV remote controls."

"I'm thinking of extending my trip here, Rich."

"What do you mean, extend? Impossible. Stella, we both know you can't live without me a day more than necessary."

But you can. Live without me. Stella did not say that out loud, but felt increasingly convinced that she needed this time apart from him.

"I want to explore the city more. And I heard the University of Auckland has a campus with heritage buildings and they are within walking distance from my hotel."

"Do I hear Chopin in the background? Are you writing again? Please tell me you're writing; only then will I allow you to extend."

Stella wanted to slap him for his petulance. "Why, I do believe I don't need your permission." After a slight hesitation, she added, "And I don't need to be around while you throw yourself at that new Boy Wonder you just met."

Richard heard the genuine hurt in Stella's voice and stopped being playful, for her sake. They were still both getting used to the truth being out there between them, that the reason why they could not be together, even after years of flirtatious friendship and deep conversations, was that Richard wanted to date other men. He had just admitted this to her, one night, to end all the questions. Moving to Australia had allowed him the freedom to be himself. Stella had followed him using a student visa, and left everything behind in Manila. He knew he should have told her earlier, but he still had not figured out himself at the time.

"Ok, Stell. Tell me about your big day at the movie set. I bet your tiny frame fit right into that hobbit-hole."

"The interiors were shot in Wellington." Stella could sense the sudden change of topic and took a sip of her white wine to calm herself. "I entered the biggest hole, and there was nothing inside but sawdust. I met someone, though."