‘Hey Francine, make it a double. It happened again. Like a deja vu,’  A husky voice makes Ryan turn his head.

A woman is sitting with a sullen face in the stool next to him. Ryan looks at her. She is older than him but still has managed to be quite in shape. Her body hugging beige coloured enticing dress has highlighted all her curves well enough to draw attention of any man. Ryan can detect a subtle layer of foundation and a touch of pink rouge on her face. She may not be a breathtaking beauty, but would definitely pass with flying colours in the good looks department.

‘Oh dear!’Francine says. ‘Don’t lose hope,Daisy. Everything happens in it’s own pace and time.Wait let me fetch your drink. You will feel better.’

Daisy sits quietly staring blankly at the long wooden table.

‘Deja vu?What happened again?’ Ryan can’t believe that he is asking this to a stranger. It is none of his business. But he is feeling curious after eavesdropping to their conversation.

Daisy looks at him and frowns. Her kohl lined eyes are slightly smudged in the corners. She lets out a sigh eventually and replies,’Heartbreak.’

‘I am sorry,’ he looks at her ring finger. It is empty.’Boyfriend?’

She nods. ‘All men need just one thing. Nothing else matters for them.’

‘That’s not true,’ Ryan takes a sip of his drink while Francine brings Daisy’s drink.

‘Oh really?’ she fakes a surprise.

‘Of course.There are many out there who give love and compatibility more value above anything.’

‘And when will I find one such kind?’ She sips her drink leaving a mark of red lipstick on the glass.

‘You never know. Maybe, he is sitting right next to you.’

Both of them look at each other and burst into a laughter.

‘Ryan Jones.’

‘Daisy Evans.’

The chilly London weather suddenly becomes warm for two people.

Ryan and Daisy exchange their numbers and meet in various cafes and joints in London. A week later, they know by heart their likes and dislikes. After his break up with Sophia, he too has a void in life which Daisy has surprisingly filled in a very short time. Daisy on the other hand has discovered a confidante in Ryan. Moreover, he is not running after sex, a trait which makes him different and more attractive from all the men she has dated so far.

‘He will certainly understand me, this time, it’s different,’ she thinks.

On Friday morning, she calls Ryan.

‘What’s the plan tonight?’ Ryan’s first question after he picks up her call.

‘Let’s meet for dinner at my place,’ Daisy replies.

‘Are you sure?’ It is the first time she has invited him at her place.

‘Very much.’

‘Will catch you after work then,’ Ryan hangs up the call with a smile on his face.

On his way to Daisy’s apartment, he picks up a bouquet of roses and stops by a medical store.

‘Good evening, darling,’ Ryan kisses her passionately soon after she opens the door.

‘Someone is excelling in giving surprises,’ she hugs him firmly after taking a look at the flowers.

After a sumptuous  dinner, Daisy holds Ryan’s hand and takes him inside her bedroom.

‘I love you, Ryan,’ Daisy starts kissing him and pushes him on the bed.

‘I love you too, dear. More than my life,’ Ryan starts pulling the zip of her dress down.

‘I want to confess something at first,’ Daisy says with slight hesitation in her husky voice.

‘What?’Ryan’s concentration is stuck on what is lying beneath the dress.

‘Pull out the dress,’ she commands.

He undresses her and she brings herself out of her lingerie. Ryan gets the shock of his life. He discovers another man standing in front of him in the bedroom. There are scars on Daisy’s upper and lower body.

‘Don’t worry. I am undergoing sex change treatment. Within few months I assure you will get what I too want to give you. ‘

Ten minutes later, Ryan is standing below Daisy’s apartment, searching a place to puke. Love and compatibility have shifted to the last row. He regrets the evening when he got curious about Daisy in the bar.

Daisy picks up her padded bra and dumps in the laundry bag.

 

The very next evening, Daisy finds herself sitting in the bar and saying, ‘Hey Francine, make it a double. It happened again.Like a deja vu.’

‘Don’t lose hope….’ Francine consoles. Daisy hears a young man’s curious voice coming from the stool beside her.

He asks, ‘Deja vu?What happened again?’