January 19, 2021: Utinam Ne Illum Numquam Conspexissem

"I'll just call the emergency services. That's the smartest thing I can do right now."

Feeling her leg muscles starting to cramp, Syn was quick to be on her feet. She stretched out her limbs before dialing the number of the emergency services. As she was about to tap on the call icon, she immediately stopped and contemplated the situation.

'If I will be the one to make the call, I would have to stay and be questioned. That will take a lot of time considering I have a job at 8 pm. Should I just inform the owner of the diner? Or should I use a public phone to call 911, inform them, and quickly hang up?'

She looked behind her to see if there were any witnesses. As luck would have it, there were remotely no one in sight, not even a passerby, since the area was quite far from the main street. The lady then nodded to herself, allayed that she was free to make a choice. 

'I guess it will be better if I notify the owner. After all, If I decide to call, it will be when I'm on my way to work. This man clearly looks like he needs urgent medical attention.'

"Hang in there, mister. I'll get help for you."

She began to walk away from the man and headed to the decrepitit restaurant that served no less than good food.

Syn shifted the handle, lightly pushing the door open. The desolate dining area, clean nonetheless, and an old woman sitting on the farthest table from the entrance were what welcomed her.

"Good evening, Missus Meyer."

"Good evening to you too, little miss. It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has."

"Come in, come in, it's so cold outside."

She did as she was told, occupying the table that was nearest to where she was standing. Syn took off her jacket and hanged it on the backrest of the seat. She proceeded to remove her gloves and put them in the side pocket of her bag.

When she's finally settled in, Syn talked about the concern at hand.

"Missus Meyer, there is a man gravely wounded in the alley right beside this building. Would it be possible for you to take care of him?"

In that instant, although Syn did not notice because she was distracted with adjusting her baggage on the other seat, the face of the owner went aghast. The old woman began mumbling something incoherently.

Hearing no response, Syn lifted her head and stared at her company. The latter was just in time to revert to having a relaxed expression. 

"Well? Is that a no?"

"No, no dear. I'll have my son bring him to a nearby clinic, so don't you worry any further."

"That's a relief. Now that's done, can I order today's special?"

"Yes, dear. Make yourself comfortable. I'll just pay the cook a visit and let him know."

"Alright, thank you so much."

The old woman stood up and entered the room exclusive for the staff. Meanwhile, the young one leaned her back on the chair and breathed out the pent-up stress that she had accumulated. 

'The day is far from over. I understand that I need to work harder than how I am doing currently, but my body won't last if this continues. What a damn mess I am.'

As she was wallowing in self-pity, the phone that was on the table suddenly lit up. She picked it up, duly reading the notification that was displayed on the screen.

'A message from Mina? I guess it's the document about Mr O' Connor.'

She unlocked her phone and began reading the attachment sent by her supervisor.

'He is barely in his late 20's, yet this man is earning millions. Being the COO of the flagship company of the Edinnu Corporate Group, he should be considered a business magnate. Owning this amount of money in my bank account is a crime.'

She continued to scan the document till her curiosity was quenched, gently laying the phone back on the table once she's done. However, her hand halted midway when she saw a folded piece of paper exactly where she had put her phone. Syn took the paper, yet she just stared at it.

'Hmm? I could reckon this thing to be that man's. I should hand it to the owner. I won't have a need for this.'

The sound of a plate gently striking a wooden board woke the lady, bringing her consciousness down to earth.

"Here you go. What is that paper that has gotten your eyebrows furrowing like that?"

"I believe the man in the alley owned this. I'll give it to you."

"Really? I wonder what's this about?"

"You can see it for yourself, Missus Meyer."

Thereafter saying that, Syn handed the paper to the old woman.

Upon reading what was written on the paper, Missus Meyer's eyes harnessed glints of anger for a second. Syn digressed from questioning, not wanting to pry into the living's business.

"Thank you for the food, Missus Meyer."

"Y-yes, thank you to you too. I will leave the dining area so you can eat here peacefully."

"Sure."

The owner, in a hurried fashion, made her way to the back room. The emergence of barely audible noises ensued from the back room. Syn, as she was, enjoyed the food that was served to her, unaware of the trouble she had involved herself in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'I swear I won't give in to that manager's scheme again! I'm late in my next engagement because of her!'

Syn had presently left her part-time job and was en route to the agency to prepare for her meeting with the VIP client. She was dashing towards her destination, running forty-five minutes late.

The manager at her previous job held her paycheck back because the floor was short-staffed. Syn was basically forced to work additional hours to make up for it. That sort of occurrence did not bother Syn at the least. But today was an exception, owing to the fact that she was only subbing in for the hours of a coworker's deficit.

'I'm still far from the office. I cannot keep a client waiting. Taking a taxi is absolutely out of the question.'

She was thankful for the sidewalks that were paved off of the snowfall, greatly helping in not impending her unprecedented dash.

A couple of minutes into her marathon, the phone in her grip quivered ever so slightly. She gave it a brief glance, visibly frowning upon recognizing the caller. As if she had no choice but to oblige, her feet went to a halt whilst heaving like her heart was going to burst out of her rib cage. She then answered a call, though still uncollected.

"Haa... Ye-yes?"

{{ "Loward intersection, eastbound, in front of 24/7 mart, our company car driven by Louis is parked along the road awaiting your arrival. Clothes are in the back seat." }}

Syn only felt thankful, albeit accompanied by remorse, to Mina for saving her.