Diary Dates

Diary Dates

By T.J. Masters

Postgraduate student Andrew Chin arrives in London not only to study, but to explore life away from his traditional family in Singapore. His adventure begins at the airport, where he finds the diary of a wealthy British businessman and endeavors to return it.

James Howard is twice Andrew’s age, and he’s not used to selfless youngsters. Despite a rocky first meeting, the two develop an unlikely friendship as James introduces Andrew to the city. James is looking forward to the festivities leading up to Christmas in London and maybe a celebration with Andrew. But will a nasty bout of the flu ruin their romantic holiday?

Not if Andrew has anything to say about it.

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Dedication

I

II

III

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For Alan. He sowed the seed.

I

CABIN CREW, prepare for landing, please.

The pilot’s voice interrupted the movie Andrew was watching. He turned to look out the window. Far below there were lights twinkling in every direction; they were descending over London. After more than thirteen hours in the air, the thought of arrival filled him with excitement and anticipation.

Andrew had worked hard and made his family proud of their only son. A great school record led to university and an honors degree. Never one to rest on his laurels, he had secured a job with a very powerful and respected medical engineering company. Now, after just two years in the post, his company was sponsoring his place at King’s College London for a master’s degree.

The postgrad course was a big thing, but for Andrew, traveling to London to do it really was the icing on the cake. A couple of senior colleagues at work had already followed this route and spoke fondly of their time in London. Life here was going to be so different from the traditional culture of Singapore. Andrew took life quite seriously for a twenty-four-year-old, so he had no great plans to go wild during his stay, but he was looking forward to being away from the watchful eyes of his large family for the next year.

He had accepted that marriage was expected of him, but he was in no hurry to satisfy his family on that count. Attending his cousin’s wedding last month had reminded him of his obligations. It wasn’t just the comments and questions from every older member of the family, especially the nosy aunts, but also the shame of the red envelopes to come. The lai see were traditionally given by the married couple to the single members of the family at the next Chinese New Year to highlight their status.

Now he was nearly seven thousand miles from home and free to live his own life for a while. For months now, Andrew had compiled a huge list of places to see and things he wanted to experience. He was eager to get started.

A crowd of weary travelers carried Andrew along the aircraft walkway, through corridors, and up escalators, moving as part of a winding snake of fellow visitors presenting their papers at passport control.

Andrew had arranged to meet a friend from his undergraduate days at the airport. Jenny was also in England to study and had been a constant source of encouragement regarding Andrew’s plans to travel to the UK. It would be good to see a familiar face, but right now the call of nature was telling Andrew that he needed to find a restroom before venturing out to meet her.

Andrew was pleased to spot a young couple whom he’d chatted with at Changi and later during the flight. They had stopped at a row of seats near the restrooms and appeared to be sorting out some of their own luggage. The only other occupant of the seats was an older, smartly dressed businessman, sorting through some papers. After exchanging bows, Andrew asked the couple if they would mind watching his luggage briefly while he went to the toilet. They agreed, and he rushed off to relieve himself and splash some cold water on his face.

The couple were ready to leave when he got back, and the businessman had already gone. Andrew bade farewell to his fellow travelers and turned back to his own bags.

On the end seat next to his suitcase was a notebook of some kind, its pages bulked up by odd pieces of paper, all held together with a stout elastic band. Andrew looked around quickly for the businessman who’d been sitting there, thinking that the book looked like something a businessperson might carry, but saw no sign of him. Unsure what to do, Andrew picked up the weighty book and pulled the band off. Inside the front cover was the name James Howard. Below it was a neatly written e-mail address and telephone number.

Just then Andrew’s own phone buzzed. He took it from his pocket to find a text message from Jenny.

Where are you?

The sensible thing