FIC:Flight 353 to Hong Kong (F + M) FINISHED !

[countless]

NEXT PART !!! Hope you still like it ...

Mr Wang’s office was located on the 21st floor of a glass building, overlooking the bay. Hong Kong was bustling and hot and humid, and entering this modern building with a decent airco felt like an oasis in the desert. The lady at the reception desk announced their arrival to mr Wang, and a bit later Dor and Randall were in the elevator.

5 … 6 … 7 … 8 … it was moving up fast. As if someone would have given a command they both grabbed their hankies from their pockets and gave their noses a good blow. ‘If you want to sneeze please *sniff* do it now’, Randall laughed. And when passing the 20th floor they disappeared into their pockets again. And then the door opened…

Mr Wang was waiting for them. He was not big, as most Asians, hard for our couple to tell how old he was, with a big smile and wearing a white silk suit. They were following him to his office. It was not full of high-tech, like mr Jenkins’s, plain white walls with a big framed calligraphed Chinese character. Meaning ‘money’, Randall knew, as it was part of the company name. A rather old-fashioned desk with two chairs in front, where both of them were seated. Next there was the ritual of exchanging business cards etc. Whilst introducing themselves a lady came in with a tea tray and served the three of them.

Randall and mr Wang were talking about business next. As soon as it was clear that Dor would not be attending the whole conference mr Wang turned away and was looking into the drawer of his desk. Randall used this opportunity to exchange glances with his girlfriend. ‘OK ?’ he formed with his lips. She smiled and nodded to confirm that she was fine. How could she control her sneezy, runny nose so well ? Maybe that hot tea had been helpful, Randall supposed.

There was a big smile on mr Wang’s face when he looked up again. ‘Look, mrs Dorothy, I have got a shopping guide for you. Hong Kong is a paradise for beautiful young ladies that like fashion.’ ‘Oh thadks,’ Dor said and accepted it.

Ooooh dear ! She would need her hanky soon. Her nose was congested again, and she could feel how the watery mucus was trying to find its way out, thus tickling her nostrils. She was sniffling silently in an attempt to stop the chain reaction. And Randall had noticed her panic. His eyes were telling her to try to hold it back. And she managed to do so !

But … she heard how Randall was sniffing too in between his sentences, and as soon as mr Wang looked away he was wiping his nose with the back of his hand. No doubt … he was having a problem, she realized.

Randall was feeling very uncomfortable now. Mr Wang kept on talking about the factory, and all Randall could concentrate on was the tickle deep in his nose. He needed to blow. A good blow. Could this still be the morning sniffles, or was it a brewing cold ? Anyway he should try to finish this conversation. Get out to the toilet ? Yes, that could be a …

HUAAATSSCCHHHCHOOOOWWWWW !!!

A big wet sneeze had taken Randall by surprise … He still managed to put his cupped hands around his nose and mouth, but uuuuuuuuhhh … Now he was still sitting there like that, frozen, feeling how this sneeze had sprayed his hands all over. Dor was looking at him with big scary eyes. What an embarrassing situation …

‘Bless you, mr Randall !’ mr Wang said. ‘Here, need a tissue ?’ And Dor and Randall could not believe their eyes when mr Wang

took a tissue box from his drawer and

placed it on the desk in front of his business relations … that both had a good blow !

TBC

[The Sneezster]

Thank you, countless, for continuing this story. As always, I look forward to hearing more from you, Dorothy, and Randall.

[count tiszula]

Hooray! They're back; and after far too long. There are so many wondeerful possibilities open to our heroes now, that you simply must give them a free hand to let themselves go.

Erm, Dorothy's been holding back a bit successfully recently, hasn't she? Delightful as it is to hear about her heroic efforts, nay battle, against the encircling sneeziness.

[Guest]

Well done C ... keep up the good work.. up to your usual standard

[A big collection]

Again, an excellent story.

Look forward to the next chapter.

[silentdreamer789]

Lovely! Hope that Randall IS coming down with a cold...

silentdreamer789

[count tiszula]

More!

[countless]

So, my friends, I FINALLY finished this story. All stories should have an end, and it has been in my head for a long time.

I hope it will meet your expectations.

And as you will notice... there may be more stories to come...

By the time it was getting dark – and 6pm means night in a place like Hong Kong – our friends were entering a kind of trade building. Mr Wang had given them this hint !

After the ‘tissue issue’ and some more sneezing and sniffling they had found the courage to ask mr Wang for a nice address to stock up on extra handkerchiefs. The man had been very helpful. Actually it was a place where wholesale agents had a kind of permanent exposition for potential customers.

Randall had put his arm around Dorothy’s waist and was playing with the sodden white hanky that was poking out of her pocket. She had been sneezing and blowing well. He wanted to say something to her, but sneeze number 58 kept him from doing so. Mmmmm, how she loved the feeling of his shaking body and the sound of a cloud of spray escaping from his nose. His morning sniffles had turned into a bad head cold by now. This had brought them into a real handkerchief crisis.

‘Bless you’, Dorothy said once more. ‘Let’s enter, my dear.’ Although they did not expect much they felt excitement as they walked through the door.

‘Waaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…’, Dorothy uttered.

‘Ooooohhhh’, Randall added, very wet brown hanky (last available one) clutched around his runny nose. In front of them was an aisle, and on both the left and right side of it there were hanky shops, 20 or 50 or maybe even 100 !! They could not believe their eyes (you are getting envious, dear friends ? take a look yourself ! http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/Handkerchief.html).

It is hard to describe what was going through their heads. They were feeling like spoilt children.

‘Tell me this is real’, Randall asked his girl.

She answered with a wet Heeetschuuuuuuummff into her white hanky, followed by a watery blow.

‘Walhallah, nirvana or heaven, I don’t care !’, she said, and pulled Randall’s sleeve. Seconds later they were standing inside the first shop, where silk handkerchiefs in all sizes and colours and hues were displayed. They were touching them, discussing hues, designs and qualities.

‘A dozen of those 50x50 in different colours would be excellent’, Randall concluded.

‘I love the flower collection’, Dorothy added.

A Chinese shopkeeper was approaching them.

‘What items are you looking for,’ she wanted to know.

‘Aah, well, what is the price of a dozen of those ?’ Randall responded.

The lady shook her head. ‘This is a wholesale center, sir, individuals cannot buy here.’

Almost simultaneously Dorothy and Randall sneezed into their sodden hankies.

They asked for an exception, but the lady did not want to give in. This was real torture : having a bad cold, being surrounded by thousands and thousands of fresh hankies and not being able to buy one single !!!!

‘Ahem !’

A male voice sounded from behind them. Our friends turned their heads. A western man in grey suit, somewhere in his fifties, was standing there and smiled.

‘You seem to be experts – I followed the discussion you had about the quality – sorry that may have been a bit impolite’, the man continued. They recognised his London accent.

He handed a business card to Randall. ‘My name is Sam Adams. I am working for Atishoo, that is a British company selling designer hankies (take a look, my friends http://www.atishoo.co.uk). Actually I am the one who is buying the new collections.’

‘Pleased to meet you, sir’, our sniffling couple answered.

They introduced themselves and told about the computer company they were working for, the conference, and their colds and the problem with the shopkeeper.

Minutes later Sam Adams had arranged things – he turned out to be a regular customer - and Dorothy unfolded a red silk one with white roses. Uchhuuummmmmmffffff !!!!! PPPPFFFSSHHHHHHHHHH

How she appreciated the softness and dryness on her sensitive nose…

‘Lovely quality and lovely design’, she concluded.

‘You think so ? Sam Adams asked.

‘Yes, definitely !’ she confirmed.

Sam Adams smiled and noted down the references.

‘We need to go now’, Randall said after some more talking, whilst clutching a soft red one around his red nose (different hue).

‘Good luck, guys’, Sam Adams said. ‘Enjoy your further stay in Hong Kong in spite of that colds. And let’s keep in touch !’

Minutes later they were walking on the avenue, surrounded by millions of city lights. Cars and busses hissing by. Business people in suits hurrying as they always do. The air was still sticky and warm. Food stalls were catering to passers-by. Unfortunately the bouquet of delicate smells did not get through our friends' congested noses. They were moving on, plastic bags in their hands. Full of beautiful, colourful, trendy and most of all very useful silk HANDKERCHIEFS.

HAEEEESHOOOOOOO !!

The End

Countless - June 2008

[norcal tinkfan]

Good ending! That poor couple! I am so glad you finished it!

[The Sneezster]

Thanks for the wrap-up. You know I remain a loyal Dorothy and Randall fan. I don't know why, but those links don't seem to work for me. Is anyone else having this problem?

[Vetinari]

Yay!

Thank you so much for finishing this!

[count tiszula]

Hurrah for Dorothy! At last she has found her spiritual and nasal home! I do hope that, now fortified, she will go on to have even naughtier adventures. Possibly even with Xanthe in a London cafe.

I think it must be Valhalla; I can just see all those Vikings sneezing their noble heads off and needing a heroic blow into their huge, flaxen hankies.....

Somehow the final close parenthesis has got included in the links; if you delete it from the er bit the link goes to, it works.