The sun was still shining brightly in the sky though it was already afternoon. The weather was kind of weird. You'd think that it would be warm because the sun was shining brightly and oddly it was not. Leena even felt a bit cold whenever the wind blew. Her face was hurting with how the wind struck it, especially on the part where her skin was scratched. To be honest, that woman was too vicious for her age. Leena wasn't sure but she thought that she could be thirty or something. It was really hard to tell because of the lady's heavy makeup. All the products on her face were perfectly hiding her true age. Thus, all Leena could do was to guess.
With her hair messed by the wind, Leena lifted her hands to tame her mane. She was not in a hurry while patiently waiting for Kevin. In fact, she was enjoying the rare free time she had to the point that she had been sporting a constant smile since she arrived.
She chose to wear something really casual today, just a simple white top, a dark gray cashmere overshirt that was cut v-neck, then a burgundy wool coat outside. She paired the ensemble with leather pants and a pair of brown boots with mid heels. She might be casual but still very astounding. She couldn't look any better with how beautiful she was.
Her back was against her car's door the whole time she was standing on that place. Since she got nothing to do, she turned her gaze on the soldiers who were guarding the door with serious faces. Her eyebrows furrowed for a second as she noticed something about the men. 'Wow! These soldiers look even younger than me!' Indeed, the soldiers were really young. It was amazing that they were already doing something meaningful for their country at such an age. The idea was so nice that Leena couldn't help but admire and respect them sincerely for it.
On the other hand, the soldiers were a bit bothered by the beautiful lady's constant gaze. It was unnerving to have someone as pretty as Leena focused on them. It was really easy to tell that they badly wanted to move though they stood still. They didn't even have any idea about how long would Leena watch them!
Meanwhile, Kevin had completely forgotten that he asked Leena to come and pick him up. He got this bad-mannerism of getting too absorbed with his job once he started doing it. He was engrossed with his computer when his phone suddenly rang. That forced him to put his work down and then without even looking at the phone screen, picked his phone up and put it next to his ear.
"Hello? This is Kevin," he said as his eyes never left his computer screen. He was looking at a picture of a weapon while his other hand wrote down things on his notebook.
"Kev, it's me. Are you busy right now?" It was Shannon who was calling. She was sitting on a chair in their yard while sunbathing. There were a lot of snacks on the small table in front of her. There was also a steaming cup of coffee too. She felt kind of lonely when the kids were not around. So she called Kevin to check up on him and Claire. It was only recently when her little girl moved out of their house and it worried her that Claire was causing trouble for her brother and sister-in-law.
"Hello, Mom! I'm not very busy. How are you and dad?" Kevin finally withdrew his gaze from the computer screen and turned his full attention to the call. It was his mother and to be honest, he missed his parents too.
Don't worry about us. We're both fine. How about you guys? How's Claire? Why didn't she answer my call?" Shannon had a gentle smile on her face. How thoughtful for their son to worry about them!
"Oh. Maybe she didn't hear her phone ring? Just call her later," responded Kevin with furrowed eyebrows. Now that his mother brought Claire up, he couldn't help but worry too. He didn't even have an idea about what she was up to. She just said that she was going to try being more independent the other day. What was with the sudden change? Moreover, she had been abroad for years, so how could she say that she wasn't independent enough?
"Yeah, I guess I'm gonna do that. How about Leena? Isn't she with you right now?" Though it wasn't really that long ago yet since Shannon last met Leena, she was already missing the sweet girl.
"No, I am at the army base now. Oh, God! I forgot something important. Mom, how about this. I will call you later tonight. I have something really important to do right now." Kevin's tone suddenly turned urgent upon remembering Leena. He was rushing when he turned his computer off while talking. If his mother hadn't brought up Leena in their conversation, he wouldn't have realized that Leena was here to pick him up. It was already an hour late compared to what he told her and he wondered if Leena was upset about him being this late.
Okay! Okay! Go ahead! I just called to chat a bit. We can talk later if you are busy right now." Shannon let out a sigh under her breath. Her children were all grown up and had their respective things to do now.
"Yeah. Goodbye, Mom. Talk to you later!" said Kevin apologetically. He would like to talk to his mother a bit longer but it was not the right time for it. Leena was outside and he badly needed to get to her soon.
"Bye!" Shannon put down her phone after hanging up. She then picked her cup of coffee up from the table and took a sip. She was considering if it was good for her to travel a bit. Perhaps it would be nice to visit her kids, right?
The disappointment that was written all over Kevin's face was so clear as he put his phone in his pocket. He picked his briefcase and hat up and then bolted out of his office in huge strides.
Outside the army base, Leena wasn't in her car as she waited for Kevin. She was just standing outside with her eyes focused on the gate. She looked like she was spacing out as if there was something mesmerizing her.
At that point, the soldiers who were guarding the gate all let out a sigh. The beautiful lady had been eyeing them for a very long time. Thus, they were all wondering who she was waiting for. Did this beautiful lady just come here to visit the army base? The possibilities were endless and it stressed them that their only choice was to guess. One thing more was the fact that the lady before them was just standing there. She wasn't even taking pictures or bothering anyone directly. Therefore, they couldn't ask her to just leave.
The distance between his office and the army base gate suddenly seemed like a race track to Kevin. He was almost sprinting as he moved across the place. It was only when he finally saw the huge gate that his steps slowed down. He used his hand to straighten his uniform the same time he was greeted by the soldiers at the gate. They all gave him a military salute.
How long has she been here?" Kevin walked up to one of the soldiers and asked in a low voice. He gestured at Leena's direction and then gave each of the soldiers there a questioning look.
She has been here for more than an hour, Major General," answered the soldier honestly. He didn't understand why their Major General was asking him about this but he didn't need to know his reasons either.