I have to admit, I used to be afraid of letting people into my life.
I was afraid to open my heart and soul, I was afraid that the cold could envelop me without giving a chance to understand who people are.
But now, perhaps, I've begun to change. And as sad as it may sound, but the man who was the island began to meet a lot of ships.
Now, the question is, when will these ships leave me, leave the island?
Having falling asleep with such thoughts, I woke up the next morning from a phone call.
Ikuta called me, and when I answered the phone, he told me that there would be a teachers' conference today. But as long as I remembered myself, I never went to such conferences. And I just said I had no desire to sit around and listen to the empty chatter and discussion of other universities.
Instead, I just went back to my sleep.
But the next thing that woke me up was a bell at my door.
Dreamer was clearly annoyed by all these sounds, he just covered his nose with two paws and continued to sleep.
Well, I put on my robe and went down the stairs.
As I noticed the weather today was very sunny. And for a moment it seemed to me that it was summer.
When I opened the door still with sleepy eyes, along with warm sunlight, I was illuminated by the bright face of the man who was standing in front of my door.
It was Leon.
"Good morning," he said.
I wanted to ask what he was doing here, but to say I wasn't pleasantly surprised would be a lie. And instead of asking, I just took a few steps back and said, "Come in."
Once in my house for the second time, he looked around and looked at me and he smiled. There was something new in his smile that I had never seen before.
"Your smile, you look different," I said, feeling at home beside him.
He lowered his eyes and I thought he was confused. The blush on his pale face said that he was a little uncomfortable.
"Did you finish my book?" he suddenly asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"What do you think about it?"
"Beautiful, wise, perfect."
"In this book I wrote about my life. When I wrote it, I wasn't feeling well."
"And now all this is imprinted on the pages of this book. Now everything will be new. Don't you want coffee?"
He walked silently into my kitchen.
He was wearing a white T-shirt and white jeans today. His hair was ruffled and he looked like a dandelion.
He had a slightly sleepy face, but nevertheless he radiated a certain happiness.
While I was taking all the food out of the fridge and decided to make an omelet and sandwiches with cheese, he sat and looked out the window across the street.
Dreamer, hearing the arrival of the guest, vigorously jumped on his knees and began to purr loudly.
Having gathered my hair, I looked at him and then I caught his eye.
Every time he didn't take his eyes off me, I felt a little bit of a perceptible fear.
What did his silence mean? What was hidden in his eyes?
Breaking the silence, he finally said, "Professor, I want you to go with me somewhere. For three days."
Most importantly it wasn't even a question.
"Where?"
"It's a surprise. But you're going to love it. If you agree, we need to leave right now."
"I can't leave the cat."
"Then we'll take him with us."
Noticing what I was thinking, he added, "I know you're free these days. Take it easy. The place I want to show you is not so far from the city."
Noticing how I agreed, I was already standing in my room and packing my things.
I was interested, and I wanted to understand Leon. Understand what kind of man he is.
Putting my notebook and book in my backpack, I also took a few shirts and pants.
After I put Dreamer in his own little backpack, I went down to the first floor.
"Professor, do you always dress like that? We're going to nature, not the ball."
"What can I do, I don't have any other clothes. Just suits."
He smiled a little and left the house.
When I locked the door behind me, I noticed that he was already sitting on motorcycle.
Leon, sitting on a black motorcycle, put on his helmet and said, "Give me a cat. Without him, you'll be more comfortable holding on."
Perhaps sitting on a motorcycle in a suit was a little uncomfortable.
"Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?"
"No."
"Well then hold on tight," he said.
Slightly clasping his waist, I, with a backpack on my back, wearing a helmet with flames of fire, was ready to face my new life.
Before I could touch Leon's black leather jacket, we were already racing along the houses.
Sensing a warm wind on my hair, I closed my eyes and hugged Leon tighter.
I was a little scared, but my heart was beating fast shouting the word, "Happiness!"
The whole town was behind us. And as we drove past the busy streets where there was a small traffic jam, I heard laughter. Leon laughed. How many secrets he creates around him.
What did he mean by that laughter?
I loved the feeling of the wind running forward.
The wind lulled me. The sun's rays danced through the autumn foliage.
I closed my eyes and soon I was asleep, though that part of my consciousness felt the wind and the wheels of the motorcycle sliding on the asphalt.
"Skye, wake up," he whispered and took off his helmet.
Standing in the middle of a field that still kept green tones, I involuntarily yawned.
"You slept so soundly," Leon said holding Dreamer who continued to sit in his backpack.
"I felt so good," I replied, and my answer made him smile again.
"Then we'll walk."
Following him, we walked along the path that led to nowhere. There was only a boundless steppe around us.
For the next few minutes, we walked in complete silence.
The wind died down and only a smooth path led straight ahead.
It's like there was no end to it.
When the path started to go upwards the slope, I felt a slight discomfort in my legs from the shoes. Noticing this, Leon stopped and staring into my eyes, suddenly said, "Can I carry you on my back?"
"What?! No!"
"Well good," he said and allowed me to go ahead.
Now, stepping forward, I could feel his look on my back.
I was a little uncomfortable, but I kept going until the path finally ended, and we saw small houses in front of us.
"We are in place," Leon said, and headed toward a two-story house that was built of small stones.
No sooner had I understood where we were and noticed some of the inhabitants who were curiously looking at me, as Leon suddenly exclaimed, "Grandpa!"
An elderly man in a light, yellow shirt and jeans appeared on the doorstep of a stone house and gladly hugged Leon.
Then, suddenly, having changed his mystery, Leon grabbed my hand and with force pulled me to him.
"Grandpa, this is Professor Skyemoone. Professor, this is my grandfather, Nico."
Nico, Leon's grandfather, smiled and reached out to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you Professor."
Seeing this tall man with white hair through which, you could see the black strands, I noticed that he and Leon have similarities. Both had dark green eyes.
"Grandpa, we're going to be here for three days, do you still have my old clothes?"
"Of course, your clothes are always in your room. Professor, come into the house."
When his grandfather left us alone, Leon whispered in my ear, "Don't worry. My grandfather is a very kind man. He just looks like he doesn't like anyone."
"Why did you bring me here?"
"All the fun is ahead," Leon replied, and grabbing my hand, dragging me along.
The house on the inside was made of dark wood.
There were carpets and paintings everywhere. There was a sense of ancient centuries around. On the old dressers there were chandeliers and lay a lot of notebooks.
Walking down the corridor with small windows, Leon opened the door and I found myself in a spacious room where there was a bed and one closet.
In the very corner there was a rocking chair and in the middle of the room stood a large table filled with books.
The walls of the room were also made of high-quality dark wood.
The soft green carpet felt nice for the feet after a long walk.
Leon, taking out a bright green T-shirt and khaki pants, as well as black sneakers, held it out to me with the words, "Change your clothes."
I did what he said.
Being in such simple but comfortable clothes was strange to me, but I liked the way I looked.
"Come on, Grandpa's probably waiting for us."