He had been knocking for almost two minutes. He looked at the girl apologetically but she didn't seem to mind. He knows somebody is inside – he can hear them talking loudly.
He was about to turn around when the door was yanked open. A teenage boy peeked then irritably slammed the door shut again.
"My nephew…" he looked at the girl wanting to explain the rudeness that they witnessed but he gave up and gestured for her to follow inside.
She shook her head so he led her to a nearby chair on the porch and told her to wait a bit.
She nodded and he went inside.
"What was that?" He asked the teenage boy who opened the door.
"Dude, I opened the door," he insolently answered.
"Don't dude me, boy. You know what you did was rude. Somebody ought to teach you some manners!" He angrily stepped close to him and he shrank back.
"What's that, John?" His sister got between him and the boy.
"This bastard was rude to me, Annie." He tried going past her but she stepped even closer to him.
"Don't talk to him like that." She shot him a warning look.
"Yeah, dude. You are the one who is rude." He suddenly got his spine back now that mommy is here to stand up for him.
He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.
"Watch it, boy. Your mom is not gonna be around forever."
"John!" She clearly took that the wrong way.
"No, Annie...I wasn't threatening him. I was just stating a fact. He has to learn how to treat others better because there will not always be someone there to coddle him."
"Then I will teach him to be strong so that he will not have to bow to anyone, ever." She planted her feet firmly as if expecting a fight.
"You are clearly taking this the wrong way but if that is how you wanna raise him, be my guest." His patience is really wearing thin now.
"I don't think you are in any position to lecture my mom, dude. Look at yourself!"
The brat is getting dangerously close to getting his smug face smacked hard.
John decided to let it go. He thought of the young girl waiting for him and decided that it was time to go.
He looked at his room and reflected on how scant his possessions are. Not that it matters. He just didn't find anything worth keeping.
He took some clothes and hurriedly stuffed it in the bag. The longer he stayed, the stronger the compulsion to leave. He couldn't wait to leave the single thin thread tying him to a shallow way of living.
Annie appeared in the doorway, arms crossed. He knew what that meant. He inwardly groaned.
"Where to, this time?" His sister doesn't really want to know.
"Truth is, you are not asking and I am not telling. Let's just leave it at that." He picked up the bag and made his way to the door. His sister did not budge.
"I suppose you are going to pay me back everything you owed before leaving?" Her tone was mildly insulting. She knows he can't.
"I will...just not today," he answered mildly enough but she seemed to take offense even in that.
"Oh...yeah. Because good things are just around the corner waiting for you, isn't that right?"
"What do you really want, Annie?"
"I want you to apologize to my son for being rude to him. You want him to learn respect, right? You can do that at least. You are, afterall, the only person who knows about that kind of thing."
"You might want to get someone to take a look at your kidneys, Annie." He doesn't want to do this with her. It might be the last time they are going to speak like this and he didn't want it to be this way.
"What bullshit are you on, again? God, John! Will you ever listen to yourself? No wonder you got no one…"
"It was my choice to be alone. And now, I am going to completely live up to the word. I am leaving. Listen to me: go to a doctor. Get your kidneys checked."
He gently pushed her aside but she violently shrugged as if his touch revulsed her to the core.
He felt sad at the hate he saw in her eyes.
"Leaving so soon, dude?" shouted the little bastard as he crossed the living room.
"Stop using your 'mood enhancers' buddy. Consider this a parting gift."
He closed the door and inhaled the cool afternoon breeze. It was beginning to get dark. His first step outside the house was surprisingly light.
He took the young girl's hand.
The road ahead of them looked especially bright and unreal. He looked back but the house seemed so tiny and distant. He made a silent promise and went on to start another life.
"What's your name?" he asked the girl who is obviously lost in whatever sounds are coming from her headphones.
He lifted one speaker and spoke loud.
"What is your name?" he repeated.
She removed the headphones and looked at him darkly.
"Ice," she simply said.
"Where do you live?"
"I don't remember…" She looked a little scared.
"Look, honey. I am going on a very uncertain journey and I'm not sure if I ought to bring you. Not even if I wanted to, I can't possibly take care of you."
She stopped walking and showed him a piece of paper. Written on it is an address.
"Is that where you live?"
She shrugged.
"Alright, I will take you there first but we have to grab a bite before we do that. Where do you want to eat?"
She shyly pointed at a nearby fast food chain.
"Okay. I can do with a couple of chicken legs." He grinned at her and her answering smile made his heart melt.
"What language did you use back then?" he asked while eating.
"I don't know," she said.
"It seems familiar somehow." He took one chicken leg.
"Mmm...this is good," he said as he took a bite. She also took one and looked at him.
"You don't need my permission. Come on, eat." He finished his and took another one. This is probably one of the best meals he had in a long time. He drank deeply and the soda filled him with a deep sense of nostalgia.
He belched loudly and Ice giggled. He winked at her and they both laughed.
"You spoke it too," she said suddenly.
"Huh?" He put down his cup.
"The language. You spoke it too, back then."
"Did I? I don't remember…" He tried but really could not remember.
Nobody said anything for a long time. John looked around.
He saw a mother and child. The child is reaching for the tray and his mom is trying to get him to settle down as she looked for a vacant table.
There are no vacant ones but a lot of the four seaters are occupied by single customers. No one offered.
He caught Ice's gaze. They both nodded and stood at the same time.
A teenage boy immediately slid past Ice and sat.
"Yo, you finished ayt? Scoot over there so we can eat in peace." He made little waving motions with his hand. His friends are now standing behind them. They don't even have a single tray of food.
"No. We are not," John said flatly.
"I think you are, hommes!" One of the boys crossed his arms and tried to look at John menacingly. He remembered his nephew. He groaned inwardly.
A guard was looking at them so he motioned for him to come. The guard nodded and approached them.
"What seems to be the matter, sir?" he asked John.
"These gentlemen are disturbing us while we are eating."
"No we are not! You were leaving!" the one seated argued.
The guard looked at the half eaten chicken and the half-filled cups and then at the boys.
"Come on boys, leave them be. There are plenty of other tables for you."
"No, they are all occupied foo!" one of them said and the guard whirled so fast to face him that he took a step back.
"What did you call me?" The burly guard pulled his stick and smacked it to his palm.
The boy swallowed hard. Beads of sweat are forming on his forehead.
"Nothing...sir," he squeaked.
"Now, I suggest you go buy some food first and by the time you all did, a table will be ready for you. That alright?" He smiled with no humor.
"Fine…" they sullenly chorused. John and Ice exchanged glances and tried to hide their smile.
As they were walking away, John saw that the mother and child are still standing in one corner waiting for a table. They are, however, looking in their direction so John waved for them to come near.
The guard looked at him knowingly. He grinned and gave John a fist bump.
The mother thanked them and put their tray at the table. John and Ice smiled at her and quietly left.
The group of boys were looking at them darkly and started whispering with one another.
They walked to the door faster as the group started walking after them.
As they stepped out, they looked back and saw that the big guard was holding the door closed as the boys were trying to open it.
The guard nodded at them and winked.
They walked away faster.
They got to the bus stop. John looked at the address again and told Ice to get on the bus. As the bus door hissed to close, the belligerent group of boys appeared running. They saw them and shouted something. John just waved at them and smiled.
Several of them flipped them the bird.
He laughed hard as he saw Ice flipping them back but her hand was below the window, hidden from them.
He pulled her arm up so that they could see her fingers. She immediately closed it to a fist.
He laughed harder as the bus started to move.
Ice's face turned red and she pouted.
He ruffled her hair and reclined his seat. It will be a good 3 hours before their destination.
He closed his eyes and dreamed of a house in the middle of a floating rock. He knows where it is.