The day seemed to move rather slowly for Colette who was getting impatient for evening to arrive. Chloe and Patience had left an hour earlier to their various homes, leaving Colette rather lonely in her lively house, cooped up in her room and submerged in the warmth of it. It was still freezing outside.
She was in her bed wrapped like a row with her woolen coverlet. She checked time in her alarm clock on the table in front of her; it was 3:15pm. She was to follow her father by 6:00pm to get a new phone. She looked at her palmtop on her reading table and got out of bed, heading towards it.
A thought struck her. Mercedes had crashed the car which gave the warning explosion before the square itself exploded, and the car itself was under investigation. She didn't ask her in the hospital and only remembered because of the news she watched. She wondered if Mercedes was really in the clear.
She began researching the incident on the web, reading different blogs and write-ups on their account of the incident, the different conspiracy theories drawn to it, particularly one that involved Nicorp pharma.
Colette felt Nicorp had nothing to do with it.
After some time typing away and reading, she searched on San Antonio Memorial Hospital, and noted their call line to their reception. Al these took her almost one hour, so she went back to bed to take a nap once she felt her head ache.
***
Evening time, and Colette was already dressed in casual wear – black jean trousers and a brown blouse with a coat over it and a blue beanie, then a scarf around her neck.
In the living room, her mom and aunt were chatting about the latter's experience in Brazil with Clement watching TV. When they noticed Colette Mia asked how she felt to which Colette gave a positive response, but Clara couldn't help but tease Colette's eagerness for a new phone, which made Clement giggle.
"Atleast I'm getting another phone ya hear Chris, you ain't got one before!"
"Ouch!" Clara giggled at Colette's comeback, leaving Clement morose.
"I thought we're on the same side aunt," Clement said, then turning his head sharply back to the TV.
"Aw, you kids have been at odds since Colette recovered, I thought you were happy to go see her in the hospital Clement, and you, I thought you'd be happy to see your brother." Mia gave Colette a disapproving stare.
"Oh mom but he started it!" Colette stared back at her mother, who just gave that motherly death stare back at Colette.
"So can you tell me exactly how he started it?" Mia asked.
"Well…it was back in the hospital…can't really remember…"
"Ya, you really did hit your head hard huh?" Clement joked.
"Mom you see now?" Colette said, looking at her mother with a face pleading for support. Clara just sat beside Mia, laughing softly at her relation's antiques.
Argus came to the living room not long later. Tensions had already calmed down.
"Oh good Col, you're all ready. Clement tag along!"
"Hmm?" Clement turned around to check if he heard well and could tell he did from the look in Colette's face. Atleast he'd been itching to leave the house and see more of town. Quite the hopeful adventurer.
Argus grabbed his car key from the dining table and headed out of the house, Mia bidding them bye. Colette followed, looking at her father suspiciously. Clement smugly followed behind.
The drive to the phone shop took about twenty minutes. They entered the shop and first went around viewing products, with Colette contemplating her choice. She had her specs for her phone choice; a 4G enabled phone with a good enough memory (both ROM and RAM), a good battery size, and of course the ladies' choice, a good camera. What she didn't know however was what her father had budgeted to spend on a new phone for. Little did she know that'll be affected by the person tagging along with them.
"Clement I'll get you a phone as well, but I'll decide the specs given it's your first phone, so your coming here wasn't just to tag with your sister even if you won't be doing more than choosing the colour of your phone. Let's hurry, we're the last set'o customers here and the shop closes by seven."
Clement's face lit up in an expression inversely proportional to Colette's facial appearance. Her phone budget was surely slashed, didn't help that she didn't know what it was either.
"Oh dad you don't mean it…aawww!" Clement couldn't hold his excitement, tugging wildly at his father's coat sleeve like a small child. Colette was already sulking.
"Wow dad that must really cost a lot for one day, thought Clement was tagging along just to window shop!" Colette spoke in a pretentiously joyous voice. She looked at Clement's face which was already looking at hers, filled with glee.
Colette scoffed.