RED INK
EP 25: A Place to Start
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The hard pitter patter of the rain on the concrete flooring was considered a stop to activities for the day. Nobody would want to enter such a weather to get to where they were going, except that place was home.
Peter with his violin bag strapped at his back and his hands in his pockets looked up at the sky like a child who was excited to receive a candy for a job well done. It was always that time of the year; let the season do its job.
Linda stood beside him. "It has started raining...again."
Peter smiled. "Let it shine. It is its season afterall; and it comes with a lot of cold."
She was mesmerized by his endearing personality to act without pretence as he pleased on a first date. And though that was a characteristic she admired, the wide smile on his face and the excitement on it captivated her more. When he turned to look at her, the light in his eyes—it sparkled like crystals in a blocked cave.
"What do you say, Linda Springdam?" He asked.
She raised her brows in question.
"There is only an idiomatic expression that goes 'Jump on the bandwagon'. What do you think we do that now?"
She observed him. "Jump on the bandwagon? What does it mean?"
He grinned wider. "To participate in a new trend. Although this one has existed for a while."
"And that is...?"
He pulled his violin from his back, resting it by the wall somewhere and then removed his over coat, and dropped it on the violin. Removing his bowtie and holding it in his hand, he freed the top two buttons on his shirt and smiled at her, walking back wards towards the rain. "In my street where I live, whenever the rain falls when I come back from work, I see the children jump and play in it. That is the trend, Miss Linda."
Linda was bewildered. She tried to stop him. "Mr Spencer! That's not a wise thing to do!"
"Why not?"
"It's... it IS childish!"
He laughed and turned. He picked up speed as he ran into the rain, his hands spread wide. It drenched his hair, releasing the band holding it up. His hair covered his face, the rain proceeding to drench his clothes.
She turned to look at her men, Gray and Greg, they were watching him, smiling. She was the only one embarrassed because then, she saw people from inside the restaurant watching him through the glass. Or not.
When she turned back at him, he was so happy to be soaked, shaking his head in the rain, his hair throwing water helter skelter and around. She loosened up and watch him enjoy himself. As if the rain knew someone appreciated its blessing, it increased in intensity and poured like waterfall from a cliff.
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Mr Dumber was seated at the backseat of his car watching Peter play in the rain that he didn't realise a tear was dropping by the corner of his eye. Guess old men were more emotional at old age.
He smiled and said to his driver, "Look at him. He is still that boy from fifteen years ago. He hasn't changed, Uh? He is still jumping in the rain." He said it like it was an achievement he acquired and was proud of him.
His driver smiled too. Peter was a carefree person, a free spirit was the nickname he was so given between himself and his boss. "You have been here since he arrived boss, don't you want to go home and rest now?"
Mr Dumber cleaned the corner of his eye with his handkerchief. "No. I will watch him longer."
"How long will you keep watching him?"
"For as long as I can."
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When he was tired of the rain, he ran back down to the entrance, Greg already had his coat and violin waiting for him. "Thank you." He said.
The water dripping from his clothes wetted the flooring. If not that the entrance floor was graveled, he would have been slipping and sliding on his shoes.
"Hope you won't be sick?" Linda asked him.
He smiled. "Even if I will be, I have some ghost taking care of me. They will either send me medicine or a crew of nurses by tomorrow." He winked at her. "Watch and see."
Linda didn't know what he was implying, but either way, he was stating he would be fine. As he wore his coat over his shirt, she stared up at the sky that had dark clouds like devil's dew and fog. Light was blinking at some ends. The rain was now drizzling.
Peter collected his violin from Greg. His watch was wet from the rain but it was still working. It said 8:35pm. Lord, how long was that? "It's late." He brought out his phone from his coat's pocket. "Our stroll is cancelled and you can't go home in the rain."
She smiled.
Her car pulled up in the drive-through porch building where they stood. Greg went forward to open the car door for her.
She looked at Peter. "It was a nice evening."
"You could have left sooner. Why didn't you?"
She smiled. "It was fun watching you be who you are, not trying to impress me." He smiled. "That's why I said it was nice." She walked to the door of her vehicle and placed her hand on the handle. "I will see you around, then."
Peter stood still and nodded. "Will do. Some other time."
She sat in her seat while Greg closed the door. Greg bowed to him before walking around to the other side.
They sat the way they did when coming, Greg beside her and Gray in the passenger's seat by the driver.
As they drove away, she watched Peter stare at her vehicle; he was smiling.
When they were gone, Peter turned to the huge drive way where the cars were parked before the fountain and started walking in the rain to that direction with his violin in his hand.
He looked over to the small black camery car parked behind a jeep and knocked on the window. They didn't answer. He knocked again, indicating for them to roll the window down.
He waited. After a while, the window rolled down, introducing a man his age and another, around same age, in the passenger's seat, looking wide eyed at him.
He sighed. "Why are you following me?"
They looked at him, dumbstruck and shook their heads. "What makes you think we are?" The one in the passenger's seat asked.
He bent down to look at them, he observed that two more were at the back seat. "Aish! Really? My uncle has a lot of time on his hands. Call him."
"What?"
"I said to call him." He pouted. "What are you waiting for?"
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~~Mr Dumber's point of view~~
When he saw that Linda had left in her car, he waited a bit preparing to tell his driver to go. But then, Peter started walking towards his direction, looking straight at them. He however suddenly diverted and went to the car in front of him.
When they rolled the window down, he swore under his breath. Some seconds later, his phone was ringing.
He swore before picking up. "What?"
"Boss...he found out."
"I know. I can see you!"
"You are on loud speaker sir."
"Er?" He looked at Peter, his hand was rested on the window pane of the car. "Yah! You fool! How can you— Just end the call. Idiot!" He cut the call on him.
Some seconds later, Peter came to his car and opened the door of the driver's seat and sat down . After balancing his bag of violin on his laps, he closed the door. "Good evening Franky." He said to the Driver.
He smiled at him. "Good evening, Peter."
Peter looked at the back seat, his uncle was covering his face in shame. "You are stalking me now, uncle?"
His uncle looked at him. "Who is stalking you?"
" You just couldn't wait for me to give you all the gist huh? It was just few hours." He stared him down. "Well, since you are here already, I will need to bother you a little. I didn't take my car with me so you will need to drop me at home. Hope that's fine?"
"Or you could come to mine." Uncle Dumber said, suddenly feeling unashamed.
"You can try." He narrowed his eyes at him. "Just try."
"You are not that frightening. Uh? I wonder where you got your corky attitude from!" Uncle Dumber tapped the Driver. "Take us to my home."
Peter turned away and sat up.
"Which home sir?" The driver asked, looking at him through the rearview mirror.
"Yah, which other home do you know?"
Hehe. The driver was beginning to sweat. "Is it yours or Peter's?"
"Who do you work for?"
"You, boss."
"Then take me home."
"O-okay boss."
"You can take him home and later take me to my condo." Peter said. "It can also work like that. I don't mind."
"Who said he can do that? If you want to go home go get your car or call a taxi. Frank will not be doing that."
"Okay." Peter said, so agreeably he picked up his violin and opened the door.
"Yah yah yah! Where are you going?"
"Finding a taxi." He put one leg on the concrete outside.
"Sit down." Uncle Dumber said. "Sit! Frank will take you home."
Peter smiled to himself, taking his leg back into the car and closing it.
"You have your mother's hot temper! You are not tolerant at all."
He looked back at his uncle. "Quite the opposite though. I am very tolerant." He turned back to the front. Frank put on the ignition, making the air ventilator come to life. It warmed the vehicle up, Peter sliding into the comfort it brought.
The air from the ventilator irritated his nose. He tried to hold it in but he couldn't, he sneezed.
His uncle eyed him. "You....why did you bathe in the rain? You know you get sick easily."
Peter sniffled and took out some serviette from a box laying on the dashboard beside the air freshener. The vehicle smelled of lavender. He cleaned his nose. "We only have one life to live. I can't be stuffed up." He sniffled again cleaning his nose.
"Well, why am I surprised?" Uncle Dumber lamented. "You happen to be born in the month of the centaur. People born that period are very stubborn people." He stretched the 'Very'. "You try the most unrealistic things! You are too optimistic and agile for your age."
"Is it when I become an old man like you that I should start doing this? No, thank you."
Frank turned the vehicle into the drive way and turned, the other car following behind them.
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When Linda's car pulled up to their garage, Fiona was already waiting for her by the door.
"You don't look wet."
She grinned at her.
"I bet you had dinner already?"
"Yes, nana. I did."
They began walking to the door that led to the tools room and then leading to the main house. They were walking arm in arm.
"How was it?"
She smiled.
"Oh...you are smiling. I take it that means it went well. Even better!"
"It was okay. He didn't meet up to the expectation I had in my head. He was quite an odd one, but in a good way."
Fiona bumped her a little. "Was he handsome?"
"He was charming. He had cute dimples too."
Fiona smiled. "Are you falling?"
"Not that quick nana. He was just a good one. I would say the only one I have enjoyed hanging around since all my blind dates."
"Are you regretting standing him up then?"
"Oh yes!" She nodded. "I apologized to him for that. He took it very well."
"Hm. Must be a charmer."
"Is dad back home?"
"Yes. He has had dinner and has retired to his bed. As for Diana, she is in her room. I am sure she isn't asleep. She may be operating—"
"—her laptop?" Linda interrupted. "Yes, I know. We all know."
Fiona laughed. "Seems she is writing a book cause she's always typing."
They arrived at the first floor of the main house.
The windows and curtains were already closed. The main door was also locked. The lights had been dimmed, leaving only the one that lit up the middle on. There was no one walking around.
"I ran you a hot bath." Fiona said.
She hugged her. "Oh, thank you nana. You treat me so well."
Fiona tapped her back. "Go take a shower. You are a little wet from the rain. How did you become wet from the rain?"
She chuckled. "Long story." She released the hug and started up the stairs that led to the second floor for family members.
When she was up, Greg and Gray came in.
"I also ran you both a hot bath in your bathrooms. Go shower."
They nodded.