"Here's my number. Call me if you need my help." he handed a square card out to me with his number on it.
"So i just chew these two purple balls and I'm at Rouf?" I oogled and batted my eyes at him with a curious expression.
"Yeah, I'm not sure if you'd wake up as though this was a dream or if your body would transfer to that location and you'd feel a little blinded by delirium before the elixir starts to subside." he looked away while saying this and put his phone inside his pocket.
"Ok, I guess I'll just teleport out of here with these purple medicine balls.."
In a way, somehow, I knew how the alchemy of chemicals would work in order to achieve its desired reaction but I just didn't know how to explain it. I still looked at him with so much confusion, because I was afraid, afraid that I was making the wrong decision by not taking a once in a blue moon leap of fate into whatever oblivion expects of me.
"Hey listen, whatever this is for you, know that it's what you've chosen to do but you're not the only one experiencing this delirious oblivion. I will continue to respect that but promise me! you will remain safe and agree to meet me again." He spread his arms and walked forward to hug me, when his body was close to mine with arms around my shoulder, as I returned the hug i felt the heat of his warm body come close against mine, my dress is now drenched in rain, that's what i kept thinking about. I felt very strange sensations of hot and cold elements, softly touching and creeping up my wet skin at the same time.
I couldn't react in any way but to shriek out of this situation. I was embarrassed of my attire, soaked still. He's still so close to my body, and his drunk face reached for a kiss to the head, then his hands move around my face with his eyes still shut as though his lips were now searching around my face to find and kiss my lips...it was as though i saw all this in slow-mo, he pulled me closer from the back and kissed the lips of mine. I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second maybe deep inside i was almost about to like it, and i resisted as i saw strange colours, i pushed him so hard he pulled back and landed on the ground with a smirk on his face, as though he was insulting himself in this moment.
"What's wrong? haha" he smiled innocently.
"Why did you do that? I don't think that was so necessary in this awkward situation. I don't know you well, why would you kiss me? I take a kiss seriously, you're not serious." I told him wiping traces of his saliva that was still there in my lips.
"I'm sorry, maybe I lost control of all this newly discovered love I feel for you. I'm a little drunk." he said as he stood back up with sympathy written on his face and smiled a lot. I can't understand why i kept thinking he knew that something wrong was going to happen in this path I take.
"Fine! I guess I shouldn't have pushed you like that. I'm going to take these now and close my eyes. If I'm going back and I wake up to this not too bad dream, just know that I already miss you and I guess I'll try to find you because I don't have a home..and I hate it there but, I just need to go for now. I don't know how to express my state of being currently, there just is no reality in my mind to be able to explain it." I said but he didn't say anything else, maybe he was saddened at my pre departure.
I popped these round pills and the liquid potion popped and spread in my tongue. It didn't taste so good, it was like the taste of electricity in liquid form. Bland, wet and distorted. I don't really understand how whatever happened next, happened, but perhaps my eyes were closed while I was chewing and swallowing liquid electric waves, so i time travelled into a potential parallel reality. Because...
The next thing I know is waking up from a sleep and felt like this reality was a task I had to accomplish. All the memories about Josh in Pit Stop did not occur to me like a dream. I just know it was a relativity of dreams, a much of a reality, a teleportation I couldn't ever get myself to explain because I did wake up the moment I opened my eyes after the encounter with Josh.
I felt super-natural now. I searched inside my little pouch and it was there, the square name card with his phone number in it.
Shit do I miss his presence now. Not, Rick. I mean Josh, that stranger, he did something to me. Maybe, this alchemical phenomena really intrigued me to some extent.
I checked my hair to see if it was still wet from the rain and yes, it still was, it didn't surprise me even though it should have. Maybe I didn't want to think too much.
Then, I got ready to go downstairs and see if my father was still in one piece. My thoughts were still revolving around the disturbing images of what someone like Rick would be capable of doing to my family.
He was there drawing water from the well to fill our extra large jar. I was relieved at the sight and began to approach him with a cheerful greet.
"Hi Dad, Whatchu doin?" I said skipping towards him with a smile as bright as the sun's rays.
"Just drawing some water to water those plants later my child, what are you doing here. When did you get here."
"You were asleep when I got here, you left the door open again, Dad. I told you never to do that. Mom would have freaked out if she were still here." I lied.
"Haha, Im growing old sunshine, you must bear with my absent mindedness...however, I have had something I wanted to say to you about that Eglai boy you're seeing, Rick." he walked in and out of the kitchen with a food box.
"Send these rice cakes to him and his family. I made them just like your mom used to make them." I was relieved again as my heart palpitations that escalated when father brought him up, started to come back to normal. It would have been daunting even to know his vague awareness of Rick and his family. I would never believe that he would force me into marrying someone I don't want to, especially, someone with a reputation like that.
"Okay Dad. I'll give this to him." I tried to conceal every grudge and anger I felt against Rick. Deep inside, I wanted to put him in chains and lock him in a dungeon full of chickens. Because I thought food is an important source of our life and he probably doesn't value it.