The streets were not too busy unlike in the city where even on Sundays, people and vehicles bustled about in the streets. He came to a particular avenue that said 'Night avenue'. That was where he was to live, in night avenue.
This was what he wanted. He was sure that since this community was so small, they would have heard the news of a doctor coming to their town.
Noel stopped the car when he saw the house given to him. It wasn't that bad. The paint looked new and the house seemed spacious. He entered the house, it was clean and the furnitures he paid for were intact. He just needed to unpack and rest.
He walked round the house checking it out, it seemed oddly nice and strangely to his taste.Noel sat on the bed not bothering to pack his things. He felt sleepy and really needed to rest.Not knowing what happened next , for the last thing he saw was his bag on the floor.
"What do you know?" She asked holding an empty wine bottle on her right hand . She wasn't drunk, she was in her right state of mind. And when he did not answer, she threw the bottle at him and he fell bleeding profusely from his head.
"Tell me,what do you know?" she asked again ready to whip him with a horse whip. "I know nothing. I'm ... I'm so d...dumb that my mother tells me what to d... do", the little boy stuttered.
He felt his head pounding, he had lost so much blood and felt too dizzy. The last thing he saw was his older brother looking at him without any form of pity.
"At least he should pretend to be sorry, I'll feel okay if he does that", the little boy thought before slipping into oblivion.
It was a clearing, the field was large and the sky was bright. The little boy lay on the grass and smiled at the fluffy clouds. "Noel ! Noel! , didn't you hear me calling?" The young boy stood up and looked at his mother in fear, "I'm sorry, moth...", before he could complete his statement,a slap landed on his cheeks.
"I'll tell the maids to take you home and go to your room", she said walking away.
"But I want to spend the picnic with you all and I'm hungry", he whispered and sat on the grass hopelessly.
Only if he had not done that to his younger sister ... things would have been better.
"I hate myself. I hate everything about me", he said hitting his head on a tree...
Noel woke up, he was sweating profusely, he needed to pack his things and check out the neighbourhood. He checked his phone."This asshole called me eight times. He's making me think I'm gay", he said chuckling. Noel called him. "I thought you had suddenly also cut off from internet, Mr quiet life", Greg said quite annoyed.
Noel laughed. "I just slept off, was really tired and didn't know when I slept ", he said going to unpack, the phone still in his hand. "I just called to check on you", he said sounding worried.
"Come on, Greg, if you continue like this I might end up being gay. Stop worrying about me, I can take care of myself", he said arranging the kitchen to his taste.
Greg sighed and said, "Did you sleep well? I'm happy that you slept at least".
Here he goes again treating me like a baby.
"I slept" he just said. Greg didn't say anything for sometime before he asked. "Did you sleep well?" Noel said nothing until Greg asked again.
"Did you sleep well, Noel?"
"I just slept - ", he said and a glass mug fell on the floor shattering."Noel. Noel"
Noel cut the call and picked up his glass, it cut his hand. "Shit".
He packed the glass gently and threw them away. Not bothering to treat his hand ,he checked his phone."Six missed calls", he muttered and called Greg back.
"You dumb ass man. why didn't you pick my calls?"
" I'll change the setting ", he said.
"so what happened?" he asked. Noel sighed."It was just a mug", he said going to the room to arrange his clothes in the closet. there was silence for about a minute or two before Noel spoke."I had that dream again, but at least I slept without the drugs. those drugs taste bad", he said.
Greg said nothing for a while. "don't tell me you left your drugs?", he said angrily. Noel laughed." Don't worry, I didn't forget it. I'm a doctor after all".
"Good for you", Greg said satisfied that at least his moron of a friend didn't leave that behind all in the name of quiet life.
"I'll call you back later in the day, asshole, I have something to do ", Greg said and hung up.
Bitch. Noel thought grinning.
He looked at what he had done and smiled. It was nice.Having nothing doing he sat himself down to a plate full of cookies made by him. "I'll be fine here", he muttered to himself.
Then, he remembered he wanted to greet his neighbours. He had not showered yet, but who cared, he looked neat. Noel placed the cookies in a pleated basket and left to meet his neighbour on the right. He knocked for some minutes ,but no one came to open the door. He rung the bell, but no answer.
"No one's home", he said and went on to his neighbour on the left.
He knocked for sometime and when he was about to leave, the door opened.
"An old woman like me needs to walk slowly. Sorry, I was busy making cardigans for my cats. The weather can get cold sometimes and they might catch a cold", she said and looked up.
Her face shown when she saw the stranger. "You must be my new neighbour, Mr Noel Winter, roughly thirty years old and a doctor at that", she said and Noel stared at her speechless and surprised.
Does everyone on Gentle Street know this much about me?
"Yes, they do", she said opening the door wide. Noel then realized he had voiced his thought out."Come on in", she said ushering him into the house.
The house was warm and cozy. Something was cooking and it smelt nice. "Where are the ca...", he saw the cats. They were three and looked alike.
"Meet Robert, Nimo and Celine ", she said going to the kitchen to do something.
"Feel at home", she said.
After a moment, she returned with tea and freshly made snacks. "Don't worry, ma'am, I brought cookies for you", he said and she sighed. "One major rule in Gentle Street, never turn down a free meal", she said and took his basket of cookies to the kitchen and dropped hers before him.
Noel smiled at the cats that were watching him as if he were an intruder.
Don't worry,I'm staying for a while. she'll get back to making your cardigans soon.
The old lady came back and sat opposite him smiling. "What a fine young man, you just reminded me of when I was in my youths and I was the centre of attraction", she said chuckling.
Noel tasted the tea, it was good and the biscuit was perfect. "It's delicious", he said and she smiled.
"Ask me anything you like ", she said standing up to take her sewing kit.
what could I possibly ask? I just wanted to be nice.
"Well, why don't you tell me all about Gentle Street", he said and she smiled heartily. She started knitting the cardigans once more. It seemed as though she loved telling people about where she grew up... Gentle Street.