CHAPTER FIVE-REALITY
AN ARY OF HOPE.
Seating on the hot sunny streets of the mall, I take out my guitar and a hat. I turn it upside down and put it adjacent to myself. Taking in a large amount of air, I breath it all out at once, putting my fingers on the strings of my guitar. then it hits me; what if nobody likes my tune or nobody spares a penny. I gently close my eyes as I gently pull two strings of the guitar, moving them back and forth against each other. A simple 'heal the world' tune wouldn't hurt. Feeling the music, I just continue playing the tune. I open my eyes to the sound of people applauding. I look around to see a bunch of people standing near me and applauding. My eyes almost tearing out, I hold my mouth in excitement. I look at my hat to see some change and some $1 notes. I can't help but to feel excited. At least this is the start of something big. I don't have to walk around asking for jobs.
"You were made for something big." My mother's soft words play in my head.
When I was done there, I carried my stuff to a new location and it was going well. This became my daily routine. I would leave around eight or nine, depending on the day's energy. Hours turn into days. With every performance, I become better and better and feel good after every tune. It has become a part of me. I keep seventy percent of my earnings as I'm saving up so that I never stay broke again, though it's just peanuts. Something is better than none. I set up my spot at a place right before the mall. I perform, and as soon as I see a lot of people leaving, I pack up and carry stuff. Besides, it's getting late.
The sky is dark blue black and I'm on a road no one really uses at this time of the night. The air around me seems to have some kind of tension and I have a gut feeling something is going to happen. I hear footsteps from the dim street lights, I see two shadows. The two men in their late twenties or thirties, I quickly carry my stuff as I don't feel too good about the situation.
"Hey, you're on our spot, bitch." One of the men says looking at me up and down.
"Well, I didn't find your names written on here." I tell them about to leave.
"Hey!" The other man shouts, holding a pocket knife, shiny as a knight's sword on the sun. I swallow hard as I look directly at the knife. Were they really gonna hurt me? I held on to my stuff tightly.
"You should give us a hundred dollars as rent for seating on our spot." One of the men says coming close to me. I look away. Looking past the men, I spot the guy from the other night, his gaze, as innocent as the baby's, looking fresh as always. I just hope he doesn't come here, though I feel like him coming here would be of some help. His face as calm as always, how can one be so solid?
"Seems you've called your lil' boyfriend." One of the men says with an excited chuckle.
"I ain't little." He says, his face calm like the first time I saw him. I just watch as the two scan him.
"Hey pretty boy, if you want to survive just leave."
Pretty boy her, I like the name already, I say biting my downer lip. I look over at him, and he also looks at me, we have an eye contact for a split second. There's just something about him that gives me some kind of warmth from this harsh work.
"Can I talk to him?"
The men give me thirty seconds and can't stop looking at us. I ask him what he's doing here in the best manner possible, not to be heard by the others and the reply he gives me makes my ribs hit up.
"I came for you." He says, his voice so calm. What did he mean? Before I could utter another word, the men tell us that our time's up. Dude, it's not even been thirty seconds yet. The two men join us, and I look over at the guy who is also looking at me.
I just realized he's a famous basketball player the other night when I was looking for Erica. I saw Erica in an interview on some Chinese shop TV and then the scene switched to the pretty boy's interview. I couldn't hear anything then because I was too far. I can't let these men steal anything or hurt us both in any way, so I start cooking up something in my mind.
"You're an athlete, right?" I ask him with gritted teeth to avoid the two men from seeing me.
"What?"
"On one, two, three…RUN!" I say as I take his hand and we both run away from the two men. They start following us. I lead him to a secret passage at the subway and hide on a dark corner.
"You crazy?" The guy asks raising one eyebrow.
"No, I'm a genius."
"D'ya know that that plan of yours would've gone terribly wrong?"
"Hopefully it didn't. This way!" I tell him taking his arm again and we run to the park. He's right, that plan was crazy and I don't wanna think of what would've happened. The two men follow us to the park and we go to the bushes. Quietly holding his hand, I open the trailer and we both get in.
"What the- "before he could continue with his words, I press hand on his mouth because I can still hear the footsteps of the two men outside. We stand there looking each other deep in the eyes in the semi-dark room with a few lights coming from outside. As soon as the footsteps die down, I take my hand away from his cold soft lips. I slowly check the window to confirm that they're gone and there is no trace of them at all.
"I think they're gone." I say taking my phone with a cracked screen from my back pocket. I turn on the flash light and reach for the switch.
"What was that?" The pretty boy asks looking around.
"And…what's this place?" I hear him say in between breathes.
"It's all over, you may leave."
"Fuck, it's too hot in here." He says taking off his hoodie, exposing his perfect body and v-line. I quickly rush to open the windows and grab a bottle of sealed water from the table.
"Need some water?" I ask him and in response, he just takes the water bottle from my hand and drinks it. I just look at him at he drinks up.
"Do you know those guys?" I asks and I just shake my head in response.
"You were looking for me?"
He reaches for his back pocket and takes out a flash of pink; the small pink diary. He hands it to me.
"I believe this belongs to you."
"Yes!" I say excitedly say I grab the diary from him, I smile and hug it close to my chest. I thought I had lost it forever.
"I thought it seemed important. I didn't mean to open it."
My eyes go wide at that. Could he really have read my mom's diary? Well, it's also my diary, did he just read our diary?
"Well, I mean, people keep contacts in they diaries."
"Were there?"
He shrugs.
"Plus, why would you want to see my contacts?"
"How else would I find you?"
Well, he has a point.
"Thanks, by the way."
"Easy." He shrugs. "You needed it."
He was right though. God knows how much I needed this, plus I just lost her bracelet to Sneak and Trig. But he doesn't know that, all I see in him is perfection, he looks and smells like dreams coming true. I know him more, but his face is constant and just too normal. I can't make out what he's thinking.
"Hey, is your name Tanya?" He breaks the silence. Finally. I am dumbstruck, he really read the diary.
"No." I say looking over at him. "I'm Real, Reality Heatherway."
"Re- what?" He raises an eye brow, his eyes wide open. It's not the first time someone is asking me this question. Intact everywhere I go, everyone asks me. I'm kinda used to it.
"Nice to meet you, Real." He says holding my hand. I honestly don't know what to feel, but I don't want him to leave, I guess. Shut up, Real, he's not even interested in you. I argue with my inner self.
"What's your name?" I look at him as he runs his fingers in his perfect triangle braids.
"Milan, Milan Valencia."
"Milan? As in the city Milan in Italy?"
"You can say that."
I burst out laughing and quickly notice I'm laughing alone; his look is as calm as before. Who is Milan Valencia? Is it that it wasn't funny enough to him? He's so cold. He's about to leave.
"Milan…" I call out and he stops.
"There was a necklace in here. Did you find it?
"Must've left it at home. Come on."
"But-"
"You coming or not?"
I just get my beach bag. As I approach the door, I am met by a trainwreck of air, surrounding my face. I lock my door and see Milan just going, without even stopping. I run after him to match his pace, but he's walking faster.
"You're too fast."
I tell him and he reduces his pace and we start walking side by side. I look up at him and he's nonchalant, his face is the same as I met him, his hands in his pockets. Then it hits me, does he ever smile? We continue to walk in silence.
* * * * *
My eyes go wide open and I open my mouth wide open upon reaching a huge white mansion composed of glasses all over. I've only seen houses like these in books and magazines and not in real life. I look at the huge porch with a large rectangular swimming pull and I can see the moon, and the entire sky luminating in it. I pinch myself on my arm just to realize that I'm not dreaming. I knew they were rich, but I didn't imagine that they were that rich. There are two cars in the garage and I follow Milan as he goes to the door. I see him open the door using his fingerprint and I'm dump folded at that. i follow his lead as we both enter the marvelous mansion. Everything is neat and there's a huge crystal chandelier on the pure white celling designed like cake icing. He leads me to the sofa in the living room and he goes to the dinning. Can't help but look around the room, the perfect big TV which almost fills the room, the soft white carpet my feet are on, the beautiful paintings on the living room. They look expensive. Milan comes back carrying two chocolate milkshakes, he puts them on the coffee table next to the flower jar.
"Milkshake." He says.
"Sure."
"I'll get your necklace." He says going upstairs. I take one of the milkshakes and take a sip. I feel the cold milky chocolate melt on my tongue and there's this kind of sweetness I haven't felt in so long. I stand up to look at the portrait on the stair case; a cute lady seating on a chair and Milan and a gentleman standing next to her. A beautiful family; I think to myself taking a sip. Milan comes downstairs and there's the sound of car tires screeching outside.
"who's that?' I ask nervously.
"My parents." He says.