Michael & Noelle

The GLOWN (chapter 5)

I would like to get to know you, Lorelei, and everything about you. Please . . . spare no details – S.

If I was being honest this looked like something Mr. Gangmember man S just stole from the internet.

What's your favourite food, was at the top of the list so my guess was that I was about to receive some food pretty soon.

It was followed by my favourite thing to do, my favorite color, my favorite type of weather, my favorite fruit, my favorite day, food I dislike, things I dislike and well the list went on.

I thought about it for a moment, and silently wondered if I was going to give a gangmember an encyclopedia for myself. It was an interesting prospect, but I wasn't sure.

I'll eat first, maybe take a nap, and then I'll decide.

#

I ended up filling out the list.

It was two in the morning, I couldn't sleep and it kept calling for me. I did it as honest as I could except for a few lies here and there to balance it off. For example, 'I love bananas'. Bananas aren't bad, but they're a pretty regular fruit. My favourite fruit was called Sugar Apple, and I rarely had access to it because it was all the way in my mom's home country.

It was finally Friday, and luckily I didn't work on weekends. I did some researching on marketing while I was up, and decided to spend the weekend building social media pages for the Flower Shop.

I brushed out my hair into an afro after showering, trying to ensure that every angle was equal. Afterwards, I pulled on a pair of ripped wide legged jeans, a graphic tshirt, and some platform heels. I threw on the star glasses Mr. Barry gave me after he came from a quick errand run.

Fridays were my days of expression.

My mother hadn't come in to scream my ears off, or call me a disappointment, and that was strange. I wondered if she was alive.

After grabbing my very legit louis vuitoon bag so that she could screech like a bat, I padded to the living room.

She wasn't there so I went back to her bedroom, knocking on the door.

"Mom? I'm leaving."

Nothing.

"Mom?"

"Child I heard you! Go on about your day!"

"Yikes," I whisper to myself. I do as she says and steps away from her door, leaving home for work.

#

The flowers Mr. Barry ordered came early today. They were also delivered by the same delivery man who usuallu brought me my 'gifts'.

I handed the paperbag to him and he shook his head.

"He said that he would pick it up himself."

My eyes widen, "what? Did he say when?"

The deliveryman shook his head again before eyeing me from head to toe.

"You look nice," he nods and my face softens into a smile.

"Thanks."

He disappears into his own world as I return into the shop. Mr. Barry was busy clipping away at the flowers while I brought the rest in. I noticed that he looked extra sharp today, and he moved much faster too.

I smiled to myself, knowing that he was feeling secure. Then I remembered that in order for him to keep that feeling, I'd have to get more customers to the shop. I grabbed my phone from my pocket, and snapped a few pictures, leaving the most important one for last.

"Hey, Mr. Barry," he looked up, scissors hanging from his fingers, "smile!"

With the best smile he could muster, he tilted his head to the side and posed from the picture. I was glad that I could capture such a pure moment.

I settled upfront at the shop, our window opened out the the streets. I started off with creating the accounts.

"Hey there, do you remember me?"

James stood in front of me, an iced coffee in his hand. He squinted at me, judginf me with his wrinkled nose.

"What did I do this time?"

"I haven't spoken to you since that night at Mcdonalds."

"Really James," I grin, "clingy isn't a good look for you."

He gives me a bland glance.

"You're back at work?" I noticed his scrubs.

"Yeah, but I'm on break. I have about thirty minutes left. Wanna grab something?"

"Sure, let me just tell Mr. Barry."

James and I went to the donut store just down the street. I had been graving their chocolates donuts, and didn't know how much I needed them until they melted in my mouth.

"Mm," I groan, leaning back into the chair and James, as usual, cringes in disgust.

"How can you eat that? It's just sugar, sugar, sugar."

"Shut up, dad," I narrow my eyes at him, "don't ruin this for me."

"Right," james looks away in disdain and I roll my eyes. It must be a doctor thing.

"What's been going on?" He asks and I shrug.

"A little bit of everything," I reply.

"S still sending you gifts?"

I raise an eybrow lifting my LV bag and his mouth drops open.

"What?"

"Yes, and not to mention it was filled with ten grand."

"No," James covers his mouth in shock and I sigh, "what'd you do with it?"

"I gave it to Mr. Barry, for the shop."

"All of it?"

"Yes."

"Like . . . the sixteen thousand?"

"Yeah."

"Dumb b***h," James rubs his forehead and I wrinkle mine.

"What?"

"You couldn't at least put something in your bank account, Lorelei?"

"I – the shop was struggling, you told me not to keep the money!"

"Me??" His eyes bulges out of his sicket and I groan.

"Anyway I'm sure you don't have to worry much, I'm sure he'll send you another batch of funds."

"I hope not. It was cute and all at first but now . . ."

"I feel you."

"He sent me this," I pull out the list for him, and he takes it from my hands, "apparently he's picking it up tpday."

" Okay – Lorelei," James places his elbow on the table, and pinches the bridge of his nose, "Sweetheart . . . this . . . S . . . is a stranger, you know that right?"

"Yeah . . "

"Okay and you know, when our parents told us 'stranger, danger' it's for a reason, roght?"

"Im sure it is,"

"So btich why the f**k are you giving this man a detailed description of your brain? This man is a killer, Lorelei!"

"I know," I whine, "but he writes me notes! Everyday! And he buys me chocolates and -,"

"So, he's obsessed!"

"I woukdn;t say obsessed –"

"So it's just not werid to you at all that he knows where you live and where you work as well?"

"He maybe googed it."

"Yes, because you're nicki minaj and your home address and wrok address is just sitting on google for the world to see."

I slowly bite into my donut, hoping to distract him out fo the conversation.

"Okay, you know what, let me just play along. You should write a note at the back of the dictionary of Lorelei."

"A note? What would I say?"

"Maybe something like, LEAVE ME ALONE. But since we're not using common sense here, you can say anything you want to."

"A note," I drop a finger onto my bottom lip, that was a great idea.

James's alarm rings and he lets out a loud sigh.

"Text me," he says while standing, "and you look really, really good today ma'am."

"Oh," I wink, "thank you."

James kisses my forehead before leaving me in the donut shop so that he could race back to the hospital.

"Um – excuse me," I wave over the cashier, "do you think you could borrow me your pen?"