FOUR
2016 Words
“I don’t know what I even did wrong,” said Robert as he and Amanda strolled down the campus hand in hand.
“Don’t visit it. We’ve made up now, haven’t we?”
Robert chuckled, “You are not winning this one. You have to tell me so I won’t do it again.”
“You have a point,” she said and stopped walking. “You didn’t tell me that Jason contacted you.”
Robert’s countenance changed, “I didn’t want you to tell her.”
She scoffed, “Ever heard of trust?”
“I do trust you, you know that,” he sighed. “Her parents said I shouldn’t say anything to her or you guys.”
“That’s no excuse for being distrustful.”
“It’s no excuse for being angry with me either,” he took her hand and kept on walking. “It was not my tale to tell but for the sake of peace, I’m sorry.”
Amanda stopped again only this time, she did it to kiss him on his perfectly shaped lips. It was a long heartwarming kiss that made her heart sigh blissfully. “I can’t stay angry with you for five minutes,” she muttered on his lips.
“A wonderful lie,” he said as he stroked her shoulder length black hair and Amanda laughed.
“And no, I am not going to tell her. Or Irene. Or Jennifer.”
Robert raised his brows, “I didn’t say anything.”
“Please do not insult my psychic powers. I know what you think before you think it.”
“Is that so? What then am I thinking at the moment?”
They were holding each other, Amanda looked into his eyes. “You are thinking of how to convince me to spend the night with you.”
“Are you sure that is not what you want me to be thinking?”
“Are you going to tell me I’m wrong?”
“No, I’m not. Are you though? Are you going to spend the night with me?”
“I wish I can. I have a class in the morning,” she disengaged herself. They were a couple of minutes away from her dorm, “Besides, I need to see what Irene bought, I don’t trust those girls.”
“I can bet yours is waiting for you.”
Amanda eyed him, “You paid for those things, didn’t you?”
He merely shrugged, “A little price to pay to stop fighting with you. Good night.”
She leaned in to kiss him, this one was short and sweet, “Good night.”
“I’ll watch you go up.” She blushed as she climbed up the stairs to the dorm.
“Looking pretty, Mands,” someone said as she walked to her room.
The room was dark when she got in; dark and cool was how Irene liked it, she liked it bright and cool so she put on the lights.
“Damn it, Amanda!” shouted Irene as she sat up on her bed. “Why did you come back?”
“To sleep?”
“You mean to say Robert didn’t ask you to spend the night with him. I knew he was not the right guy for you, what do you see in him?”
Amanda burst into laughter, “How am I friends with you? Of course, he asked.”
“You turned him down? Why?”
“Professor Danielle’s class is at 7 tomorrow morning.”
“Really dumb excuse.”
“Well, it worked so I don’t see why you have a problem with it.”
“It worked because there is something else you are not telling me. What is it? Is it what cased you both to fight?”
Amanda sighed and dumped the clothes she had worn into the laundry basket, “It is between the both of us.”
“More reason you would have spilled whatever it is already.”
“Let it go, Irene.”
Irene shook her head and laid on her back so she was looking at the ceiling, “You missed the gist earlier though. I got a dinner date with Mark.”
Amanda turned from the dressing mirror to face her, “The one who asked Victoria out?”
“His twin brother,” Irene corrected.
“Wow, you are fast.”
“It is not like that, Amanda. It just happened.”
Amanda done with her nightly ritual, stood up, softened the lights and climbed into her bed. Their breathing was the only sound in the room.
“It was Jason. He contacted Robert,” Amanda said after few minutes.
Irene shot up again, “What?! How?”
Amanda sighed, “I don’t know, he wouldn’t tell me details. He doesn’t want Victoria to know, he also said her parents doesn’t want her to know either.”
“If she finds out….” Irene trailed off.
“She can’t. It’s for her own good, Irene. She is doing well now.”
“Pfft. We both know it’s a pretense, a cover.”
FOURTEEN MONTHS EARLIER
“Why are you so unhappy?” Jason said with a toothbrush in his mouth.
Victoria threw her hands up exasperatedly, “How can you even ask me that? Are you not scared? Not one bit?”
He rinsed his mouth and took a towel to dry his face. “Not one bit, mon amour.”
“I don’t believe you. Let someone else do it.”
He was smiling as he looked at her. She was wearing one of his shirts and looking kind of small with her hair packed into a messy bun. “I should let someone else to go?”
She nodded. “Okay, fine. Someone else would do it.”
Her eyes brightened as she smiled, “Really?”
“Yes,” he waited a beat. “After I come back from this one.”
“What!” she threw a pillow at him and left the room, “You are unbelievable.”
He chuckled, carried his bag and followed her downstairs. He met her in the kitchen with Daniella, the mother of the house.
“Good morning Jason,” she greeted.
“Ugh, I told you it is not a good morning,” whined Victoria.
“And why is it not?” asked someone from the living room.
“Stay out of this, Joseph.”
“I won’t!”
“Daniella, pass the croissants please,” said Jason, he took a bite and sighed. “I’ll miss these.”
“Then don’t go.”
“It’s settled, Vic. Jason is going,” said Sheila from the stairs.
She scoffed, “I don’t believe you, Mom. This is some bullshit,” and she stormed out of the house.
“Joseph,” called Sheila.
“Why do I have to be the one that does this!” he grumbled and went after her.
“She is right, you know.”
“Daniella, please. Do you think Charles or I will put his life in danger?”
“Where is he?” Jason asked with a mouthful of croissant.
“Hunting. Are you even concerned about this?” Sheila asked.
“Mom,” he swallowed his meal and faced her, “I have to do this. Of course, I am concerned. Concerned that I won’t finish what we’ve started.”
She took his face in her hands looking him over as she had on the day, she birthed him, “Coming back home will be the end of this. You must come back home, please.” Her voice was thick with emotion and her eyes were shining with tears but she held them back, “Let me go and get your father.”
Daniella had left earlier, she was a sneaky one. Jason was the only one left in the house. Through the kitchen doors, he could see Victoria and Joseph talking, he could also see the pack house. Leaving was something he didn’t want to do. He wanted to stay and argue about wrestling with Joseph, kickbox with his mom, cook with Victoria and Irene, hunt with his father. He had no choice and he also had no regrets. He had used his time fairly well, he would go and come back.
“Jason,” his father voice broke into his thoughts. His father was wearing a pair of old pants and work shirt. His feet were bare and caked with mud, on a normal day, mom would have scolded his head off for ‘harassing’ the floor.
“Dad. How was the hunting?”
“Good,” he sat down beside him and took one of the croissants. His fingers, were surprisingly clean; mom had said that was the reason she had married him. “Whenever I see those hands of his, I fall in love all over again,” she’d say.
“You will miss the croissants.”
“Yes.” The silence was uneasy and the air filled with words better left unsaid. Mother had joined Victoria and Joseph outside probably explaining to them why their oldest brother was leaving.
“Victoria forgiven you yet?”
“Nope.”
“She’s angry with me too,” he sighed. “Where is your brother? Raymond?”
“In the woods. Waiting.”
Jason got up, “It is time to leave now, Dad.”
His father got up too and hugged him tight, “I am proud of you son.”
“Proud of you too, Dad.”
The two of them started laughing, “Of what?”
“Trusting me. And for allowing me to go.”
Charles patted him on the back, “Not an easy choice though, not an easy choice.”
They went outside walked to where Victoria and Joseph were standing, “Mom said Raymond is going to drive you,” said Joseph.
“Yeah, he is waiting for me.”
“Victoria?” called their father.
“Forgiven. I forgive both of you. You must come back home, Jason.”
“I will, if it is to catch a glimpse of your brown hair in the wind,” he said as he hugged her and stroked her hair.
He had said goodbye to the pack the night before but he could see them waving bye from the windows, he waved back. He didn't see her though, he'd regret that.
“Bye mother.”
“Bye son,” she hugged him not wanting to let go.
“Time to go Mom,” announced Joseph.
“I know,” she sniffed and waved goodbye as he and his father walked to the woods.
Victoria had that image ingrained in her head, her father in his work clothes he wore after hunting and bare foot and her brother in a white shirt, grey pants and black sneakers. She would wait for him, he must come back.
“Victoria? Are you crying?” asked Jennifer.
It was morning already, “Not voluntarily. Had the Jason dream again.”
“Poor you. Come on,” Jennifer opened her arms for a hug and she didn’t hesitate to hug her. “He is fine, he’ll be back. Pretty sure he was just delayed.”
Victoria laughed, “Weather problems?”
“Yes,” laughed Jen. She stood up after few minutes, already dressed. “Got a class. Meet up at lunch?”
“Please.”
- Writer
