the invisible villain

The Fleurs

A family of two, mother and boy, moving into the third house caused some commotion. The thirteen villas on the lakeside had been built around thirty years ago. All thirteen were bought long before the announcement was made about their being ready for sale. And in the thirty years since, the thirteen houses remained in the families of the original buyers. Until now.

Alex and Abe Fleur had nothing to do with the Hensons who originally bought the thirteenth house. The Hensons didn’t buy the house to move in. The Henson mansion was older and larger and grander and in every way a better home, except when the rains arrived. And the lake turned into a dazzle of green, reflecting the treetops of the park, disturbed by the innumerable diamonds falling into it from the sky. It was a sight to behold. Even more so from the balconies of the thirteen luxurious villas.

As for why the Hensons sold the third house, the family didn’t explain, and the other residents didn’t shy away from coming up with their own excuses. The little girl who liked the rains best had grown up and moved to a different country on a different continent, and without her the Hensons that still were here didn’t have it in them to keep coming to the lakeside house. Another was that the Fleurs were distant relatives of the Hensons, or maybe the illegitimate children.

The Fleurs had no intent of answering the unasked question. And from the sight of the mother and boy, no one could bring themselves to voice such an invasive and disrespectful question. After a few weeks, everyone just accepted the Fleurs as one of them.

And then, the Fleurs opened a cafe on the lakeside, just beyond the villas, a short walk from the third house.

*

“So, let me get this straight. You’ve never gone to school?” Alex asked with a look of disbelief.

The months of talking over the internet made it easy to get over the awkwardness of meeting in person. The time at the hospital, her sitting by his side as he recovered, was easier than either prepared for. Seemed almost too easy to fall into the roles of mother and son. And then, they came home. Not the house Alex had called home until then. They were starting a new phase of their lives, and it was only right that they did so at a new house, a home that was both of theirs. And so, she drove to the third house on the lakeside. After a few days of settling in, Alex began the discussion about his future.

“No,” Abe answered with a shrug. “I was ill in the last life. Couldn’t go. And then, here I am.”

“But you do want to go to school?”

“Actually no. I’m not exactly fond of learning.”

“You’re lazy. That’s what you are.”

He didn’t deny. He also refused to admit he was wrong. He really wasn’t sure he’d enjoy sitting in a classroom with a group of strangers, even if they were children his age. Plus, there was August’s trauma from the bullying that seemed to linger in the body.

“Bullshit,” Alex said calling his bluff. “You’re just scared because you’ve never gone. Truth is you want to. You just let the fear win.”

“Even if you are right, I can’t go. I’ve never gone. I’ve never studied. And so, how can I catch up with others who’ve been studying all their lives?”

He beamed victoriously. She shot him a defiant glare. And then, slowly smiled, beaming the same victoriously.

“Not a problem. You’re fifteen. That’s three years. At eighteen, you’re going to college. You’ll get the high school certificate, taking the exams as a home schooled student. And then you’ll take the college entrance exams. And get into Avery university that’s in this same city. A half hour drive from here. And you’ll go to college. And that’s that.”

She beamed brighter at his shocked face. That very evening, she bought the textbooks from grade 1 to grade 12. The only thing he had a say in was the subjects. He had to take math and the sciences. He could pick the languages. And the teachers, all of whom were strangely Alex’s acquaintances. Thus began his three year intensive study plan.

A month later, he came up with something he wanted to do. A vocation, as Alex called it.

“I want to open a cafe,” he declared over breakfast.

“What do you mean?” Alex asked.

“I mean a cafe,” he explained. “A small one on the lakeside. Three tables. Three chairs at each. A short menu. And the target clientele - our friends, of course. And our neighbours. And anyone else visiting the lake.”

He had prepared an entire presentation. Alex was impressed. And agreed to fund him. For co-ownership, of course. Nothing wrong about a mother co-owning her child’s business. Plus, he wasn’t yet old enough to have the establishment registered on his name.

They bought a storefront. Visited markets themselves for the tables and the chairs. Decorated the cafe themselves. A month later, the cafe was open. Its name couldn’t be simpler. Cafe. That was all. A few of his teachers called it lame. Alex agreed with them. Other teachers liked it. And as fate would have it, the numbers on both sides were equal. Thus, the name remained.

And when it rained, the tables at Cafe were always full. The lake under the rain was so much more beautiful with a snack and a hot drink. The view itself seemed magnified. All of that added up to exponentially increasing the fondness of the residents for their newest neighbours. The Fleurs were quickly embraced by the residents of the lakeside.

*

Three years later, it was the morning of the college entrance exam. Abe had gotten his high school certificate. He scored full marks in math, and scored in the ninetieth percentile in languages. It was the sciences he fell in, stopping in the eighties. It couldn’t be clearer what he was to study in college. He applied for the math department at Avery university. Specifically, he wanted to study statistics. The college entrance exam wasn’t going to be a challenge. The truth was that he was already done with the first semester of program syllabus which he had downloaded from the university’s website. He was the kind of person who was great at what he liked and was good at, and average at everything else, enough to get by easily. Everyone else was infected by his confidence too.

The table was full that morning. Emily and Akira, his math teachers, had stayed the night. As did Michael and Willy and Grace and Tim. Not only were the old friends of Alex’s, they also helped at Cafe, thus becoming Abe’s friends as well. They were also all his teachers. The menu was simple enough. Sandwiches, with cheese and vegetables. And coffee. Both Abe’s favourites. They talked and laughed at the table, not a trace of worry or nervousness. No one even looked at the clock. Everyone was calm, like everything was in order. It was only right that he would do well in the exam and get into the program he wanted.

Alex was driving him to the exam centre. Everyone wished him good luck. The neighbours too stepped out on cue, wishing him good luck. Everyone was cheering already, as if the exam was little more than a formality. Even unnecessary. The sight calmed Abe even more, impossibly so. He thanked everyone, and promised they would celebrate tonight.

He had gotten used to Alex’s bright yellow car. He gave up on complaining, accepting that nothing would change Alex’s mind. She loved the car. And wouldn’t buy another any time soon. And he just knew, when she did buy a new car, that would be the same colour. What then was the point of resistance? He got in. She sat behind the wheel. And they drove to the exam centre which was a high school that was a forty five minute drive.

When he said he had never gone to school, he wasn’t lying. He also wasn’t entirely accurate. He had gone to his cousins’ school in the last life, during school festivals and meets and other celebrations. He had to be careful, couldn’t get too excited, or participate a lot. But he was no stranger to the idea of school itself, and to the atmosphere inside a school. And so, he wasn’t taken by surprise by the high school. He had long since told himself to be ready for it. After all, it would only be so much more of the same at college. The sight of so many boys and girls his age, all of them nervous, some with books in their hands cramming last minute information into their heads, some smiling as if in tears, all decidedly facing away from the building where they would be spending the next few hours. All except him. He was studying the building as much as the examinees. And Alex was next to him, smiling calmly, confidently. As a bell rang, the gates were pulled open. Examinees surged in like a tide. Get done with what was inevitable, was the overwhelming mood. Abe looked at Alex. Smiled. She hugged him. Rested her lips against his ears, and whispered.

“I know you’ll be fine. Have some fun while you’re at it.”

As she let him go, she kissed him on his cheek.

“Yeah,” he said, without blushing, even as everyone around looked at them. “I will. You’ll wait?”

“You want me to? You’ll take the full three hours?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll take that long.”

“Forget it. You just answer the questions in there. Go on then.”

“Okay.”

She waved him away. And he left with a dazzling smile.

The seating plan was put up on the notice board. Abe Fleur was in a classroom on the third floor. He found it easily enough. Others in the room seemed familiar with each other. Maybe same schools, or friends, Abe guessed. He returned smiles at those who smiled at him. Gazed back at those looking at him curiously. Ignored those who paid him no attention. All in silence. Not long after he sat in his seat in the middle, the invigilator walked in, with the question papers sealed in a brown envelope and the answer sheets. Everyone settled down, and a heavy silence descended. The invigilator gave out the usual instructions. When the bell rang, he unsealed the envelope, pulled out the question papers and handed them out. The exam had begun.

Abe was prepared. He had answered more mock exam papers than he cared to count. He knew what to expect. And he was ready for surprises. There were none in the exam. And all of the questions were those he had solved before. The entire exam was strangely un-challenging. He needed little over an hour to answer all the questions. He checked his answers, which took another five minutes. Then, he decidedly handed in the answer sheet to the invigilator, and walked out. No one else was done. As he walked out of the gates, all eyes of the parents waiting outside turned toward him. The faces expressed shock and disbelief and doubt and many other colourful expressions. He cared for none. He went straight to the bright yellow car, inside which Alex was reading a novel. She looked at him as he opened the door.

“That easy?” She asked.

“That easy,” he answered. “A little too easy.”

“Good. I guess that means we can truly celebrate tonight.” She beamed.

He nodded. He was confident about the exam. And that meant he was absolutely comfortable celebrating early. Wasn’t as if the result could change. And from the welcome as they drove back, and the mood at the party later in the evening, everyone seemed convinced just the same as him. It was as if he had already gotten accepted into the statistics program.

The results were announced a month later. They were all gathered around the table at breakfast. The letter had arrived last evening. Alex called everyone. And everyone insisted they wanted to be present when Abe opened the letter. And so, the letter was left untouched all night. By morning, everyone had arrived. All his teachers. All of Alex’s friends. There were over thirty people crammed into the room. At the front was Abe, with the letter from the university in his hand. He tore open the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper folded twice. He unfurled it. And slowly read out loud, while everyone listened intently. All the way to the end. Holding back the cheers and the applause and the screams of delight.

He had gotten in. The math department at Avery university was delighted to have him join the statistics program. Then, after he put the letter down on the table, and looked at them with a grin, they erupted.

That night, they had another party. Because he was going to college, Abe was finally allowed alcohol. Everyone got drunk that night. No one had a clue how they made it home. And when morning arrived, almost everyone had a mess to clean up at their homes. No one was complaining though. A party like that once in a while was good. And fun.

And everyone agreed. The Fleurs certainly knew how to throw a party.