Stand by the Bad

Milo, Pancakes and a new friend

~ Sunday Morning ~

~ Marlyn ~

I was sleeping and I woke up with the loud ringtone of my phone, my mother's photo was flashing on it. I was so happy that she has called. Israel is 7 hours ahead of Kentwood so I guess she didn't realize that it's still quite early however, it was so good to hear her voice again. Since the day my parents have left me at my granny's place, it's the first time she has called. It was her lunchtime so she thought of talking to me since it's been more than a week.

"Good morning dear, How are you doing at school Marlyn", that was the first question she asked after saying good morning to me. What would I have expected apart from this, all my parents were ever interested in, was my grades and my reputation at the school. 

"Good morning Uhmmm.....School is going great Mother, and I have made few friends as well". 

"Hmmm that sounds good, ok listen I have an urgent official call to make so will get in touch with you soon, love you and take care", that's all she said and hung up the phone. 

I buried my head in the pillow while thinking, that's it, this was all that my mother wanted to talk about, me doing good in academics, she didn't even ask how was I, how I'm doing without them. How are the things around me? Did I like my new home.

Even back in New York, she never cared what is actually happening in my life. All they ever talked about was academics, competitions, grades, and the next goal I should prepare for. I felt really upset and saw the clock, it was 6 in the morning. I tried to sleep but was overwhelmed by emotions, so I decided to go for a run.

I wore my activewear and went outside, it was still a little dark and so beautiful as you can see a few rays of sunlight touching the dark sky. It was so peaceful that you can hear the chirping of the birds. The sun was about to rise. I started running and that's when I saw a beautiful golden retriever tangled in some creepers, he was so restless and was trying to get out of that mess. As I reached close he looked at me in pain. 

" Poor Fellow, I guess you can use some help ", I said and he barked at me helplessly. As soon as I untangled the creepers, he was happy and was licking my face. He was wearing a dog collar, named Milo, I started to rub my hands on his head and ears. 

His coat was so shiny and soft. His owner takes care of him really well. I started to look around to see if someone was looking for him. Then I saw someone coming in our direction from the woods, It was him, my neighbor, the same guy who was riding the bike with his group that day. I started to notice his attire, he was wearing a black hoodie and black track pants, all black. There was this big tattoo of some ancient symbol on his chest which was clearly visible as the front of his hoodie was almost open.

He shouted Milo, the dog jumped on him and started licking him all over. He came near to me with a big smile on his face, "Thank you so much for helping him. it was a very nice gesture."

"It's completely alright, I saw him in pain and tangled in those creepers, so just helped him. He is so adorable", I replied. 

" Seems like you are new here, I have never seen you around. My name is Sean ". 

"Hi my name is Marlyn and yes, I have recently transferred from New York, and I don't go out much, so don't know many people around."

"Would you like to grab a quick breakfast, there is this awesome cafe serving delicious hot pancakes down the hill. Trust me they are the best in town. "

"Umh... No, It's completely fine, I'll just go complete and my remaining lap and then go back to get ready for the school ", I replied hesitantly. 

"Come on Marlyn, it's very near, and please give me a chance to say thank you for what you have done for Milo, he is my best buddy, the breakfast is on me.", he chuckled while saying. 

I couldn't deny it anymore, as Milo was looking at me with those cute big eyes. After a 5 minutes walk, we reached the cafe, it was just 7:00 am and that place was fully packed. I can smell the fragrance of freshly cooked delicious pancakes, it was so heavenly. I can't wait to try them.

After looking for 2-3 minutes, finally, Sean spotted a table, we went quickly before someone could have taken it. I was looking into the menu, I must say they have quite a variety here. Sean asked my choice and went to place the order at the counter. While he was gone, Milo was rubbing his head on my legs. I was looking around and was thinking about Sean, when he snapped his fingers in front of me, "Hello, what are you thinking". He asked and I came back to reality. 

" Nothing, it's just this place is so peaceful and quiet, away from city's hustle and bustle. Everything is so fresh here." Before I could have said anything else, the server was there with our food, those blueberry-filled pancakes were looking scrumptious, I couldn't even wait for one more second and started eating them. Oh God, Sean was so right, they were absolutely delicious. 

By the time, we finished our food, it was already 8:00 and I was getting late for school. I said bye to Sean and started running back home. I can hear Sean was shouting, " I'll see you around Marlyn", in reply all I did was wave my hand. 

As soon as I reached home, I went straight to my room, took shower, and got ready for the school. I'm glad that granny's driver was ready to drop me off at the campus. The school is hardly 20 minutes from here and it was 8:35 am, I'm sure I'll make it on time.