Chapter 2: Can you see me?
1052 Words
"Grannie!" Mia called as she joined the old woman with nylon of packed noodles.
"Here," Mia handed her the pack.
"What about yours?" Grannie asked.
Mia flashed her signature smile with her dimples ever so visible.
" I'll get one on my way home"
Grannie knew it was a lie. Mia rarely ate and that made Grannie sometimes worry about her.
Time travelling was energy-consuming.
"I promise," Mia said with seriousness in her tone.
Grannie exhaled.
"I'll feed you," Mia said happily.
"Am I a toddler? I'll eat myself" Grannie snapped.
"Go home," she added.
"I'll go once you've eaten.
"You…"
"If you want me to leave you'll have to eat Grannie," Mia said stubbornly.
Grannie had to listen to Mia or else she would stay rooted to that spot all night.
***
Ryan pulled to a stop by the roadside staring out the window, watching an old woman and her granddaughter. He had been watching them all evening and felt his heart tighten.
They looked happy together. He kept his eyes fixed on the lady staring earnestly at the old woman, watching her eat.
'Won't she have some too?' He wondered.
Ryan exhaled as he stared at the lady even more. He just felt interested in studying her for a reason unknown to him.
The rain started to pour down heavily and Ryan had to roll up the windows of his car.
He looked over at the girl suddenly worried. She and her grandma packed up the jewellery and run towards a nearby store with the lady wrapping her arms around the older lady.
He found himself sinking into his seat as they got away from the rain.
Hold on.
He had been watching someone and worrying about her while forgetting his problems. Ryan's heart ached with pain as he gripped hard at the steering wheel.
His father had said a lot of things to him tonight.
He called him an Illegitimate son. In fro t of so many people...
Ryan had tried his best to please this man. To get on his good side. To be a son indeed but no!
Nothing he did in his father's eyes was right.
Ryan would have continued to live his life as a salesboy if his grandfather had not shown up that day, claiming Ryan to be his grandson, and introducing him to his new family.
A family that preferred he never existed.
Tim never saw Dan as his grandson- Ryan's stepbrother. If the old man had his way, he would kick the mother and son out of his son's house.
"Pests!" Tim often said whenever Dan failed to secure a contract for the company.
Ryan had tried so much for the company. He had taken online Business courses as he knew if he wanted to help at the company, he couldn't go to school at the same time.
Countless times he would have sealed a deal, only for Dan to ruin everything on the day the contract was to get signed.
And his mother? Ashley?
She made quite an effort in reminding Ryan of his place, anytime he tried to contribute to the family.
And she was quite the schemer too.
Always blaming every of her son's failures on Ryan and painting him bad.
Couldn't his father see through this woman's lies? There were obvious facts that she was lying but his father couldn't see that.
His father hated him that much…..
Whose fault was that? If his father had married his mother before deciding to have him….
His father left his mother and married another woman.
That alone was reason enough for Ryan to hate his father to the core. Even when his mother died, he was nowhere to be found.
But he decided not to.
He promised his mother he wouldn't….
He was his father after all.
Ryan bowed his head….
His father had said those words in front of everyone at the gathering…..
/you are not my son! You shouldn't have been born!/
The only ally he had was his grandfather; Tim.
At least he had a place to stay for the night.
He couldn't go back to that house, not after what his father had said.
He needed to clear his head and muster the courage to continue with that family.
Ryan leaned his head on the headrest and glanced out the window as the rain poured.
The lady was out in the rain dancing in the rain. Her grandmother was motioning her to get in but the latter paid no attention as she spun and laughed like a child.
Ryan found himself smiling at how childish that looked. She must be in her early twenties but she acted the other way….back.
Like a teenager.
He glanced at the old lady and noticed how worried she was.
Ryan wanted to get down and talk some sense into the girl. She could have caught a cold. Why didn't he think of that earlier?
He couldn't just approach her and tell her what to do too…
A truck with a failed break drove roughly down the road and Mia was standing right in front of it.
Ryan didn't realize it when he bolted out of his car running over to save her.
He realized his superspeed slowing down as Mia held up her hand and everything stopped.
The truck, people walking and cars driving by the road. They all stopped like someone had pushed a pause button.
Ryan stood still watching her as she moved everyone out of the way and helped the driver out of the truck.
She murmured a song as she shut the door to the truck and glanced over to the other side of the road staring at Ryan who stood still.
For that moment that their eyes met, Ryan couldn't take his eyes off her.
She walked over to him admiring his handsome features.
"He looks so much like a celebrity. I should have seen him in a magazine if he was..." Mia said, angling her head in a very cute way.
"Did you just do that?" Ryan asked.
Mia blinked before covering her mouth in shock.
'It's not possible,' she said to herself.
She waved her hand over his face slowly
"You...you can see me?" She asked.
Ryan chuckled and Mia shrieked in fright.
- Writer
