DISCOVERING DREW

CHAPTER 7

After a while,I almost gave up. This was so embarrassing. Why was he doing this? I just wanted to greet him. I decided to give up and accept my fate but I gathered one last strength to knock for the last time, deciding that if he didn't answer this one,I'd just head back to my house. Well,at least I tried my best.

Knocking again and still waiting a little bit,nothing moved. Sighing,I started heading back to my own house but as soon as I took the first step back,I heard the door finally open.

"What is it?" A very hoarse voice said to me. My heart almost jumped out of my chest.

I turned around and finally my eyes met with the man that has been haunting my thoughts of recent.

I opened my mouth to talk and my mouth went very dry. I couldn't even begin to describe how nervous I was. So I did the most reasonable thing I could do to clear my mind and be coherent to avoid further embarrassment. I cleared my throat.

"Uhhm,Hi. I am Drew,your neighbour. I know you know that already,not my name though,the neighbour part." I laughed awkwardly after saying that. Internally,I was slapping myself for acting very stupid. I couldn't even recognise my own voice anymore.

I continued, " Well,I just moved in yesterday so I'd like to get acquainted with you. You know,for familiarity sake. As my new neighbour. Nothing much though. And here,I brought you some food,you could heat it up if you like. It's just something we do from where I am from. We try to get to know our neighbours properly. I don't really believe in being strangers with the people around you. I am not saying we should be friends,I mean we could be,if that's what you want,I am okay with that but a simple 'hello' and 'hi' is okay for me as well and I'd appreciate that. Instead of complete coldness and indifference." I finally stopped my rambling. Thank God. It was actually starting to get out of hand.

Blue eyes didn't respond right away. Instead,he kept on looking at me very strangely. Frankly at that moment,my mind went to Fat Tony. Fat Tony and this guy had so many qualities that they shared together,the same stoic and impassive expression,eyes that could stare into your soul and make you confess your deepest darkest secrets to them while equally possessing very good looking faces.

I finally got to see his face very clearly. Even in the night with just his front porch light and the streetlights on the street being our only source of light,his blue eyes was looking even darker. The man was completely breath-taking. He was one of the first people I had seen rocking clean-shaven cut effortlessly,infact it looked like he was made for it. He had an African-American nose and beautiful plump lips, sharp and visible jawline. He was obviously a mixed ethnicity so I wondered why his eyes were that blue. The other mixed people I had met in the past had brown eyes. Maybe he was one of a kind, I wondered. Or maybe mutation in his genes. I'd still go and ask goggle if any African-Americans had blue eyes because I indeed found it strange myself.

Blue eyes finally spoke," Is this poisoned?"

I was taken aback. Why would he think I was trying to poison him.

"What?! Why would you think that? I just thought it was a good gesture and you think I'd want to poison you?, " Now I was feeling slightly offended because why would he even think such a thing. Something I was doing out of the pureness of my own heart and he was here thinking otherwise. It wasn't even up to five minutes of my encounter with this man and I was already deeply irritated. Seems this friendship hand I was brokering wasn't looking feasible at all.

"Since you moved into that house,you have been stalking me and quite frankly,I feel very uncomfortable with that." His said while his voice came off as accusatory.

" The first time I saw you,you kept on staring at me like a weirdo and a creep,I literally had to move away quickly because of how uncomfortable I was. Not long after that,you saw me in the backyard playing ball and you kept on staring at me. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know me from somewhere? I get extremely put off with someone staring at me like that". He complained bitterly. He was looking at me very furiously now, while still maintaining a very calm demeanour.

The amount of bashfulness and humiliation I was feeling now was to the point of nausea. I regretted knocking on this man's door with everything coming out of his mouth.

And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse,he added,"Let not forget the fact that I noticed you creepily watching me from your car today in front of the club. What was that all about? And I noticed you immediately and you ducked. What the hell did you think you were doing? And now you appear in front of my house with food and expect me to take it and eat?!". At this point,he wasn't even calm anymore. Just completely and obviously irritated.

"Please get the hell out of here because I swear to God,one more creepiness from you,I am calling the cops immediately or even getting a restraining order on you if it ever gets to that extent."

He slammed the door to my face and locked it.

I stood there like a lost puppy for a couple of minutes trying to process what had happened. This man not only disgraced me,he insulted me and even threatened to call the cops on me. But as determined as I was,I wanted to apologize. I couldn't leave this place without saying my mind. I had to get this right. If I left now,then I'd still end up where I started, without anything but my emotions heightening around this man. So I did something that my intuition directed to me to. I knocked again.

He didn't open at first but I kept on knocking consistently. And finally when he detected I wasn't going to give up so easily,I heard he groan inside as he opened the door again.

"Look, whatever your name is,I was not kidding when I said I would call the cops. What is it you want again?," He said,sounding really frustrated and a part of me felt that if given the opportunity he was going to really be violent with me.

I didn't know what was giving me the courage to still be standing here in front of this intimidating man but I wasn't one to back down easily.

"I am sorry for everything. Firstly,it wasn't my intention to piss you off or anything like that. Sincerely,when I saw you at first,I had this feeling of nostalgia,like I knew you from somewhere,that was why I stared at you in that manner and I am very sorry indeed.

Secondly, I didn't really follow you to the club just to stalk you, contrary to what you might think and what it might look like,I came there before you,I actually went there to look for a job and I was able to leave when I saw you coming towards the club and out of it with my new boss. I am so sorry about that. That's why I decided to bring this food as a peace-offering and also to apologize for the weird behaviour. I hope I am forgiven."

I didn't even know how I was able to say all that without flinching or stammering but regardless,I was glad. I wanted to show this man that I wasn't some wimp who he'd try to intimidate.

He didn't say anything so I continued," I hope you can forgive my actions and accept the food as well and I promise I will never bother you again. We could even try to be as formal as possible with ourselves since we would be living very close to each other."

He continued to gaze at me like I was some retard,or at least that was what I thought because it was either he was staring at me as stupid or thinking I was an annoying ant he needed to stomp on and kill off.

He finally looked down at the plate I had been carrying all these while in my hand and said,"Sorry to you,boy. I am not eating that. I have heard what you said and all is forgiven but please take your food back. Goodnight and please don't knock on this door,again."

With that final warning,he closed his door and I could hear his footsteps walking into the inner chambers of the house.

I took this as my cue to go back home to my own apartment.

---

I opened my door and put the food back in the fridge. I was kind of grateful he didn't accept the food. It meant extra food for me anyways.

I went into my bedroom to look for my phone. I saw it,picked it up and dialled Dani.

She picked up at the third ring, "Drew,hey how are you?" She sounded like she was sleeping before I woke her up.

"Dani,were you sleeping? Oh my God,I am so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you from sleep. Should I call you later?"

"Yes Drew,please. I am so stressed out right now. I worked extra hours more than usual,I was filling in for Phil. I was so tired. Thinking the day was over,I came home and I had to take daddy to the hospital because he was so sick. Drew,he was running a temperature when he came back from work. He didn't even have the motivation to go to hospital. His body was so hot,I thought something drastic would happen to him. I rushed him to the hospital, we saw the doctor and they ran some tests. They put him on some drugs and he's become a little bit better. They didn't admit him though,just gave me drugs and directed me to give it to him. He's eaten and sleeping now. He's better. I am so tired and I am literally trying to sleep and you just called. I promise you, Drew,we will talk tomorrow. Okay baby?"

"Alright,Dani. Goodnight." The phone had already clicked off before she even said it back.

I didn't even know how to process all that information about my father,which Dani had just relayed but for the first time since I left home,I was so glad I wasn't at home. Because seeing Dani run around taking this 'incompetent man of a father' to the hospital,I would have left him to die of hyperthermia. What kind of a man can't even take his own self to the hospital when he's sick?

I blocked the thoughts immediately. After passing through one of the greatest humiliations of my life from blue eyes,which I haven't even started to process yet, and now hearing stuff about my father,my father was the least thing I wanted to think about. Mainly because he wasn't worth it. And I am not even trying to pity Dani in this situation. She chose to be a mother to him,she chose to do all these for him without pushing him to do it himself so that's up to her to live with it. I pushed down every feeling of pain and pity and at the same time, guilt I felt for what Dani was passing through.

Inorder to distract myself,I checked my text to Luca. He had already replied. I didn't know how I missed the notifications.

The text said;HI It's Luca by the way. I don't even know why I felt the need to remind you that it's me,Luca when you really have my number saved. LOL. You are welcome by the way. And don't forget,work starts tomorrow 6pm. Byeeee. See you tomorrow.

I smiled at his text. Luca was definitely growing on me. Without thinking extra about what I had gone through throughout the day up till this very moment,I put myself to sleep,blocking any form of worry and overthinking from my mind.