STALKER

Chapter 61 - 17th July

"Going to 1905 to find a name. Do you want to come?"    I sent the text off to Weirdo before I went to bed last night.

.....

I love long showers. It's the best time for daydreaming. I have spent hours imagining what I would do if I won the lotto, and who I'd like to have sex with while standing under a steaming hot jet of water, wrapped in a warm mist. I don't think about winning the lotto anymore because, well, I can 10 times over if I want to. So it's no fun. I still fantasize about women though but now I'm not limited to this time and place. These days I wonder if Joan of Arc would keep on having visions if her sex life was better, I could help her out with that.

The doorbell sent off a sonic boom and shook the house. Even under the shower, I could hear it clearly in the upstairs bathroom. I rinsed off and slowly started drying myself. I wasn't in any rush. It was probably a delivery, something I'd bought for my jump. I walked to my bedroom naked, another plus for living alone. I can go starkers all day if I wanted to....except it's freezing and my nipples are standing out hard, I'm covered in goosebumps and I'm suffering badly from shrinkage.

The doorbell goes off again. I get dressed in an old baggy sweatshirt, pants, and ugg boots....not the outfit of a sex god. I'm almost down the stairs when the bell goes off again. Seriously it's the doorbell to summon the Gods, not us mere mortals. I know without a doubt on the other side of the door there is an arsehole.

Granddad is pacing up and down the hall, the noise has annoyed him as well. He almost looks like a dog waiting to pounce on the postman the minute I open the door.

.....

Two pairs of angry eyes settled on me. If the Terminator with a M60 had appeared on my verandah. I wouldn't have been as surprised as I was at seeing Alina, Weirdo's mother, and Nana Ovia. Alina was standing on the welcome mat, I thought that was rather ironic.   Her hand was raised about the turn the bell key.  I stepped back quickly.   As beautiful and delicate as she is I felt I would have preferred to fight off Arnie with a machine gun than her. Nana Ovia was still at the bottom of the veranda stairs sitting in her wheelchair. Her glare sent a chill down my spine. I looked around for Weirdo, half expecting him to be hiding somewhere, having been dragged here like a naughty boy by these two fierce women.

I was not sure what to do or say, once I remembered that this was my home, I was on my turf I calmed down and nudge myself back to reality.

"Alina, Nana Ovia this is a surprise." Part of me wanted to resist doing the polite thing and invite them in but that was too rude, even for me.  I turned to look at Granddad who had become even more agitated and was swirling like a tornado at the end of the hall and I wondered how this was going to pan out.  For the first time, he appeared to be intimidated, not wanting to get close which was not the norm for him.

I saw Alina's eyes focus loosely in his direction. I realised she couldn't see him.

"That's my Grandfather...John," I explained and she acknowledged his presence with a nod.  Do you get how strange that is? Saying something like that to someone and they understand...I will never get over this supernatural stuff.

"Would you like to come in?" I finally asked when we made eye contact again. I think she was sizing up Granddad, friend, or foe. Looking at her furrowed brow and her tightly pulled lips,  it was the latter. John was certainly not showing any signs of being friendly.

"Please, that would be lovely Timoti.  She said quietly. Alina had a sweet soothing voice. I could feel her trying to make me feel warmly toward her. I felt manipulated and fought it. I moved passed her and went to bring  Nana Ovia inside.

I think they both thought I was going to drag the chair up the steps, instead I picked Nana Ovia up gently before she could complain. She weighed nothing, she was skin and brittle old bones.  I  carried her into the house and waited for Alina to haul the wheelchair up the steps and into the hallway.  I put her back in her chair carefully.  The way Nana held herself rigid,  tucking her clenched fists against herself I could clearly see she hated my touch.   I hadn't given her any time to spot Granddad but when she did, or should I say when they focused hateful looks at each other, it was obvious there was no love lost between these two.  Alina was in the dark as to what was happening, her eyes darted from Nana to me and to an empty spot in the hall where a waxing and waning spectral John was becoming unhinged, starting to move closer and spin around us.

I was taken by surprise when Nana Ovia took my hand and held it tightly in both of hers.  She closed her eyes as if she was concentrating on something.  Then she let go and looked up at me.  Her eyes were a little softer and some of the wariness was gone.

Her accent was thick and I had to listen carefully.  "It's not you who wants to hurt my Petru."  Nana tilted her head and searched my face as if she  expected to find something but there was nothing there.  

"But it is...part of you. In here."  She reached up and tapped my chest.  Nana turned to follow the grumpy puff of smoke as he spun around Alina. 

She held up her hand and pointed a bent arthritic finger and turned to John.   "It is him. He's the one who hates my Petru....so much hate."  Then Nana made a hand gesture to ward off the evil eye and spat in his direction.  It was gross but then again he's made me want to do worse.   

"That is my grandfather John Morrison,"  I told her but she pffted in his direction, dissing him totally.  John started to shrink and expand, he was furious and I knew what was going to happen if he kept it up.  "Granddad calm down."  I tried to warn him. 

Nana Ovia wasn't making the situation any better by muttering something under her breath over and over again.  I think she was pushing him away and he was fighting it.  Shrink, expand, shrink, expand, and then when sparks started to fire along his wispy tendrils....poof he was gone.

"We need to talk, maybe you aren't such a bad boy after all, just stupid."  Nana Ovia lifted her hand like she was Queen Elizabeth and summoned Alina  to push her wheelchair.   She looked around and noticed the lack of furniture for the first time.  "Are you poor?"   I blinked, perhaps it was better when she didn't want to talk to me.  I pointed Alina towards my room and they settled around the table, both of them looking a little confused by all the memorabilia.  "Tea now please."  She snapped at me.  "Strong 4 sugars."

"Hmmm...Yes, mam."

I sent another text to Weirdo. "Nana is here.  Help!"