Alone on the Water

Memories

I was never the most popular boy in school or even on my family, but I wasn't either the marginalized, bullied boy some out there claim to have been. To be completely honest I myself didn't remember much of my childhood, and I didn't use to care too much about it either.

It all changed about a year ago, on a raining day, one of the first days of spring. I was then 14 years old, and I was told by Jane, my foster mother, that a new neighbour had just moved in, and that she had baked a welcome cake and would like me bring it to him.

By then I was living in a small community, in a small town of a not so big country, I know it might seems boring, but not really, life is full of adventures everywhere, I guess you just have to find yours. For me the new adventure was to know more about this new person coming to our community.

But before engaging in my new adventure, Jonas, Jane's husband, asked me to help him on fixing up the back door. Jonas was a good man, great with Jane, and to me the closest thing to a father, or better yet an old brother. He taught me lots of things, from the importance of being honest to, well how to fix a door. The one thing he wasn't good at was laughing, I never understood why, but I have never seen him smiling, and I guess now I will never will, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

After finishing up with the door, I went running to Jane, got the cake, and left before she could say 'be nice ...'. She knew I was going to be excited in meeting the new neighbour, I was a curious teen, I liked to imagine that everyone in town had a secret life; the doctor '', my ... school teacher ....; so Jane couldn't wait to see how creative I would get with the new neighbour.

And there I was in front of the door two houses down the street from mine, a little we from the rain, and full of curiosity. I remember I wanted to know everything possible about the stranger, what he did for a living, what was his favorite desert, did he snore.

I took a deep breath and knocked the door three times, and a couple of seconds passed, but no answer, I thought maybe he wasn't home, but I wasn't about to give up on the first try, so I knocked again this time louder, so if he was in his backyard he would hear me, but after a wile waiting still no answer.

Was when I heard a voice coming from behind: 'what do you want?', I quickly turned to find a men in his late 40's standing