His Flower [DISCONTINUED]

39: Skateboard

He looked like an older version of Antonio, which was rather unsettling considering how different the two were. His graying hair was stiffly gelled backwards, much unlike Antonio's usual mess of a head. Hair and wrinkles aside, the most obvious difference was the eyes. It wasn't about the color, because they both had dark brown eyes. Perhaps that was why I had never noticed it before. But when I looked close enough, past the false civility, I could see the pure evil harboring behind Mr. Brown's eyes.

I almost thought the scowl on his face was directed at me, but I calmed down once I realized he was speaking to someone through the earpiece he was wearing. It was likely a business partner, or something of the sort. Didn't Antonio say he was the CEO of an oil company? It certainly explained his luxurious lifestyle and heavy work hours. So caught up in his phone call, Mr. Brown brushed past me without a second thought.

I wondered if he remembered me. The first and only time we'd met, he'd not only called me a prostitute, but he'd compared me to a monkey as well. It was clear Mr. Brown was sexist, racist, and every other ist there was. The thought of our last conversation put a frown on my face, and I heavily considered leaving.

Though, how could I let him walk past me like nothing? When I knew this was the man who abused his own son? The man who beat Antonio black and blue when he made a mistake. The man who made Antonio feel unsafe in his own home.

He began to walk into the house, rapidly chattering into his earpiece. What language was that? Italian? Never mind—there were more important matters at hand.

"Wait!" I stopped him.

He abruptly halted his conversation and turned around. My heart rate quickened as I silently debated on what to do.

The blank look on his face informed me that he didn't recognize me. Though, he quickly became irritated at my silence. He wanted to know who this petulant girl was that dared to interrupt his important conversation.

"You dropped your wallet," I meekly stated, pointing at the ground.

The man's eyes lit up in realization. He leaned down to pick up his wallet, which had indeed slipped out of his pocket. When we were eye level once more, he offered me a suspicious look before heading in. As if I'd somehow reached into his pocket and thrown his wallet onto the floor.

I scoffed at the poor excuse of a man before grabbing my earphones from the pocket of my jeans, and blaring music. The noise temporarily distracted me from all thoughts of Mr. Brown. With that, I began the trek home.

I never told anyone about that encounter, ever.

• • •

Although the sky was darkening and the streets were emptying, I couldn't find it in me to head back home. My thoughts were rampant, and seeing Antonio's father only made me all the more anxious. I increased the volume of my earphones, successfully tuning out any noise. The wind blew my curls and slapped my skin. The streets were vacant, so despite walking in the middle of the street, I wasn't all too worried about getting ran over. That in mind, I closed my eyes and began to hum along to the song blaring through my ears. However, this quickly proved to be a mistake when–

"Watch out!"

A loud gasp escaped my plump lips. I tried moving out of the way, but before I knew it, I went flying. I landed on top of a firm body and groaned before reluctantly opening my hazel eyes. I was met with a pair of dark orbs that were alarmingly close to mine.