FAR FROM ERIS • FreenBecky •

TWENTY - FOUR

-More than usual, I see.-

-You have no idea.-

Heng and Becky looked up at the same time to find Irin and Freen walking in their direction. Becky sought Freen's eyes, but the girl seemed more interested in the gum stains on the sidewalk than in making any kind of eye contact with her. Since the night before, she had this strange feeling as if she had done something wrong, but she couldn't figure out what.

-Good morning, ladies,- Heng said cheerfully with a bow.

-Good morning, Heng. But don't call me a lady,- Irin replied. -I get enough of that every time a kid comes to buy a book and makes me feel like I'm eighty-six years old.-

-Well, you look great for eighty-six,- Becky laughed. She looked at Freen, who still seemed distracted by the street signs, leaning against the bookstore window with her hands in the pockets of her dark gray cargo pants. Although she didn't say anything, Freen was biting the inside of her cheek trying to prevent Becky's voice, flattering Irin, from piercing her chest like a stake.

-Hey, Freen, are you okay?- Heng asked when he saw her looking into space.

-Yeah, yeah,- she cleared her throat. -Shall we go?-

-We were waiting for you to see how we would split up. We have the van and Irin's car- Heng pointed to the two-seater van parked on the street. Before anyone said anything, Freen got up from the window and spoke up. -I'll go in the van with you, Heng,- she said, heading straight for the vehicle without looking at the girls and getting into the passenger seat.

They all watched her move and get into the van without saying a word, then exchanged a look of confusion before heading to their respective vehicles.

-See you at the cabin, Heng. Be careful with the wild one,- Irin said, pointing to where Freen had gone. Heng laughed, shaking his head. -Come on, Becky, you're riding with me.-

-Seems like it,- the girl replied with a smile, trying to catch a glimpse of Freen's face in the distance. It seemed like she was looking at her phone in her lap with a furrowed brow. She was definitely mad. -Come on, let's go.-

The three of them got into their respective seats and set off. It was almost a three-hour journey. The company that supplied them with materials for setting up the festival spaces, conducting workshops, and creating decorative elements, was in a village where, according to Irin, electricity had arrived less than a decade ago. But Irin liked to exaggerate a lot, and she was upset because they didn't make deliveries. The truth was that the road was quite peculiar and the place somewhat secluded. If they had to deliver large quantities of materials, they would have to hire personnel who knew how to drive trucks on those roads. So, they assumed it wasn't profitable for them to offer that service. However, every year Irin hoped they would have modernized and decided to incorporate deliveries.

They continued to order everything there because it had been done for a lifetime. They knew them, they gave them affordable prices, and well, in the end, it was always a good excuse to spend a rural weekend. Irin refused to drive back at night on those roads, so they always stayed in a set of wooden cabins in a camping area surrounded by forest.

Freen had been accompanying them for a couple of years. Heng, who actively participated in all cultural events, always accompanied Irin. The Art Festival was quite famous in the city; people from many neighboring cities came during the festival days to enjoy the concerts and exhibitions, or to participate in the various painting or restoration workshops held in the streets.

-You're very quiet,- Heng said after driving in silence for fifteen minutes. He didn't get a response. -Are you going to tell me what's going on?-

-There's nothing going on, Heng.-