Chapter 9
For all his rough trappings, Victor was an elegant cook. If he didn't grow it, he didn't eat it was his motto. Behind his miniature home was an extensive garden hidden away from passerby's and car fumes, and it was tended to in a military fashion; orderly and precise.
He handled every vegetable as if they were his best friend, carefully scrubbing away the dirt and chopping in precision patterns. Humming in tune while cooking was an unexpected trait, as was that smile, bright and perfect, creating difficulty guessing his true age.
When he heard the footsteps at the door, he carefully put down the last carrot and tripping over a vagrant footstool, he missed opening it first. Jackson's abundant bouquet from the forest was first to enter, the delicate arrangements of soft greens and tiny pale flowers mingling in random order, followed by the artist himself, carefully manicured and dressed in intense colors. Victor missed grabbing the bouquet, trading it for a grab at Diane instead. Everyone was exchanging dialogue at the same time, and Diane dropped her bag and gave Victor a big hug.
Victor wrapped his arms around her tight when his body abruptly shook and convulsed. He pulled away, looking at Diane in alarm. "Are you okay?" asked Diane, still holding his arms to keep him from dropping. Jackson reached over and grabbed him but Victor hung on to Diane and continued to look at her with a vacant gaze and mouth slightly open on one side. She slapped his face gently with both hands and he began to speak and stand up on his own again.
"I'm so sorry," he pleaded. I sometimes get these little attacks, nothing really, scares everyone else more than me." He looked down, refusing to meet eyes with Diane for quite some time. He shook his head a few times, stretched his arms out in front of him and joined up again in the land of the living, laughing and impressing everyone with his galvanizing charm and educated lingo. By the time the food was on the table, his episode was forgotten, but Jackson noted a change in his odd friend's character, one that seemed guarded and calculating.
The dinner was extravagant enough to prompt Diane to ask Victor if he had chef training, but more importantly, what he use to do in his past. His answer was quick and precise, but lacked the integrity he was known for, and this time both his guests picked up on it. Jackson worked hard at hiding his concern, keeping vigil on Victor for the rest of the evening. He realized how much of an enigma Victor truly was, and how little he would divulge of himself, always asking everyone to let loose and speak out but never practicing what he preached. For the first time, Jackson was uneasy about his neighbor, but kept it under cover until he was able to find a space to ask the right question at the right time.
Diane and Jackson walked home in the rain that night, both a little quiet from the events and both trying to soak the information before flawed conclusions took over.
Victor however, paced all night, knowing exactly what the conclusions were for him. His heart raced and swelled in his chest, and his breathing had lost its rhythm. He swore he would never feel this way again. He would never put himself in a position to endure the agony he was destined to face. He raced out of his home and made his way up and down the gravel road, rain pouring off his forehead, flowing between his skin and his clothing. Never again he cried. Never again.
April K. Reeves, Author. Copyright 2004 All Rights Reserved. Visit us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/April-K-Reeves/390530011143987?fref=ts or our website: https://aprilkreevesauthor.wordpress.com/
YOU ARE READING
Exit God Out - Book One - The Unexpected Terrestrial
Science Fiction- - Sometimes destiny is so powerful even the darkest path cannot block it. - - A University ritual. Five young men hoping to avoid the short straw. Jackson Brown Sparrow loses, and as he reaches up into the hat for a small piece of paper that for...
