Reminiscence

Chapter .34.

R-E-N-E-S-S-E

Two weeks later,
"All set?" I ask, fixing Aiden's tie, a horrible bright red, nearly hurting my eyes, but I don't say anything against it since he kept going on and on about how much he liked it.

I think he has a weird fetish for red, blingy things. Maybe he was a bull before.

He takes in a breath and smiles at me in thanks. "Yeah, thanks to you. I really hope I get this job. And you're going to totally rock it at your meeting."

"Thanks, I really hope I get in. You'll be great at accounting too, I betcha. Just don't forget your papers." I say and hand him his old diploma. I stepped back and looked at him.

He looked stunning in the light blue suit, which brought out his eyes. His hair ruined the good boy image, but I didn't mind. It was all over the place, curly and sticking up in soft tufts here and there. A single silky curl dropped down on his forehead and he blew it off, but it stubbornly fell back. I laugh and hug him, my fingers reaching up to tuck his curls in place. He hugs me back, hands caressing my waist.

"Okay, I'll see you for dinner then, if this goes as planned. Or maybe I'll just end up a homeless drug dealer living under a bridge. And I bet a billion bucks you're going to blow their minds." he says, pulling back and grabbing his backpack, smiling encouragingly.

"Yeah, don't freak, you'll do fine. And I'm not so sure about that bet." I laugh at him in reply as he smiles and closes the door. We fixed his bike on a lazy Sunday when we had nothing else to do, and he told me he wanted to try it out today.

I grab a granola bar from the fridge and take a huge bite out of it, (after unwrapping it of course,) and sling my own backpack on. I was so jittery with nervous energy but I was bursting with excitement at the same time. I was applying to work at an animation company, called Animatrixx. Yeah, it had two x's. Crazy, I know. And I loved it.

I've always wanted to be a cartoonist and I had tons of great ideas that I'd always had, but never built up the nerve to get them displayed. I figured it was not too late to put my skills to use instead of working as a barista. Don't get me wrong, I loved Maria and all my other colleagues at Café Caffeine, but even they figured it was time for me to pursue what I'd always wanted. I was twenty and at the peak of my life right now.

I check my outfit one last time in the mirror. I decided to be lame and wear something cartoon themed so I wore a Teen Titans shirt and ripped jeans, with my hair in Dutch braids. I throw on my purple combat boots, check again if I had my files in my backpack, and head out of the house, feeling confident. I get on my bike and pedal towards Animatrixx headquarters.

The past two weeks had been incredible fun. It felt so good to have him back. We even went all out and made a dozen signs and organized our very own Climate Strike. It turned out to be super successful and everyone from the entire locality showed up. We cleaned a nearby lake and sowed a lot of seeds everywhere on empty grounds. The whole thing made me feel refreshed and productive. I was glad that Aiden cared about the same things I did, and did everything to help too.

Life was going good. Little Cunt showed no signs of prodding into Aiden's life again and we even found a trace to his family. An old officer at the station told us he remembered filing a case for Livia Adams back in the late 80's so atleast we had proof she wasn't completely erased. We still had to work on getting our hands on that file though.

I park my bike in a parking lot and gaze up at the colourful building. This was Disneyland to me as a kid. Finally I was here.

I walk in through the glass doors and my hair blows back as the cool air hits my face. This place had that amazing smell, you know the kind where you just walk into a really official place and it smells like official floor-cleaner? Okay I should focus. I walk up to the receptionist and tap the counter. He looks up at me and smiles.
"May I help you miss?" He asks politely.

"Yes please, I'm Renesse Roid, and I have an interview scheduled for today?"

"Oh yes, let me check if you're on our list, and you'll be good to go." He smiles warmly and flips through his register. What a kind man.

After a few moments, he looks up. "Miss Roid, you're scheduled for the interview in about half and hour. You can wait in one of the seats there, have a nice day!" He grins.

I smile back. "Thank you."

I walk over and plop myself down on one of the seats. My phone buzzes with a notification.

Aiden: "hey. Turns out that our company has links with Animatrixx. Cool, ryt? Everything good?"

"Woah. Coincidence. Yeah. Wbu?"

"Bout 2 go in. Wish me luck!"

"I don't need to, Einstein."

I switch my phone off and drop it in my backpack. I hear footsteps walk across the polished floor and stop near the seat beside me. I look up to see a young guy, probably in high school, with curly strawberry blond hair and grey eyes flop down on the chair beside me. He beams at me and makes hand signals. I frown, confused. The boy gets the hint and gestures that he couldn't hear. I apologize and ask him if he knew how to lip-read by making signs with my hands. He nods yes, and asks me why.
"I'm so sorry, but I can't sign." I apologize, careful to pronounce my words clearly.

He smiles and shrugs it off. What are you here for? He signs.

"An interview, you?"

My mother works here, he says, and points to one of the offices above.

"Oh, I'm Renesse, by the way, it's nice to meet you." I smile at him warmly, he had that vibe that made you feel good.

He smiles and spells out his name, making alphabets with his fingers.

"Nathan. What a nice name. I love your hair, by the way."

He smiles. Thank you, he signs which I can understand, since I know basic gestures, but not all of it.

"Pleasure." I suddenly frown, because there's something about this boy that's familiar. It hits me all of a sudden. Nathan. Johnathan. Aiden's brother! He had changed so much that it hadn't occured to me before. It was like a transformation. Johnathan had always been on the healthy side, but this young man was lanky and tall. His hair had been pin straight and skinhead style but now it was a mass of curls and they reached right down to his shoulders. And the hearing problem? Johnathan had perfect hearing. Yet the features were unmistakable.

"Nathan, could you full name possibly be Johnathan?" I ask, cautiously.

He raises his eyebrows and nods his head yes.

My hopes shoot up. "And your your mother be..a certain Livia Adams?"

This time though, he shakes his head. He signs that her name was Aurelia Black.

My hopes plummet into Tartarus. Great.

Suddenly, my name is called for the interview. I look back at Nathan. "Was awesome meeting you, let's talk later?"

He gives me a thumbs up sign.

I gather my papers, take a deep breath and walk into the room.

I walk in, smile at my interviewers and sit down.

"Miss...Roid?" A middle aged lady with the same piercing grey eyes as Nathan says, but her voice wavers.

Livia, I think. Or is it Aurelia?