They had the hotel reservation taken only for a night. And Gerald considered it too much trouble to make another for what possibly would be a day’s stay. So while Judith and him were handling the formalities at the police station, Keira was sitting outside on a lone steel bench, thinking.
What she did was right, there was no other way, she kept thinking repeatedly. She had taken that decision out of first step towards self-discipline, without thinking at all. Because she knew, if she had thought over it, she would never do it. Like she was thinking and probably inclining towards regretting it now.
Her heart was still gnawing at her head. Her inner turmoil was so great that she didn’t notice when a police officer dragged a convict in and told him sit on the bench. Only when the person planked down next to her, did she wake up from her reverie. She looked at him. The guy had a scruffy beard and a face nobody would trust. He was eyeing her curiously.
“Watcha in for?” he said, showing all his yellow teeth and blackened gums.
“Huh?”
“You don’t have no ‘cuffs on you. Watcha doin here?” he asked persistently.
“I’m not a criminal if that’s what you are thinking,” she exclaimed, scrunching her nose in disapproval.
He laughed and threw his head up, “Everybody’s a criminal. ‘N you looked guilty on the top of that.”
“Guilty?”
“Like you’d run your metal over an old lady. Or a cat,” he said in all seriousness. Even though he was a criminal and potentially dangerous, Keira couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“Nothing of that sort,” she assured him, “I just took a decision which I’m not sure about. And it concerns that guy over there.” She nodded at Gerald’s direction, who was visible from there.
“Oh, the sticky and tricky matter of heart,” he said, quite disheartened himself.
Keira didn’t know why, but she found herself confessing to this total stranger.
“I like him a lot. I’ve even possibly fallen for him. But I’m going to leave him.”
“Leave him? Does he know that?” the guy became serious.
She shook her head.
“Does he even know about your feelings?”
She shook her head once again.
“Damn girl, you in some deep shit,” he said incredulously.
Keira just looked at Gerald with certain amount of longing, which to be truthful, looked pathetic to that guy.
“Why you leaving him? Is he seeing someone else?”
“No,” Keira even found the idea horrible, “I don’t know anything. I just know that I have to go away from him.” She was on verge of chocking tears.
The guy looked alarmed,”Oy lady, don’t cry. That cop over there will beat the hell outta me for making you cry.”
“But you didn’t make me cry,” she was still dry sobbing.
“But he doesn’t know that,” the guy said. Keira controlled her sobs and dried her almost full eyes. There was silence of few minutes.
“Why don’t you tell him?” the guy said once more. “If you know what he thinks of you, it might help you do whatever you gonna do.”
Keira snapped her head at him. He wasn’t kidding. Suddenly an officer came and jerked the guy up, and once again dragged him away.
While getting pushed further, he managed to turn back and yell, “Just chew over it!”
YOU ARE READING
Miss Artist Can Suffer
Short Story{Completed} Colors and calculators don't mix well. But they did with Keira. Never did she expect that she would ever be interested in cold, rational brother of her best friend. But she is. And she won't deny that. But after a string of failures in h...
