Trust Fall(Complete ✅)

13. A venture to the wilderness

"Wow! Your house is so... beautiful. "

"Thank you." He dramatically bows his head.

We walk towards the glass door which is supposedly the main entrance and he rings the doorbell.

"There's someone in the house?" I ask.

"Yeah, Akku, he takes care of this place."

"But is this house safe enough for him? I mean, with all these glass doors and walls? Would be quite easy for a thief, wouldn't it?"

He smiles and raises his eyes as if I said something unbelievable. "Don't underestimate these glasses, they're stronger than concrete."

"Oh, okay." And I can't feel more embarrassed.

Most parts of the ground floor are transparent with the glass walls, so we are able to see the man coming to open the door. His thin silver-grey hair and wrinkled face hints that he has aged more than 60.

"Hi, Akku." He gives him a huge bear hug, convincing the old man to smile, forming deeper crinkles around his eyes.

I always knew Penzo was very humble and candid as a human but the sight is so heartwarming that my chest tightens with emotions.

"This is my Akku and she is my friend, Bianca." He introduces us as he slides his arm above Akku's shoulders.

"Hello." I greet, to which he replies with a hesitant nod.

"Please don't mind him, he rarely leaves this house, so he isn't very good with new people."

"I understand. " I say, receiving a shy smile from the old man.

"Akku, will you please cook us something for lunch? We'll come after we finish our forest tour, maybe at 1 pm."

With a nod, he leaves for the kitchen behind the dining room.

"He has a speech disorder so he avoids talking as much as possible." He tells me, once Akku was out of earshot.

"Then doesn't he have a problem staying alone here?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. He simply seems to enjoy staying here. He's been here all his life."

"But this place doesn't look that old."

"Because it isn't. They say my Great grandfather had a farmhouse right here but it got very old so my dad reconstructed this place. "

"Now that's interesting. "

He takes me to his bedroom which is a surprisingly well-groomed loft.

"You keep your place clean? Or has it something to do with Akku?"

"I do it by myself. I like things tidy. It's actually because of my mum, she turned me into a neatness freak like her."

"The very surprising side of Mr Penzom."

He takes out a wooden box from a shelf and carefully takes out a DSLR camera.

"You love photography, don't you?"

"Yes, very much. I even want to make a living out of it." He answers.

"Wildlife photography?"

"Well, that's just for practice, considering I'm surrounded by them. I want to become a fashion photographer." His smile changes into a smug.

"Oooh...Fashion? Supermodels right? Sounds like a very beneficial plan."

He gives a toothy grin, getting along with the banter.