Christopher’s View.
We decided to return to California after the university incident. Mia seemed to want to take a short hiatus on this whole search mission, and I felt the same way. And anyway, I have pending work to take care of down there. So all around, the trip back home was beneficial.
As soon as we stepped out of the cab from the airport, I saw that I had three missed calls from Clancy. Somehow, he must’ve figured out that I was back. But how? It’s not like I have a trail of paparazzi behind me. I’m not that type of celebrity.
“I haven’t been to California in a minute,” Mia said as we strolled through a pavement in the forest. It led to my house.
“It’s crazy how I’m always here, and you sometimes come here. I could have been thinking about you, wondering where you were, and you would be in the same place as me.” I said. It was just a spoken thought. Mia nodded, maybe in agreement, or absentmindedly.
Tuesday night was quite a night. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, Mia was gone. I went crazy searching for her in that hotel. But she came back before I did anything irrational. She told me she visited that Reagan Manor place to search for Forrest, but didn’t find him. I was glad she didn’t tell me where she was going before she left. I would’ve just gotten my hopes up.
“My house is way back there. The one with the wooden roof.” I said, pointing to the shack-like house up ahead of us. Mia nodded when she saw it. The house had a flat bamboo roof, with artificial bamboo exterior. The inside wasn’t nearly as beautiful as the outside. The house itself wasn’t nearly as beautiful as anything around it. The woods, with their faint croaking bugs and earthly scents, were a perfect haven. It was always difficult for me to leave.
Suddenly, Mia tripped on a twig on the ground. She swore harshly.
“You ok?” I asked softly.
“Yeah. I don’t know. It’s not that twig. It’s just that ever since Wednesday, the day after I went to that club, I’ve been feeling like somebody is watching me.” Mia seemed to be a bit annoyed with herself, or the unknown force that’s ‘watching’ her, as she said this. I didn’t reply.
Since I only had to get a thing or two from the house, I didn’t let Mia come all the way in. She stood in the foyer while I went to the back, to my bedroom. It wasn’t very interesting; it just consisted of the normal things a bedroom would have. On the bedside table was my planning book, where all the information concerning Tyler’s album and my upcoming album were kept. Then there were the spare keys to Tyler’s place, and my old phone.
I checked the phone, which had three missed calls on it. I didn’t even remember anyone still had that number of mine. All the calls were from Hodgy, so I called him back right away. It was funny how he hadn’t even crossed my mind for such a long time.
I dialed the number slowly and lazily; I didn’t expect him to pick up the phone. When he did pick up, I was genuinely surprised.
“Hodgy?” I asked. He didn’t reply, but I could hear him breathing on the other line. “I got your missed calls. Is everything okay?”
Instantly, I felt like something was wrong.
“Where are you now?” Hodgy breathed eerily into the phone, no type of upward inflection in his voice.
“I’m in Cali. You’re here too, right? Is there something you need?”
There was a long pause. I didn’t even want to say his name again to see if he was there, because he was. His low, heavy breathing was reassurance that he was only thinking.
“Yes.” Hodgy said finally. “I need her.”
Then I started to get a feeling similar to the one Mia described—I felt like something was watching me. I turned around to see Mia standing mysteriously in the doorway. I held the phone close to my ear still, trying to let Hodgy know I was still there. But I couldn’t hear his breathing anymore. Now it was a different sound…a screeching, banging, violent sound.
“Who’s that?” Mia nodded toward the phone. I didn’t answer her. I was concentrated on finding out what was going on with Hodgy.
“Hodgy? Come on, now. Answer me. Who’s her?”
Two gradual clicks. He hung up on me.
“Who is on the phone, Chris?” Mia asked accusingly, approaching me slowly. I backed away as she came closer. She still thought someone was on the phone. It was only a matter of seconds before the dial tone came on.
“A friend of mine. Why are you so interested?” I asked her. Now I was a bit more curious about Mia’s attitude. She shrugged, playing off any suspicion she might have had.
“I just want to you to know that loyalty and openness is key. That’s all.” Mia, who seemed satisfied with her words, slid slyly out of the bedroom, leaving me and the dial tone alone to wonder.
This is going to be one hell of a day.
* * *
With Mia silent as a mouse in the passenger seat, we drove over to Hodgy’s place. It wasn’t my original plan for the day, but the phone call we shared wasn’t something I could just shake off and forget about.
All it took was a right turn during our journey and I would be headed toward Clancy’s residence, where we could discuss more important things than Hodgy like my music and other tour appointments.
But was my career really important at this point? Did my music, what I used to know as my passion, surpass my robust love for people I haven’t seen in ages?
I would say ‘there is only one way to find out’, but there is actually no way to find out. At least not until I find Forrest.
“There it is,” I murmured to myself. The auburn, modern cottage-like house was perched in between two houses of much lesser beauty. Without official permission, I pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. I made sure to take my phone and keys out of the car with me.
“Stay here. Don’t come looking for me. I’ll be out in just a second.” I warned. Then I locked the car, closed the door behind me, and headed into the house. I used the knocker and knocked a few times, waiting for any indication that the house was occupied. When no footsteps came, I rang the doorbell twice. Finally, the door just opened. I walked in hesitantly, looking around to see who had opened the door.
Abruptly, something like a golf club connected with the back of my head, making me collapse onto the floor. I looked up and saw a blurry Hodgy standing before me, with a golf club in his hand.
“I was waiting for you.” He smiled evilly. Hodgy prepared to swing the club once more, but I mustered up all the strength in me, and more, and leaped off the ground. I plummeted into him, causing us both to fall to the floor. Hodgy cushioned my fall.
“Get up!” Hodgy growled. These words were the only audible ones that left his mouth. He went on, gnawing at my arms and trying to get the golf club to hit my face. I was holding the club down on his chest, though. I knew it was hurting him.
“Stop it! Tell me what’s going on with you!” I demanded, still wrestling with Hodgy. Finally, he stopped, allowing us both to breathe. I didn’t let him get up.
“I told you,” he said, “I need her.”
That was when it all clicked. The only woman who recently came into Hodgy’s life, as far as I know. After all, she’s the only one who can send you as crazy as Hodgy is behaving now. She’s the only one who can force you, something inside of you, to create a burning desire for her. To go out of your way to just get her near you again.
It’s her.
“But you won’t let me have her.” Hodgy continued. Now, I was standing up off of him. We both stood on our two feet, circling each other like trained fighters in a ring.
“You’re so selfish, Frank. You knew her—cool, I get that. But she wanted to know me. She was done with you, even if she couldn’t accept it. But you had to keep her from me! I know it, Frank! I know that you were the one who took her away from me!” Hodgy screamed at the top of his lungs.
“No, you have it all wrong. I had nothing to do with that. The person who took Ajahni away took her from both you and me! We both love her, because that’s just how she is. She makes you want to love her. But you can’t just go around blaming people for her absence. What do you think makes me so distant from the rest of Odd Future? Not just lately, I mean since I met you guys? Because I’ve been looking for her non-stop, Hodgy. I’ve only been able to give up on finding her recently.”
I paused to catch my breath. I was pouring out these words with impeccable emotion. “You can’t blame me,” I continued finally, “because I already blame myself.”
My words seemed to touch Hodgy, seemed to get through to him. He looked down with travelling eyes. I followed his gaze as he examined the carpet intently. I began to stare at the carpet myself, too. I studied cautiously the complex designs and swirls of the brown against burgundy. It was so pretty, so marvelous, so peaceful…
PANG!
I stumbled back onto the couch as Hodgy’s club hit me in my side, right in the middle of my torso. I was now upset with him. We tussled on the couch, neither of us really leading the fight, until Hodgy managed to give me a hard blow in the neck with the club. That was it.
I planted my foot deeply into Hodgy’s crotch, sending him on the floor in pain. Then I snatched the club from his hands and hit him in the side of his head, right on his ear, with it.
And then the door opened, revealing a surprisingly calm Mia.
“Come on,” she said to me. “Leave him there. He’s a just job taken care of.”