20 Black Beast

Margaret took 35 minutes to finish her morning activities and get ready. She stood before a full mirror and smiled at her reflection. She was wearing a blue one piece dress with white flowers scattered across. It was simple and cute dress. Her long, dark auburn hair was tied into her usual low ponytail behind her neck.

She then walked to the bed and sat down as she picked her good ol' brace and began pulling it over her sprained right ankle. She was actually developing an aversion to the thing, but since she still needed its support, she was barely bearing with it.

She wrapped it tightly around her ankle and stood up, grabbing the grey cardigan on the side. She slipped it on and walked to her study table, picked up her black messenger bag and threw the wallet and a couple books placed on the table inside it. She locked the straps and slung it across her shoulders before finally walking out of the room.

- -

Margaret climbed down the last of the steps when she heard her mom's laughter. She entered the living room and peeked around before she saw her mom in the kitchen, talking with Arthur who was holding a glass of mango juice in his hand.

He was wearing a full sleeved, light blue long cardigan over a white shirt and paired it with a matching white cargo pants. He looked dashing and handsome in practically all white, but what blew Margaret away was the smile on Arthur's face as he spoke to her mom. It was not a full smile but there was a smile nonetheless.

Margaret's mouth was on the floor as she watched her Mom and 'friend' chatting away like they were good friends. And Arthur appeared to be having a good time as well, answering Carol with a few words here and there.

'My mom is officially amazing!' Margaret concluded in her mind.

Her mother was talking and laughing with a guy who intimidates the whole university with just his blank gaze. But the main point here was, Arthur was smiling; he was freaking smiling. And he was clearly enjoying the conversation and company of her mom. If anybody from university saw that, they would die from the after effect from the shock.

Margaret stood in the living room a few feet away, watching them converse. But she couldn't hear anything as she was too amazed by the scene playing in front of her.

Arthur said something, to which Carol chuckled and hit him playfully on his arm. She then answered him and turned away laughing, when she noticed Margaret standing in the living room.

"There she is..." Carol smiled, walking towards her as Arthur also turned to Margaret, his face back to its usual neutral state.

'What, no smile for me?' Margaret huffed and turned away as Arthur raised his brow in confusion.

"Come on, Maggy. I made some light breakfast for you." Carol tapped her on the shoulder and walked to the dining table. She then looked back at Arthur and spoke. "Arthur, you sure you don't want any? My peanut butter sandwiches are quite famous."

"Next time, Carol." He answered, raising his juice glass as he came to stand a step beside Margaret, who dramatically turned her head in his direction, eyes wide and mouth open. Did he just call her mom by name?

Carol's full name was Caroline Laurence. And not just anybody can call her Carol just like that. Unless she personally gave her permission.

Arthur looked at Margaret with an innocent face and she sighed and shook her head. Whatever.

She was definitely not annoyed that her mom was much more familiar with her friend than she herself. The last time she checked, her mom didn't even know his name. And now, they were acting all chummy, calling each other Arthur and Carol affectionately.

Nope. She was not annoyed at all.

"Shall we leave?" Margaret grumbled, forcing a deadly sweet smile onto her face. She didn't know what to do with the irritation she was feeling. But since Arthur was the cause, he had to pay for it.

"Eat your sandwiches." He pointed to her mom who was setting the plate with sandwiches.

"No, I don't need any. Now, let's go." Margaret snapped, not even trying to hide her anger. She turned and went straight for the main door without waiting for his reply. She stopped at the shoe cabinet, sat down, pulled out a pair of maroon vans and began to push her feet into them.

"Maggy, what are you doing." Carol walked out and stood behind her, hands on her hips. "Come and eat the sandwiches first."

"I'm not hungry." Margaret answered without even looking back as she stuffed her braced feet into the shoe.

"How is that possible? You didn't eat anything at all today." Carol came around and put the back of her palm on Margaret's forehead and mumbled 'no fever'. She then spoke with a smile. "I made some peanut butter sandwiches. Let me get you one, I'm sure you'll feel hungry if you see them." She turned around and rushed inside, before Margaret could decline.

Margaret stood there shaking her head in defeat as Arthur walked out leisurely, one hand in pocket and the other scratching the back of his head. This guy, he had no sense of urgency at all.

Margaret stood there, with her hands crossed and tapping her foot impatiently while Arthur… he just stood in front of her. Like a frickin statue, without a single movement or expression.

"Here. I packed them, in case you feel hungry later." Carol spoke as she jogged back to the front door, relieved that Margaret was still there. She shoved a blue lunch box into one hand and put a sandwich in other and spoke. "Eat."

Margaret sighed and took a bite of the sandwich, pushing the box back to her. "Mom, we are not going on some kind of field trip. I'll be back in… two hours, at most." She explained as she hurried to finish the sandwich in hand.

"But what if-"

"No buts." Margaret cut her off, as she put the last piece of sandwich into her mouth and turned around. "Let's go Arthur."

She went to the door, opened it and took a few steps outside before halting in her tracks. Her mouth rounded into an 'oh' as her eyes landed on a machine straight from science fiction, parked right across the lawn.

That thing was the one and only reason Arthur was envied for, at the university. Yes, he was also a subject of envy.

It was dubbed as 'black beast' by the guys at university and Margaret could finally see why. It was sheathed in black exterior and the twin engines packed inside were ready to pump the thing to life. Two big exhaust pipes connected from the engines were secured firmly to the side below, in a silver metallic coat. The thick black tires were installed with aluminum disks and a crimson stripe on the full black rims.

Margaret felt that those mammoth tires alone would be heavier than her. She could see the bold orange letters printed on the fuel tank reading HARLEY-DAVIDSON.

It appeared indomitable and intimidating, like a wild beast; an armored wild beast. It was parked on the sidewalk across their front yard, and people walking past were all sneaking glances at it, old and young.

"She is a good girl, but she can be very stubborn at times." Margaret heard her mom's voice from behind and rolled her eyes.

'Thanks for the positive review, Mom.'

She turned back and saw Arthur two steps behind her, holding a rectangular blue box in his hands. Arrghh…

"I said I don't need it." Margaret growled and tried to snatch the box but Arthur swiftly raised his hand in the air, away from her reach. He looked at her with pure amusement as Margaret huffed and glared at him, which caused his lips to twitch slightly.

"Ooh… that looks intimidating. And dangerous." Carol exclaimed, a cheeky smirk on her face as she looked at the bike parked across her lawn. Arthur visibly flinched at her comment and slowly turned to her.

"I always drive safe." he assured her, a somber expression on his face. He almost appeared to be a little kid justifying himself about his favorite hobby.

Margaret was surprised at the sudden change in him and even Carol was taken aback for a second.

"Wait, that is your-" Carol raised her brows in surprise, pointing her finger back and forth between the boy and his bike.

Arthur gave a curt nod and spoke. "If you are uncomfortable with it, we will take the bus-"

"No no. It's alright, Arthur." Carol interjected with a chuckle. She smiled and patted his shoulder for reassurance. "I can tell that you are a responsible kid."

Arthur relaxed a bit and let out a breath. "Really? You don't need to-"

"She said its fine…" Margaret was the one to interrupt this time; as both of them were really annoying her. "Let's just get going already." She grabbed Arthur's arm and dragged him away, ignoring his blabber about getting Carol's permission first.

Margaret set him free next to his monster of a bike and turned to him. "Fire it, Bridge."

A smile almost formed on his face but he held it back and nodded. He looked at his bike and then at the box in his hands, and back to Margaret again. He looked so comical, and if Margaret wasn't in a hurry, she would've laughed at how cute he seemed that moment.

"Yours." he pushed the box towards Margaret and she huffed, snatching it from his hands and stuffing it into her bag. The next second, Arthur jammed her head into a helmet, or was it the other way around. He locked the straps under her chin and patted her head.

He climbed on the bike, put on his own black helmet and turned some kind of switch near the engine. He removed the stand and pushed a button on the handle bar as the engine roared to life with a soft rumble. Margaret grabbed his shoulders for support and hopped on behind him, a bright smile dancing on her face.

This was going to be fun.

"Can we stop by the library, first? I have to return some books." she asked, looking at him in the rear view mirror. She needed to return them today or she would have to pay a fine tomorrow.

"Sure." He nodded and Margaret turned back and waved to her mom as Arthur accelerated his beast into motion.

- -

For various reasons, it took them 20 minutes to reach the library, as opposed to a 15 minute walk. Firstly, Arthur really was a safe driver. And in his books, safe must be directly proportional to speed.

Margaret literally had to plead him to pick up pace, that's how slow he drove. But Arthur wasn't entirely to blame, there were some road works going on and they had to take two diversions which increased the travel time.

Arthur pulled up in front of the library and Margaret hopped down in a hurry. "Wait here, I'll be out in 5 minutes at the most."

He nodded like a good boy and Margaret skipped up the steps to get inside. But she was back out in under a minute and Arthur gave a puzzled look, as he sat on his bike. "Done?"

"No, they're closed for lunch.They won't be back until 2'o clock." Margaret sighed, dropping her shoulders. She then huffed and crossed her arms, looking away. "Who eats lunch for two hours?"

"Then, why don't we go to city square first?" Arthur spoke up, looking at her. "We'll come back on our way home."

"Yeah, let's do that." Margaret nodded with a smile and hopped behind him.

- -

They were in city square within 20 minutes as Arthur increased his speed this time. Margaret predicted it'll take them at least half hour, but they reached far earlier than her expectations.

Arthur parked the bike at an empty spot and they walked from there, searching the book stores for their literature material. But even after a dozen shops there was no luck.

Margaret would walk into every shop confident that she would find them, but it was bitter reality every time. It was beginning to feel like she was in one of Michelle's games again. No hope and only despair. And she was getting more and more irritated after exiting another shop.

After an hour of fruitless search, they trudged back to the starting point, and Margaret slumped in a wooden bench on a sidewalk, tired and... hungry?

She felt like she explored every inch and entered every book shop located in the area, but still couldn't get any of those four volumes. She didn't think there were any more book stores in the place and either way, she was in no shape take another step.

There was only one thing left to do now if they wanted to buy those books today. They have to visit the biggest commercial building in the city. But that thing was located in the middle of the city at least an hour drive from where they were.

"Here." Arthur's voice broke her daze and Margaret looked up. He was holding two strawberry colored plastic cups in both hands as he offered her one. Margaret graciously accepted it and slurped the liquid inside and felt refreshed as the cool drink re-energized her mind and body.

"Shall we try searching at the Grand Central Plaza." Arthur suggested, sitting on the bench beside her, sipping his own drink. "We should be able to find something there."

"Yeah... I was thinking the same thing." Margaret answered with a sigh. "But it's past 1 already." She pointed to the black watch on his wrist. "I'm already dragging you around on a Sunday and I don't want to waste anymore of your time."

She was really happy that he had been patiently following her around, but he must have many other things to do than chaperoning an injured girl.

"I don't mind, Margaret." Arthur spoke, as he looked at her; a faint smile lingering on his lips. But it was enough to lift her spirits back up.

"You sure?" Margaret asked, raising a brow and trying hard to keep the smile away from her face. Arthur gave a light shrug, his lips curving just a tiny inch. "So, we are going to the Grand Central Plaza then." Margaret stood up smiling, hands on her hips and a new energy surging through her.

But just as the excitement was reaching the peak, her stomach interrupted with a growl, reminding her that she haven't fed it properly yet. Margaret blushed and hid her face with her sleeves as Arthur revealed an amused smirk.

"Why don't we eat, first." Arthur proposed, and Margaret nodded quietly. She sat down and without even thinking, her hands went into the bag and pulled out her Mom's peanut butter sandwich lunch box. There were four sandwiches stuffed inside so she took two and put them in the lid and gave the box with the other two to Arthur.

He took the box and looked at her in doubt. "You sure you want to eat those?" He pointed to the sandwiches in her hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You weren't so into them the last time."

Margaret's mouth was slightly hanging as she stared blankly at Arthur.

Did he just…?

"Ha ha ha. Very funny, Arthur." Margaret stuck out her tongue at him and turned away. She was about to take a bite when a melodious ring tone interrupted them. Arthur searched his side pant pocket and fished out a slim black device.

He checked the Caller ID on the screen and answered the call. "Hey, Carol." Margaret snapped her head at him as he continued to speak. "We are in the city square."

Margaret frowned, wondering why her mom didn't call her instead? Wait, where was her mobile again? She shuffled her bag and realized that she forgot it… as usual.

"Yes, here." Arthur replied and handed the mobile to Margaret. She took a deep breath and held it next to her ear.

"Mom..?" She answered hesitatingly while bracing herself for the impact.

"Maggy, how many times should I tell you to carry your mobile with you." Carol growled from the other end. "At least keep it with you when you are going out."

"I'm sorry, Mom. I forgot." Margaret winced and Carol couldn't hold in a sigh.

"Kids your age won't take a step without it and you can't even remember that you have one."

"You're exaggerating, Mom. I just forgot it, no big deal." Margaret shrugged and looked back at Arthur who was already finishing his second sandwich.

"It is a big deal, Margaret." Carol exclaimed. "I met a friend's daughter few days back and she barely looked away from her phone. She kept on fiddling with it the whole time, and she's only 15 years old for crying out loud. "

"Mom… you are going off topic here." Margaret reminded, shaking her head in amusement. "Why did you call?" She then noticed Arthur standing up and looked at him. He gestured for her to stay here and she nodded as he walked away.

"Ah yes, I just got a call. One of my colleague has been in an accident so I'm going to the hospital. Will you be late?"

"Yeah, it looks so." Margaret sighed. "We couldn't find the books here so we're thinking of going to Grand Central Plaza."

"Oh, alright. I might have to be there for a while." she informed her. "Do you have the keys with you?"

"Yes, mom. They are in my bag."

"Alright then, get in and lock the door. I'll be back at around 8'o clock, okay?"

"Okay mom, take care." She ended the call and turned to the sandwiches still waiting for her. She put the phone aside and took a bite off her mom's special dish and quickly finished the two pieces before Arthur strolled back with two water bottles in hand. He gave her a bottle and took his phone back.

He sat back and opened the bottle, taking two quick sips from it as Margaret did the same. He leaned back and gazed ahead with his blank stare as Margaret put the lunch box inside the bag and turned to him.

"Shall we go?"

Arthur gave a light nod and they both stood up.