Opening Story - 008

"In any case, putting aside your affection for younger girls, do you want to go on a date with me?"

That's what she said.

She asked me on a date, after berating me with insults. Was that all a test, or something?

Thinking about it, however, she's quite pretty. Pretty and cute. Interesting and funny. Complex and enthralling. Intelligent and witty.

"I don't have any reason to say no," I reply, "but why me? We barely know each other. I'm sure there's plenty of other guys who would want to go out with you."

Tayla laughs, "thanks, but I don't talk with guys my age that much anyway. I told you I go to an all girls' school, remember?"

"Right."

"I guess, because I'm curious about you. Your kind and honest, but it feels like there's something else there. I wonder what it is."

"I see."

"So?"

"So what?"

"You still haven't given me an answer," she said with a playful smile on her face. That smile must be there because, even if I haven't given her an answer, she must already know what that answer is.

After all, I have no reason to say no.

In fact, it would be cruel to say no.

"Yes. Yes, I would like to go on a date."

And so, after that we organised it all. On Saturday, five days from now, we would meet in the middle of town, at the bus exchange, and then simply see what we felt like doing from there.

We left it like that, with no concrete plan for what we were actually going to do, though I get the feeling I should at least come up with an idea for what we were supposed to do.

That could be a problem considering that I don't even know what they have in the middle of town. Maybe I should go 'scouting' sometime before Saturday.

And so, that's how I ended up getting my first ever date.

Like I said, there was no reason for me to say no to going on a date with Tayla, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a reason for me to agree to it in the first place.

Because yes, she's pretty and cute, interesting and funny, complex and enthralling, and intelligent and witty, but none of those are the reason that I agreed to go on a date with her.

The reason is because she might as well be crying out for help. For what reason would a girl like her have to ask a complete stranger like me out? She doesn't seem excessively outgoing, she even said herself that she's barely spoken to boys her age, so why would she have a reason to ask me out?

It's because she's decided that I'm nice for the sake of being nice. Perhaps she's decided that I'm someone who knows no other way but to act, even though we agreed people like that only exist in stories.

And perhaps she's right. If I only cared about my selfish desires, the best thing to do here, would be to say that I've done my part, and leave the stage here, with some words of advice. But, that's not what happened. I agreed to go on a date with her. Because she might as well have asked me to save her.

That's what this is. I don't think she really wants to go on a date with me, because she likes me as a person, but because she wants a way out of this mess. She wants someone to save her from this. That's how I see it anyway. Perhaps it's my own fault for presenting myself in this way, but it seems like she wants me to be her saviour.

That's the reason why I agreed to go out with her.

I don't know how much of that she's even consciously aware of. Or maybe I'm just reading into things too much. Perhaps I'm seeing something that isn't there, or poking my nose too far into other people's business.

But in any case.

I'm going to try and save her.

I'm on my way back home now. I walked Tayla all the way back to her place, and now I'm walking back the way we came. I don't know the exact way back to mine, but I saw a major road which I recognised the name of, a little while back, so if I find that and follow it, I should find my way.

If that fails, I can return to the shopping mall and start from there. I'd rather not have to do that, however. There's probably only a couple of hours until my shift at the restaurant starts.

I manage to make my way home following the major road most of the way, so I didn't have to walk all the way back to the shopping mall. Seeing my home in front of me, fills me with relief. I used to walk to and from school, and I'm on my feet most of the time I'm at the restaurant, but even so I'm exhausted now.

Probably because of what happened last night.

Not that I really remember that much of it. And I still have questions.

I'm sure that I remember a sensation of blood pouring out from the back of my head.

I'm sure that at least some of those punches must've done serious damage to me.

And yet I'm completely fine.

Though I can't understand why I would've collapsed and fainted if I was completely fine. It doesn't make sense.

A thought, a silly thought, crosses my mind for a second.

Perhaps it has something to do with Tayla and her Mother's Order. She mentioned something about their Mother granting power to her faithful children.

No, that really is a silly thought.

Nothing like that could really happen. Could it?

"Hey, Alexander."

I hear a voice that I vaguely recognise. I don't place it immediately, but when I turn in the direction of the voice, I'm relieved.

For a moment, I thought it might be someone from my past, but I'm glad to see it's not.

My neighbour, Massimo Giovanna, stands just by his fence. The old man smiles at me, in that nice kind way that most old people do.

"Hello," I reply, a little formally. I guess because I don't know him and he's older than me, I instinctively responded a bit stiffly.

"What are you up to?"

I decided not to divulge the events of the last twenty-four hours, and instead replied, "getting ready for work. And you?"

"Oh, I was just about to go for a walk."

The two of us both stand there for a bit. I don't really know what to say to him.

After a few seconds I decide to leave, "well, see you around."

"Wait!"

He stops me.

"Alexander, I actually had a favour to ask of you."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Well, you see, I've been meaning to have my fence painted, but I can't do it myself. I have arthritis, you see. I would do it myself if I could, but it's a bit much for me…"

I smile, "of course I'll paint your fence. Is it fine if I just do a couple of hours every day? Does that work for you?"

"Yes, that's fine," he smiles, "thank you."