| |
KHYLA
Matthew looks surprised at me, as if my words had hit him like a punch on his stomach.
«Have you got a plan? What is it?»
He takes my hands asking me this question dripping with hope. Hell! I released the bomb without thinking too much and now I’m really conflicted. I really want to help Matthew, but I fear that when he’ll talk to Tracy, he couldn’t help holding back his feelings for her, and I’ll lose him forever.
I should be cautious and change the subject immediately, but in the trial of strength between talking and silent, wins the desire to give him a smile. So I sigh and explain my plan in detail.
«Let’s talk about it. The fact that the agents were here even before Tracy came back home, means that they only have to control the movements near the house. It probably is just a precaution, because they think we’re dead. This means that we have to wait for Tracy to be out, to talk to her.»
Matthew hardly holds his laughter. It seems that my genial plan arouses uncontrollable hilarity to him. How dare he? I would like to be a vampire to bite that sensual neck that now is in sight.
«Excuse me, Khyla, but don’t you think that it’ll be suspicious to be seen with Tracy in the middle of the road? We are not in a big city. If they see us talking with her, they will understand that we are the two fugitive. The possibilities to remain unnoticed are very little in this situation.»
I don’t give up.
«It would be enough to make a date with her, in a quite place, and I think I found the way. I saw a park not far away from here. It is probably frequented by children just when they get out from school. You could have the necessary privacy.»
«How can we make an appointment? We don’t know her phone number. Even giving for sure that they are in George’s agenda, the numbers and e-mail are probably controlled by the police.»
How many objections! But they are all correct. Yet I really want them to meet. It hurts me, but I want his feelings to be clear to him once and for all. He told me that he loves me, but in that moment he was weak, under the effects of alcohol. Moreover, knowing what he felt for Tracy, I cannot be sure that his feelings for her decreased so much. I want to know, even if my need of knowing the truth meant to lose him forever. Besides, how could I know if he really loves me or if he’s just grateful? How can I trust him, fearing that his heart is still hers? Of course, if he chose Tracy, I’d just have a bunch of broken dreams.
I speak again more vigorously.
«You must trust me. Go to the park and wait sitting on a bench. I’ll say to Tracy to go there, in a way or another.»
He looks at me in a way difficult to decode, then smiles and goes away.
Good, he finally decided to listen to me. The problem is that I really don’t know how to get in touch with Tracy without awakening suspects in Hawthorne residents. The truth is that I haven’t got a plan. I have to be patient. As soon as Tracy comes out of the house, I will follow the inspiration of the moment.
After a quarter of an hour of waiting, I’m beginning to convince myself that she decided to spend the whole day at home, when the door opens and she goes down the stairs in a hurry. I observe her carefully. Since I heard Matthew talking about her with dreaming eyes and trembling lips, I transformed her in my nemesis, my worst enemy. I imagined her like a vulgar girl, a soulless heartthrob, a despicable being. Instead the more I look at her, the more I realize how ethereal and delicate she is. I look at the policemen sitting in the car and see that they’re not following her, so I understand that I was right. I follow her without being seen, hiding myself behind trees, streetlamps or cars pretending to be indifferent, so as not to provoke the suspicious of those who might observe me. She walks fast, greeting people with a hand gesture. It won’t be easy to stop and talk to her. Then something at the end of the street capture my attention. I let go caution and run fast to take advantage on Tracy, that meantime stop to look at some shop windows.
When I get nearer my goal, I slow down. I approach a young girl that is distributing flyers to the passers-by, I take one and take a few steps away pretending to read it carefully. Then I go back to her and start talking.
«Excuse me, how long you do this job?»
«A few weeks.»
«Do you earn well?»
«Not much»
«Because, you see, I need to earn a bit more and I thought it could be ok for me. Yet I don’t know if I’m able to do it. I see that you encourage people to take the flyers with remarkable gestures and expressive ability. Maybe I’m not so good at it. May I try?»
She looks at me for a moment and then says: «Are you joking? If my boss passes-by and sees that I let someone else to take my place, I’d be fired at once.»
Hell! This one is a tough cookie... Meanwhile Tracy is walking fast toward us. There’s no time to lose.
«Please, just for a few seconds...»
«Sorry, I can’t.»
«What if I gave you a fifty note? Would you let me try?»
«Now we can talk about it. Cash.»
How sad is this! Some people only understand money language. I hand her the banknote.
«Have you got a pen?»
«Yes, there it is.»
She’s so intent on contemplating the banknote that doesn’t see me writing something on one of the flyers.
I begin to distribute them to the passers-by, keeping the written one. When I finally see Tracy a step away from me, I call her.
«Please, miss, take this flyer. On it you’re going to find just what you were looking for. I could swear it»
I give emphasis to the gesture, so to force her to look at the flyer. She takes it, look at it, turn it upside down and read the words I wrote before, then looks at me gratefully and run to the park.
«Ok, I don’t think it’s the right job for me. Take your flyers and have a good work day» I say to the girl that meantime placed the banknote in her wallet.
«But you looked good at it! What was that phrase you said to that girl? That she was going to find just what she was needing on the flyer. I must remember it. She went away really happy.»
I greet her and go away. I have more urgent thing to do than paying attention to a greedy young girl.
