The Red to My Grey

by William Dudley Berridge Tuckey

  “I don’t know, for some reason I feel accepted around you, like deep down you have some heartfelt curiosity for me that wants us to be closer. I feel like I’m just responding to your feelings, that and you look me in the eyes so gently, it makes my heart want to melt. So, are you going to use my card? Or will you break my heart?” she rested her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me; she shifted all the responsibility and blame on to me. I was feeling crushed at that point, all I could think of was Angel. I knew I wasn’t actually betraying her, if I reunited them, I would get answers. The thought of forming a bond that might have run even deeper than any of those I had made so far to do it, well it was downright unsettling.

  “If that’s how you feel, I will call your card tonight, is that alright?”

  Her eyes were sad and flickering, but a small smile did come to her face, I felt it gently press against my shoulder.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. It felt to me that she still felt let down, by my actions or her own I was unsure of. Thud. My office door flung open as Johnson, Sabrina and Dan fell through it to see Anne sitting on my lap and they all reacted loudly, even Johnson who was unable to see through the absurdity of the situation.

  “Wade what are you doing? Would you two have…if we didn’t come in?”

  “Um Sabrina, are you okay?” I asked when Anne suddenly kissed me in front of everyone which made their jaws drop.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, a queen like me would never surrender herself in some shoddy office.” Everyone looked to her even more shocked than before. “What? I’m kidding.” It didn’t sound any better when she said that either. Anne then looked over to Sabrina and apologised from earlier and explained it was a part of an alter ego she had formed to go along with the businesswoman stance of hers.

  “Oh, um thank you. I didn’t know you were really so nice and casual about everything.”

  “You had every right to be upset, at the top you have to walk over people. I know how much it can hurt to be ignored like you’re less than everybody else.”

  I guess she’s not so bad after all. I thought to myself as we all watched her fix herself up. She then politely bowed and thanked us for having her at the office. Once she left, I could hear a lot of gossip throughout the office. The majority of it was about me and how I was now supposedly cheating on my girlfriend. It didn’t get to me, but the thought of having to use the card did. I imagined several ways the night could have ended, none of them really left me feeling satisfied. I knew I would have to wait until tonight to truly come to terms with it.

  The night finally came about, and I arrived home to see Dad watching a quiz show with Nami and Sophia; they seemed into it enough. Nami especially as she yelled the right answers at the TV only for the contestants to give the wrong ones. I passed Celia’s room to see her with her door wide open; she was lying in bed with her bandaged hands over her face.

  “You okay, Celia?” I asked her as I took off my tie.

  “I’m just tired. I was helping Kitten move in a couple blocks down from us. Sigh. Dad still won’t let me move in with her, even though it’s just down the road.”

  “He’s still going to let you go over there, right?”

  “Of course, I’d scream until my lungs gave out otherwise…why doesn’t he understand what she and I mean to each other?”

  “I think he does, that’s probably why he won’t let you live there,” I said calmly.

  “Shut it. Get out of my room, I’m going to sleep.” She may have sounded angry, but I could feel a slight sense of gratitude from the fact I even checked on her at all.

  I went inside my room to Angel who was reading one of my books; she greeted me with hug and a warm smile. I went on to explain to her that I had met Anne Frey and the relationship that had formed between us as well as my plans behind all of it. However, the sound enough plan I had for the night obviously upset Angel.

  “You’re doing this because you’re curious, right? I’m curious too, but you’re making it sound like Anne’s in love with you…that isn’t going to disappear after she sees me. Even if she does respect that we’re together, don’t you think she’s going to be hurting and to bring her here under false pretences, isn’t that getting her hopes up?” Her eyes tore holes in my skin as she stared into mine.

  “I don’t feel like I have any other choice but to call her over now though, after all that pressure she put on me at the office, I said I would.”

  “What are we meant to say then? Won’t she freak out if she sees another girl or do you think that won’t matter to her?” She began to panic as I showed her the card and what it represented. It was to the point to where we had to leave it to faith alone, that everything would turn out alright. I hushed Angel in the background as I picked up my phone to make the call.

  “Hey, Anne, it’s Wade. You were expecting me to call tonight? Where do you want to meet up? Is it fine if you come straight to my house?”

  “Well what’d she say?” Angel asked the moment I hung up the phone.

  “She’ll be in the street in front of our window in about half an hour, she also said she’ll be in an outfit to avoid arousing suspicion from her business partner.”

  “Come on, let’s get this place cleaned up a bit before she comes.”

  Anne came walking down the streets half an hour later. It was dark, but I could see her playing around on her phone. I walked over to get her after I jumped out of my window. She wore a pair of short folded denim shorts and a crop top t-shirt underneath a big green frog hoodie. She had a lollipop in her mouth and she wasn’t wearing any make-up. She resembled a teenage college student more than anything else.

  “Hey…so, are we gonna go?”

  “Yo. Yeah let’s go,” I took her by the hand and we were both sweating at the palms. I kept telling myself to relax and to rely on Angel to help me get through this. I was already starting to feel guilty. I gave her a boost through my window and I climbed in after her. To her it was as expected, a quiet room with a neatly made bed with a locked door. To me, my eyes were wide open; my heart was beating out of my chest as I came to see Angel nowhere in sight. Without saying a word, I was freaking out as I had locked myself in a room with a woman much older than myself, who held affection for me. The reality of the situation repetitively crashed against me like waves against stone. However, she wasn’t as quick to react as I thought she would be. She was just as uncomfortable as I was; she rubbed her knees together nervously while she sat on my bed. I guess when it came to push comes to shove, her actions at the office must have taken a lot of confidence if she really was putting on an act. I sat down next to her trying to come up with something on the spot.

  “Can we just talk for a bit, Wade?”

  “Sure, I’m fine with that.”

  “When you look at me, do you see a beautiful woman? Is that why you called me here after I asked you to?”

  “Well, you are beautiful, but that’s not why I called you over here,” I replied honestly.

  “Oh, then you can’t explain it?” she asked as she slipped her green hoodie onto the floor and loosened her shorts from her waist as she brought her lips closer to mine.

  “Yeah, something like that…so, what now?” I asked as my self-control started to falter. She said nothing and kissed me as she leant over me against my bedroom wall beside the bed. Gasp. She was then suddenly yanked away from me and I opened my eyes to see Angel holding Anne by the hair and she was absolutely furious.

  “Where were you?” I asked as I panicked.

  “Nami took me into the lounge room to help ask something from her parents. You couldn’t go five minutes without lip-locking with her?” She scolded me as she let go of Anne.

  “Wade, who is she…? Angel? Is that you? It really is you!”

  “It’s me Anne, why are you so into my boyfriend?”

  “Angel!” She then turned around and threw her arms around her. It was a touching reunion to see even though it didn’t have much subs
tance behind it. “You’re so beautiful just like your mother, you’re so strong and healthy looking now. I can’t believe I get to see you after all these years.”

  “Anne! I asked you a question, why are you like this now?”

  She looked to the floor and took a deep breath as she tried to speak.

  “Because I’m selfish, lonely and cold. People can usually see that much straightaway and leave me that way. Sometimes it’s nice to find someone that doesn’t see me that way.” Angel held her in her arms and gently ran her hand through Anne’s hair as she sulked. I was made out to be the perpetrator while Anne was the victim and it didn’t take long for the pair to start talking casually with each other, regardless of her initial intensions and as for why she was here in the first place. Anne was showing Angel pictures on her phone while I just read one of my books, trying not to get myself into any more trouble.

  “Why are you in all these weird costumes?” Angel asked as she pointed to the phone.

  “I’m a cosplayer, it’s sort of a hobby outside of work, that and people don’t ask about my eyes and the way I look when I’m dolled up as a character.”

  “Then you’re into anime and manga, am I right? That’s kind of cute,” I teased her as I brought my face from my book. Her face lit up to a bright red and she looked to the floor again.

  “I love it,” she said softly.

  As Angel scrolled through the pictures of Anne dressed up in a variety of different outfits, her face sweltered as she found some of the raunchier ones.

  “Um what are these?” Angel turned the phone away from her to reveal photos of Anne in skimpy outfits, in many ‘Questionable poses’. I’ll leave it at that.

  “You’ll understand when you’re older!” She screamed as she snatched the phone away.

  “How much older do I have to be? I’m nineteen.”

  “Oh, I guess that’s okay then…wait! No! It’s just too personal!” she screamed again as she pressed the phone against her chest.

  “Quiet down, there’s other people living here besides us.”

  It was around two in the morning when Angel had fallen asleep and I decided to call it a night. Anne leant against my bed, watching Angel sleep. She poked at her cheeks and tickled her stomach, giggling to herself as she watched the sleeping beauty squirm and flinch. She then smiled at me as she flicked her hair to the other side of her shoulder.

  “She grew up far cuter than I ever could have imagined. I was scared I would never see her again. Thank you,” I looked to Angel with my resolve gleaming through my eyes, for once I felt like I had done the right thing. This feeling didn’t last long though as Anne pushed me against the wall, her face rested against mine.

  “Let me be selfish, just for tonight okay?” she whispered in my ear.

  “Close your eyes,” I said to her and she did with her lips ready. I kissed her on the forehead and her eyes shot open, to stare me down with a confused gaze.

  “I’ve had enough of your selfishness.”

  “Alright…” she answered softly while still smiling although I could tell it was hard on her. She left shortly afterwards, and I crashed in my bed beside Angel. I drifted to sleep and forgot about all the chaos that happened that day as I lingered in my head. I woke up the next morning still completely exhausted with Angel by my side; she was awake but she didn’t open her eyes as she hugged up to me, trying to get comfortable again. Nami barged in the room yelling our names, telling us to wake up. I asked her what was wrong as she stood over us facing the bed.

  “You have a day off today, right? Dad and Mum promised to take me out to the pool, but they won’t get up! I asked Celia to help me and she just told me to fuck off.”

  “Nami!” Angel yelled with her eyes still closed.

  “What? She did!” she childishly backtalked.

  “I guess we could just take you,” I suggested casually. She shook her head and whined.

  “I waited until today, so we could all go together as a family.” It was an innocent idea that actually required a lot of effort to follow through with, the prospect of the family coming together anywhere except at home seemed like a crazy dream. I could see her reasoning behind the idea since she had been without her family her entire life until now.

  “Alright, I’ll make it happen Nami, go find your swimmers. I think it might be kind of fun if everyone’s on board,” I reassured her confidently despite not having the slightest idea of how I was going to pull this off. She sprinted out of my room and we could hear her bedroom door slam shut behind her barely a few seconds later.

  “She’s pretty excited for today; you better not let her down.”

  “Yeah, I know. Guess I better get Dad and Sophia up and moving then.” But as I said that I received a phone call from Johnson. He wanted Angel and me to come over for the day. I told him about my situation. He suggested that everyone should come over and use the pool at his house. I wasn’t sure if he was just offering or he had considered how rowdy it was going to be, either way I accepted. First, I tried to get Dad and Sophia out of bed. I found their door wide open. I walked inside to see them nestled up with each other beneath a quilt. I called to them and they didn’t so much as budge.

  “Sigh. I’m going to regret this, aren’t I. Whatever, it should do the trick,” I mumbled to myself as I grabbed the edge of the quilt. Fwoop. I quickly pulled the heavy blanket away from them and as I expected, they weren’t wearing anything. I turned my head as they woke up from the early morning cold. “Get ready, we’re going to Johnson’s today as a family for Nami. Or did you forget your promise?” I said to them as they tried to get the sleep out of their eyes, still dazed and barely awake. "Just come get breakfast. Put some clothes on first though. Sigh." I left them and went to the kitchen where Angel was sitting at the table with her head against it.

  “Wade. Make me some coffee, yours is the best in the mornings,” she whined at me.

  “What? Is it not the best at any other time in the day?”

  “No, it’s just smooth, but dark. Perfect for trying to relax, but also for trying to wake up.”

  I handed her a cup of coffee and we munched on toast. Our parents joined us halfway through our meal.

  “Wade, coffee. I’m dying over here.”

  “From what? I don’t smell any grog on you, so it’s not like you’re hung-over, right?”

  “Na, I’m sore from…” Sophia covered his mouth, her face was blushed, and she giggled under her breath as she darted her eyes away from us.

  “If anyone’s sore, it’s me…so, I’d really appreciate some coffee,” she said anxiously while playing with her hair.

  “Right, I regret asking. Two cups of coffee coming right up.”

  After I made them their coffee, I got Celia and Nami from their rooms with relative ease. I explained the change of plans that instead of the public pool we would be using Johnson’s. Nami was curious and excited even more so than before and it was hard to get her to sit still afterwards. It was around ten in the morning when we were all showered and ready to head over to Johnson’s. We walked down the road in our swimmers to the house. Angel and Sophia walked under an umbrella together while Nami linked arms with me, hugging up to me with a smile on her face. I just kept my hands in my pockets until I knocked on the front door.

  “Hello everyone. Come in, the pool’s out back. Please let me know if you need anything.”

  “Nice to see ya again, Johnny, now where’s your beautiful bride to be? It feels like you two have been strangers ever since you finished high school,” Dad blurted out loudly.

  “I suppose that’s true ha-ha-ha. Come with me, she’s in the kitchen, helping me prepare lunch. I’m sure she’d love to see you again.”

  I went with him to make sure he wouldn’t say anything he shouldn’t have. She was wearing an apron while cutting vegetables, with her long brown hair tied back.

  “Oh, hello Jason, it’s good to see you again,” she said casually until he squeezed her and Johnson to
gether in his arms.

  “Man, am I starting to feel old. I remember when you were just a bookworm; you never used to say a word. You were so cute back then. To think the troublemaker and the uptight shy girl with the short hair could have made it so far.”

  I wanted to stop him, but instead I laughed as I remembered the times we had back then. Johnson joined in like he couldn’t help himself and Sabrina sulked.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked us with cold eyes.

  “Nothing at all, I miss those days though. Everything was complicated, but at the same time, so simple. We were troublemakers, misfits and obsessed in whatever we did, but I never felt any pressure or expectations of us…it was fun, is what I’m trying to say,” Johnson nodded, and Dad just laughed at how flustered Sabrina was.

  “Wade, take your dad to the pool with everyone else. We’ll come out once lunch is ready.”

  “Alright Sabrina, sorry if he got to you at all.”

  “Don’t worry, he’s a welcome face to me, even if he does tease me.”

  “Thank you for your kindness, little lady,” Dad teased her again. “Just go already,” she replied in an exhausted tone.

  In the pool under their umbrella were Angel and Sophia. The pair leant on one another as they treaded water. Celia rested poolside on a towel with Nami poking at her face trying to get her attention. She was ignored so she cannonballed into the pool. About ten minutes later of me putting up with Nami’s childish behaviour as she swam to one end of the pool to the other, all while trying to dunk me every successive lap only to fail, Sabrina stepped into the pool for a meet and greet until lunch was ready.

  “You must be Sophia, my name’s Sabrina. Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise. Thanks for having us today. There’s someone who actually wanted to meet you.”