The Red to My Grey

by William Dudley Berridge Tuckey

  “I wonder if we ever have kids, will they have red eyes like mine or will they have eyes like yours?”

  “So what Sinclair said got you thinking too?” Angel nodded and hugged me.

  “Tainted blood or not, I wouldn’t let them go through what our parents went through. Say Angel? I know this might sound kind of out of the blue, but what is it that you want?” I asked staring up at the ceiling.

  “What I want? What do you mean?” Her eyes glimmered as curiosity pulsed through them.

  “I mean what do you want from life? What kind of a person do want to be? Like your dreams I guess.”

  "Hmm I’ve never really thought of wanting more since I moved in here. Well the kind of person I want to be, I’d say more like Mama. She’s so strong, pretty, loving and she’s completely content with what she has…as for wanting more for myself, I really want some adorable children of my own. Giggle," she grabbed the edge of my pants and threw herself on top of me.

  “Woah woah, that’s going to have to wait; there’s no way we can have a kid right now.”

  “Really? Why’s that?” she asked as she helped herself anyway.

  “Because we’re still living with our parents, my job doesn’t pay enough. You wouldn’t be able to work and there are still some things I feel like I still need to do first.” She wasn’t even listening; she was too busy enjoying herself. She bit into my shoulder and she was drooling from the pleasure. “Sigh. Get off me!” I yelled at her and threw her away from me. Her senses snapped back to her and she covered herself with the blankets out of shame from the way she acted.

  “Wade, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” she said as tears started to well up in her eyes.

  “Yeah, you weren’t.” I walked out the door and slammed it behind me. I fell against the other side of it and rested my head in my arms over my knees. Inside I could hear her crying and it didn’t make me feel any better about myself. I couldn’t even think straight with how stirred up I was. Parts of me wanted to call out to her, telling her not to cry. Others made feel like I should have walked away. I sat still and cold as stone for what to me felt like forever, but it was only about fifteen minutes until I brought myself from the door. I walked inside my room and the moment I walked through the door Angel threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly to me as I held her. I looked down at her to see blood all over her forehead; the cut there had reopened and by now I had a pretty solid understanding for the cause of this. Whenever she was upset or stressed it would split open.

  “That’s enough. I’m sorry too,” I spoke softly into her ear and then wiped away the blood that dripped down her face. We both ended up in the bath after our disagreement and I felt guilty as Angel slowly began to cheer herself up.

  “What do want to do, Wade?” she asked me as she ran her hand through her hair.

  “Ever been to the beach, Angel?” I answered with a question of my own.

  “Not that I can remember, maybe when I was little. Why, do you want to go some day?”

  “I haven’t been on vacation in a very long time, so yeah. How about tomorrow?”

  “Yes! I want to go to the beach,” she shrieked in excitement.

  We went to sleep that night and woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. I called Rex to let him know I was using my vacation days for the year; he didn’t have any problems with it. We spent the morning rushing around trying to get ready. By the time we had everything packed and sorted it was already noon. The train station was busiest around that time, so it made trying to board with all our luggage slightly difficult. There weren’t any open seats at first either. I stood beside Angel with our luggage resting by our feet. It was a bright day and the air was warm. I wore a red t-shirt and my usual black shorts while Angel wore a sleeveless white dress as she held an umbrella overhead.

  “Guess we’re finally heading into summer; spring was already pretty hot too.”

  “I’ll have to stock up on sunscreen if it gets really hot. Look Wade, that’s Aubrey. The town Mum ran away to.” She pointed out the window, accidently leaning her chest over a young teenage girl that was sitting beneath it. The young girl was blushing, too nervous to say anything as Angel pressed herself against her.

  "Come on, let’s see if we can find a seat now that there’s been a few stops. I grabbed her hand and brought her to the other end of the carriage where there were some empty seats. It wasn’t long before she got bored from just sitting there and got a hold of the music from my phone. She happily sang along to it with earphones in. She wasn’t the best singer in the world, but she certainly wasn’t a bad one either. It was nice just to relax and listen to her enjoy herself. The other passengers smiled and waved at us as they either got off the train or moved from one end of the carriage to the other. About half an hour later Angel fell asleep with her head resting against my shoulder and she had her umbrella folded up on her lap. That’s when the girl she practically smothered from before came and sat beside me and nervously tried to string up a conversation.

  “She’s really beautiful; where did the two of you meet?” she asked me, trying not to come off as overly friendly.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Why? What’s your story, Miss?”

  “I’m just riding the rain home from private school. Holidays start today for us and I really missed the beach. That’s where you’re heading right?” I nodded and watched the scenery flick by the window.

  “Well hopefully we see you on the beach when we go then, what’s your name?”

  “Jasmin Orwell, fourteen years old. Nice to meet you.”

  “Well that was rather formal. Wade Naem, twenty years old, and this one beside me is Angel Natsuki, nineteen years old. Pleasure to make your acquaintance ha-ha-ha,” I laughed as I played along. Jasmin was an interesting young girl and spoke with me for the rest of the trip. We spoke about who we were as people and what we represented, a topic I wouldn’t expect from someone her age. From the way she spoke so passionately, it was easy to tell she had something going on in her life.

  “If I had to say anything about who I really am, I guess I’m someone who just can’t look the other way anymore, after doing so for such a long time. My family…has a crazy past that I ignored, and it finally came back to hit me like a freight train.”

  “Woah! You made that sound so cool, like something out of an acting class or something.”

  “Ha-ha-ha please, I’m just being honest. What about you? Do you have something you want to get off your chest?”

  “Yeah, I’m just not sure it’s something I can talk about with someone I’ve only just met.”

  “Maybe the fact that I’m a stranger might help you talk about it with a less bias perspective,” I said optimistically. She looked around the cabin and then looked to Angel who was still fast asleep.

  “Promise if I tell you, you won’t say anything to anyone?” she demanded nervously.

  “Of course. It’d eat away at me if you had a problem I could help you with, and I was left in the dark about it.”

  “Chuckle. You really were serious about refusing to look the other way on things. Well, it’s my parents. This is my first time coming home after they broke up and Mum sounded really depressed over the phone…I think I’m going to miss my old life as a whole family,” her voice softened to the point of where the train almost rumbled over her. I reflected on what she said for a short moment before I said anything.

  “This sort of thing is pretty common now, isn’t it? Sometimes things don’t always work out the way we want them to for one reason or another. I don’t know their circumstances, but I’m sure they have their reasons why they can’t be together anymore.”

  “Sniffle. Has something like this ever happened to you, Wade?” she asked trying not to cry.

  “Yeah, my mum passed away when I was about ten years old. It wasn’t easy on me and there are days I still can’t stop thinking about her. Things usually end up
okay in the end, so no matter how upset I get I just think of tomorrow and what it will bring.”

  “You’re really nice to talk to Wade, I feel a bit better now.”

  We finally reached our stop and I woke Angel up. We carried our luggage out of the station with Jasmin walking beside us. We waved goodbye as both of Jasmin’s parents came to pick her up at the station. It was a relatively short walk to the hotel that we would be staying at for the week. We checked in for the night and after a long nap on the train, Angel was feeling energetic and playful. There was an outdoor pool at the hotel where everyone was partying and playing limbo. We got in on the fun and enjoyed ourselves too. There was a strobe light set up by the pool to which we all danced the night away in our swimmers. It was around midnight that we went back to our room and had a shower before bed.

  “Hey, who was that girl you were talking to at the station?” Angel asked me as she leant against me, pressing against me with her body pushing me into the tiled wall of the shower. I told her who she was and what she was going through.

  “Hmm, she was cute. Oh well, let’s enjoy our vacation while we’re here,” She casually brushed what I said aside and was more focused on what was in front of her, which happened to be me. We spent the rest of the night together as a couple and we both woke up on queen-sized bed the next morning. We both slept well since we were used to sleeping in a single bed together; it was a welcome change to have some extra room in the hotter time of year. I drank coffee while Angel brushed her hair; it was cheap stuff and was completely bland in comparison to my usual blend.

  We could smell the salt in the air from the sea just down the road. Angel changed into an orange bikini and wrapped a blue towel around her waist. I wore a pair of dark blue board shorts. “I wonder if there’ll be any big waves today.”

  “You can surf?” Angel asked curiously.

  “Yeah, Dad taught me how last time we came here on vacation. He said he grew up on a beach town, can’t remember where though.”

  “Let’s go then, I wanna see you hit those big waves.” She popped up her umbrella and handed it to me only to hug up to my arm. When we got to the beach there were people everywhere, light fluffy clouds floated in the sky, so the beach wasn’t too bright and instead was covered by shade. I went to the rental shop and got a surfboard; in the time I was gone Angel had already attracted the attention of several people. She was chatting up a storm with several young girls and caught the eye of everyone who passed her.

  “Oh my God. Are you a model? You’re so pretty, what’s your secret? What’s with the umbrella?” The girls frantically asked her.

  “Well it’s…um.” Angel was actually pretty nervous with so many new faces examining her and hid behind me.

  “Is that your boyfriend? He’s cute!” the girls carried on.

  “Hey you two!” We turned around to see Jasmin in a green bikini and holding a board.

  “Oh, hey Jasmin, you surf too?” I asked and once we took our attention off the bunch of girls, they got bored and walked away. She nodded happily, and we wasted no time in heading to the waves. Angel sat on the end of my board as I laid flat on my stomach, wading through the water with my arms. Jasmin did the same only a few metres from us.

  “You okay? It’s not too bright for you without your umbrella?” I asked Angel as we waited for the waves to come.

  “I’m fine; it’s not that bad right now,” she reassured me with a smile on her face.

  The tides began to churn, and the water started to sway the board back and forth as waves slowly formed. A giant wave came crashing ahead of us. We rushed to enter it and once I landed it, I slowly stood to my feet and put my focus into maintaining my balance as we rode the wave. I looked down at Angel; she had an awe-inspired face as she stared up at the water rushing over our heads as we passed through it like a tunnel. I felt alive and conquered every wave to come after it as the waves crashed against one another until the waters grew quiet. It was a good chance to enjoy myself and when we came back to shore, I looked to Jasmin who was just as satisfied as I was.

  “Ah man, I’ve missed the beach,” Jasmin said after downing an entire can of cold lemonade. She then turned around and grabbed Angel by the arm to drag her off somewhere. I grabbed our stuff and followed her to an aquarium. We spent the rest of the day there. We learnt she was extremely passionate about marine life; she showed us all her favourite sea creatures. There was everything from dolphins to seals, sharks and countless species of tropical fish. Jasmin seemed most entranced by the whales, or more specifically the orcas we went to see. Angel tugged on the end of my shirt, trying not to giggle.

  “She’s adorable, can we keep her? Giggle,” she asked with a smile on her face. I just laughed and tried to relax, but it was when I saw Jasmin’s mother when she came to pick her up for the day a bit later, it was hard to keep my cool. We were finishing up for the day by the rockpools filled with starfish, crayfish and other kinds of small fish. Jasmin felt like she was out of place, like this was something only small children could enjoy. Angel on the other hand was really into it and pulled my hand into several different pools. I felt a bit out of place too, but Angel was entertained enough. I had forgotten she hadn’t experienced this kind of stuff before. Jasmin’s mother came over to the pools to speak with us.

  “So, you’re the couple Jasmin was telling me about? Thank you for taking care of her,” she said politely.

  “It’s not a problem…! Say, are you? You know what. Never mind.” Angel had already picked up on it. The expression in the woman’s eyes said it all. She was tired and depressed, trying to hide it behind a kind face. To make matters worse, Jasmin was actively aware of it. Pretending not to notice for her mother’s sake. Jasmin hurried to get her mother out of our sight. We could see just how awkward and upset she felt from her situation. We arranged to meet her at the beach again the next day, so we headed back to the hotel only to go out to a casual restaurant where patrons and staff were wearing shirts and shorts; we weren’t dressed up at all either and just wore what we were wearing on the train.

  “You really weren’t kidding about Jasmin’s parents, well her mum anyway. I feel really sorry for her,” Angel said to me as we ate fish and chips.

  “Sigh. I promised I wouldn’t say anything either, so I can’t call her out on it.”

  “Well, I could really use a drink to take my mind off it. Let’s go to the bar after this,” she leant back over her chair and her hair fell back against the ground as she stretched out her arms. After a quick meal we found ourselves drinking at bar across the street with only a few people sitting on the stools at the counter.

  “Hey is that…?” I asked as we noticed Jasmin’s mother sitting in front of the bartender, trying to talk him over for the night. She seemed flirty, cheerful and full of energy, but had that same dead look in her eyes that just wouldn’t go away. In the back corner of the bar we noticed another familiar face. Sinclair was drinking to himself, so after ordering ourselves some drinks we went and sat down with him.

  “What are you doing here, Dad? Don’t tell me you’re spying on us.”

  “No, my dear. I’m here for the same reason as the both of you are. To get away from that damned city and enjoy myself.”

  “Small world, huh?” I played the whole thing off as a mere coincidence when he probably was keeping an eye on us. He stared towards Jasmin’s mother after taking a swig of his drink and rested his face in his hand with his elbow on the table.

  “That woman, you’re worried about her, aren’t you?” he asked me only to take another gulp.

  “Then you can tell what’s wrong with her?”

  “What? That she’s a woman drowning in misery? Buried by the weight of the love she pretends to retain. She is the mother of the girl you met on the train ride here, is she not?”

  “Then you have been spying, Dad?” Angel yelled in an outburst.

  “Keep your voice down, little one. Not myself, but I have eyes everywhere.”

>   “Any ideas then, Sinclair?”

  “Who said I was going to help you? Just sit down and watch things play out.”

  We did as we were told and from the noise Angel made, we caught the woman’s attention; she came over to drink with us. It took her a moment to recognise us since she was already pretty drunk.

  “I can see the resemblance in you two ha-ha-ha, those beautiful red eyes must get a lot of attention,” she said carelessly. Sinclair swirled his finger around his glass as he watched her carefully. She grabbed his hands and held them still. “If you’re bored, we could go somewhere a little more fun?” she suggested playfully.

  “Ah, you might want to reconsider,” I said under my breath. Sinclair smiled and finished his drink.

  “Does being alone really hurt you so much?” he asked her with his hand beneath her chin. Her face was bright red, and her breath ran short. Angel and I went dead silent after he asked her that.

  “I…I take it you know something about being alone then?” she asked him nervously.

  “You could say that.”

  She grabbed him around his bandaged arm and whispered something into his ear. Sinclair’s eyes widened for a second before he went back to his cold composure. They suddenly up and left together. I hardly would have expected Sinclair to fall victim to petty flirting. I wonder what she could have possibly said to him. After a few more drinks we went back to the hotel for the night.

  We went to the beach again the next day and met up with Jasmin; this time her mother would be accompanying us for the day. Jasmin had a smile on her face and was no longer troubled by her mother. The sad expression behind her eyes was gone and the girls really looked like mother and daughter now that they were spending time with each other.

  What did you do, Sinclair? To fix a problem like this overnight; it’s unbelievable. My thoughts raced as she stood there in a wet suit, enjoying the beach and living wild.

  “It’s good to see you in such good spirits Ms…”

  “Angel please, call me Naomi,” she said cheerfully.