Coffee with the Ex - "Kindred Spirits" Part 5

New? Here's Part 1!

 Part 4: Meeting the Parents

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hi, Arthur,” a solemn familiar voice said to me, breaking me out of my trance.

I snapped my neck to the right to look at the oddly familiar figure standing above me. It was Solenne, that much was true, with her light blue eyes and long blonde flowing hair. Her expression was a mix of joy and caution. She motioned to the seat across from me.

“Is this seat taken?”

“No, go ahead and take it!” I said with a bit too much excitement and nervousness.

She sat down in front of me and I was paralyzed. She was radiant, despite the reserved way she carried herself. It was like in all the time we’ve spent apart from each other she only got more put together, more beautiful, and I remained about the same.

After a long awkward silence, she finally spoke again. “It’s nice to see you.” She sounded sincere. “I was worried that you wouldn’t reply to my message since you didn’t reply for so long.”

“I didn’t have my phone on me when you texted,” I informed her because I felt like I needed to apologize.

“Oh, it’s okay, just unexpected is all.”

She looked quickly out of the window and then back at me. “So how have you been? Good, I hope?”

I didn’t want to tell her the truth. The concept of her knowing was too much to bear. Though I couldn’t imagine that I had done a good job at hiding the fact that I was a mess. There had to be at least a few dozen late night texts when I had let my inhibitions fall farther than they ever could with alcohol. Desperation can do scary things to a person.

“I’ve been good,” I lied, “surprisingly busy lately but not in a bad way. What about you?”

“I’ve been alright,” she responded with a surprisingly sad tone. “I’ll stop avoiding it. There’s a reason why I asked you out to coffee and we both knew what it was…” she paused for what felt like at least half an eternity. “I miss you.”

The words fell out of her mouth like cement teeth. They crashed down on the table, shattering the wood before slipping off onto the floor below. The crash left me stunned and paralyzed. Every thing I had ever imagined had just suddenly come true. All those desperate nights hoping that she would text back saying she felt the same way. I dreamt of this moment so many times that I honestly had no idea how many times I had imagined it. It felt so familiar that it was like writing my name, and yet now that I was face to face with it, I didn’t know how to react. I had liked to think I would act all suave and either shoot her down or embrace her without another word, but neither happened in this moment. There was only stunned silence because the dreams we have rarely find their way to reality in the ways that we wish they would.

“I know it’s a lot out of nowhere…” she muttered after a long silence.

“No, it’s-” I began saying but I didn’t know what the rest of the words were.

“It feels like it’s been forever since that fateful summer day all those months ago. Like a whole lifetime has passed by…” I was scared of her words. Terrified of what was coming next. “Maybe we can start anew?”

The suggestion did not help with me being stunned. I just sat there with my mouth agape like a zombie with a broken jaw. A thousand thoughts flew through my brain but I couldn’t catch onto any of them. I was sitting and watching the world go by, but unable to move or act. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to think.

“Would you like a refill?” A voice that wasn’t Solenne’s asked me, bringing me back to reality. Farah stood over our table, ready to grab my mug. She was smiling kindly at us, but I could see a look of suspicion and worry in her eyes.

“Uh, yeah, if that’s alright,” I answered. “Thanks.”

“No problem, just come talk to me before you leave and we’ll settle your tab,” she said to me with a friendly but knowing tone. The look in her eyes reminded me of that day last summer, the way Solenne got up and left. That look in her eyes reminded me of what I was supposed to do, and what I really wanted to do.

Once Farah had left, I took a deep breath and looked back at the waiting Solenne. “You broke my heart,” I told her with a suddenly defiant and slightly confrontational tone. She opened her mouth to say something but I wasn’t done. “You broke my heart and left just like that. You didn’t even give me a chance. You didn’t tell me that something was wrong. You just ditched me when it suited her.” The anger from the past months built up as I spoke. “I would have given you anything, but I wasn’t enough for you despite that. And I’ve still missed you, so much, this entire goddamn time.” A look of misunderstanding relief crossed her face. “Trying to get over you, moving on, has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” I shook my head. “How would I even know you wouldn’t leave again when it suited you again? How can I know I’m not just some pawn in your life? How can I be sure you ever loved me?”

This response left her stunned. “Arthur… You know I would never intentionally hurt you,” she said in the most comforting tone she knew how to do. “It was the heat and not spending time with you. I felt so trapped, so overwhelmed. I couldn’t handle a relationship at the same time. It’s not that I didn’t, that I don’t, love you. It was me. And I’ve gotten better, I promise.”

“Here’s your coffee,” Farah said at probably the most awkward time for her to overhear our conversation. She placed it down in front of me. “Black and strong, just like you like.”

“Thanks, Farah,” I said with a friendly smile, trying to maintain my composure around her.

“I think everyone deserves a second chance,” I said as I watched Farah walk away. I met Solenne’s sad blue gaze. “And I’ve thought about this moment a thousand times. Dreamt about it. I know what I’m supposed to do, what I’m supposed to say and want. But the only reason our breakup messed me up so much is because I still want to be with you.” A hopeful smile crept its way onto her face. “So I guess let’s try again.”

It’s hard to admit, but there is some truth to the idea that we don’t actually want happiness. What we really want is what we’re used to, the familiar, and that often has a lot of pain in it. A lot of bad stuff. And it leads to awful decisions.

Solenne stuck around at the cafe as my new/old girlfriend for about a half hour before scurrying out, saying something about a meeting she had nearby that she had to get to. Alone again in the cafe with a new outlook on life and new situation, I headed up to the counter to pay Farah for the coffee.

“So… that was your ex, right?” Farah asked when I came up. I pulled back in shock and nodded cautiously. “Remember, I was working the day you two broke up? It wasn’t hard to tell what happened… Are you okay? What was all that about?”

“She wanted to get back together,” I answered with the giddiness in my stupid heart being tempered by the knowledge that no one around me was going to approve of it.

“Oh wow, she went all in that quickly?”

“Yeah…” I muttered.

“So…?” she questioned without saying much at all.

“I said yes. Only a fool denies his heart what it wants,” I said in a way to justify myself. I didn’t expect to feel so much guilt and shame about getting back together with her. I dreaded telling my family, or Mahli.

“Personally, I don’t let my heart make all the decisions,” she replied with a slightly critical tone followed by a chuckle. “But whatever makes you happy. If you need someone to talk to, you know how to find me.”

“Thanks, Farah, I appreciate it.” I paid and got the hell out of there.




I knew that I was going to have to tell Mahli at some point. There was no way I could keep it from him forever, nor should I, but I wanted to wait a bit before telling him. Of course, he texted me later that night.

“What happened with Solenne?”

“We talked. A lot.”

“Did she try to get back together with you?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” I answered slyly.

“Oh, alright, that’s fair. But you know if you need anyone to talk to, I’m here.”

“That’s why you’re my best friend,” I replied with a silly emoji attached. With that deflected, I relaxed and hoped I could keep myself from bringing it up until I was ready to get the criticism from my rational yet romantic friend.

“I have a lead,” Holly texted a couple days later while I was on the way to Solenne’s apartment for the first time since we got back together.

“How did you manage that? I thought it was a dead end?” I questioned in turn.

“Your parents were professors at a university. They had colleagues who knew them and their research. That university was here in this city. You’re going to go ask some questions.”

“Why me?” I asked as I hopped off of the bus and walked down the oddly pristine streets to Solenne’s expensive apartment.

“Don’t I look almost exactly like your mother?” she responded.

“Yeah, you have a point there. So who am I looking for?”

Nervous, I took a second to breathe before buzzing Solenne’s apartment. “Hi, who is it?” she asked with a static-filled voice.

“Arthur! I’m here!”

“Nice to hear your voice, come on up!”

The small doorway was filled with an intrusive buzzing noise. I pulled the door open and headed up the stairs to the third floor where she lived. I took a moment before knocking on the door, but it opened in front of me.

“You know you have to come in, not just stand in the hallway. I don’t bite,” she said with a playful smirk. “Well, that’s not entirely true.” She hastened me into the apartment. I took off my shoes, and she took my little spring jacket and hung it up in the closet.

Solenne always had an eye for interior design. She had a minimalist taste. Most of her furniture was either white or a very pale pink. Her living room had a couple plants hanging from the ceiling, being held up by black metal frames. It was like something straight off of Pinterest.

It was clean and pristine. I knew Solenne better than to assume that this was the normal state of her apartment. When we were together I came over plenty of times so I saw that her default setting was a mess. She hated doing dishes, and no matter how many dishwashers you have, the big pans have to be washed by hand so they usually filled her sink. There were so many times that I had to do it for her.

But the apartment was clean. There was nothing on the floor. The counters were clean, and the tables were neatly organized.

“The place is nicer than I remember it,” I commented in hopes of giving a compliment.

“I’d hope so,” she replied with a chuckle. “I redesigned the whole place.”

“Oh really?” I exclaimed with a little too much surprise. “I guess my memory of the way it used to be is shaky at best.”

“That’s okay, it’s been a while.” She led me into the living room and motioned to the couch. I took a seat. “Do you want some tea?”

“I’m good, thanks,” I answered. The couch was comfortable, but I wasn’t. The whole scenario didn’t feel real to me. It didn’t feel real to be with her again. Maybe that’s because we hadn’t kissed yet at that point, or hugged, really. Sure they don’t define a relationship, but I always imagined our getting back together to be more passionate than it has been.

“Suit yourself,” she said as she headed into the nearby kitchen and started boiling water.

“So what have you been up to lately?” I questioned, looking to see if anything else had changed in the time we were apart.

“Oh, just work mostly. Been working on a new painting in the spare room, but it’s not done so I’d prefer if you didn’t go in there,” she informed me as she leaned against the counter waiting for the water to boil.

“That’s exciting. I can’t wait to see it.”

“I might sell it before you get the chance. There was someone interested in a painting by me, so this is sort of a commission for them,” she explained in a somewhat apologetic tone.

“Oh, well that’s pretty exciting! You should have mentioned that!”

“I guess I should have,” she admitted with a chuckle.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Out of habit, I took it out and checked. It was Holly.
“Professor Fitzgerald, or honestly any older professor in the science department, but she’s the only one I found with direct ties to your dad,” Holly informed me.

“How did you find that out?”

“They wrote a couple articles about quantum mechanics together. Highly technical stuff, but it means they had to work together.”

“Who are you texting?” Solenne asked, reminding me that I was at her apartment.

“Oh, just a friend of mine,” I answered in the kind of way that betrays the fact I’m trying to hide their identity.

“Is it that girl from the cafe? The one who has a thing for you?” she questioned further.

“Whoa, what are you talking about?” I replied defensively.

“The girl who came by when we were getting coffee. I saw the way she looked at you,” she said. I couldn’t believe it. She sounded kind of jealous. Imagine that. Months without contacting me once, and the one time she does, she’s suddenly possessive.

“Farah and I have been friends for a while,” I told her. “Since before we broke up. There’s nothing there. Besides, this isn’t her.”

“Who is it then? You don’t seem like you want to share.”

“It’s a long story and a little hard to explain,” I said with a sigh. “But alright. Her name is Holly. She very well might be my long lost sister and we’re both trying to find my biological father to find out.”

“That wasn’t that hard, now was it?” she said in a victorious tone just as the kettle finished boiling. When she returned with her tea, she sat down in a little armchair by the sliding glass doors of her balcony.

“I didn’t know you had a long lost sister,” she commented as she took a sip of boiling hot tea. Somehow she was never bothered by it.

“I didn’t either, honestly, but when I saw her, I knew that there had to be some connection. Turns out we’re both orphans, but her parents found her in a barn so they don’t know anything about her real parents.”

“That’s some real drama,” she said in an uninterested tone. “Anyways,” her tone grew quiet and a little shy, “I know it’s still new between us and there is a bit of weirdness about being together…”

“Yeah…” I muttered in response. “I felt that too…”

“Maybe we just need to reignite our old feelings, to remind ourselves that we’ve found our way back to each other again,” she suggested. She got to her feet and an excited look crossed her face. “Let’s go dancing!”

I had never really been one for dancing. I always felt silly, like an idiot, out of time and oblivious to the flow. But for Solenne, I always pretended like I did like it. And sometimes it wasn’t pretend.

“That’d do it,” I said with a smile. “It definitely gets our bodies close together.”

“So Friday night, we go dancing like old times!” She paused and looked at me. “Is your friend Mahli still single? Maybe we should bring him along so he might be able to meet someone.”

I shook my head with perhaps too much panic. “No, no, he doesn’t like to dance.” I wasn’t lying, but that was not the reason I didn’t want to invite him. “I’ll casually invite him but I wouldn’t expect anything.”

“You haven’t told him yet, have you?” she questioned with a sharp look to accompany it.

I let out a heavy sigh. “No, because I know what he’s going to think and say about it. He didn’t want me to meet you the other day. He thinks all of this is a bad idea.”

“Then we’ll just have to prove him wrong,” she said with a confident grin. She held out a hand to me. I reached out. She pulled me to my feet and spun me around, causing me to knock the table with my shin. Her tea spilled onto her table.

“Oh no!” she exclaimed, immediately letting go of me and rushing to the kitchen for a rag.

“Sorry,” I apologized as I stood there useless in the face of a spilled teacup.

“It’s alright, that was my fault,” she answered as she wiped it up.

“You’re a lot cleaner than you used to be,” I commented as she went to put the rag away.

“What do you mean?” she questioned.

“Your apartment was a lot messier before. A little spill like that wouldn’t have gotten such a reaction from you.”

She shrugged as she sat back down in her little armchair. “I guess I’ve changed a bit. It’s probably because now I have nice things.”

“Your things were nice before,” I protested playfully.

She looked at me and laughed. “Yeah, right, old IKEA furniture that looked fine but if you moved it the wrong way, it’d fall apart. What do you think motivated me to change the couch? It fell apart one night.”

“Wow, and just from you sitting on it?” I asked in surprise.

“Basically!”

“Okay, I stand corrected. I will admit that I don’t think I’d know nice furniture from not as nice furniture.”

“Well that’s okay,” she said to me sweetly. “I’ll handle that. You’ll do the dishes. Perfect set up.”

I laughed sincerely. It was nice being with her again, though it was still a little awkward. I had no doubts that we could get through the awkwardness though. I knew I just needed to get over the thoughts I’ve had for all these months. I needed to refresh my mind and forget about the pain, forget about the mixed feelings, forget about the feeling of betrayal that came with being dumped after being so open.

My phone went off a couple times while we were chatting, but I didn’t look at them again. As much as it felt kind of nice to have her be possessive over me again, I didn’t want to cause any conflicts so early on in our new blooming relationship. I checked my phone once I was out of her apartment building. It was Holly and Mahli.

“So I checked her office hours online. Looks like the best time to go is Friday afternoon. She has a big empty block from 1-5pm. Should give you plenty of time in case there are students that catch her first,” Holly had texted.

“Did you wanna get coffee again some time soon? I’m enjoying our little coffee trips,” Mahli had texted.

I left them both unanswered until I got home. The bus ride was an odd experience. I was so excited to spend more time with Solenne, so happy that my life had found its way back to her. But, at the same time, I was nervous and scared. I was afraid to do anything wrong, to say anything to upset her, to accidentally convince her that this whole thing was a mistake like I did the first time.

Summer was coming, and the thought made my heart sink. Since when did anyone fear summer, of all seasons? But it was summer that had the heat that separated us the year prior. The first time we broke up was in August’s sweltering heat. Summer threatened to separate us again, force us to live apart because the heat of two human bodies was just too much to bear. If I could have stopped summer from coming, I would have, even if it meant no summer flowers or trips to the park, or to the beach. I was so desperate to hold onto Solenne.

That Friday came faster than I expected. Everything just seemed to be moving so fast. I didn’t know exactly what to make of it, but I didn’t have any choice but to move forward in time with it. I had agreed to coffee with Mahli but still hadn’t told him the truth. I kept those thoughts out of my mind as much as possible and focused on the task ahead.

I got off the bus outside of the university that Holly had attended and Farah was still at. I had never been there myself, as it was a little out of the way from downtown. Compared to my high school, it felt massive, but I guess that’s to be expected from a university with literally thousands and thousands of students. The location was filled with various buildings of varying heights. There was one that was oddly tall and brown, like a bad office building. There was a number of little public spaces, lots of benches and plants, but the place was a maze to me. I knew that there were underground tunnels that students and faculty used to get around, but I didn’t know how to get in them or how to get through them.

I wandered around for a while unsure about how to get anywhere. I knew what the name of the building was that I was looking for “Johnson Science center”, but it’s not like they were all marked with bright red signs hanging from their roofs. Eventually I came across a map by the parking lot on the other side of campus. I discovered then that I was standing right next to one of the building’s many entrances. I felt stupid for some reason.

I headed inside and tried to find my way to the second floor where the professor’s office was supposed to be according to Holly. She said second floor, office 215. I found some stairs up and followed the numbers all the way down until I hit 216 and the hallway abruptly ended. I looked out of the window at the end of the hallway and saw that it was some spot for students to sort of pass through. Above I could see a connection though so I headed up the stairs and tried to find my way to the bridge over to the office I needed to get to.

It took me a good twenty minutes to find my way to this professor’s office. I had never been in a university before, and all I could find myself thinking was how anyone ever found their way at all through the damned place. For all I knew it was something like in Harry Potter where the god damned staircases moved on you.



When I got to the office, the door was slightly ajar. It had her name on it engraved in a little piece of metal and stuck to the door. It was covered in various scientific articles, none of which made much sense to me. I went to knock on the door, but the first knock caused the door to open, revealing a woman of about 70 or even 80 sitting at her desk with reading glasses on, looking at  a laptop. 

“Oh, hi,” she said to me, looking up from her screen and shooting a polite smile in my direction. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“I actually have a few questions,” I said, entering the room awkwardly.

“I would love to help, but please direct your class related questions to your TA. Otherwise, I’m happy to help.” She said before clarifying. “I just have so many students it’s hard to answer all of their questions myself.”

“I’m actually not a student of yours,” I informed her in a confused tone. Are her classes really so big that she doesn’t know if someone’s in her classes? What the hell is university?

“Oh really?” she replied with a surprised tone, taking off her glasses and taking a good look at me. “So what are your questions for me?”

“They actually are about an old colleague of yours,” I began.

A suspicious look crossed her face. “You should know I’m not one to engage in gossip. Anything that you are looking to find out from me will be strictly professional.”

“It’s not gossip,” I told her. I took a deep breath. “It’s about Richard Holtz.”

“Holtz?” she repeated in shock. “How do you know that name?”

“He’s my biological father,” I told her with a heavy tone. “I’m trying to find him and thought maybe you could tell me more about him.”

“So you did survive…” she muttered under her breath. “I don’t know what to tell you. He and I worked on a few papers, along with his late wife - your mother.”

“What was he working on?” I questioned. “That experiment the day I was born. What was that about?”

“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “The whole thing was done in secret, since the board had to approve any experiments, and it was clear that it wouldn’t get approved. I wish that they had gone to the board instead though… Maybe then we could have avoided what happened…”

“What did they study? Any idea what they were trying to achieve?”

“Your parents were both studying quantum mechanics. It’s a highly technical subject, but before the experiment that caused the accident, your parents were both positing the possibility of two concurrent realities.” The look of confusion on my face must have tipped her off. “In essence, they were looking to see if they could make two possibilities co-exist in this reality. There was some math to support it, like with light being both a particle and wave at the same time, depending on how we look at it. But they wondered about something bigger. Like Schrodinger's cat being both dead and alive outside of the box. Burying one while keeping the other.”

“How would that even be possible?” I questioned, starting to have some idea of understanding.

“The idea behind it was that when we looked at the cat in the box, two separate realities split off, one in which it is dead and one for if it was alive. The idea would be to somehow merge those two possibilities, and - to a degree - almost create something out of nothing.” She let out a sigh. “It was a doomed experiment from the beginning, a doomed concept. We can’t create something from nothing. It would break the laws of physics.”

“What do you think would have happened if they had succeeded in their experiment?” I questioned further.

A look of surprise crossed her face, as if she thought I was suggesting something she didn't know about. “I don’t know. It would upset the very way we look at the world, that’s without a doubt. However, I can’t help but to be uncertain about the idea. There is a reason why the realities split. Perhaps bringing them together forcefully could have some unforeseen consequences.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” I said with a chuckle. “So you have no idea where he might have gone off to?”

She shook her head. “The police asked me the same thing as his coworker and friend of the couple. I can’t imagine where he might have gone that they haven’t searched yet.” She paused and looked at the bookshelf on the wall. “Sometimes I wonder if he’s still alive, if they couldn’t find him because he had died off in the woods somewhere after giving you away… It’s been 25 years after all…”

“Well, I hope he’s alive,” I told her with a sigh before getting up. “Thanks for the talk. I think I’ve learned a lot about him in the time we've been talking.”

“It’s no problem,” she replied with a half-smile. “You have your mother’s eyes. I thought you might have been their lost child when you popped your head in.” She paused. “What is your name?”

“Mine? Arthur Compton.” I told her.

“That’s a nice name. You can call me Ella, Ella Fitzgerald.”

“It was nice to meet you. If I have any questions about quantum mechanics, I’ll drop by and ask while you’re available.”

“That sounds nice. It was a pleasure meeting you as well, take care.”

She returned to her laptop as I left the room. I felt like I had learned a lot and yet nothing at all. It was all bouncing about in my head, echoes of familiarity. I knew the words but the sequence was strange. I quickly texted Holly everything that Dr. Fitzgerald had said in our little chat, from the topic of my parents’ studies before the accident, to what little information she had to offer about his location.

“What do you think of that? Any ideas?” I followed up.

Holly took a little while to reply. “Maybe that’s why he tried to leave me to die,” she suggested all of a sudden without context. “If I was the consequence of this experiment going terribly well, what if he realized that it was dangerous for the two of us to coexist in this world, and tried to split us up the only way he knew would do the job.” There was a pause and I waited for the next text as I walked onto the bus home. “Maybe he couldn't go through with it. Maybe he wanted to suffocate me but didn’t have the heart. He saw too much of your mom in me…”

“That’s a lot to take out form what they happened to be studying at the time of my birth. Wouldn’t it make more sense to focus on how to find him instead of what it could mean?” I questioned in return, the idea of him trying to suffocate her intentionally making me uneasy about my own birth father.

“He might not be alive anymore, and we have no way to find him,” she reminded me. “He’s been missing for 25 years, and in most situations, that means the person has long died or fled to another country, and we can’t chase him to the states or anything.”

“You’re right, sorry. At least this way you have some sense of an answer as to what happened to you.”

“Yeah, it’s probably one of the shittier answers I could have imagined.” She answered.

“Yeah, but at least it’s interesting. Maybe we can just leave this whole thing behind us now.”

“It’s funny.”

“What?”

“You were the one who wanted the answers, but now you’re the one suggesting that we just turn our backs on it and leave it be. What changed in your life?” she questioned.

“I mean…” I began typing but I knew what had changed. “I started seeing someone. No need to chase after what’s gone anymore for me…”

Holly didn’t reply to that. I didn’t hear from her for a couple days. I figured she was busy with something else, or figuring out more about it. I met up with Mahli the next day at the cafe.
He got there before me and luckily for me, he was chatting with Farah. When I walked in and saw them sitting together, my heart sunk a bit. I knew that Farah knew. I knew that she might have slipped the beans without realizing that she shouldn’t.

“Hey guys,” I greeted them with a somewhat false joy and wave. “Fancy seeing you two here!”

They laughed and Farah got up from her seat. “I was just taking a break and thought I’d stop for a chat,” she told me with a smile. “Take my seat. I gotta get back to work anyways. A new customer just walked in after all.”

“Alright, see you in a bit,” I told her with a smile before she walked away. I took a seat and looked at Mahli, who had a look of disapproval on his face.
 
“I know about Solenne,” he told me with a quiet disapproving tone.

“I was actually going to tell you,” I lied to him. “Today, actually. How did you find out anyhow?”

“Solenne posting about it online definitely didn’t help keep it a secret,” he informed me. “Even Farah mentioned it just now.” He paused. “There’s a weird amount of people interested in your relationship status…”

I should have known that Solenne would want to flaunt that she was in a relationship again. That was always in her style.

“It just happened when we hung out with each other the other day,” I tried to defend myself.

He laughed. “The thing you shouldn’t have done and also kept a secret?”

“I guess so,” I replied, feeling myself becoming more and more defensive.

“I just hope you know what you’re doing,” he said with a heavy sigh, the disapproval gone from his voice. “I just don't want to see you get hurt again, and neither does Farah.”

“Solenne thinks Farah has a thing for me,” I said sort of randomly. It popped into my head and I guess it was a good way to throw off the conversation.

“Solenne thinks a lot of things,” he replied with a shrug. “So how are things with her?”

“We were going to go out dancing last night,” I told him in a rather proud tone, “but she had something come up so we postponed it to this week. Otherwise, pretty good, I’d say.”

“Well, so long as you’re happy.” He paused. “So what’s going on with Holly? Intending on seeing her again soon? Find out anything new since last we spoke?”

I filled him in on the things the professor had said. “Doesn’t look too promising,” I said, shaking my head.

“That’s a shame,” he said with a sigh.

“Bet you want to see Evette again,” I teased in an attempt to finally move the conservation around something different than what my life has been for the past few weeks.

He immediately blushed. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but you know that I’m fine with it either way.”
“That’s a great way to avoid saying anything at all,” I replied with a laugh. “Anyways, I’m going to grab something to drink. Are you good?”

He held up a near-full latte and nodded. I headed to the counter and found Farah leaning against it seemingly impatiently.

“Same as always?” she questioned with a friendly smile.

“You know it,” I answered. Usually there was more banter between us, but this time it was mostly silent. She poured the coffee, I paid, and we went our separate ways. I didn’t think much of it as I headed back to my seat.

“If you want, I could suggest the four of us do something together. Or-” I began, about to suggest something damned and probably an awful idea.

“Or what? We go dancing with you and Solenne?”

“You said it, not me.”

“Why would you want all of us there when you’re out with your girlfriend?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Especially if it’s your first time in forever?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “I’m nervous and scared around her still. The point of dancing is to let us break loose, but I think maybe now that you know that it would be easier if you were there. Holly and Evette are just excuses to get you to come and spend some time with her.”

“I think I’ll pass, thanks,” he said with a quiet tone. “I’m not one for dancing…”

“What about dinner? I’m sure I could come up with some sort of excuse as to why the four of us should get dinner. I could host everyone at my place!”

“Yeah, and cook too? What’s next dancing on the moon?” he replied sarcastically. “We could go to that dinner a couple streets over. Seems chill enough.”

“Oh so now you’re onboard.”

“You’re my best friend, man, don’t really need to convince me too hard to hang out with you.”

“And with an attractive woman that you are wondered by.”

“Those words don’t make much sense, but okay.”
 
“So it’s a date. Well, for you too, assuming they agree to it.”

“Please don’t go on a date with your probable sister,” he said with a laugh.

Once he got back to his poetry, I texted Holly, breaking the silence that had built up between us since our last conversation. “I was thinking maybe we could go get a bite and just sort of chill?”

It was a short while before she responded. “I guess that could be nice.” I couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t being entirely sincere, but it was hard to tell for real. “Just the two of us?”

“Actually, I was thinking that maybe Mahli and Evette could join us? You know, get our best friends to be more acquainted with each other?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” she replied with a silly emoji. I figured she had already figured it out.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 6: A Sequence of Unfortunate Attacks

To mark the end of April, which is national poetry month, I will post a poem next instead of the next part. This novel is reaching its end for me, which means there's plenty more to read all through May. Hopefully there's some semblance of sense that remains in it till the end. 

Until next time,

-Zero

Meeting the Parents - "Kindred Spirits" Part 4

Start at the Beginning
Part 3: The Shattered Mirror


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Last time on "Kindred Spirits")

“I guess it was,” I answered with a shrug. “Let’s go in.”

She nodded and led me to the front door. She knocked, and then entered. I awkwardly followed after her. The interior of the house looked like a stereotypical grandparent’s house. Old photographs in frames dotted the wall, from war photos to family photos. The moment we entered, I noticed a bunch of them leading up the classic wooden staircase on the right that were just pictures of Holly as she grew up. If she was actually my mother sent forward in time and un-aged, then her parents must have gone through the same thing. 

“Hey, it’s me! I brought a friend over!” she called out into the house, buzzing with the noise from a TV just out of range to make out what’s on it. 

An older woman of about seventy appeared in the doorway at the end of the hallway. She had curly grey hair, was wearing a knitted sweater and old loose jeans. She was a thin woman and not terribly tall either. She wasn’t wearing glasses, but besides that she was almost a cookie-cutter grandma. A look of surprise shot across her face when she saw me pop up from behind Holly.

“Is this..?” she muttered before a smaller likewise old and grey man wandered up behind her, poking his head over her shoulder.

------------

“The boy she was telling us about…” he finished her sentence with a mid-range tone.

There was a moment of silence between us. The tension was there, and I knew how they felt about this whole scenario. On each of their faces a mixed look of frustration and panic slowly crossed over them. Holly was deliberately going against their wishes, and challenging what they had said to do. They weren’t used to that, it seemed.

“He is, yes,” Holly said after that break with a confident and defiant tone. “I know you didn’t want to tell me about my parents, but look at him. Look at his eyes. This isn’t a coincidence. Can we please sit down and talk about this?”

Her mom shook her head and disappeared around the corner, leaving her distressed and small husband behind to deal with the rebellious youth. He let out a heavy sigh. “Look, we’ve spoken about this…” There was a defeated tone to his voice. He looked at me. “I’m sorry, I’m sure she’s promised you more than this, but there’s nothing to tell.” He paused for a moment and let out another sigh. “But it’s a decent drive out here. Why don’t you two stay for an hour or two? We can talk about something else.” 

Holly sighed. “Alright, we’ll stay for tea if that’s okay with you, Arthur.”

I shrugged. “You drove, so it’s up to you. I like tea.”

Her father seemed to smile for a brief moment. “I’ll start the kettle. You two can wait for me in the living room.”

I followed Holly into the adjacent living room, where their old box T.V. sat blaring the news with a mix of voices and static. They must have had that TV for a decade at least at that point. They had an old brown leather couch and matching worn armchair, but only the armchair was actually facing the TV. The couch was facing the wood stove set up in the far corner of the room. 

“Help me move it around,” Holly asked. I helped her move it closer to the armchair. She flopped down into it and I followed her lead. 

“So what’s the plan?” I questioned in a low whisper, unsure what she was thinking. 

“Well you’re going to get acquainted with my parents for one,” she told me in a way that made my heart sink. “And while you’re doing that, I’m going to slip away to check for something in my old bedroom and search their room for something. It’s clear they aren’t going to spill the beans so plan B it is.” 

“Alright,” I replied just as her father entered the room. 

“The water’s on,” he informed us before taking a seat on the armchair. He leaned back into it casually, apparently not feeling the need to seem imposing to me. “So tell me about yourself, what was it?”

“Arthur, sir,” I answered nervously. He chuckled.

“Do you call every older man ‘sir’?” he teased. “I haven’t been knighted, don’t treat me like I was.” He glanced over at Holly, who was trying to hold back laughter next to me. “Did he bow and ask for a handkerchief when he met you?” 

“Dad, be nice,” she scolded him between chuckles. “He’s just nervous, is all. He’s not used to meeting people’s parents.” 

“Well he’s not a kid anymore, I’d hope not,” he answered, still holding onto his more playful tone. 

The click of a kettle finishing boiling echoed from the kitchen doorway behind him. “I’ll get that,” he said as he slapped his hands on his knees and got up. “I hope earl grey’s good for the two of you.”

“Of course,” I exclaimed, my heart pounded. All his lighthearted teasing somehow did not make me feel much better. Holly gently nodded at him.

Once he was out of the room, she turned to me and let out a bellowing laugh. “You said you were nervous, I didn’t think it was this bad!” She quickly collected herself and tried to stop laughing. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you completely froze up. You know we’re not dating, right? The expectations are so low you literally can’t fall under them. It’s okay, breathe.” She lowered her voice. “And if you don’t get it together, I won’t be able to leave you alone.”

“Sorry,” I said as I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. It wasn’t like this with Solenne’s parents. I was calm then, and open, and I think that’s why they didn’t like me. I think that was the first time in my adult life that I felt that I was lesser, not accomplished enough for a good life, or for good things. 

I pushed those thoughts deep down and focused on the task at hand. I wanted answers more than anything. I wasn’t here to impress anyone, just find out the truth, even if it meant misleading them a bit so Holly could find something. 

When her father finally returned with a big pot of tea in his hands, my heart-rate had slowed considerably. “Do you mind grabbing the serving table, Holls?”

She rushed to grab the little folded serving table from next to the TV. She unfolded it, revealing the copper flower designs covering its surface. He placed the teapot down onto it and left the room to get mugs. He returned with a faded cat mug in one hand and a plain purple university mug in the other. He handed the faded cat mug to Holly.

“Here you go,” he said to her as he did so. He handed me mine in silence and sat back down in his armchair. “So now we have tea, are you ready to talk, kid?” 

“Uh, yeah, sure, if you want, Mr…” It was at that moment that I realized I forgot what Holly’s last name was. My mind immediately went to Holtz but that was my mother’s name, not hers.

“You can call me Jack,” he said with a laugh. “No need for any of this formal nonsense. We’re both adults here.”

“Yes, si-, I mean, you’re right, I’m sorry. It’s a force of habit,” I apologized.

“It’s alright. I had to unlearn that with age,” Holly comforted me. “My teachers in elementary and high school all told me to use Mister and Missus to refer to authority figures, and then I got to university and found out that regular adults refer to each other by name nowadays.” 

“You’re not wrong,” Jack agreed with a smile and nod. He returned his attention to me. “So now that you’ve found yourself some words, tell me about yourself. Holly says you’re from the city. Were you born there or did your family move there when you were young?”

“I was born there,” I answered briefly before realizing he probably wanted more than a simple yes or no. “I’m not sure if Holly told you, but I was an orphan and my parents took me in when I was still a baby. Lived with them until I was 18 when I got a place of my own.”

“You moved out years before Holly managed to. We’ve still got a bunch of her stuff upstairs in her old room.” He shot a playful glance over in her direction. “Hopefully one day she decides to empty that out so we can have that space back.”

“Oh please, the two of you have way too much space here anyways. I’m doing you a favor. Speaking of which,” she said as she got to her feet. “I just remembered that there’s something I wanted to grab while we were here. You two socialize while I go grab it. Okay?”

I thought she would have left with both of her parents in the room. Maybe she thought this was enough. Either way, I had a bad feeling about it but there was nothing to be done about it.

“Yeah, sure,” I muttered, not that I had much say in it.

“I’m sure the two of us will find something to talk about,” her father assured her in a friendly tone. She bolted out of the room and up the stairs, looking to find the answers they refused to give us. The moment she was gone though, his tone shifted and his expression turned serious. “What are you trying to achieve?” 

“What are you talking about?” I questioned in response, suddenly ready to panic and with no idea what he was walking about. 

“What are you trying to achieve with my daughter? Why are you trying to get her to pester us for information? What do you want from her?” he questioned with sudden piercing looks and tones. 

“I-uh-just-” I stumbled over my words, unsure how to answer. I knew that I just wanted to know the truth, but the questioning made me feel like I was the bad guy, not just some guy trying to find the whole truth about his family.

“Do you have any idea the impact it could have on her? You don’t know what she grew up with. You don’t know who she is. You don’t know how she’ll take the information.”

“All I did was pro-provide her with a question!” I objected, finding the strength to get defensive in response to his onslaught of questions. “I saw her that day in the cafe and I could have sworn I was looking at my own eyes staring back at me. I’ve never known what it’s like to have biological family, to have someone whose blood is my own. I just want to know the truth.” 

I should have stopped there, but I found my fangs. “Why won’t you let her know the truth? What are you protecting her from that’s so bad? It’s not like she thinks you’re her real dad!”

A look of shock crossed his face, as if he wasn’t aware of this information somehow. “What-what was that?”

“She knows she’s adopted. Suspects it at least. Has she never spoken to you about this?” I answered, finding my panic once more. 

He shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. “I guess it was bound to happen eventually… I just didn’t think I’d find out about it before she felt like she could bring it up herself.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” I apologized now, soft and caring. 

He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but a loud scream filled the house before he could. We both jumped to our feet and followed the sound upstairs. Once upstairs, we found Holly’s mother standing at the end of the hallway in the doorway with her arms crossed.

“Did you think that you could just go through our stuff?” her mother screamed at her as we drew closer. She glanced in our direction. “Get that boy out of my house. He’s put all these thoughts into our Holly’s head.” 

She was hostile and I couldn’t bear to ignore her request. I backed up hesitantly, wanting to help Holly and see what happened, but I didn’t want to make things worse. Jack caught me as I backed up though.

“No,” he said with a sigh. “It’s time we tell her.” 

“Jack, what are you talking about? What did he do to you?” she howled in response. “This is our daughter we’re talking about.”

“She deserves to know the truth!” he exclaimed in response, “we’ve tried to keep it from her all this time but we didn’t. She’s known for years, and we’ve just been fooling ourselves thinking that she didn’t know better.”

A look of shock and horror crossed her face. 

“Mom, I tried to tell you,” Holly muttered softly from inside of the room. “I just want to know the truth. You won’t be any less of my mom than you are now. You’ve seen him. Maybe he’s my brother. Maybe he’s the sibling I always wanted.” She didn’t know I was there. 

Her mother let out a heavy sigh in resignation. “Alright, I guess you’re right, Jack.” She shook her head. “We’ll talk about this downstairs.”

She pushed past us and went down the stairs. Jack shot me a worried glance and chased after her. Alone in the hallway, I walked down to investigate the room Holly had been searching. I found her standing in the middle of a huge mess. The whole room had been torn apart by the tornado named Holly. 

“Wow, you really did a number on this place in no time at all,” I commented as I peered into the room, uncomfortable with entering without being invited. 

She nodded. “Always been good at that.” She looked up at me, our mirrored eyes meeting. “I guess you heard all of that.”

“Yeah…” I glanced over my shoulder at the staircase. “We should probably go join them. I’ll help you sort this out and clean up after we talk. They’re waiting for us.” 

“Before we do,” she said, stopping my foot mid-step, “I want to thank you. I had accepted that I would never know about my past. I didn’t think it was too important, but just having the information, or the ability to get it felt significant, like it was my choice to not pursue it… Sorry, I’m rambling. Thank you for helping me get them to talk…”

“You’re not the only one benefiting from this,” I reminded her with a friendly smile. “I chased you down after all. Now come on, let’s go.”

We met with them in the living room. Her mother had taken the armchair and her father stood over it, leaning on it gently. The pot of tea stood untouched, our mugs now cooled. Without saying a word, we sat down on the couch and waited for them to say something.

“The truth is…” her father began but was cut off by her mother.

“I want you to know that no matter what the truth is, we will always be there for you. We will always be your family, no matter what…” She bit her lip in doubt and hesitation. “The truth is that we don’t know anything about your biological family.”

“What? How is that possible? Wasn’t there anything on my birth certificate or in the adoption papers?” 

“There weren’t any adoption papers,” Jack informed her. “We found you abandoned out in the old barn one morning. We could hear your crying from the house and went to investigate.”

Holly said nothing.

Her mother nodded. “You were wrapped up tightly but still bloody from the birth. Your mouth had been covered, maybe to stop anyone from hearing you, but it wasn’t enough, I suppose…” She sighed solemnly. “I know this isn’t what you wanted. You wanted answers, and the only answer we have is that we don’t know anything. As far as we were concerned, there was a baby abandoned on our property that we took in and raised as our own. We never found out who left you there… I’m sorry we can’t tell you more…”

“Maybe Arthur is your brother. We might not have the answers, but maybe you can find them together. You’ll always be our little fiery peak,” her father said comfortingly. 

I looked over at Holly to see tears streaming down her face. She was desperately trying not to cry, and failing at that. All of a sudden she went from being carefully abandoned to being left to die by her parents in some broken down old barn out in the middle of nowhere. He might have tried to suffocate her but not had the heart to go through with it. If we were siblings, then it was our father who did that. He dropped me off at an orphanage and tried to kill her like Oedipus’s father. 

“Holly…” I muttered, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she spun around and swatted me away. I jumped off the couch and retreated out of her range. 

Between sobs, she muttered, “I understand now… why you didn’t want me to know… My parents didn’t give me away, they left me to die…” The three of us watched in solemn sadness, unable to really comfort her. The truth was harsh and painful, and there was no rewriting it to make it sound nice. 

Suddenly she looked at me with sharp, determined, angry eyes. I expected her to scream at me or tell me to start walking home. Instead, she asked, “you said your dad was alive right? Wanted and on the run last anyone heard?” I nodded in shock. She wiped away her tears and got to her feet. “We’re going to hunt him down and find out if he’s the one who left me behind.” 

My mouth hung open in the most cartoon reaction I’ve ever had. Had I suddenly found myself in someone else’s story about revenge against a parent who tried to kill them? Was I a side character just helping her along? 

“Honey, that’s-” Jack began to say, but I wouldn’t let him finish the thought.

“Alright, let’s do it.” I borrowed some of her determination and anger and nodded. “We only have scraps to go off of, but maybe we’ll be able to put them together in a way no one else has.” 

I didn’t have high hopes that it was possible. If the police hadn’t found him and nobody had reported seeing him for years, what chance did two twenty-five year olds have at finding him when he’s been missing since the day they were born? Sometimes in life, though, it doesn’t matter how likely something is to happen. Sometimes you just have to do what you feel is right, even if it feels like an impossible fight to win.

Her parents stood there, astounded at what had just been decided in the aftermath of her pain. Revenge might be a mistake to pursue, but neither of us could find the answers we wanted without finding him. 

After a while of everyone being silent, and Holly finishing up her crying, her dad broke the silence with a quiet bellow, “well, it’s going to be supper time soon. Are the two of you going to stay?” 

Holly shook her head. “We need to get back home, sorry.” She got up and hugged both of her parents tightly. “I’ll visit again soon, I promise!” 

“You’re welcome to come back too, Arthur,” her mother unexpectedly said to me as she reached out and hugged me too. “Try to keep her out of trouble, okay?”

“I’ll-uh-I’ll try my best,” I replied as I pulled away. I shook Jack’s hand, but he didn’t say anything, and followed Holly out of the house, barely getting my shoes on before she got to the car. I hopped in and we started to drive, but she stopped the car abruptly and got out.

“What are you doing?” I called out to her, getting out to see what she was doing. She hopped over the wooden fence and ran over to the broken down barn that she had been found in. I chased after her, worried that it could collapse on her. 

She disappeared into it as I made my way through the field. I followed her in. It was surprisingly dark inside. Large pieces of wood lay across the floor and hung from the roof. The whole place was leaning to one side so much that it looked like the floor was misplaced. Holly was nowhere in sight. I searched around, slowly making my way deeper and deeper into the barn until I found her in the far left corner. She was kneeling before a little spot with a small broken table in it.

“Holly…” I muttered as I moved closer to her. “It’s okay.” I placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Help me look for clues,” she said in response. “Check the other side.” She motioned behind her without looking away. “There might be something here.” 

We must have spent a half hour in that barn looking around. The sun was threatening to set on us and we hadn’t found a thing. “I think twenty-five years is too long for anything to have stayed here the whole time,” I suggested in exhaustion.

“Ugh, alright, I guess you’re right. Let’s go home,” she said in defeat. We headed for the opening that we entered through, but something shifted. A large log fell and blocked the hole. The whole barn started to creak.

“It’s coming down!” I cried out as I looked for a new way out.

“This way!” she yelled as she ran to the right wall. I went to follow her, but a plank from the ceiling fell and split us. I hopped over it, only to find her gone. 

“Holly?” I called out.

“Over here!” she called out in response, but all I could tell was that she was on the other side of the wooden barrier in front of me. In a hurry, I took out my phone and used its flashlight to look for an exit, but all I found was brown rotting wood. Suddenly a hand extended through it. “Grab on and follow it!”

I grabbed on, and Holly pulled me through a hole in the wood pieces I didn’t see. I slid out of the barn just as it came down, imploding in on itself like a company that overstretched in the digital age. Once out and safe, the two of us lay down on the grass to catch our breath. 

“That was… exciting…” I commented between breaths. “Let’s never do that again.”

“What a time for it to come down,” she replied. “It’s been standing for twenty-five years looking like it’s about to collapse, but the time it finally does is when we’re both inside.”

“That’s some rotten luck.”

“No kidding.” 

We lay there for a short while before getting up. I was surprised her parents didn’t come to examine the noise, but maybe they couldn’t hear it over the sound of the TV. Or maybe they didn’t think anything of the old barn finally coming down. It’s not like there should have been anyone inside. 

“Let’s go home,” she said with a sigh. “There has been enough excitement for one day.” 

“I agree.” 

We hopped back over the fence and into her little white car. The drive was silent, but for a different reason than before. Holly was thinking, planning what to do next. While I stared out of the window and thought about my impending coffee with Solenne, she was planning how to find our (probable) father, and to find the answer to her abandonment. The drive was uneventful as the sun set over the horizon. It was dark by the time we pulled into my neighbourhood.

“Thanks for dropping me off at home,” I said as we made our way up my street.

“No problem,” she said before an ungodly screech filled our ears. One side of the car bumped up a bit. Holly slammed on the breaks. “What… what was that?” she muttered. 

“I’ll go check,” I told her as I slipped out of the door and took out my phone’s flashlight. I looked all around, on the sidewalk, under the car, in front of the car, but there was nothing.
“I don’t see anything,” I called to her as I got back up from the ground and looked around some more.

“That can’t be right,” she answered as she got out of the car and started looking around herself. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a cat sitting on the other side of the road watching us with curious eyes. I wondered what it saw. 

“Holy shit, you weren’t wrong,” Holly muttered after a rigorous search of the surroundings. “Where did that sound come from? And the bump?”

“Maybe the suspensions and a pot hole?” I suggested.

She shrugged. “Maybe.” She had that tone that said she was confused and not convinced, but that she had no other option but to accept the option presented to her. She shook her head. “Let’s get you home.” 

“I’m actually right there,” I told her motioning a couple apartment buildings over. “I can walk from here.”

She looked over. “Oh, I guess you’re right.” She looked back at me. “You got everything?”

“Yep, you’re free to go.” I smiled but it didn’t seem to help her calm down at all.

“I’ll see you soon,” she called out to me in a distracted tone as she got back into her car. I started walking home and she drove off. Whatever made the sound, it was gone with no trace that it existed.



It wasn’t long after that that I was set to meet Solenne at the cafe for the first time since we broke up. I had tried not to be so focused on it for my sake, and for Holly’s, but I couldn’t help myself. My mind just always found itself in a spiral staircase that only ever ended at her. It was how it had known to think for so many months that changing it so abruptly seemed impossible. 

I arrived at the cafe an hour early. I was walking up to the front door when someone called out to me from behind. “Arthur!”

I turned around and saw Farah running up to me in her work uniform. “Oh hey, coming in for work?”

“You know it,” she answered with a smile. “I guess you’re here for some coffee?”

“You know me so well,” I joked.

“It’s not like you’ve ever changed,” she quipped in response. “Are you meeting someone? I’ve got some time before my shift starts, we can hang out if you want!”

“They won’t be here for an hour or so, so I’d be down to chat,” I answered with a smile. Farah was what one might call a “good human”. 

I liked it when she was working. We grabbed a couple coffees from her new coworker, a guy named Joel, and took the seat by the window that I always tried to grab when it was available. 

“So what’s been going on with you?” she asked with a friendly tone before taking a sip of her still-too-hot coffee. “Ouch, burned myself!”

I laughed and shook my head. “You work at a cafe, how do you not know to wait before drinking burning coffee?” 

“I’m usually caught up in what I’m doing and it goes cold,” she explained jokingly defensively. “Now answer the question.”

“If I tell you the whole story, it’s going to sound a bit crazy, but basically I bumped into a girl here who bears quite a resemblance to me. Now we’re trying to hunt down my dad to find out the truth,” I told her with a less than serious tone to avoid being taken too seriously. 

“I think I remember seeing her!” she exclaimed instead of giving me a strange look. “I knew there was something familiar about her…” She laughed. “So how’s that going?”

“We have literally no leads,” I told her. “No one’s seen him since I was born. He abandoned me as soon as he could and disappeared without a trace.” 

“Sounds like a tough job, detective. Oh! Are you going to hire a private investigator to help? That would be cool. You could get some 1940’s outfits and pretend you’re in a noir film!”

“Umm… what?” I replied before bursting out into laughter. “That all seems like a lot extra.” 

She blushed. “I just thought it’d be cool.” She paused. “Though I must admit that they’re my favorite type of movie and I’ve always fantasied about being involved in a more modern one.” 

I chuckled. “Well then I’m sorry I can’t offer you that.”

She smiled. There was a sparkle in her dark eyes when she smiled. “Well, best of luck finding him then. If you need any coffee, you know where to find me.”

“Only when and if you’re working at the time,” I reminded her. “What’s been going on with you?”

“It’s end of the semester,” she said with a groan. “So when I’m not working, I’m busy working on my thesis and grading papers.” 

“That sounds really cool, but also like a lot of work.” She nodded with a tired look on her face.

“You have no idea. I’m grading first years. Some of them are straight out of high school, where they apparently don’t learn how to write. It’s pretty rough.” 

We sat and chatted for about fifteen minutes. Her phone went off, indicating the proximity of her work-shift. “Looks like it’s time I go,” she said in a disappointed tone. 

“Well, you’ll still be here,” I reminded her, but I knew what she meant. “Have a good shift.”
“I’ll try.” 

She packed up her stuff, grabbed her mug, and shifted away to the employee-only backroom. I think technically it was just a storage room, but it was out of sight and perfect for breaks and getting ready to work. 

I sat and stared out of the window once she was gone. The world went by. Buds had started to appear on trees, and grass had started to poke out of the constantly melting snow. In the city it was a little ill-advised to walk close to the road because all the streets were covered in puddles forming over potholes and grates. It was a cloudy day with the sun only peeking through at us every so often. If it wasn’t for the fact it was spring, it would have been a downer of a day, but spring had a magic to it. Winter was on its way out, so everyone was just generally in a better mood. 

“Hi, Arthur,” a solemn and familiar voice said to me, breaking me out of my trance. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 5 here

This session of Camp NaNo has been going quite well for me, probably due to these posts as well as the word sprints I've been doing with fellow writers (online, obviously). The next part will require much more editing because almost all of it will be from word sprints. Let's hope it makes a decent bit of sense! 

Thanks for joining me on this weird journey into what is likely going to be a story with more and more plotholes and contradictions the longer this goes on. I do intend on finishing the novel (provided that it is not twice the intended length) and posting it all here into May.

Until next time,

-Zero