From Grief We grew (Only On Wattpad)

Chapter 23 Teagan

The old man had black afro hair that made his small face look big. He was skinny and slightly hunched. He had enormous feet and a crooked smile.

   "We are Zayden's friends," Hayden says as he looks at the envelope. For a minute, I just look at him blankly. Wasn't I holding it?

   "Who?" the old man asks.

   "Uhm he looked a lot like me. He sent us here."

   The old man stares at both of us and I start to feel uncomfortable. I start shifting on my feet. Then I watch a light blub glow. "Ah! The painter boy! Yes, he sent you, but weren't you supposed to come last year?" I mentally sigh. Bad enough I miss him. In this, everyone has to keep reminding me that it has been a year.

   Hayden explains what happened and the old guy says his condolences. It feels like déjà vu. I just nod as I take note of the surrounding. There is a big sliding board made of wood standing on the ground. Like adult-sized ones, not small ones for kids. There is also a seesaw and a swing. I also spot a hammock tied to two trees. Behind all this is a small cottage. "You built this?" I ask without realizing I was interrupting a conversation.

   "Ey, Yes. After my wife died, I took up carpeting as a hobby." I nod and tell him I'm sorry for his loss.

   Hayden adds, "Ravi here is a traveller. He and his wife have visited almost half of the world. Isn't that cool?" I frown. How does he know so much? How long did I zone out?

   "Teagan?" I snap out of my thoughts and look at Ravi. "Uhm how did you get all the money," I ask out of curiosity.

   "I was the last heir of my family of zamindars. I didn't want the throne or royalty. My wife Sheela was a middle-class girl and didn't wish for riches too. So we used the money to travel the world and finally settled here after we turned 60." I listen carefully to this piece of information he shares and nod.

   "Oh, and come in. Would you like some tea or coffee?" he asks as we follow him into the house. I look around at the furniture that also seems hand built. I wander off mindlessly as I observe my surrounding. I trace my fingers on the furniture and the gnomes on the table. There are a few photos of Ravi with a fat raven head woman. The pictures make me smile. Then I come across a painting that makes me stop. I see white strokes of paint creating the Taj Mahal and a raven bird flying above it. I study it and the detailing gives me hints about the artist. "Your friend did that," Ravi says as if he read my mind.

   "Sheela used to call me her Taj Mahal and said I was one of a kind like it. So Zayden made this as a gift to me for teaching him how to carve on wood."

   I turn around and look at him as the conversation catches my interest. "Carve on wood?"

   "Yes, like making sculptures. Oh, wait, he even made one," he says and walks away. Hayden and I exchange looks. Ravi comes back holding something that's gift-wrapped. I stroll over to Hayden as he opens it. I'm quite surprised to see what is inside. I take it from him and look at the sculpture of a guitarist. He has his hair painted black, and the guitar is a red bass just like the one Zay gave Hayden. The sculpture is about two feet. On the little circle block that the guitarist stands on, the words Follow your dreams are written. I look at Hayden and catch a glimpse of tears. He hugs Ravi and whispers, "Thank you for keeping this safe."

   After admiring the work of art for a while, we settle down for tea. Ravi explains how this place came out in the newspaper and many people have visited it since then as it is the only adult park in London. This led it to become a tourist spot. He tells us stories from the times he travelled. Ravi turns out to be a very humorous guy and has a knack for capturing his audience with his speech. Almost three hours pass and we don't even realize it until I look at my watch. "Wow. It is 3 o'clock already," I say.