Hiraeth: Blackout (I)

Chapter Nine

Troy and his dad picked me up from the twins' house the next morning.

"Thanks for coming to hang out with my son, Mike. He's been looking forward to this all week," Troy's dad said once we were in his vehicle.

Really? But Troy's only said, like, ten words to me since I met him.

"N-No problem, sir."

Mr. Davenport chuckled. He had messy red hair just like his son's, brown eyes, freckles, and fair skin. He drove a plumbing van and was dressed in a tattered work suit. His smiling face was wrinkled and kind. "You can call me Dave."

"Oh. Alright then."

Troy tapped my shoulder. He was thumping a see-through finger on his seat anxiously, the other hand waving hello to the floor. These were fidgets I saw him do every day, especially if he didn't have a sketchbook with him.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"We're gonna get ice cream now," he told me, a smile on his face, "Even though it's breakfast time."

I smiled back. "Nice!"

"Don't offer to pay, my dad won't let you."

I laughed. "Okay, t-t-thanks for the heads up."

Mr. Davenport grinned. "That's right, Mike. All your meals are on me to-Day."

"Thank you so much, sir! I-I-I mean Dave!"

We soon arrived at a little ice cream shop in Bijou City. I sat with Troy while Dave ordered for us.

While we waited, I watched as my friend doodled the scene around us: faded tile floor, cracked brick walls, a crowded cashier counter, and seats and tables of metal. He didn't draw the beings around us. In fact, I didn't think I'd ever seen Troy draw anything but scenery and rooms.

It was nice to hang out with him. He spoke very matter-of-factly, so I never had to worry about hidden meanings in his words (something I did with pretty much everyone). He was very tidy, too, and I loved watching him draw.

That afternoon, after ice cream, a motion picture in the city, and settling in at Troy's house, Mr. Davenport pulled me aside while my friend was in the restroom.

"I just want to thank you. You and his other friends have been so kind to him, and I appreciate it."

"Of course," I said shyly.

"He's not easy to be friends with, I know. He's not like other kiddos."

"W-Well... Neither am I. We can be not like other kids together."

Dave smiled, laughing gleefully. "You really are a blessing, Mike Hughes."

It was a simple sentence, and a humble thank you, but it nearly made me cry.

Troy soon returned from the restroom. "Mike and I are going to build a fort," he announced, "C'mon, Mike."

And build a fort we did. Troy had a pre-drawn diagram of the fort, and we followed it strictly. The end result was a castle made of blankets, chairs, and pillows taller than me. Its entrance was a tunnel lit up by twinkling lights. It even had pillow thrones for Troy and I. We ate lunch and dinner in the fort, and then neatly disassembled it before bed (at precisely eight o-clock).

I slept on the couch, while Troy slept in his room, since he felt uneasy sleeping anywhere else.

I slept well, in a modest home that radiated more love than many I had been to.

#

The following morning I said goodbye to Troy and his dad, then Parry picked me up in a very fancy air vehicle. It looked like a slightly elongated car, and was black with golden wings.