Olifina: Love And Trouble

21. Waiting For Thursday

I woke up the next morning with a huge sense of purpose. I quickly checked the time on my bedside clock. It was a few minutes past four in the morning. I went in to brush my teeth after which I threw on my sweater and went in search of Rodas.

I knocked on his door quietly. First came a muffled reply, then the sluggish dragging of feet before the door opened to reveal a sleep-drenched Rodas.

"What's the hassle all about?" Rodas asked in a not-so-bedroom voice.

I shushed him. "Don't make noise. I don't want my dad to know we're going out."

"Your dad doesn't know?"

"Nope, and I don't want him to," I stated matter of factly. "Come on now, let's go." I dragged him out of the room but stopped and quickly pushed him back, following him inside and shutting the door as silently as I could.

"What happened?" Rodas asked confounded. I shushed him as I placed my ear on the door.

On hearing the sound of footsteps receding down the hallway, I heaved a sigh I just realized I had been holding.

I turned to Rodas who still looked confused. "My dad was there."

Rodas raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Did he see you?"

I shook my head. "Let's go."

As we opened the door and stepped out, I heard a sound from the other end of the hallway. Oliver was just coming out of his room. Our gazes met for some seconds.

"Rufina, I still have morning breath," Rodas said from behind as I shifted from the doorway.

"I don't mind," I said, returning my attention to him and we left.

Outside was chilly. Good thing we both had our sweaters on. We jogged to make us faster and also shake off the cold. Getting into the other part of the woods where my mum's house was, we stood there for some seconds to find a hiding spot. The cave was close by, but it wasn't a good option. The last time I dragged Mother into that cave we had managed to go unnoticed. We couldn't still cross it off that that maniac did not suspect anything that day. He must've come back to check for any clues of our presence there. We couldn't be too sure.

I glanced at Rodas and felt sorry for dragging him out of the house in his pyjamas. Talking about dressing, I had forgotten to put on my contact lenses. And I was sure Rodas hadn't brought it because I practically dragged him out of the house.

"Here," Rodas called, motioning for me to join him at a secluded and hidden spot.

We moved there and crouched on the ground. Initially, we were full of energy but all of that died off when we stayed there for hours with no sign of my mother. We sat on the ground which was still damp with dew.

"Did you bring the phone with you?"

"Got it here," Rodas said, bringing out the phone from his pocket and showing it to me.

"How about the contacts?"

He froze when I mentioned the contacts.

"Ouch! I forgot it," he said, giving me an apologetic look.

As I thought. "I don't think we would even need it."

"Let's not take our chances. We'd just hide out today and not show our faces no matter what."

I sighed. We continued our wait in silence, limiting our conversation to not drawing attention to ourselves.

"It's already midday," Rodas said as he checked the time on his phone.