Building Blocks- Deal with Daredevil

Chapter 6: Close encounter with D Devil

"Zoe!" called out an unfamiliar voice from across the street. Zoe pulled out one side of her ear phones and looked back to see who was calling her. She saw Daredevil dodge a car and run across the street to meet her. It was one of the strangest sights she had ever seen, compared to Daredevil's usually unmoved disposition for the past fourteen years when she would pass him on the street. She had just finished taking her Saturday evening jog and left the shop to pick up some items for dinner. "Hi." Zoe stated, confused after the adverse response Daredevil had given her the last time she saw him. Daredevil walked up to her. He was panting and bent slightly to catch his breath. "Yuh okay?" queried Zoe. Daredevil looked up with a large smile across his face that caused Zoe to return the gesture, even though she had not planned to.

Raising up, maintaining eye contact, he replied "Yeah, ah was callin yuh for ah while now. Buh yuh had on yuh ear phones. So, ... ah kinda run." "Oh, ok ... Am, how are you?" Zoe fished for words. Still smiling, Daredevil replied "I ok. Jus livin life. Cyah complain. An you?" "Am ok too." "Wa yuh listenin to?" "Am," Zoe chuckled "Ah don't really know. Jus sometin to exercise to."

Daredevil chuckled "Yuh doh know wa yuh listenin to? Leh meh see." He took the side of the ear phone she had removed from her left ear from her hand and put it to his left ear. This left them standing close, which made Zoe feel uneasy. She however, tried to appear unmoved. Daredevil began nodding his head to the beat of the music he heard. He sang a few of the words from "Sugar, yes please, would you come and put it down on me." Zoe's heart almost melted when she heard Daredevil's melodious, smooth voice. "You have a nice voice," she could not help but comment. Daredevil breathed through his nose a small laugh and gave a faint smile as he handed Zoe back the side of head phones. He appeared to not want to talk about his voice. He looked away at a car passing while still nodding to the beat.

"Am, ah shud look to go. It getting late," Zoe related, beginning to walk away and almost putting back her ear phones into her ear. She hoped her proposal on behalf of the Ministry did not give Daredevil the wrong idea that she was interested in him or wanted a friend. She was not too keen about him calling out her name in the street or being associated by others with him in an incorrect way. "Am, about de ting yuh was tellin me bout," Daredevil quickly interjected. Zoe paused, turned around and lowered the ear phones before querying, "Yeah?" "Am, we go be interested." Zoe smiled, revealing her straight, white teeth. This caused Daredevil to smile in response. He could not help smiling when she smiled. Joyfully, she advised "Am, ok. Well, ... yuh have a contact we can get yuh at to tell yuh when the meetin will be?" She was careful to note that it would be on behalf of the Ministry she would contacting him and not due to her personal volition. Daredevil became flustered at the thought of Zoe asking for his number. "Yeah, yeah." He scrambled to take out the 'me too' phone from his pocket. "Am, yuh can just tell me the number." Zoe advised when she noticed Daredevil scrambling. "Or." Embarrassed, Daredevil chuckled before providing his number. Zoe informed him that she would contact him when the time came. Zoe was about to walk off when she remembered to ask, "Am, would it be you or Sure thing comin to the meetin?" "Me. I go be representin all ah we. Da is ok?" "Yeah." Zoe turned to walk off.

"Am, Zoe?" It was strange to hear Daredevil calling her name. "Yes?" Zoe lowered her ear phone again and turned around. "So how ah have to dress for de meetin, in suit an ting?" Daredevil attempted to make more conversation subtly. Zoe gave a small laugh. "No, well, a shirt and dress pants will do." "Hmm. Ah doh tink ah own dat nah." "Well, it don't matter. Come in what you have, once it appropriate. Like, no vest, bandanna, earring an tings like dat." "Wa! No earring?" Daredevil opened his eyes wide. Zoe gave a faint smile and nod of assurance. "Ways!" commented Daredevil. Zoe turned to walk away again but turned back to ask Daredevil a question. "Am, ah could ask yuh a question?" Daredevil's face lit up with anticipation, and he smiled. "Yeah." Zoe could not help but smile and shake her head at Daredevil's facial expression. "Am, what is yuh real name?" Daredevil laughed. "Yuh mean yuh doh know my name Zoe?" "Am, ... well I never had cause to." Embarrassed, Daredevil stifled his laugh. He got snapped back to reality that Zoe was only talking to him to advance the Government programme. He breathed a quick sigh, nodded, looked down at the ground, then looked away before he stated blankly, "Dorian." Ignoring his response, Zoe enquired, "It ok if ah refer to you as Dorian instead of Daredevil?" Blankly he replied, still looking away into the distance "Yeah no scene. Anyway ah ha to go dey." And he walked off swiftly. Zoe speculated that her dry comment about not needing to know Daredevil's real name caused him to become distant. Nevertheless, she believed it was a relevant statement to let Dorian know where she stood; that the fact that she conversed with him did not mean she was looking at him for a boyfriend.

Since that day, when Zoe passed Dorian on the street he would give her a nod of acknowledgement. He did not smile but he also did not blankly stare at her. About two weeks after their conversation, the Ministry contacted Dorian to inform him that the meeting would be in a week's time at the Enterprise community centre.

Me too- commonly used, cheap, outdated