MagicAnimalClub: Happenings

21: Joy

Davids pov

From outside, we heard the doorbell ring. We looked at each other. My parents couldn't have come this quick. Who was it?
Joe ran inside then off to the front door. We walked in from behind, slowly.
I saw Joe open the door.
A little boy, I guessed he was about fourteen.
Joe looked for a bit before putting his hands over his mouth.
"£1.20." The boy said, putting some coins into Joes hand. "For the hot chocolate."
The boy smiled blankly then turned his head and walked out the door.
Joe stood in shock and silence in front of the door. Until something flicked.
"Wait!" He ran outside the door.
I turned to Beth, "Who's that?"

Joes pov

My heart, in my mouth. It was him.
I searched for his name in my head.
"Noah!" I called back at him.
He stopped running. He looked up to me.
"You remember?"
"Course I do."
He ran towards me and I bent down slightly and hugged him. Not caring what Beth, David or Nicole thought.
This kid was like a child to me. He lost his mother, I lost my friends and my sister.
"Noah- come, come and sit with me." I led him to a bench outside the door, He sat down beside me flicking his quiff to the right side of his face.
"Tell me what's been going on." I said looking at my friends who had walked away, confused. I rested both knees on top of each other and put my arm across the top of the bench.
"Well I- I was adopted and.. I'm with a better family, my- my auntie treats me well and I'm happy. "
"You got many friends?" I asked him,
"Yeh." He replied. This made me happy.
"How'd you get here?" I asked,
"Oh I walked, I go to the High School and had a non uniform day." I scanned his clothes, he wore ...
A green mini Muka t-shirt.
The same one he wore all those years ago.
"That still fit you?" I said, smiling. Keeping my tears tucked in. He smiled and nodded. Before a tear fell down his face,
"We- we all thought you were dead, everyone, everyone was positive that you had died!" He cried, I wrapped my arm around him.
"To be honest, I thought I died too."

We talked for about an hour before Noah went home.
I continued to sit on the bench for a few minutes afterwards before I walked inside.
"Hey, y'alright Joe?" David asked, resting his hand on my shoulder.
"Yeh.. Yeh.. " I wiped the sweat my brow. Today had been emotional.
"Hey Dave, wanna go and see if this car will drive for me." I asked him, he raised his eyebrow.
"After two years?! Beth have you driven it?"
"Me? No." She admitted, "I stick to the fiat."
I searched around for the keys, they were in the top shelf on the cupboard in the hall. I looked at the old and dusty Audi that I had. It was once silver, but was now grey and was starting to rust along the bottoms of the wheels.
I looked at David before opening the door.
"A ha! I don't think your gonna drive this thing, it's disgusting!" Yes, moss had started to form along the seats inside the car.
"Do you wanna see if it will actually turn on? It had petrol." I saw on the dash I had half a tank left - not that I needed it anymore.
I put the keys in the bonnet and turned them.
The engine made struggling squeaky noises, David and I cringed. I tried again, it took six turns while it squeaked and squabbled before making almost a normal car sound. It worked!
David and I laughed and high- fived.
"Stamps- go get some towels and let's go for a drive." I laughed before running into the house and grabbing two navy towels,
"Does it seriously work?!" Nicole laughed,
"Yep!" I laughed.
I ran outside and plonked the towels on top of the seats after wiping the steering wheel and the gear stick.
I carefully changed the car into first gear.
"Okay- slowly." David said.
I drove out of the driveway, at 5mph.
"Steering is good." I said, tapping the wheel.
I then tapped the radio , it turned on but all we heard was a loud broadcasting sound. None of the radio stations I had existed anymore.
By this time I was out on the road.
"This thing works like a beauty!" David said, opening his window. And just when he said that, the car started to make screeching noises, and rattled, and the engine cut out.
"Oh Squid, seriously?" I laughed, pulling over onto the hard shoulder. We both got out of the car.
"When is the last time you got this M.O.T'd?" David asked me,
"About three years ago." I sighed, patting on the bonnet of the car. I opened it up to look at the engine.
"It has completely rusted-" I went to touch the engine, "-no stamps!" He pulled my hand away, "it's roasting hot have you no sense!" I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"Right lets get a toe-truck to drag this thing away." I closed the bonnet and gave it a friendly nudge, even though it's just a car, it brought me home quick enough for Beth, it brought me to Mine con, it waited for me when I was away and stayed there till I came home. Unwashed, uncleared.

When the lorry came I looked inside the compartments in the car. I found a box.
As soon as I found it I remembered exactly what it was.
It was a ring.
A ring for the proposal to Beth.
I hadn't proposed to her yet. I didn't feel ready. I just wanted everything to calm down, to get settled back into the way of life, and to get to know Beth again. David looked at me. He patted my back and smiled, winking.
I closed the door of the car for one last time before it was toed away.
David and I said that we would walk back. I remembered the area like the back of my hand. I used to cycle along here to school since I was young. The sun shone down through the trees along the sidewalk.
"So when you gonna propose to her?" David asked me, I shrugged my shoulders,
"I don't know if I'll ever be ready.." I said, wiping my brow.
David put one arm around me, it felt very comforting, I felt myself relax as I walked.
"I've got an idea-" he took the ring off me, "I'm gonna keep this on me everyday and I'll hand it to you at the right moment."
I nodded, "you'll have to be around a lot." This made him smile. He whispered in my ear, "stamps, I'm moving here." My smile intensified, I hadn't been this happy in a long time.
"Are you serious!" I laughed, in shock,
"Yeh! Hey- last one to your driveway is a dumb cat!" He replied laughing, as he ran on ahead of me.
"Hey! Not if I get there first!" I ran after him, chasing him along the footpath like children.

This was the happiest day of my life.

In my story we speak of happenings, this, this was a happening to remember. To treasure for the rest of my short, twisted life.
The emotion: joy. A lost emotion. I had found it again.
After long last.
I had found joy again.