Once Upon A Life

Three: Meeting Nick

It's been a week since the accident in the campus workshop. Three students were suspended for breaking workshop safety rules. They had also apologized to me for causing me injury and I've moved on from that. The wounds are healing nicely and I can't wait for them to heal completely so that I should get back to work. I've been away for too long and I want it healed already.

Since I've had too much free time on me, with no workshop until I'm healed, I'd spent most of my time talking to my siblings. Ariana is in the police academy while Owen is a junior in highschool. Owen is at a boarding school and when school is out, he spend his holidays at the school's principle's home. The principle was my dad's friend and taking in Owen and Ariana, when dad passed away was all he could do for us. I didn't want to move in my senior year of highschool, so I stayed with Harry's family and once I started college, I moved away to be on my own.

I tried to stay in touch with my siblings but as time passed, we kind of drifted apart. We still talk most times but not as much as before. They would always point out things I had in common with our father and when one day Owen commented on how talking to me feels like talking to dad, I distanced myself. I didn't want them to take me as our father because then they would never have moved on from it. I guess I couldn't blame them for thinking like that since they were little and wanted to cope with the situation but I just couldn't take it.

"I thought you wouldn't come." Jessie's voice brings me out of my head.

I am sitting on the steps leading out of his course building. I was waiting for him since he texted me to meet him today. "You said we should meet, here I am. What's up?" I ask while looking up at him.

He sighs and takes a seat beside me. "I just wanted to spend some time with my brother from another mother." He shrugs and look away from me.

This is strange. It doesn't happen usually but still it does happen. He didn't hug me when he saw me or shouted his greetings. He didn't even call me 'babe' in all his sentences. Something is really wrong.

"What happened? Want to talk about it?" I ask and he shakes his head. Well, if talking won't work then I guess I'll have to do something to bring back my Picklepuss.

I grab his hand and stand him up. I ignore his questioning gaze as we make our way to the parking lot. "Where is your car?" I ask when I don't see Yudith. A strange name for a car I know but it's Jessie's car so strange is normal.

"I didn't feel like driving today."

I frown and look at him. This is really serious if he didn't even feel like driving and rode the bus. I shake my head and take out my phone to check the time. It's 3:45pm, so I guess I have some time to cheer up my friend. I lead him to the main road and hail a taxi. I write the destination on a paper and give it to the taxi driver. I want it to be a surprise for Jessie, so saying it aloud was out of question.

We don't talk at all during the ride and I wonder what must have happened. Maybe his parents did something bad to him. I really wished for his parents to pay attention to their son. For someone like me, my parents were robbed too early from us and I know they both wished to have stayed with us longer than this. My mother had died giving birth to Owen and it was a miracle he even survived. I know my mother would have loved to stay and watch her children grow but life was stripped from her too early. And dad-

"We are here." The driver announce and I get off with Jessie after paying our fee.

"It's been a long time since we last came here, hasn't it?" I look at Jessie and he gives me a small smile with a nod. I'll take that as positive. "Then off we go, Picklepuss."

I pay entry fee when we reach the gate of the wildlife centre. They give us some ID's with the word 'Visitor' written on it. We join a group as our host greets us and introduces herself. She explains the do's and don't for when we are out there seeing the animals. When she's done, she leads us to the animals and she goes on to explain about each animals we see and answer all the questions the group ask. As we go on our way, I notice the slight change in my friend. I smile when I see him paying attention to the host and listening with an interest. At least I got to bring him away from wondering in his mind. I roll my eyes at the ridiculous questions that Jessie ask when we reach his favorite animal, hyena. Like, who finds that animal cute? Jessie is who. I don't understand what it is that's cute about the animal and the last time we saw one, he made its laughing sound the whole week. Apparently, that's what's cute.