I Won't Let You Forget...

Chapter Five

-Monica Thompson's POV-

It's Friday afternoon and I'm walking home alone allowing myself some thinking time. With Andrew always hanging around and his angry outburst yesterday at the lunch table, I'm surprised I was walking home at all. I had to practically beg Andrew to not give me a ride and let me walk and in the end he let me saying that he knew I would take the short cut alley way and get home shortly after he did.

So now I'm walking through the outer city with the cool end of February air nipping at my nose and cheeks. I start walking past a small coffee shop but decide to go back and get something to tide me over until I reached the pack house.

I walk in with the store bell chiming and watch as a teenage boy wakes up from his sleep on the counter.

"How can I help you?" He says with a sleepy smile.

"Hi, um, I'll have a Peppermint Tea with two spoonfuls of sugar." I told him staring at the black chalk board then looking to him with a smile to make sure he got my order.

"II'll have it right out, and the sugar is back at that stand," He said pointing over my shoulder, "So you can add as much as you'd like." Then he turned and got to work.

I took the time to take in the small shop. The walls were white and at each table there was a set of paint brushes and paints. All around the room there were paintings on the walls, it really was just a happy place. I saw little cards sitting on all the tables so I picked one up and read it 'Paint as you please!' was scrawled across the cards. So that's what I did. I sat down and began to paint even if I didn't know what it was yet, not like I can paint anyway.

I was half way through when it began to look like one of my regular doodles, a big flower off centered to the left with many hills in the background, a stream coming down through the hold creating a small pond by the flower and a sun that varied, sometimes it was in the sky and sometimes it was setting behind the hills. When I was almost done I signed my name Monica/Mona Thompson.

"That's nice." The guy said from behind me and I jumped, making a jagged line running up the side of my painting.

"Holy! You scared me!" I exclaimed while turning to look at him.

"Sorry for scaring you and ruining your painting. Here's your tea." He said holding the to-go cup out to me.

"Thanks, it's okay it's not like the painting was great anyway." I told him with a shrug taking the cup and turning back to the wall.

"Just because it's not good doesn't mean I can't feel bad for making you run a squiggly line up it." He said with a chuckle.

"Hey! That's the part where your suppose to say, 'Are you kidding me that's amazing, your a great artist.'" I said jokingly whipping back around to look at him and laugh.

"I only speak the truth. Besides, you were the one to diss it first." He told me then turned and walked behind the counter.

I sat for a couple more minutes then decided it was time for me to get going.

"Alright, well I'll be back another day, I like it here." I said standing up and putting my coat back on, grabbing my tea and walking to the door.

"Thanks for coming in!" I heard him yell as the door shut behind me.

I walked another block and a half before I reached the alley and made a right to go down it. Walking past the green dumpster on the left I looked up from the ground to see a broad shouldered man standing at the end of the alley, when he caught me looking he turned and walked away. I started to make my way back down the way I came knowing it's better safe than sorry, even if it did take longer to get home.