Blizzard Girl ©

Chapter Five:

            It was 5 pm. Two hours before Percival comes and I haven't told Mr. Bunter, Charlie, or Jason that he was coming. To be frank, I was kind of hoping that it was all going to be some big joke that we'd all laugh about and that none of them would exaggerate when I told them.

            However, the funny part about hope is that it's usually short lived. So as I was reading one of Mr. Bunter's travel books, I went very quietly and subtly, "Ahem."

            "Yes Ventisca?" asked Mr. Bunter as he was looking for a book. It's his day off, but tomorrow he's going to start to work full time (at least while he's in London) at the Croydon University Hospital.

              Jason came down the staircase and asked Charlie's dad, "Mr. Bunter, could I grab something to eat quickly?"

            "Go right ahead Jason. Now, what was it that you were going to say Ventisca?" he asked me.

              Jason was walking slower to the kitchen. "Go get your snack Jase," I told him. He nodded off and went into the kitchen, but there was no doubt in my brain that he was listening.

            "Uh—Mr. Bunter."

            "Yes Ventisca?"

            "Mr. Bunter, I have a date with someone." That's when I heard Jason laugh in the kitchen.

              I got up and was about to pummel him when Mr. Bunter grabbed my arm and said, "There will be no brute force in my house. Now please, sit down. I want to know what I'll be expecting Ventisca."

            Reluctantly, I sat back down on the couch and said to him, "His name is Percival. He's a really nice boy and he's picking me up here at 7 o-clock." I was expecting Mr. Bunter to give me the sex speech like Charlie said he did when he spoke of a girl that he liked in kindergarten.

              Instead, Mr. Bunter looked at his watch, and said to me, "Curfew's at 10 pm. You better get ready quickly Ventisca. Boys don't like to wait." Of course I didn't want to tell him what I thought of Percival—a scary man on a killing spree.

            Slowly I went upstairs and almost made it back to my room. But I remembered that I had nothing nice to wear. So I ran back to the railing of the stairs that is a lookout to the living room below. Mr. Bunter lifted his head and asked, "What is it Ventisca?"

            "Mr. Bunter, do you have a dress that I could wear by any chance?"

            He sighed and said in a sad voice, "I think I still have some of Maggie's dresses." I heard the croak in his voice but ignored it. Maggie was Mr. Bunter's wife and Charlie's mom. She passed away when Charlie was 10.

            I don't remember that much about her. All I do remember is a song that she always hummed. Her hums always sounded like the coos of a dove.

            Mr. Bunter opened the door to his room and opened the huge walk-in closet. Some people would consider it strange that a man of Mr. Bunters standing still had some of his dead wife's clothes on hangers, but people do grieve differently. And even if it's been six years, it hasn't been any easier on Mr. Bunter the entire grieving process.

            That's why no one mentions Maggie. It's a word that we don't normally use because we know how Mr. Bunter still strongly reacts to that one name.

            After a couple of minutes of sifting through all of her dresses, he finally took out one. "Try this one Ventisca." It was a blue knee length sleeveless dress.