Who Is My Trouble?

The Encounter

It wasn't a calm night as the usual nights I spent on rainy days, as Kate did not even have the taste of sleep. "You're still up?" I asked as I was preparing my cup of coffee to start the day, "I have to go down to the bookshop, do you want to join like the old days?" I joked. "I'm confused about everything regarding Toby and our marriage. He is a surgeon, and I always saw him as a surgeon, not as a politician. This was what we agreed upon. Recently he got into the political life that drained his energy and took his time from us. He stopped even showing up as a husband or a father." Kate complained. "Americans," I spat as I relaxed on the couch. "Why do you hate them this much?" she wondered. "I don't" I sipped my coffee, "I certainly don't, I just don't feel comfortable around them, or maybe it is because I didn't interact much with them. Kate, who is Henry?""I told you, he and Toby are close cousins.""I want to know about Henry, not about his relationship with Toby.""I don't know much about him apart from the fact that he isn't on good terms with his family as his only secret connection to the family is Toby.""Weird, what does he do?""He is an antiquarian, totally obsessed with rare books.""No wonder why he showed up at the bookshop earlier.""He did!?""Yes, but he is dumb as hell.""Don't misplace him. He is a scholar when he wants to be.""Well well, I have to get down to the bookshop soon, are you coming?""No, I'd rather stay here, maybe cook something for us.""Alright! Don't create a mess in my kitchen though, it's a small apartment."Hours passed, and the bookshop had its usual schedule. New faces come and observe books, familiar faces come and read, and Henry, not knowing what to do and where to go except for roaming around the bookshelves. "How may I help you?" I asked after he spent 30 minutes in the bookshop without picking one book to buy, "What genre are you looking for?". "You," he replied. I was shocked by his uncivilized reply, yet managed to keep a straight face. "I mean, I am not really looking for a genre to read, I want to talk to you regarding Kate." he corrected. "Have a seat," I ushered at the couch that was in the middle of the bookshop, "I can't impose anything on Kate, I know her, but I don't know Toby. You are Toby's cousin, right? Talk to him. Why are you complicating things?""Being his cousin does not give me the authority to impose on his wife to stay with him.""Being her friend does not require me to get involved in the matter in the first place.""Why don't you come back with her?" he asked with a serious tone to the extent that I couldn't identify whether he was sarcastically ironic. "With her to?" I asked, waiting for his response. "She would love to have you at her place there, maybe then she would get convinced of staying with her family.""Why don't you go there with her, you're the American man who's here for a visit. I am not going to anyplace out of Nottingham."Henry's looks changed out of a sudden. He was a tall guy, with round muscles, and light brown hair with hazel eyes. His colored skin turned darker as his eyes got dimmer. "What do you feel when you stay in your hometown among your family, safe and secure?" he wondered. "Umm," I felt weird after his question, as I remembered Kate telling me about his unstable life in the US, "It's not about feeling safe and secure, threats are always in front of you. It is just that I grew up here, and I feel comfortable.""What if you don't find a place that makes you feel comfortable?""Then there must be home.""What is home?" he gazed into my eyes as I felt my throat plucked out of its place. "Home is just...home." I shivered. He stood and walked towards the shelves that were occupied with bulky books. "I am 34 years old, yet I am always in search of home. It seems to be pretty ironic, that home was never found in my own land, or on anyone's ground. Thus I am always in search of home in books."I didn't have much to say in return, yet I was craving for having him silenced to escape for a cigarette. I excused myself as I started thinking of how to spend the night with Kate. Fortunately, I saw her walking towards the bookshop as I was checking for my lighter. "Lighter?" she threw one at me as I replied back. She was shocked to find out that Henry was at the bookshop too. I told her about the conversation that took place earlier and found out that he wasn't as rude as I thought. As I finished my shift, Kate and I went for spoiling ourselves with drinks. I made sure to stay as sober as I could, knowing that I had to hold Kate and take her back home. It was fun and crowded until she started breaking down about her conflict again. As she was complaining of how alone she has been feeling in her house, I reconsidered what Henry told me earlier, and thought that for the sake of her and her son, I should go help her settle back. The next morning was an off day for me, and the weather was calm. As I was breathing fresh air after buying groceries at the end of the street, I saw Henry in front of me. It didn't stop me from pursuing my steps as I knew that he was following along. "Book the ticket, we're going together," I demanded. "She agreed?" he held me back and looked straight into my eyes. "Yes," I nodded, "she didn't but she will after you book," I entered the building then stopped for a while, "don't ever hold me again," I sarcastically smiled.Kate's hangover was like any typical one she had before. I managed to pack our bags, and take her to the airport while bearing with her complaints the whole time. Traveling was not my thing, at least, not at that time. All that I needed was to rest and have myself some leisure time eventually, as I was always driven with my scheduled life. Kate was extremely pissed at my decision, yet she missed being home again. To my surprise, she did not live in a regular house or an apartment. She had a villa, which was anyone's dream to possess. Toby was happy to see Kate again, despite the conflict, he managed to welcome us with a favorable reception. Dinner time started, yet all I saw was a business session going on between, "You deceived me," and "You promised me." I knew that if I wanted to have my own time to meditate, I had to find myself a convenient hotel. Kate and Toby rejected the idea initially, but Henry saved me by convincing them about my need to leave. Having a room for myself in a hotel away from the family's conflict was the best thing for me to start with, as I had a good long sleep. I woke up at a quiet time when the sun was still breaking through the sky, yet I had a glimpse of the moon. I walked in the empty streets of Beverly Hills to observe the cafes, stores, malls, churches, and the few cars that were silently making it through the sleeping streets. I couldn't take off my eyes from the tall palm trees that were Beverly Hills' signature. Everything was silent, even the sky itself was stuck between the sun and the moon, but one thing that I couldn't omit from my mind is my busy thoughts. I knew I traveled for leisure, and to also sort out Kate's conflict. Yet, after I stepped foot on the American soil, I was covered with curiosity and eagerness to find him; the Bernard.I went back to my room, changed, and had a tasty breakfast for a long day with my heart pumping out of its place. Taking a cab for more than one hour to reach Riverside California, was tourism by itself. I pictured the city in my eyes, which was filled with the crowd's beauty. As much as I loved the calm setting, I grew up in, returning to the busy towns reminded me of the energy I held before my loss, which was surely buried by smoking and drinking. Being a politician makes it easy for anyone to tackle any information they want to have. I was dropped at a point which was not so distant from the Bernard's house, yet it required me a few blocks to walk. With each step I made, I was driven with many thoughts that got accumulated over my chest as if they were in the form of a grey cloud. I felt in need to see him as much as needed to run away and never look back at him ever. My eyes were laid on a vast mansion protected by bodyguards, knowing that it would be impossible for them to allow me in, or even let him be aware of my presence around the area. I kept on walking for a few minutes as I observed more and more about the architecture of the house, which did not look very modern and had a taste of British architecture. It was pleasing to all my senses to find typical tastes in two different countries until someone bumped into me without any further notice, wearing heavy winter clothes, covering his face with a scarf, and wearing sunglasses with a cap. "A cap in winter?" I sighed as I giggled. "Some things never change, follow me," Seth replied as he walked away, and I followed.