Five Hundred Miles

0.4: The Long Run.

Chapter 0.4: The Long Run.

[Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep. --Clive Barker]

-2004 Santa Fe, New Mexico-

Joshua will be having his birthday on the next Saturday, which is the same day my birthday. Our birthdays somehow end up on the same day. Strange.

I don't know what to get him as a present, because he doesn't like celebrating his birthday. He's going to be fifteen, which means what? Am I really sneaking out to buy a cake and insert 15 candles in it? I don't think so. He always keeps a low profile.

When I step out of the house, I find Joshua on a stool scrubbing his dirty shoe. I observe him from behind the door. He is attractive. I don't know what to say. When he sees me, he greets me with a gentle smile, but continues on his work. For a second I thought that he actually enjoys doing chores.

I land beside him, then fishing a handkerchief from my pocket and hand it to him. He thanks me. "Hey princess, what brings you up?" he asks me.

I shrug. "I'm just bored. You must be really tired, having to clean your shoes under the scorching sun."

His face breaks into a smirk. "Did I hear wrongly? The princess cares about me!" he teases when he wipes the sweat off his face with the pink fabric. I'm surprised that he doesn't mind to use it.

"Do you need water?" I ask.

"Kind of."

"You know, the pipe is just beside you, and it'll be funny to watch you drink from the hose." I tempt, grinning. He shrugs at me, telling me he doesn't mind. He hands me my handkerchief.

"Gross! Get that sweaty thing away! I'm not putting it back into my pocket!" I shrink away as far as I can get, crinkling my nose.

"But it's yours!" he laughs.

"You can have it." I say immediately. He shrugs again, and tugs the cloth back into his pocket. Moments later he resumes his undone job. "By the way, I'm here to ask you about your birthday. What do you want?"

"I can just ask you the same." he says nonchalantly.

"That's not an answer, Joshua." I glare at him, trying my best to be fierce. Ha-ha.

"I don't want anything."

"There is no 'anything'."

He sighs, clearly unhappy. What's wrong with him, though. Who doesn't want a gift on their birthdays? "I don't know, princess. Can you just leave it?"

Are you kidding me? "Fine."

That really catches his attention. He must have thought that I am angry. It's always easy when I'm angry.

"Hey princess, what do you want then huh?" He brushes his fingers on my cheek when I shrug him off. No to mention that he just touched his shoes.

"Hmm..." I peer at him. "I want you to wash my clothes, shoes and dishes for a week."

His mouth drops open. "You want me to wash your stuffs?" he asks in disbelief.

My lips twitch as I nod slowly. "Indeed. There isn't anything more you can offer, is there?" I shake my head. "No, there isn't."

Point one for me!

"Very thoughtful, princess." he taps his chin, squinting at the sun. I hear a legend that only Ultraman is able to look at the sun directly. Well, who knows? Miss Collins taught us that staring at the sun spoils our eyes. Ultraman must have been very stupid.