CITRUS ~ A Long Way From Home / Trust

Chapter 18

Day 2

<<Speaking English>>

Morning traffic was a little more busier then the day before. Even though they left the hotel a little earlier, Tim was trying to navigate between cars to make up time. This wasn't anything new to him, but it didn't make it any less bothersome. But he did feel confident that he could make it to the office in plenty of time.

Yet every now and then, he would glance in his mirror to look at the young, purple eyed woman. Wondering if she was feeling better after taking her back to her hotel last night. But it wasn't his place to raise questions to a client. All he could do was the best he could to get them to their destination.

As the young ladies were riding in the back seat of the town car, Yuzu would be looking out the window to see the roads and hills that went by as Mei continued to browse her phone.

Yuzu would turn to glance as Mei once in a while, wanting to talk to her. They hardly said much to each other after they left their hotel room. She would watch Mei continuing to write notes and looking at her phone.

<<Soooo... it looks like we'll still make it to the firm on time, even though the traffic is kinda busy, huh?>> she said to Mei, who didn't respond.

The silence in the car was almost eerie, almost like Mei wasn't listening. It made Yuzu think that Mei might be mad at her for some reason.

<<We'll make it on time>> said Mei calmly after a moment. She never turned her head as she continued to work, not saying anything more, just like earlier.

Yuzu felt saddened by Mei's lack of attention. She never behaved like this before. Almost like she was trying to avoid other subjects. If this was her way of mentally preparing herself for the meetings, it was almost scary.

'Maybe this is because she doesn't wanna break down again like last night' she thought to herself. Although Mei did tell her that they'll talk later that day, it was still a long way before then.

The last thing she wanted to do was to make her lover feel uneasy. But at the same time, the silence in the back seat was also bothering her.

<<Ummm... excuse me Tim?>> she asked. <<Is it... okay to ask you a question if it's not too personal?>>

<<Of course ma'am>> he said happily.

<<Well...>> she said with some nervousness, afraid that Mei might object, <<so... have you always been a driver?>>

<<Yuzu?!>> said Mei suddenly, surprised that Yuzu would ask him that.

<<Oh, it's okay ma'am. I don't mind answering. It helps while driving through traffic>> he said with a smile, to which Mei gave a calm stare at Yuzu.

<<Well no, not always. I've done all kinds of jobs over the years. I've actually driven trucks before, but I've also built homes, I... was a boxing coach, handled security for office buildings, a union leader... lots of other jobs.

<<One of my very first jobs was as a bouncer.>>

<<Ummm... I'm sorry. A what?>> asked Yuzu with a curious look.

<<Oh, a bouncer>> he said. <<It's like a security guard for a night club. If people got too rowdy or crazy at night, I would... well, throw them out.

<<People go out to have fun. I just made sure they didn't cause trouble. I'm kind of a big guy, so it worked out for me>> he said with a smile.