24 Months

Stranger Trust

After that encounter with Nathaniel at the cafe place we started meeting there frequently in some kind of way. It started with the day after the incident and I found him sitting in my safe heaven, at exactly my post. Irritated I decided to just pretend I didn't see him and sit at another table for the first time in years but of course he saw me. "Yo, ms. Wednesday over here!" He shouted out loud so that the whole shop stopped and looked at him and of course that enabled me from pretending I didn't hear him. "Hi there" I said turning around feeling so freaking awkward.
After that way it became like a ritual, he would always great me loud as soon as he saw me enter the shop and so will always feel as awkward as the first time. In time it became kind of normal for me as well, I still as if he was imposing in my personal time, but apparently I needed to just accept the fact that if I wanted my personal time, he was going to be there. He had insisted that he should always buy me my coffee because he never bought me a new coat . Siting there in my usual corner he always talked to me about his life, work, friends and literally everything about him. In the beginning I had a hard time opening up to him like he was opening up to me, but then came the day he had called me his best friend. Sure I thought that it was weird that he was calling someone he had known for about a week his best friend but I could judge him cause maybe he was as lonely as I. And in that case we had found each other.

I've had many friends who have opened up to me and confided in me, but I never felt comfortable or even the need to open up to them. Even tho I knew I was 50% of the problem I still always felt like if people were just using me as their diary so I didn't confide in them. Think about it. People wright everything down on their diaries, so you can say that their diaries know everything about them - but what do they know about their diaries other that it may be made in china and is made of paper? Nothing. And it's the same thing when you use a humanbeing as a diary. You may just know their name and where they are from but you don't know their story unless you show them that you want to know. And I've felt as if anyone had ever shown me that they wanted to know more about me. Until now.

So since that day I had opened up more to Nathaniel than to anybody else in my 21 years on this earth. He even knew about my home situation.

''Hey- are you here with me?'' He asked snapping his fingers in my face, shaking me away from my thoughts.

''Yeah - I was just think about something'' I said giving him an reassuring smile.

'' Yeah I was thinking too'' He said looking at me with very serious eyes.

''About what?''

''  Your home situation. I don't think it's okey for you to live like that. And now that you are 21 you could have moved out a long time ago - but you haven't and that makes me wonder why?'' I let out a heavy sigh because I knew he would ask about this sooner or later.

''......hm....To tell the truth I've actually tried but I can't.... " I paused there and took a deep breath "it's mainly because of my sisters. I feel this kind of responsibility towards them and it would be like I'm leaving them to fend for themselves if I leave that house. And that life is all I know and not to forget, my mother really needs me'' I said looking down at my coffee

'' I understand that about your sisters, but it isn't your responsibility to fend for them. Your parents should do that and we both know they aren't capable of taking care of children in a good way so why don't we go to the social services?'' I just laughed at that

'' Don't you think I've thought about it?! They wouldn't do anything good, only split them apart and I would never get to see them again. And what if they get placed in families worse than ours?! Huh!?''
''Yeah, sorry I didn't think about it. I really didn't mean to upset you'' he said placing his hand over mine.
''Yeah, I know - but it really isn't that easy you know. And like I said. It is all I know. I really hate the way my family is but they really need me and I can't just leave them just cause it would benefit me''
'' Yeah I understand'' He said giving me a sad smile. I didn't want to talk about this anymore, because it was just too sad to deal with and he shouldn't have to worry about me.
''So....how's school?'' I asked changing the subject and he just smiled at me and answered
" School's fine - I started the section of the renaissance with the students" he said really excited
" Oh, rebirth.. wouldn't that be interesting?"
" Yeah... but That's not the interesting part of my life right now "
"Oh really? What's the most interesting part?"
" I've decided to release a book" he said making me choke on my cookie.
" A book?"
" Yeah, i do know how to write and read if you didn't know that" he said with a laugh
" Oh really? I thought teacher didn't need to know that shit"
" Ha ha you're so funny, anyway... So the book is about 24 months?" He said looking at me as if he knew, but I haven't told him so he couldn't possibly....
"Oh really, 24 months.... why 24? " I asked shaking away the thought that he might know.
" I was actually thinking about you when I chose my idea. Remember when you told me that you didn't know how you wanted to fall in love, because you have so many different scenarios in your mind?" I nodded my head because yes I do remember me telling him that they're endless ways of falling in love with someone and how I couldn't choose my dream scenario. And I also remember him laughing at my so called "fairy-tale" ideas.

" Well my book is basically about making all your dreams come thru." Oh no....
" Hahaha well that's nice of you, but sorry that ain't happening"
" C'mon, please for me, or else I have no book... and I've already booked a meeting with the publishers" he said giving me the puppy eyes
"No" I said looking away, he should have thought about asking me first before making me his sort of muse.
" Pease?"
"No"
"Please? " please stop asking me
"No"
"Please"
"No"
"But why?" He was now also angry even tho he had no right to be.
" Because I don't want to" I said giving him cold eyes
" You need to have a better explanation than that" he said crosing his arms
" Well excuse me for not wanting to spend the rest 2 years of my life being your little experiment!" The words just flew out of my mouth and I couldn't stop them.

He was silent for what felt like an eternity but according to the clock it was only five minutes, during  the sixth I couldn't take it anymore so so took my things and left him there in silence.