Fate is a Funny Thing

Hermit of New York

Thankfully, we all make it back to Mason's house undetected.

"You okay?" Mason asks as I make breakfast the next morning. "You seemed really shaken up yesterday."

"I'm fine," I smile, "I was just in shock. I've never really seen anything like that before."

"Really?" Rafael pipes up, looking at me.

"Closest I've come to being involved in something like that is by watching movies," I joke lamely, "which isn't very close, I guess."

We eat in silence, and then Mason leaves for the gym to finish up some paperwork before he re-opens tomorrow. I wash up and Rafael dries and puts them away. Both of us sit in the living room, and he turns on the T.V, still in silence.

"You lived in New York for long?" he asks, after a while.

"Yes," I reply simply. He probably didn't expect such an abrupt answer, because he looks a little taken back. My British accent is a clear giveaway that I am not from America. Although I have picked up a bit of an American accent, my British roots are still intact.

"And you don't get out much?"

"Almost never."

"But you must have been to the city's tourist spots though?" he then asks, after another few minutes of silence. I don't respond, keeping my eyes fixed on the T.V. Clicking on to my answer, his eyes go wide in confusion, "You haven't, have you?"

"You ask a lot of questions, you know that," I decide to say, instead.

"Just trying to get to know you a little better," he raises his hands up in mock surrender.

I shake my head at him and speak again, "no, I've never been to any of the tourist spots."

Watching me thoughtfully, his eyes take in my every movement, from my nervous tapping on the floor to my folded arms. It doesn't feel awkward, but it does feel slightly strange. Getting the feeling he wants to ask me something, I shift uncomfortably. Starting to feel a little claustrophobic, I almost cheer in joy as Asher walks in.

"What's up, guys?" Asher smiles, plopping down next to Rafael. Looking at us both expectantly, I realise he's actually expecting an answer. Normally when people say that, they don't usually want an answer. Rafael repeats the conversation we just had, making Asher's eyes pop out of his head, as he turns to me.

"How is it possible that you've never been to the city's tourist spots?" he asks looking completely bewildered. "You do realise people fly out here just to see them?"

Shrugging in response, it finally dawns upon me how weird I must seem to these people.

"You're like a hermit living in New York," Asher laughs, and I smile remembering how I describe myself in the same way. Asher stands up and goes to grab something from the kitchen.

When he leaves Rafael looks at me and asks if I have ever been to the Museum of Natural History. Of course, I tell him no, to which he replies,

"Let's go then. Better than just sitting around doing nothing."

After protesting a couple of times, I realise it's pointless and so I run upstairs to get changed. By the time I come back down, Rafael is leaning on the door patiently waiting for me. Asher stands up and joins us as we leave and head off to the Museum.

The whole time we are there I am constantly in awe of all of the exhibitions. Feeling regretful that I have never been before, I basically drag them to each and every exhibition. Walking through the Mammal halls and the Birds, Reptiles and Amphibian halls, we eventually reach the biodiversity and environmental halls. I walk a little slower and look closer at the exhibition for the North American Forest. The boys must have been here before, but they still look at the exhibits as if they are here for the first time. They notice my interest in the hall for Ocean Life.