Scarlett

Chapter 8: Innocent

"I thought that I mentioned something about booking flight tickets." I stated as I stood in front of a red SUV in the parking lot of our apartment.

"You did but I thought that it's the best if we drove down, it is not too far. And it will  give me time to explore and work a little more on my music. Long drives help me to relax and think." Mark said as he packed his guitar on the back side of the car and opened the door to the driver's seat. "Get in. We need to leave before your mother returns." He said and made his way into the car.

I followed him quickly without a word. A drive down to Palm Fields meant that we would spend an extra day for the travel alone. I was not too keen on spending an extra day on road, but I reminded myself of the deal that I made with Mark. I had to agree to what suited him.

I hopped inside and sat comfortably next to Mark. "Palm Fields here we come!" I exclaimed with a smile on my face.

It was a bright afternoon when we began our journey. Mum had left home a while back to pick Derek from school. It was a regular routine for her. Afternoons were the only time when I got to stay alone at home. It was a perfect opportunity to set my plan into action. I felt a tinge of guilt as soon as I stepped out of the apartment with my little bag pack. I reminded myself of the purpose and it made me feel a little better about the entire situation. I knew that what I intended to do would betray Mum's trust on me. I was also upset by the thought that my actions would immensely disappoint Mum and I feared that. I feared the idea of not being good enough. 

I was excited to meet Dad for the first time after months. We had seen each other only once at the hospital, immediately after I woke up from coma. I never saw him after that. Deep within me, I knew that it was not the only reason why I wanted to meet him. Dad's words played in my head, "I will tell you everything that you should know, everything that your mother will not tell you." The thought of remaining oblivious made me anxious. I feared oblivion. I was eager to know about the secret truth that he had promised to tell me. 

What was it that Mum wanted to hide from me? Why did she hide anything from me in the first place? The questions constantly occupied my mind ever since my conversation with Dad over the phone.

Even though our conversations over the phone in the past had been disturbing, I missed him terribly I often thought about the time when I was younger. The time when we played fwith a frisbee in the garden, when we planted a mango sapling together and when he taught me to ride a tricycle.My memories with Dad are pure and beautiful but everything I thought about him, a picture of Chris appeared in front of me. I always trued to avoid drawing an comparison between them. Chris was caring, funny and great to be around but he was not my father and I had that clear in my head. In my heart, nobody could ever replace Dad. I always wondered why Mum tried to keep him away from meeting me.

I drifted back to reality as soon as I heard a loud sound on the stereo. Mark had switched on the radio that played a gruesome track which almost made my ears bleed. I watched Mark for a moment in surprise as he moved his lips to the lyrics of the song. I was amused to see Mark utter every word of the song perfectly. He has a smile on his face and enjoyed every word in the song. Mark's choice of music surprised me but not in a good way.

"What on earth is this?" I whined. 

"The Monty Brothers. Cool, no?" Mark questioned. He did not look at me when he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the road.

"No." I sighed. "It's painful, please stop." I demanded. I placed my palms over my ears to cover them. It was probably  a little rude on my part but I knew that the song would give me a headache if it played for long.

"I know it's painful. There is so much grief in every word. You can feel it. There is so much passion. It is brilliant." I was not sure if he tried play innocent or if he actually did not understand what I meant and appreciated the horrific song. I then realised that he had repeated my own words from our conversation about Enrique Iglesias and why I like him. He was just messing with me, I was confident.