Up To Hourglass To Decide

Chapter 16

As she promised, her dad did come directly to Vincenzo's dad, and gave him a lot of money as a gratitude on saving her daughter, not forget to mention two young man who carried their friends to the hospital, her dad and the father of her two other friends, giving them a bunch of cash enough for Vincenzo's school fees, and Cody's equipment for his painting practice for 20 years.

These cash, left them dumb founded, they found out she's the daughter of a very successful business man, the three of them ended up in here because someone's had been planning on kidnapping them, but they sneaked out from the car and fought with those kidnappers a bit and running until ended up here and made the two of her friends fainted.

"why would they kidnap a student?" Cody asked Vincenzo, and anyone who heard him will find he's a naive person.

"are you stupid? they are born in a golden spoon, they came from a rich family, so that's mean?" Vincenzo half answered him and half asked him.

"what?" Cody asked him back.

He left Vincenzo speechless, "you should use your brain a little more than you know, think first okay,"

Cody confused and angrily answered, "I'm serious here, I don't know,"

Vincenzo pissed off for real, "they want their father's money, that's why they are kidnapping them,"

"money?" Cody don't understand a bit of this situation.

"forget it, keep your money save," and then Vincenzo left him, but Cody followed him after.

They lived like that for a few years. Vincenzo keep going to school and Cody would wait him outside his school, they lived like that for few years until Vincenzo's graduated.

Cody celebrated him for his graduation ceremony by taking him to the city where the City never sleep.

New York.

They arrived New York safely, Cody paid for everything they need, he made a fortune by selling his paintings, people who traveled from outside their neighborhood, pay a lot of interest in his works, so the money he received in selling his paintings is a lot. He's building a house with a large backyard, he become rich without getting a proper education.

"I should just follow you selling art rather than going to school," Vincenzo jokingly shook his head, but he received an elbow blows from Cody by saying that.

"you should be grateful your dad can afford you to get an education from a great school, until you can graduate with a perfect score, you said you want to follow your father's footstep, work harder then," Cody said while laughing.

Cody didn't get a chance of entering a school, he would show up in front of Vincenzo's school gate, waiting for him to walk out after school, he's really awe of people who could sit in a school chair and talk things with friends, sharing lunchbox with other friend, and most important of all, he want to experience a feel from wearing a school uniform.

His father couldn't afford to send him to school, but his skill on using brushes and mixing color to produce a art is extraordinary great, his talent is beyond those student who went and graduated from art school, so he just taught himself from practice at his home, using his allowance to buy the equipment, drawing on his own.

Different from Cody, Vincenzo was born from a rich family, their family were all doctors. So, stethoscope and thermometer is his friends since he's young, that fact does not rule out the possibility of Vincenzo will also become a doctor.

There's only one problem inside Vincenzo is his bad behaviors, attitude, sometimes he is unethical, he's always getting into a fight with other student in his school, because people secretly laughing and mocking at his best friend, Cody. Some of them would spread some rumors that is untrue, and if that reached Vincenzo's ear, whoever spread that, be ready to queue on his father's hospital. Because the damage is true, some of them getting beaten up by him until they can't walk for months.

Different from Vincenzo, Cody's a well-mannered person, soft hearted, warm hearted person, raised by a single father and a quiet person since kid, he rather stay quiet than making a scene, he's really careful on his words, he is someone who will remain still and silent if someone throw a punch on him, and even if someone throw eggs on him, he will not make a fuss out of it, that's how kind he is, so kind until he don't know the difference between kind and dumb.

Vincenzo once asked him why he didn't fight back or defend himself, and he just answered that if someone did that to us, they must have their own reason on doing that. So, Vincenzo will make sure wherever he goes, he needs to accompanied Cody. But as he grows older, Vincenzo keep brainwashing him so he's not that naive and kind, if someone suddenly bashing on him for not his fault, he will speak out for himself. So that's a bit of development.

"Of course, I still got a long way to go, hey don't you dare to forget that you will help me draw and paint my hospital walls with the skills of yours," Vincenzo responded him while they both walking to the crowd.

"don't ask me for free painting," Cody said while laughing, and they both walked through the crowd.

While walking in the middle of the crowd in the city that never sleeps, they both gaped when they saw a girl who was sitting on a pink chair outside the cafe and sipping tea with munching a perfectly baked milk toast.

The light blue striped shirt that she wears combined with a long navy-blue skirt and brown heels, with the combination of her hair fall down to her shoulder which is occupied by a maroon red hat, made her look absolutely perfect.

The sounds of her laughter echoing in their ear, made them both stay in their position watching her happily laughing and having fun with her friend.

"is that Martha?"

Said Vincenzo who broke the atmosphere that was previously seemed as if the world around them has stopped and calm, only her laughter could be heard.