Page 56

Ryan said with a serious face, “You see, Lola.”  “Those two are having problems with everything.”
Lola drank apple juice from a plastic glass that could only be used once. “You mean the half-namesakes.”
Ryan’s lips curled into a smile on one side. But his expression still seemed serious. “Yes,” he said. “Damien and Ashley are who I’m talking about. Just hearing their names together sounds so strange. Also, they’re definitely hiding something. After that scandal spread everywhere, something terrible must have happened for them to make this big decision—this big step.”
Selene sighed and looked at the woman with the camera, who was slowly traveling down the line where the sea met the land. She seemed quite forlorn. “Sometimes what seems wrong actually pushes us toward what is right for us. The pain we feel where we are now makes us move in the right direction.”
Ryan said cynically, “And all of a sudden, you’re a yogi.”
Lola lifted an eyebrow. “Are you studying Indian culture or language?”
Ryan’s smile got bigger. “Ashley is from India. I’m trying to figure her out and guess how she will change Damien’s life.”
Lola nodded. “I heard that her father came to the US from Goa. She loves to travel and goes on these yearly tours—”
“Argh. I know all of these,” Ryan said angrily. “And I know you’ve become a fan of her.”
“Who wouldn’t?” Lola looked like she was in a dream. “She looks like she has wings on her back.”
“Speaking of wings,” Ryan suddenly sat up straight and started to unlock the chain on the rucksack he had taken with him. “I have something for you.”
She frowned as she saw him pull out a large wooden box that was the size of his hand. “What’s that? Is there something inside?”
“Yes, your gift is inside.”
Her eyebrows went up. He knew she would give him things, so it wasn’t a surprise. Damien, Ashley, and Lena had already given her the gifts right after they laid out the mat and sat down comfortably. Damien got her a beautiful watch with butterfly motifs on it. Lena also gave her a tiny folding mirror with butterfly designs on it, which was a nice surprise.
Lola had said, “Your choices freaking again have some similarities,” while holding her face. “As usual.”
Ashley had appeared a little upset for some reason. Damien would have been overjoyed to hear such things about Lola. But strangely, he stayed quiet, too.
Ashley had given Lola a beautiful antique pattern scarf. It was virtually the same as Ashley’s scarf when they shot their first TV ad for their firm a few days ago. Ashley recalled it because Lola had said how beautiful it was.
Lola was a little surprised as to why Ryan didn’t give her his present along with the others.
He now had the package ready for her to grab. “I can say for sure that you will like it.”
“Why are you so sure?” Lola said as she accepted the package. “You look like you’re up to something.”
“You’ll see.”
She opened the metal clasp and raised the lid. She gasped when she saw what was inside. “A knife!”
It was a little, charming pocket knife with strange markings on its body that made it appear harmless. She stared at Ryan with her mouth open.
“Time will tell if it works out for you,” he remarked. “But that’s only if you agree to keep it with you.”
There is a belief in many cultures throughout the world that giving someone a knife as a gift would end or cut off a relationship. But to Lola, it felt like she had gotten her wings back. She always felt safe when she had a weapon like this with her. And to be honest, she had felt a little embarrassed after losing her knife that night.
Her eyes sparkled.
She instantly felt a rush of exhilaration. She screamed and ran forward, wrapping her arms around Ryan. He was completely unprepared and gasped. “Thank you, Ryan.” She was so delighted that her body shook. “I already feel lucky.”
Ryan cautiously raised a hand and put it on her back, patting her to make her feel better. Lola heard him laugh and felt the vibration impact her in more than one spot because their bodies were touching due to the hug.
She saw Damien pass by them and toward the only woman who was still keeping the wonders of the great sea and the sky to herself. The man didn’t even see Lola and Ryan.
The sun started to descend, although it would see numerous high points before nightfall.
Lola pulled away from Ryan and shyly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The light from the setting sun bounced off the sharp, metal surface of the switchblade as she opened it. Her eyes sparkled.
“Right before you go out on a killing spree, you look like a total madwoman, Lola.”
“Shut up, Ryan!” Lola hit him on the arm. But it was like a tree stump she had seen before. She twisted her face as agony surged through her knuckles.
Ryan laughed and threw his head back.
The sound is carried away by the salty sea breeze, but the echoes stay with Lola. She stared at him without blinking, holding the knife.
*****
There were a lot of bad men on Earth. Damien was not one of those people. In fact, he was far from that. He was a little dumb, but he had a good heart.
Lola had known Damien for a long time, and he had always been there to aid anybody who needed it. He was always a source of hope and advice for her in practically all of her problems. He had stopped Lena from dying and being sad.
Damien cared for his friends and really cared about them, going beyond the usual limits of friendship.
That’s why Lola couldn’t stand seeing Damien so sad.
He hadn’t come to the office in two days, and he told everyone in the chat part of their company’s website that he was going to work from home.
Work from home? No way!
Ashley sent Damien a divorce notice to his office address, and Lena was present when it happened. After returning from Lena’s doctor’s appointment, they went right back to the workplace to finish the rest of their workdays. The sky had once more begun to pour fire on poor Lena bird. It was tearing Lola’s heart, but she tried not to show it too much so Lena wouldn’t become scared, and so she would stay focused.
Lola was occupied with a rude old lady who wanted to talk to someone higher up, which was her, and said that all the short skirts were too long for her.
By the way, the lady was looking at a size area that was completely inappropriate for her. It took Lola a long time and a lot of fake lovely words to get the lady to the right spot.
Some folks were just too obstinate.
Lola only noticed Damien as he ran out of the store like his tail was on fire.
Lola yelled, “Dami, boy!” and hit the locked door. “Open the door right now, or I’m going to kick it down.”
She thought she heard someone laugh at her from within. He believed she wouldn’t be able to go through the door, right? Damn it, he was correct!
“Stop acting like a child and open the door right now!” she shouted again. And she knew he was paying attention but not saying anything. He could have thought that if he didn’t say anything, she would leave him alone. She would, like hell! If Damien believed this, he still didn’t know what kind of person she was.
He had only chatted to her a few minutes before and was merely replying “hmm” to whatever she said or requested. Lola decided that he needed a personal punch in the face to wake him up and get him to do something about the problem.
When she was really angry, she moved back from the door and kicked it hard, but she damaged her own foot instead.
Damn.
She rubbed her chin like a real crime leader and thought about what to do. At this rate, her buddy and his wife, who had also become her friend, would be divorced even though they loved one another. This door was in her path. She couldn’t shatter it herself, though. She needed someone else’s body to do it.
Ryan.
She thought about Ryan. But she remembered that he was heading back to South Hills today. He probably left for the trip by the time he promised her he would last night. Lola felt the guy was strange. He contacted her last night and said he had a nasty dream about her. That’s why he was checking to see if she was okay. The night before that, he contacted her because he was sneezing a lot after sighting a knife while jogging that night. He got the knife because he believed the one he gave her on her birthday was lonely and maybe its soul was reaching out for a buddy.
Lola was so scared that she ran to wash her knife with turmeric and salt water right away. She even put it in water for a long period to see if it was breathing. What if Ryan had given her a real voodoo knife?