When the waitress brought a large moving table cart that is comprised of our order, we were told that they were not unable to bring it on our table due to how large the contents are, so instead, we just bring any of the food that was on the cart to our table, which is not an issue for us since there is enough space for such things.
Moreover, I merely smiled a bit when the waitress noticed the cigar on my mouth, ordering me to throw it away, which I did but nonetheless I was surprised as she is since I had it since when we came inside the restaurant.
These employers did not really see the noticeable cigar hanging out between my lips?
Hilarious.
We did not talk much as we were forced to dining our individual order while listening to the chatter in this restaurant. Eve and I are gently eating our food, taking the time to enjoy every bite without being rushed by anyone or anything. The atmosphere here is very relaxing, though the noisy crowd of customers made it a little difficult to concentrate with all this commotion going on.
Clover was different however, the little Irish leprechaun was a rather fast eater to say the least. He finished his plate within seconds before obtaining more of his ordered food from the table cart right next to ours.
Every bite he took, every drink he poured into his glass and the way he ate the bread he had, appeared like a machine operating in perfect sync with each other, which makes him even faster than any champion eater I have ever seen in my entire life.
Just when the hour reached its mark, all of our food was finished. Clover was able to finish an incredible amount of food in one sitting that I am quite amazed at how much calories and nutrients he consumed today. This leprechaun is no joke, and I wonder if his kind are capable of consuming such large amounts of food for a single meal without having to vomit afterwards.
The waitress came back again after a few minutes, bringing us the bill, “that would be around two million. Would you guys prefer to pay check or credit?” She politely asked with a signature smile of friendliness and warmth.
However, hearing that amount made me almost have a heart attack. I never expected it to reach around millions! I pray that Clover has enough of those gold coins to pay for the rest. It is just too much for my bank account…
“Lady, may I purpose a different method of currency, arty?” Clover interjected. The waitress turned towards him and gave the same warm smile, “of course sir,” when she had said that, I could detect the curiosity and irrational anxiety hidden behind her words.
Clover smiled, revealing his teeth, he pulled out a larger gold coin, this time the size of his hand while extending his occupied opened palm towards her, “here you go.” She accepted the offered coin with an astonished look on her face as well, “what is that thing!?”
He chuckled, looking at her hand gripping the gold coin he offered, “aye miss, one of the finest treasures I possessed. And it real, ya hear? That will cost you and this establishment a fortune!” Clover laughed loudly before turning away from her with a grin.
The waitress took a step back after hearing the man’s laughter, shaking off the strange sensation she felt inside. She then looked down at the coin in her hand, frowning as she does so, “how do I know if anything you said was true?” She questioned, putting the coin into her pocket without taking it out. “How can I be sure that what you say is correct?”
Guess it is time for me to intervene in this little conversation of theirs.
“Hey miss?” I interrupted the waitress’ line of questioning by speaking up, “did you not hear what the midget said? The coin he given you is worth a fortune. It is enough for us to cover the cost, right or not?” I asked her with a gentle tone, hoping that she would understand my intention behind offering such a gift.
She turned to me with a questioning look, “but why a gold coin? And is it enough to cover the cost of two million?” The waitress appeared confused about the situation. Her question was understandable, because she has never seen someone distribute something like this before, let alone, given rather a big coin that is seemingly expansive, or so we claim.
I sighed, feeling somewhat exasperated from this woman’s ignorance, having already decided to sneak in some subliminal hypnotic suggestions in my words just to get this over already, “its alright, you are here standing with that gift of ours inside your pockets. Everything is fine, the payment is paid, our orders were completed and now you are free to go as you please. Just do be on your merry way and all of these problems will go away like a blowing leaf in the wind.”
The waitress then took out the gold coin, looking at it closely while her eyes became distant, lost somewhere else in oblivion. She stared blankly as if she had entered a trance state, nodding silently before leaving without saying a word.
Eve blankly stared at me with either possible intent of amazement or bewilderment in her face, but Clover was more intrigued at what I had done.
“What did you say to the waitress?” Eve asked, still staring at me with a curious gaze. I looked back to her with a shrug, “just sneaked in some subliminal hypnotic suggestions of my words, nothing to worry about.” I told them both as Clover raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding what I just said .
“Subliminal? Hypnotic? Suggestions? What the hell are ya talking about lad,” Clover questioned with an amused tone, “is this another one of your crazy conspiracy theories again?” He chuckled to himself before continuing his line of questioning, “what happened anyway, how did you pull it off?”
How I pull it off? And I thought he know about it when he was in the asylum, “its magic,” I smirked at him while making a show of pulling out a wand from nowhere and waving it around like a wizard, only to reveal that I was just holding my cigarette in hand.
Clover burst into laughter, “yeah right! Good one, lad. Regardless Adam, ya ain’t going to tell me because…?” He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, waiting for my answer.
I shrugged once again, having no other choice but to come clean on this situation even though I really don’t want to, “it is just too complicated to explain in words. And even if I do want to explain it, I am too goddamn lazy to do so.”
He crossed his arms, shaking his head in disbelief, “fine, fine, arty. Lets just go home already, I am tired of your nonsense,” he snorted, walking away without another word as Eve and I follow behind him before exiting the restaurant.
When we finally headed outside though, I was surprised that the sun was already going down; how long had we been eating inside that restaurant?
We are currently standing on the snowy sidewalk with few noticeable crowds of passing bystanders and vehicles in this cityscape. The orange sky being illuminated by the descending sun is nothing more than a beautiful sight, but it would not last very long before the night begins to cover everything with its dark black blanket.
“Aye lad! Where is the damn car of yours again?” Clover asked while looking around, seemingly lost in thought as he mumbles under his breath, “ah yes, that is right… I forgot…” He then suddenly snapped out of it and took a deep breath, “damn it, I completely forgot where exactly you parked it. How could I forget such an important thing like this?”
Ignoring his rantings, I placed the cigar from my hand into between my lips, lighting up with a lighter, puffing hard and exhaling smoke before placing it far below my chin. It was quite chilly than before, but I did not mind because of the warmth that the cigar provided. I felt like I was smoking something else other than tobacco with its rich taste, but I cannot be sure if it is due to the effects of the cigar or just my imagination playing tricks on me.
“In any case, just follow me; I know where I parked it,” I explained to them, casually walking ahead as they trailed behind me. The sounds of moving vehicles and vibrant sounds from our surroundings in this city were almost silence compared to the deafening inside the restaurant, but it was still better than having all those people around us as we were about to leave.
The crunching sounds of every step on the snowy ground was satisfyingly crisp when I take each one casually, feeling the coldness of the snow beneath my feet and hearing the crunching sound that comes from it gave a strange feeling of peace and tranquility.
It feels like-
“I believe that is ours,” Eve pointed out from having spotted the familiar parked vehicle far ahead from us, nonchalantly interrupted by my line of thoughts.
Seeing the red sports vehicle parked at the side walk just from couple of miles here, I also remember that the parking pay meter machine had exceeded the time limit of three hours. Yet, my car still remained there as if it was hidden somewhere for an extended period. I could see that the tires have been deflated already as well as a thin layer of ice coating on top of them; yet it seems no one has tampered with it.
A smile erupted on my face upon realizing that through some chance of good luck, the authorities did not notice or care about the parked vehicle to tow it away for whatever reason.
“Thank you good luck of mine,” I whispered under my breath before we walked toward the sports car, ready to open the door handle of my vehicle but was suddenly stopped by the sudden desperate screams of a woman in alleyway just five miles away from us.
Clover immediately spoke up, “someone might be hurt,” his concerned tone sounding through the air.
Eve nodded, saying, “I heard that too.”
What? Is Clover serious? Whatever is happening, it not my problem and business right now. We should focus on what matters most, which is going home safe and sound.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said with my own voice, resulting in a frown emerging from Clover’s lips as he looked back at me, “lad! We cannot just leave innocent woman alone in this situation!”
“You are not making sense,” I replied with annoyance, “we do not know if it is a dangerous trap or what, and furthermore, who knows how long she has been waiting there. She might have waited for help since morning, so let her wait until someone comes along to rescue her.”
Clover gave a sigh of disappointment, “and I thought you were like your father,” the words struck me hard as they made my chest feel heavy.
My eyes widened at the comment, clenching my fists and eyes fixated down at the floor in contemplation. For some reason, my mind is drifting to thoughts that are beyond logical, I am thinking about the possibility that perhaps my adoptive father of mine wanted me to help others, because that is what he does and his true calling in life.
Is that possible? Did he want me to follow in his footsteps? No, I am different; I do not have any talent for helping people, nor do I have any interest in doing so. It appears like such a bother, and it could be dangerous as well.
But it wouldn’t hurt to try in playing the hero, would it? At least once or twice…
“Alright, lets check whoever made that stupid scream,” I finally spoke up with a hint of annoyance.
The leprechaun smiled from my answer, “guess I was wrong after all,” Clover chuckled, “you are actually more like your father than I expected.”
I rolled my eyes, “whatever, lets just get this over with already.” Clover sprinted to the source, followed by me and Eve. Although, Eve is faster than any of us in long shot, she seemingly are slowing down to adjust to the little guy’s momentum and what not.
When we finally landed ourselves in the alley, however, what greeted our eyes was nothing but horror and disbelief in the scene that is playing out before us.
A thirty-year-old woman with a short brown ponytail, wearing a green jacket with white sweater underneath, and pulled down black jeans that exposed her knees and ass; forcibly lied down on the ground as a homeless armed man with a knife is violating her while screaming profanities at the top of his lungs.
“You like that bitch?!” The attacker yelled in anger, “this is what you get when sluts reject me!
The woman’s face turned pale from fear and pain, unable even to utter a word as tears ran down her cheeks. She looked like she wanted to run away and hide somewhere but there was nowhere to go, except for the fact that what she was experiencing was pure nightmare come true. A reality that she will never be able to escape.
Eve was staring at the horrifying scene without a care of the world, Clover however, was pissed and disgusted by what he was witnessing, his fists boiled with rage and frustration. I simply stood silent and watched the whole thing happen, unmoved and indifferent about it all; my mind was elsewhere.
Why the hell do I have to be involved with this? Why can someone not else take care of the problem for me? This is not something that I am interested in doing at all. It feels like a waste of time, especially since I do not even know who this woman is personally or anything about her at all.
Clover ready to pounce on him, but before he could, I interjected myself between us, “what are you doing? Lets just get out of here, let its problem solved itself.” Clover glared at me with disgust, Eve looked worriedly at both of us.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Clover growled back at me, “I don’t want to see any innocent people being raped and murdered by these scum bags! I will help them if they need it, because no one deserves to be violated like that, least of all some poor girl on the streets. You too, Eve, you shouldn’t stand around and watch either. Help them if needed.”
Eve nodded, though she still appeared hesitant to join in the fight. I sighed heavily, “fine, whatever, lets just get this over with. But, remember we only intervene if necessary. If there is nothing to be done then leave it alone.”
He ignored my words as he sprouted at full speed toward the rapist with a raised fist. The man did not expect what was coming for him from the moment he turn his head, a bulky fist reached the assailant’s face and punched hard on the front of his head. The sounds of bones breaking echoed throughout the alley. The assailant then shortly flew forward in the air before landing on the ground with a loud thud.
“That was quite a punch,” I commented, impressed by how strong he is. Eve was visibly surprised at how fast and powerful the small man is. Clover glared back at me, “it was not even close to punching arty, I knocked the guy out cold.”
The poor woman opened her teary eyes, startled to find herself coming face to face with her three individuals, “s-stay away!” She yelled, shaking in fear. “GET AWAY FROM ME!”
Clover took hold of the girl, trying to calm her down while holding a firm grip on her arms. I stood next to him and looked into the frightened women’s eyes before asking, “are you okay? the guy who attacked you has been taken care of.”
“I… I am fine…” she stuttered, still terrified at what just transpired, “c-c-could I have my jeans back?” The woman asked timidly. Clover handed the torn up jeans to the woman, making sure that they would not fall off again. She grabbed the cloth and pulled them over her legs with a shaky hand, “t-thank you,” she said softly as she tried to hide her tears from us.
Eve and I both gave her an awkward stare, “what is your name?” Clover asked with concern in his voice, gently gripping her arms when they began shaking due to the trauma.
“N-n-no need for names… p-p-please don’t tell anyone about this, I do not want to remember this moment of my life,” she begged us, trembling. “Please, I just want to go home and forget all of this happened.”
I shook my head, disagreeing with her request, “we can call you ambulance instead,” I offered a logical alternative, “and cops to if you like,” when she heard them, her quivering lips smiled faintly, “yes please… yes, I will take that offer. Thank you!” The woman was still quivering but managed to smile back at us with a grateful look on her face.
“You are welcome,” Eve replied, smiling back at the woman.
Seeing Eve’s smile, I also saw a small detail that caught my attention. It was not much of anything really, just a faint tear coming down from one of her eyes. A tear formed by some sort of emotion perhaps, or perhaps the result of fear and anxiety. I am quite curious how she could even smile after what she had just seen through today. The thought made me wonder, is this killing machine assassin capable of such kindness?
My thoughts came to abrupt when the groaning sounds of the assailant steadily stood up, his rugged and bloody face shifted into angry when seeing us, “you! YOU!” He immediately dropped the knife, grabbing a revolver from his pockets as he pointed at us, particularly at Clover. “YOU RUINED IT! I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HER BY NOW, NOT ANY OF YOU!” His voice was filled with rage and hatred, it was clear for me to see that this man has been traumatized at some point that turned him into the way he is.
Eve took a step forward, standing in front of us, “why did you rape her?” Her casual words appeared calm but were actually incredibly powerful and intimidating because of how they carried weight and confidence behind them.
I released another puff of smoke from my cigar, interested in hearing the answer myself while glancing at Clover who looked ferocious.
“NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!” The angry assailant growled back, shaking the gun towards Eve, “AND IF YOU DO NOT LEAVE THIS INSTANCE QUICKLY, I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU MOTHERFUCKERS.” His eyes glared at us with an intense murderous look that could only be described as a psychopathic killer.
“Why do you say that?” I asked calmly, chiming in the conversation, “do you really intend on shooting us? Is that the reason you became the man you are?” When I said those words, he froze like a statue, unable to speak. He was too shocked by my statement and likely had no idea what to reply with.
I continued, “why do you choose a life of crime, violence and death?” It is true that many people commit crimes out of greed or jealousy, but there must be more reasons than just that for someone to choose such a lifestyle.
The man remained silent, his mouth slightly agape as he tried to process my question. But remained silent.
“You can talk now,” I added. “Tell me why.”
He looked down, trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the room before finally answering, “it was because of that red-headed woman…” He paused for a moment, looking away, “…she… used me like a doll, whenever he wanted, whenever he felt like it. I never told anyone about that, but one day I snapped and killed her after she devoured my daughter. And after that, I COULDN’T STOP! I CANNOT STOP MYSELF FROM WANTING TO SEE THAT WOMAN AGAIN! SOONER OR LATER SHE WILL BE MY SLAVE AND NEVER GO AWAY UNLESS SOMEONE ELSE IS THERE WITH HER!” His voice grew louder when he yelled, his insanity overflowing, “ALL OF THE WOMEN ARE HER!”
The assailant dropped into spoiling sob, kneeling down on the floor while sobbing on the brink of madness, gripping his head as he continued to mumble the same word over and over again. The sound was painful for me to hear, but I could not stop myself from hearing such things; since this man is rather pitiful to look at.
I sigh, walking closer towards him before stopping, “I now understand what you went through,” I said in a soft tone, his head rising up, looking straight into my eyes with a confused gaze. My tone shifted firm and harsh, “but you were never the true victim here, instead of managing the trauma; you used it and molded that pain to hurt other people just like yourself.”
He remained silent, looking down once more, still clutching his skull with his hands, speaking quietly than before, “d-do what you need to do.”
“I hope that once you go to jail, your life can be better than it was…”
I turned and walked away, ignoring the stares of everyone around me. I know that Clover had kept his angry glare at me for not helping the poor woman, none of them knew how I see this world nor did they care even to ask why I did not help her out.
Because at the end of the day, nothing can deter human nature from repeating its cruelty, regardless if they are still human or not. And yet, my eyes are flowing with tears as I continued onward through the cold air, trying my best to avoid being noticed from the change of expression that had unexpectedly plastered on my face.
A sudden firm hand grabbed my shoulder, “Why were you reluctant to help Clover?” Eve was more curious than alarmed, but she could tell something was wrong with me.
I do not care to look back at her. I just nod lightly, “I am selfish,” I exclaimed, my voice shaking because of keeping such an act for so long, “that is all to it…being just selfish..”
As Eve moved the side closer to me, she decisively got a glance of my face – a gasp escaped from her lips when she finally saw my visage.
“You are crying to…”
