4.
After work one day when my shift ended at about lunch time, I took a drive to the house to catch up on the renovations. Kai had kept me updated by phone on a regular basis, but I wanted to see it for myself. The driveway was crowded with building materials forcing me to weave my way around the objects to get to the front door. Upon entering, I felt the change in my bones. That old musty smell was gone, and a new smell of clean, fresh paint and varnish had taken its place. I hoped they had kept the old style of the design and features and looking around; I realised it had been a while since I had last been there and so much had been done and completed.
Where is everyone? I thought to myself as I exited the house and went to the back garden where I finally found the workers sitting in a corner eating their lunch. One of the workers obviously realised I was looking for Kai and pointed his finger at the far end of the garden. Kai was reading, sitting on the grass leaning against the fence that got good shade from the midday sun. I contemplated leaving and returning later rather than disturb him as he seemed so engrossed in what he was reading. He glanced up from his book and called my name just as I was about to turn around and leave.
'Sorry, I did not want to disturb your lunch time. You seem to be very interested in your book too.'
He smiled and simply replied, 'No worries, how are you doing?'
He asked not just out of decency but from real concern. I could tell this by the tone of his voice and the expression on his face, and I felt pleasingly moved. I told him all about the retirement home and the residents. The love affairs I had stumbled upon and the jealousy amongst some of the ladies. It was like being at high school again. His face lit up pleasantly as he laughed at my stories, conversing with him was just so easy.
'So I want to thank you for the other night and so does my mother. Will you be willing to brave a dinner at the retirement home? Please don't feel obliged, you don't have to if you don't want to. I will understand.'
'I would love to. It will be very interesting I'm sure.'
'You are very brave I must say. The ladies are going to pounce on you.'
I laughed as I imagined the little old ladies hanging all over Kai.
'You want a tour?'
'I don't want to interrupt your lunch really.'
'Come,' he said insistently, placing his book carefully in his backpack.
'Thank you,' I replied as we slowly paced toward the house.
First he showed me the new flat for Mother. It was practically finished and almost exactly as I'd envisioned it. I knew she was going to be comfortable living here. Then we gradually moved on to the house, and he paid special attention when showing me the old features I'd wanted to keep and apologised profusely about the one doorway that they'd been unable to save. I was disappointed, but he had informed me earlier that they were having problems with it so I'd expected it and the replica they had made did not look too obvious. He went through every room in detail, and anything I was not happy with or sure about was written down in his notebook with the promise to make the necessary changes. The old restored features and the new ones all fitted together well. After I had taken up his entire lunch period, he walked with me back through the maze of equipment and materials to my car.
'Have you heard anything from the police?' he asked hesitantly, unsure if I was ready to speak about the incident at all.
'Yes, a man was rushed to the state hospital that same night with his eye half hanging out, and they naturally called the police and so they have him in custody now. They will let me know when the court hearing will take place.'
He nodded slowly.
'Thank you for the tour, I appreciate it. Will Saturday be fine for dinner? Sorry, it is short notice.'
'Saturday is fine, should I wear a bulletproof vest or something like that?' he chuckled.
I giggled too. 'Probably something like that.'
When I got back to the retirement home and told Mother dinner was set for Saturday, it was practically seconds before every old lady knew Kai – the hero – was coming for dinner. They scrambled to find their very best outfits, many even made appointments with the resident hairdresser and when, in a matter of minutes she was fully booked for the day, they made appointments with outside hairdressers. They fussed about as if royalty was making an appearance. The kitchen staff and head chef went into operation mode and headed up the best five-course meal they were capable of making.
'Please, you honestly don't have to make such a fuss.'
'This man made a special effort for you and besides we don't often get a chance to go all out in the kitchen,' Billy the head chef said with exuberance.
There was no way to deter him now.
I sent Kai a message when I finally got to my room: 'Oh boy! Are you very sure you want to come here? I should have rather taken you out somewhere. These people have gone overboard.'
He replied: 'Lol shld be fun.'
Rylee joined me for an evening jog along my favourite route past the beach. It was not her favourite form of exercise, but she was still riding a wave of guilt and making a very big effort to change her partying ways. She had also moved to a townhouse two blocks down from my house. Off we went, keeping pace with each other. For a woman that rarely, if ever, did any form of exercise she was relatively fit and kept up with me without breaking too much of a sweat. The sun, still warm, was suspended in the universe as a massive, round, perfectly shaped ball illuminating the sky with a bright red colour. It looked larger and closer to the earth than it should have. I stopped mid-stride and gazed at the red ball. I stretched out my hand. I could almost touch it – well in a perfect world, yes. Rylee came walking back, realising she had been running on her own for at least ten meters and confused as to why I had stopped and why on earth I was trying to touch the sun.
'Isn't it perfect and stunning?' I said in complete awe of the spectacular theatrical display the universe was performing that evening.
'Never mind the hot sun, look at the hot men,' Rylee drooled pointing toward the ocean.
'Oh, that looks like Kai again. They did the same thing the other night.'
We watched as the men knelt at the edge of the ocean before picking up their boards. This time, they did not go into the ocean but made their way up the beach. What to do? Continue running or stay? While I pondered, Rylee rambled on about how hot these men were. If she hadn't broken out in a sweat from running, she was certainly breaking out in one now.
'Hey, Darla!' Kai called a few feet away from where I was still standing contemplating – too late.
'Hi, Kai, this is Rylee,' I pointed toward Rylee, who was by now oozing lust at the men that had approached us.
Kai introduced us to his five friends, and we all exchange pleasantries. Rylee zoomed in on Kai, explaining how sorry she was for not having taken my call and how grateful she was to him for having been there for me.
'I will have to thank you properly one day soon.'
Wow, she certainly does not waste any time, I thought, annoyed at once.
'Well I need to get going again otherwise it will be dark before I finish my run. Speak to you soon Kai. Bye guys, nice meeting you all.'
I tugged on Rylee's arm, and she huffed and batted her eyelids flirtatiously as she said goodbye.
'Oh, my word you never said your construction dude was so fine - I want him.'
She babbled on about, in her opinion, an instant attraction between them. I was irritated beyond measure and just wanted to get home. She was entitled to date whoever she pleased, and that included Kai, so I don't know why it bothered me so much. I kept quiet about the dinner on Saturday night just in case she invited herself along.