Take Me Alive

chapter two

    My alarm went off signaling that it was time for me to get up and actually do work. My job was down in Monroeville, and it consisted of me working in a cubicle. It's a very stale profession, but it helps me provide for the two ladies in my life.

    I smacked the alarm off and rubbed my eyes to help them adjust to the light. The early morning sunlight beamed through the slot in my bedroom curtains like a laser dead set on blinding me. I roll over to kiss Lynz good morning, but am left to discover that her spot is empty and sheets are untucked.

    I sit at the edge of my bed, dangling my feet like a child. Why doesn't anything interesting ever happen to me?  I ask myself. Realizing I'm an adult and this was just the way life was, I proceeded to walk downstairs in my pajamas and scout for breakfast.

    Fortunately, Lynz was already downstairs, playing with Bandit.

    "Good morning beautiful wife!" I kissed her forehead. "Good morning beautiful child!" I kissed her forehead.

    "Good morning babe, what's for breakfast?" she smiled her perfect, pearly smile.

    "Whatever you want is fine with me."

    "What do you want, sweetie?" Lynz asks Bandit in a nauseating baby voice.

    "Bacon! Bacon!" she screams, jumping up and down and clapping her small, chubby hands.

Lynz and I laugh, amused at our little creation.

    "Bacon it is!" I announce.

As I sit at the kitchen counter drinking my unhealthily large mug of morning coffee, I watch Bandit fold her napkin into many squares and pout when the crease is dull and unfolds itself.

"Bandi," I call her nickname, "wanna see daddy make a paper airplane?"

She rapidly nodded her round head, causing her pigtails to go flying around like a helicopters propellers. I grabbed a fresh, uncreased napkin from the center basket and carefully folded the corners until I was left with a floppy looking plane.

"Make it fly daddy!" Bandit requested. At this point, Lynz had riskily let her eyes move away from the bacon to ensure she didn't miss what was about to happen. I picked up the airplane as the wings wilted and threw it up in the air. It being a napkin and not paper, the wings unfolded and it slowly drifted to the ground.

Bandit's eyes were full of disappointment. It was almost as if her sense of awe went crashing down with the plane.

Panicked at what I should say next, I was relieved to hear the doorbell ring.

I trudged to the door, shuffling my slippers on the ground. No one ever rings the doorbell at this hour. I thought. As my hand grasped the platinum doorknob, I felt no need to look through the peephole. After all, wasn't adventure what I've been craving? I twisted the doorknob and was greeted by an unfamiliar face.

"Hello. I'm Bob. I just moved in around the block. Just wanted to say hello to all of our new neighbors," he said with a sickeningly sweet grin.

"Oh, hello Bob," I greeted, "I didn't know there were new houses available?"

"Actually, I must have been a little too vague, it's a bit further than just around the block.." he admitted, embarrassed.

"What street?" I asked, "I'm a pretty old resident here, and some of these neighbourhoods are dangerous."

"Well, I'm sure my neighbourhood is plenty safe. You said you were Gerard, correct?" he inquired.

"Pardon my manners, but I never told you my name.." I admitted, a little weary of his knowledge. This guy was giving me the creeps. His bulky stance and lip piercing gave me a sense of danger, and his decision to dodge all questions while still having the nerve to be the one who rang my doorbell was astounding.

"My, look at the time. I best be off, tell the wife and kid I said goodbye."

By the time the last syllable rolled off the edge of his tongue, he had realized what he had said. His transparent grey eyes widened and he shuffled off my porch. Running through the uncut grass, he raced to get away from me before I had the chance to ask him anymore questions.

When he was completely out of sight, and the morning breeze began to gently slap me in the side of the head, I shut the door. Shaken, I walked back into the kitchen to find Bandit with bacon grease slathered all over her face.

"Who was at the door?" Lynz asked.

"I don't know." I responded, taking a seat in the wooden chairs that leave scratched in the floor when you move them.

"You don't know?" Lynz repeated.

"I don't know him," I explained, "but apparently, he knows me."