𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒

California Dreamin' 12

California Dreamin' by The mamas & The papas

Opening the door, I found Mr. Hawksley standing on our porch. The man wore his usual hat, which he seemed never to take off or leave behind. The older man agreed to visit me and my friends for dinner at our mansion. Girls helped me in the kitchen preparing some salads, without pepper, because he was allergic to that. Also John discovered a new shop, buying some bottles of rum and wine. The bottle of wine was over forty years old. I was a bit skeptical about the taste, however he assumed that it was still drinkable.

"Good evening, Mr. Hawksley," I welcomed the man.

"Good evening, dear," he nodded.

Entering the house, his eyes roamed around the area, scanning his surroundings. How similar, right? This is not a weird thing to do. Admiring where you stand can be helpful to adopt. Each corner, each wall and even each window was in his view. Age never changed his thinking. Even with the glasses on, he was looking closely.

Approaching the dining area, the group stopped the chatter, looking in our direction. Their faces wore polite expressions. After everybody introduced themselves, we took our seats at the table, ready to taste the good looking meals. My seat was across from Calvin, letting our gaze meet in the middle and instantly break the stare. At the head of the table sat Michael, as he was our guest.

"Lovely place you have got here," Michael announced.

"Peaceful," Antoni nodded.

"Mr. Hawksley, how do you know Victoria so well?" Josephine asked out of blue.

Ah, I forgot that she was there as well.

"Miss Grey is a talent in the dark," he said. "Such a thing needs to be developed."

"Talent?" The girl frowned. "Didn't know there was any."

Her comment put not only me in an annoying situation, but the whole table. Calvin immediately sending daggers in her direction. If her mouth would open again, it would end badly and I don't want to embarrass myself in front of somebody I tolerate so much. This dinner was important for me; she would be glad to ruin it.

"Well," Michael sighed, "not everybody has a good vision."

At his defending words, the girl shut up, feeling too embarrassed to say anything else. The tension was obvious, which made things a bit difficult. My fingers played with one another on my lap, not looking up. A small tap from under the table made me shift my eyes and meet forest green. Immediately they send comfort though me. He nodded for me to calm down before the rude words escape my lips.

"Do you think there is a possibility to develop something that has been forgotten?" John asked the older man.

"It depends," he took a sip of red wine.

"Feelings?" Calvin turned to the man.

I froze at one simple word. His eyes were on me, then back on the man. Now I was interested in a response that'll follow. Whatever he wanted to hear, whatever he expected, and over all, whatever he wanted to see, he's going to change his mind in some way. I want to be the one asking the question, to find out what to do.

"Of course," he nodded. "That is fixable. Also you can discover new feelings, develop them. In the end it will make you stronger. Use them against the others, or for the others. Not everybody gets enough love to see each color in the world. But what if you don't need to love anybody to create the feelings for yourself?"

The table was silent, stunned by his words. Simple words holding a deep meaning. He was right and for a long time now this also has been in my mind. I sure needed someone to hold me, yet I didn't need anybody to create something special for myself.