subdued subtleties ━━ keanu reeves

XV. URBAN SCARECROW

❝ ever since then,
he did nothing
but pretend
i never existed. ❞

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
URBAN SCARECROW

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"Jovi and his mother are coming over for dinner," said Auntie Nida casually, preparing the plates in the dinner table.

The high-pitched clatter of the utensils clanging against the glass plates surface filled the room, my father and Auntie Nida's chatter blending in like background noise.

My brother placed the spoon on his nose and faced me, laughing as the spoon almost fell down the ground, his hand luckily saving it from its fall.

My father's distinct voice replied to Auntie in an inquisitive and unknowing tone as he helped my aunt prepare the dishes.

"Really? When were you informed?"

"Are you nuts, Daniel? Have you forgotten Apricot Day?"

"Apricot Day?" said my father as if he was weirded out, nose scrunched up and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You haven't been to here in years, Dan. The city is where your daughter learns her attitude."

Father stood there silent with a glass casserole of Auntie's specialty on hand. He shrugged the thought off his shoulders as he placed the last casserole left on the middle beside the centerpiece.

Auntie placed the ramekins beside our plates, then filling it up with her choice of condiments.

"What's Apricot Day?" insisted my father as he sat beside my brother.

"Apricot Day is Pennytown's way of celebrating Independence Day. Before the country was declared independent, Pennytown was the last town to ever be deemed independent─"

And then she was cut off by an unfamiliar female voice: Jovi's mother.

"You sound like my history text book, Nida!"

Then my aunt's face brightened up like a bulb to an open light switch.

"Jodi! Hi!" greeted my aunt enthusiastically, walking up to her with open arms as they hugged each other. Smiling, they walk away from the threshold as

"I'm sorry you have to see the house in such a mess! You know how darn lazy the kids are," said Auntie Nida in a joking manner as she ushered the guests to the kitchen.

"Oh, you don't know how much of a sloth my child is! If you've seen our house, I think you'd find your place as a safe haven!" bantered Jovi's mother.

And the moment Jovi and his mother entered the kitchen, we locked eyes until he said opposite me without a choice. The avoidance was evident in his eyes ─ he didn't want to see me at all.

I look at his mother and see a lot of her features on the who was seated awkwardly right in front of me. She had the same bouncy black hair that gave her the illusion of youth in her face; she had the same eyes as him: it was a sight to behold ─ staring into her eyes felt like staring into Jovi's. They were both so beautiful.

For a split second, Jovi and I glanced each other right at the same time. My heart beat faster, throat constricting as my breathing paused for a second there. I was timid.

We smile at each other, giving each other shy and awkward grins right after.

Then silence followed the two of us, the muffled noise of the adult's chatter in the background.

It has been almost a month since that night in the lakeside, and ever since then, he did nothing but pretend I never existed.

My aunt and my father, just like Jovi, tried their best to pretend that night never really happened. We never talked about anything, and we all thought that was just for the best. Although it was evident that my father really did want some answers from me, we both decided that we should just left that unanswered and buried six feet under.

But now that Jovi and I realized how much of chaotic situation we have entered ourselves in, we didn't have a choice but to accept that we have to deal with the fact that we're not so invisible to each other anymore.

"I'd really want to know what Apricot Day is, Nida," said my father curiously.

"You get the gist of what I said, Dan─"

I butt in, causing almost everyone to turn to me. "Apricots must have something to do with the town's independence. I don't know─ that's just what I thought..."

"Yeah!" exclaimed my aunt, pointing at me with a victorious smile on her face.

"Exactly!"

Jovi looked at me, but only looked away. He clasped his hands together as Auntie Nida sat on her respective chair along with Jovi's mother.

"Is Karr Jovi gonna lead the prayer?" asked Auntie Nida. We all just nodded in unison.

So he did pray: it was the first time in such a long period I've ever heard his voice. It was still the same song I enjoyed listening to. His voice was exactly that same soothing melody I'll forever cherish hearing.

Painfully, the innate, ever inevitable thunder of reality struck once again: I'll never hear him once again after this. He'll never even dare to talk to me.

There, even if I didn't believe much in God, I prayed that some day all of this would mellow down and grow into something better. That he'd talk to me. That all of this is just a bad, bad dream.

"In the name of the father, the son and the holy ghost, Amen."

My father smiled as he said, "Amen!"

And then we picked out food from the dinner table, reaching out for the same casserole and awkwardly going back to our seats.

"You go first," I say, awkwardly grinning at him.

"No, you go first. Ladies first."

"No, you reached for it first. I'm not that much in the mood to eat anyway."

"Dahlia, just get it."

"Jovi, you get it."

Then he reaches for the casserole and puts a little on his plate.

I do the same and we both eat.

Everything just felt dead no matter how much Auntie Nida nor my father decide to talk about their gossip and their personal lives ─ the atmosphere felt so vapid in such a strange way.

"How's Linda?" I ask him.

"She's okay."

"How about you?" he asked.

"I'm good."

Wiping his lips off with the napkin on his lap, he smiles at me awkwardly with such dead eyes and walks away.

Auntie Nida looks at me. "Where's he going?"

"I don't know,"

And so, I followed him out.