307: The Scar (Chapter 2)

-- Chapter 2 --

 To be honest, yes, the sudden ring of my phone got me a little shaken up. I immediately shut the file and grabbed my phone. But, I was relieved to realize that it was just a usual call from my mom. I sighed out of relief and answered the call.

“Um.. hi, mom,” I sounded hesitant. My mom was always a little overprotective. She never liked me working late, though I was safe there with my colleagues and Fauxie.

“Oh, Sandra, please don’t tell me you’re working late again,” she said, her voice filled with worry.

“Mom, please understand. It’s my job and I love it. There will be nights when I’ll have to work late.”

“But, honey, you know you’re staying alone in that creepy street. Being a mom, I’m just very much worried about my daughter. Please put yourself in my place.”

“Of course, mom, I understand, but..”

“Please, Sandra, go home. You might act like a grown-up adult, but you’re still a kid who’s just keeping her mom worried always.”

“Oh, mom, please don’t start again. If you want me to leave, yes, I’ll leave right now,” I sounded a little disappointed, although I was used to my mom being overprotective.

“Yes, please leave that creepy place right now,” she said, and I knew she was relieved. My mom found everything here to be creepy- my office, my street, my house. But, I was used to all the creepiness, mystery, and thrilling incidents. They were a part of my lifestyle. However, to mom, they were always scary, and they got her extremely worried about me.

Before leaving my cabin, I quickly kept the file in my bag such that I could view it at home. My intuition asked me to have a quick glimpse of the file, but I ignored it as I was already displeased with the fact that I had to leave just because my mom didn’t like me working late.

Fauxie was asleep. But, when I got up from my seat, she promptly woke up, knowing we were going to leave. Though she liked to be with me, wherever I am, our home was still her most comfortable place.

I fastened the leash around her neck. Though I wasn’t a big fan of leashes and tying up animals, I had to do that for her safety while taking her out, especially at nights like those. I grabbed my things, and left my cabin, along with Fauxie. There were barely a few people in the office. Of course, it was past 11. Just when I left my cabin, I realized my mom was still on the call.

“Mom, I just left my cabin. I’ll leave you a text once I reach home.” I informed her and quickly hung up, giving her no time to reply. I knew she would want to stay on the call until I reach home such that she could ensure I’m safe. She always thought I was a kid, just because I didn’t get into a relationship or start a family yet. It isn’t like I wasn’t ready, it’s just that I never had the need to. I was happy with my own company and Fauxie. I felt we were enough, and that we were already a good family. So, I just didn’t find any reason to get into a relationship and bring a third member into our family.

When I was about to leave my office, I heard a voice again, a comforting one. I looked back and it was George again. Why did I have to find his voice to be comforting? That felt different.

“You guys are leaving?,” he asked, and I knew he was genuinely concerned about us.

“Oh, yeah, George, um.. mom had called. You know about her. She isn’t a big fan of me working late,” I replied, sounding a little disappointed about that fact.

“Yeah, just mom things,” he smiled.

“Um.. yeah, true,” I agreed.

He went near Fauxie and gave her a gentle pat on her head. Fauxie was generally a friendly girl. But, I knew she liked George a little more, for which I didn’t know the reason. Maybe she thought I was safer and more comfortable around him? Maybe yes, maybe not.

“Take care, little girl,” he told Fauxie, and affectionately caressed her head. He then looked at me, glanced at his car, and looked down, with his hands in his pockets now.

Oh, George Vandenberg was nervous. Probably, he wanted to ask me if he could take us home as it was very late already and he was perturbed about our safety. I thought he would try asking me, despite his nervousness.

“Take care, Sandra,” he said, trying to suppress his worry instead of asking me if he could drop us home.

That man was unpredictable! If it was some other guy, he’d have proceeded to ask me. But, George Vandenberg was different. He exactly knew about me. He knew I wouldn’t like to be treated like a kid. Hmm.. good move!

“Of course, George, you too,” I gave him a smile and he smiled back, nodding his head as if agreeing.

I turned towards the street, holding Fauxie's leash in my hand. Fauxie and I left my office and started walking. The distance between my office and my home was a 20-minute walk. My office was a kind of secluded one from the mainland, and so was my street. The only thing I liked about my street was that it was serene, though it was a little creepy. Of course, I was used to all the creepiness. The only reason I lived on that street was that it was close to my office, though it was isolated from the city. I thought that could let me work late nights without having to worry about traveling too far to reach my home when done with my work.

I usually took my car, but on some days, I preferred having a good walk. But that day, something felt strange. Fauxie stopped in the middle and started barking, looking behind. I thought it was the dull street lights and dark streets but, my intuition told me it was something else. My eyes rushed to look behind. But there was nothing. Except for us, the streets were empty. But I knew my intuition would never lie. And Fauxie's odd behavior clearly told me that something was offbeat. While I was thinking about all this, and scrutinizing our surroundings to check what was wrong, it started raining. In just a minute or two, the rain got heavier. I found a closed shop nearby with some good light in front of it. Fauxie and I promptly went there.

“Look at that, Fauxie, it’s raining so hard. I surely don’t want you to get drenched and catch a cold. So, we’ll wait,” I gently patted her head and was looking at the rain. She affectionately rubbed her body against me like a clingy cat, as if she agreed with what I said. I looked at her and gently stroked her head. I loved her, very much. She meant everything to me. To me, she was more than just a dog.

All of a sudden, my intuition told me that someone might be watching us. On the spur of the moment, I looked behind me to my right. This time, there was someone. Whoa! I’m not sure if I expected that. But, I was surely a little contented that Fauxie and my intuition were right, as always.

It was a woman, standing there. We were under the same roof, but just a few steps away. 

(To be continued..)