Outlandish - Chapter 4

Ch 4 - About Asking For Help And Being A Child

Jonathan meant a lot to me. He made me who I am, in his own caring yet smart way. I won’t ever forget the day he came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder, after the other kids had been mean to me. I guess in a way I broke every rule that day. “Don’t walk with strangers,” and things like that. But it turned out for the good in the end, I think. I got friends, I got a family; although I already had one. I want to know what happened to him, I really do. Which is why I called Alice. She’s clever, I am not. I can not manuever the world the same way she can, so I am going to ask her for help. I mean, help with finding out what happened to Jonathan Cheshire. Nothing else.

Seven PM arrived, as it was bound to do. After her call with Alice, Rachel washed herself, dressed herself in a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants and made her way to the cafe. She “washed” herself by splashing some water into her face and spraying some air freshener around herself. Now why she wouldn’t take a shower or bath no one could tell, let alone Rachel. Rational thinking hadn’t been her forte for quite some time, even before her mentor died..

One particular accident was when she took a part time job delivering pizza for a local pizzeria. She didn’t like pizza particulary much. The greasy and cheesy smell was something that made her feel sick, so she often did her best to avoid such things. even then, she already had her career as a rookie freelance writer established well enough. Why she did that she could not say, and when Alice asked her she quieted down and shrugged. It was a poor idea that, like so many others, was born from poor judgement and impulsivity brought together into one force of bad actions and irrationality.

Alice arrived shortly after the promised hour, wearing a dress with a floral pattern. A pattern depicting sunflowers and roses, tulips and flowering apple trees. Rachel at the time wondered why it is called a pattern, when really it only depicts images of things, not an orderly and nice pattern like, say, one followed by two, followed by three, followed by four, and so on and on for eternity. That’s a proper pattern; the next number always has a numerical value of exactly one more than the following. After twothousandfivehundrednintysix always came twothousandfivehundrednintyseven. Just like how two always, and no exception ever, was followed by three.

Rachel didn’t say all that, instead letting out a meek “hello...” Before she was able to finish her greeting, Alice embraced her in a tight and long hug. For the moment it lasted, she was filled with a loving feeling inside of her, that made her feel happy and comfortable; but she didn’t hug back. Her arm and body was nearly completely limp. Like a textile doll unable to move its arms or legs she just stood still. Although, she couldn’t help that in fact a large and goofy grin appeared on her face. For what could have the first time in forever.

Alice noticed that,. She looked into Rachel’s eyes and at her face in general. A faint and uneasy smile appeared on her own lips while she tightened the hug, holding her tears back. Which she failed at doing since a few tears escaped her eyes and fell along her cheeks. “I-I’m sorry Rache. I really don’t think I can help this,” she said with a slight laugh after Rachel commented a small and soft “Hey…” questioning her crying.

After the emotional greeting they sat down at the table where Rachel had waited for Alice. It was seated in the corner of the cafe and was poorly lit unlike the rest of the generally reputable and well liked cafe. The cafe did not have waitresses that took orders though; they only came with the food. You had to order by walking up to the casheir pointing and excellently made pastries and cakes behind a glass showcase, in order to show which one you wanted. After that had been sitting down for quite some time, Alice broke the silence by standing up while saying that she was going to order her food.

Rachel raised her arm and took a hold of the sleeve of Alice’s shirt and with a gentle pull moved Alice down closer to her. “Alice… please order for me too. I’ll take what you are having,” she said and then quickly let go of her again. Alice cleared her throat and answered Rachel with a quick nod and an even quicker “Yah sure.”

She came back after a minute with two cups of coffee, one wth milk and sugar in it, the other one for Rachel. She placed the cups on the table and sat herself down as well, smiling slightly and mumbling “the food’s coming soon.”

“So uhm… Rache, what’sho want?” Alice said to break the silence while sporting an awkward smile.. Rachel stirred her black tea with a spoon. It wasn’t to dilute sugar or anything, just to occupy her mind with something, to stall the point of the meeting just a bit longer. Yet regret and the stirring of a cup could not withhold the actual dialogue forever, so she let out a sigh and started to talk.

- I… want your help. I need your help, Alice. What happened, I can not get it out of my mind. I want help.

- What do you need help with, Rache? Don’t… no, don’t tell me. It’s about Jonathan, isn’t it?

- I don’t know why. Did he really mean that much to me? I don’t even think so.

- Did you love him, Rache?

- What does that have to do with anything?!

Alice quieted down after Rachel heightened her voice. She had a point; Rachel that is. If she loved him or not was not relevant. Although, Rachel did not harbor romantic feelings for Jonathan. Rachel extended her arm in need help, and Alice did not want to push it away. She did not, too, and reached over the table and rested her hand on Rachel’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Rache. It doesn’t have anything to do with it, you’re right. I’ll help you any day,” Alice said, with a motherly and almost loving way, while looking at Rachel, who had bowed her head down towards the table and looked dejected and close to crushed. Alice’s words, however, made her look up to look at her helper.

The corner of her eyes were teary. Alice took a napkin and wiped them, and started to talk with her again. “God Rache, what happened…? After we’ve eaten we’ll go home to me and we’ll stay thehere for a while, and we’ll find out what happened to Jonathan, okay?” Alice said while stroking Rachel’s cheek. Rachel just nodded but turned her head towards the waitress when their food came. They started to eat, and throughout the entire meal Alice looked at Rachel with a worried expression, and Rachel’s face swayed between sad and happy. Sometimes she chuckled at something Alice said, but otherwise the dialogue was once sided in the direction of Alice.

The meal ended by Alice paying for both of their foods and them walking towards Alice’s apartment. Alice held herself close to Rachel the whole way, walking with one of her hands around Rachel’s shoulders.