Chapter 3 No.3

"Welcome back, how was your day?" I asked them, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"It was OK, " the older girl replied, pressing her lips together.

"Are you from China?" her sister asked me in a strong Australian accent.

"I'm from Canada actually, but my mother was Chinese."

"Is this your goat?" the young girl asked, still holding to her sister's trousers while approaching the goat slowly.

"It used to belong to my friend Gwen. Now it belongs to you. You can touch it, it's very friendly." She petted the goat and pulled her hand back quickly. Her sister touched the goat as well, making her feel more confident about approaching it.

"You must be Olivia, " I told the older girl hoping she wouldn't notice that I got her name from the diploma on the wall. Gwen's strategy seemed to be working better than I expected. They were both somehow at ease now.

"Yes, how did you know?" she replied. The goat pooped on the floor. Both sisters looked at the little black pellet and then at me. I looked away as Gwen did whenever she felt uncomfortable.

???

122 - Gwen

When the phone was properly hidden, I sat on the desk and made a drawing for Terra, nothing fancy, just something to thank her for the alcohol. My phone said it was almost ten a.m.

The goats were nice, but I somehow wished Capuccina was here with me. She was a very special cat, maybe not the cat I deserved, but the cat I needed right with me.

When my drawing was finished, I downed half a bottle of whiskey to calm the anxiety of having to wait for someone, while looking down at the busy road from the window. Why were the cars so noisy? I put the gun on the desk and went on drinking for I had a lack of general direction in my life.

I felt like I had just got Ria back and lost her again. I needed to formulate a plan to get her back, but I couldn't do it by myself, I needed whiskey and I need Terra because she could buy more whiskey for me. Yes, that would be her role in my life from that point onwards, helper and alcohol provider.

I could hear a familiar song in my head. It was 'Don't Lose My Number' by Phil Collins. No, it wasn't in my head, it was coming from somewhere else. Where was it coming from and where did I hear it before? I stayed still, inspecting the room, and listening quietly. It seemed to be coming from the bed. It was Ria's ringtone, and her phone was ringing from inside her bag.

???

123 - Ria

How did I know her name? That was a good question. One that I really had no good answer for, the only thing I could do was keep imagining Gwen in this situation. It's not all that difficult, when we spend a lot of time with one person, we usually pick up some of their habits.

"The fox god sent me, " I quoted Gwen, slightly embarrassed.

"The fox god?" Olivia asked, confused.

"Yes, he's the god chosen to look after everyone here in Perth." I just said the first thing that came to my mind. The most important thing was how I said it, not what I said, and I figured if I sounded confident enough they will believe me.

"We're in Sydney, " Olivia replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

I guess it was possible she graduated in Perth, moved here afterward with her family, and they were still receiving the newspapers from there.

"Yes, I meant Sydney, " I corrected myself.

"Look, I don't know who you are or why you're here but Mom will be back soon and she's not gonna like this."

"I guess I'll be on my way then."

Olivia kindly opened the door for me, put her hand in her pocket and handed me a wrinkled five-dollar bill, which I graciously accepted. The goat saw the open door, went out, and started munching on some bushes from their garden. It didn't seem interested in coming with me so I began walking down the hill slowly trying to figure out how to go from here. Every once in a while, I looked back to see if the goat was coming or not.

As I kept walking I could see a shopping street. There was a small fast food restaurant, a pet shop, a thrift store and a cafe. The thrift store was a branch of the Salvation Army. There were three customers inside, all of them senior citizens. The clerk was a sixty-something smiley lady, who was wearing a simple one-piece black dress. Her necklace, adorned with large snow-white beads, was a perfect match for the dress. I walked in and asked her if I could use her phone.

She smiled and told me it wasn't a problem at all. She took out an old landline phone from under the counter for me to use and went to the back of the shop to hang some clothes on the hangers. She seemed to have no problem with leaving the desk unattended. I dialed my own number and hoped for the best.

???

124 – Gwen

I opened Ria's bag and picked up her phone, a strange number appeared on the screen.