No Ordinary Love, Part 3, chapter 199
199
Next day, I called Nik to come over and see if he can help. I had an outline for the first chapter, then until he arrived I had few more sentences as well. They were out of place I could tell but still for me that was accomplishment.
Just as I heard the bell Ari woke up so I called for Kai to get the door while I get Ari. I hoped Ari will have two more hourse of sleep and Nik and I’ll be free to work but obviously, that plan went down the drain.
“So you’re daddy mate from the class right?” Kai was entertaining my guest as I was walking down the stairs carrying Ari who was still sobbing.
“Yeah” Nik chuckled. “Hopefully, you won’t find me a bad influence on him, sir” Nik joked.
“Oh I’m not worried about him. You’re young and should be careful,” Kai returned the joke and his little giggles spread around the room.
“You weren’t exgaggerating about him,” Nik said when he saw me coming in.
“Daddy only loses it when it comes to mom,” Kai had to point out.
“Shut up. No need to trash me with my new friends,” I playfully scoffed.
“That was a compliment, you idiot,” he snorted sarcastically.
“I prefer you not complimenting me. It might hit me in the head.”
“Nah, you were born crazy so your sanity is never questionable,” he sighed casually and made Nik burst and me giggle.
I ruffled up his hair and kissed his cheek “Love you, kiddo. Will you get a bottle for your sister? It’s in the kitchen.”
“Right away, dad,” he said and ran to get it. He was back in no time. “Anything else?” he asked eagerly.
“No, I’ll take it from here,” I assured him.
“Maybe I could feed Ri while you get your friend something to drink?” he said raising his eyebrown. “Manners young man,” he added and Nik laughed again.
“Ok,” I nodded chuckling. I left him and Nik chat as I went to make some coffee for us and grab him a beer. I could hear them talk. Nik was interested in Kai’s music. Said how he saw him playing at Tavastia and thought he was great.
“Yeah, I know. I had to. You can’t afford to fuck up when mom and dad are there on stage with you,” Kai returned. “Though I did missed one beat but no one noticed I hope,” he said in lower voice.
“I didn’t,” Nik confirmed. “You shouldn’t be hard on yourself. You know how many great musicans make mistakes during just one gig?” I liked Nik’s attempt to point out that perfection isn’t always possible nor that much important. Same thing I keep telling my son.
“I know,” he snorted. “Mom and dad always say that. Dad especially.”
“Well, he and his band know it the best,” I caught Nik’s dislike of my boys and me and so did Kai.
“Hey, they did have their bad times ok?” Kai instantly took on defensive stance and got me laugh with joy on the inside. “That was long time ago. Have you heard them lately?”
“No” Nik returned. “I don’t really like their music. They’re too… soft.”
“Boy, you’re musically illiterate” Kai didn’t hide his resentment. “What’s soft in it?”
“Everything. Their sound is somehow… I liked their early stuff.”
“Their early stuff was childish compared to what they do now. It was nothing but bunch of talented guys with lots of angst, trying to hard to pass as bad boys, tough rocker heads and all that bullshit. Their lyrics were so plain, so.. limited. I guess dad was too afraid to open up or something. And the music was too loud, over the top, it diverted your attention from everything else.”
“Wow, you really can be harsh,” Nik was surprised.
“This is honest observation. You’re harsh with calling them too soft. They’ve never been harder than the last album. Linde killed the guitar literally, Gas broke the drums. You seriously need to learn a lot about distinction with just loud and incoherent mish-mash and great music that’s not making you deaf but it’s hard and meaningful in its essence. For that’s what they’re about. Their songs are hard for the theme they talk about. The boys play great. There are many musicians that are great but that were never too loud still when you hear their songs your heart gets ripped out of your chest. And that my friend is hard,” Kai made his point and rested his case.
“Ok, whatever you say,” Nik surrendered as I picked up the tray and walked back to join them.
“Jesus do you always pull out of debate every time someone dishes your arguments?” Kai chuckled shaking his head.
“Yeah,” Nik nodded as I put the tray down in front of Nik.
“What a loser,” Kai snorted as I glanced at him to see how he’s doing with Ari. The bottle was resting empty on the table for a while it seemed and she was very much enjoying watching her big brothers little argument with someone older. She was even grinning.
Nik glanced at me and I could tell what he was thinking. His first impression of kai was no different than anybody else’s. The kid just knows how to make an impact. A strong one.
“You want me to watch after Ri, dad?” Kai offered as I sit down. “I mean so you can do your homework, you know. Without being distracted.”
“What about yours?” I returned.
“I did it in school so I’m free,” he shrugged. “Massa’s up studying, I thought about playing a little but I can live without it.”
“Well,” I said leaning over and taking Ari from his arms. “Then you go play and don’t worry about about me. She’ll probably doze off pretty soon again.”
“You sure you can multitask?” he wasn’t trusting.
“Bug off, go,” I dismissed his teasing and he grinned, quickly brushed my cheek with kiss. “Love you,” he said then jumped off the sofa and ran to the basement shouting, “Have fun, boys! See you!”
“Was he too hard on you?” I teased Nik who had some dreamy look in his eyes.
“Are you kidding?” he chuckled. “This little talk with him was more productive than ones I have of people my age.”
“Yeah, he can be very scary at times.”
“Kind of intimidating to be more exact,” Nik corrected.
“Yeah, he got that from his mother,” I pointed out glancing at Ari to check how she’s doing. Her eyes were narrowed and glued to my face while her little hands were clenching my shirt.
“You know I was a bit suspicious about all you told me about your family,” Nik confessed. “I mean, let’s face it, you hear that all the time but it’s what people would want not what it really is.”
“If I didn’t know better I’d thought you’ve seen me as a liar” I teased.
“You think Kai’s not mad with me for pushing his buttons?” he asked kind of concerned. “I couldn’t really figure that out.”
“No,” I giggled. “He loves such conversations. He might get heated up but never mad. He doesn’t take it personally.”
“Well, I kind of trashed you and your band so…”
“You’re not the first,” I assured him giggling I really didn’t mind even if that was his Nik’s real opinion on what I do. “He’d be the same if you’d trashed whatever he thinks deserves respect.”
“I don’t think so,” Nik shook his head. “You two are really close.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he has unhealthy relationship to whatever I do and say it’s good just because it’s his dad,” I returned. “You should see him when he was slowly discovering about my band. He watched some clips from gigs where I was completely trashed much as the guys as well. ‘Dad, this is shit’,” I tried to imitate Kai from those days. “You’re fucking incoherent, you’re disgrace, this is abomination of music, my ears are falling off,” Nik was laughing like mad and I couldn’t remain focused any more so I stopped talking. “Later when he saw the boys he lectured them all.”
Nik’s laughter got harder.
“I swear, that was the most humiliating moment in our history. Being told off by this little kid, glaring at us wishing he could kick our asses,” I added.
“How old was he?”
“Three, three and a half,” I returned. “Guys officially named him a monster.”
“Oh, I wish I were there,” Nik giggled. “That would be epic.”
“No shit, it was,” I agreed. “Ok so shall we get to work or not?” I asked him when he calmed down and he gladly didn’t oppose.
He pulled out his laptop and while placing it on the table he saw me gathering my notes scattered around the sofa.
“What old school?” he teased.
“Yeah, I guess,” I wasn’t quite sure about it myself.
“You hate technology or something?”
“No, I’m just not too keen on it either,” I admitted.
“Well, these things make everything easier you know,” Nik pointed out. “Backspace is more efficient button than crossing out the paper.”
I glanced at his laptop and noticed it’s one of those expensive ones. Nik squirmed a bit uncomfortable in his place he obviously didn’t expect me to notice that.
“I don’t want to talk about it, if you don’t mind,” he said with some kind of plea.
“No problem,” I reassured him I won’t be nosy. “Can you take Ari for a moment till I get mine?”
“She doesn’t bit or speak yet, right?” he joked opening up his hands for her.
“No, and hopefully she won’t cry either,” I said rushing to Sweetie’s office as quickly as I could hoping Ari won’t go hysterical. Surprisingly, she didn’t. She was in fact very calm with Nik, fists clenched just in case but not crying for sure. “Wow, now this is new,” I said amazed watching my daughter so still in arms of a stranger. “She’s never like this. You have some secret or something?”
“I was always good with kids,” he returned. “She’s really something.”
“Do you have and kids?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” he shook his head. “But my sister has one. She’s eleven years old.”
“Well, that explains it I guess. Years and years of practice,” I sighed turning on my laptop. Under my eye I caught the flash of some displeasure cross his face. Family is obviously not an easy topic for him. One to be avoided. I made a mental note to myself not to push it. “So where do we start?”
“Where do you want?” he simply returned and leaved me baffled. “Tell me what you’ve got so far.”
I told him him what I had all figured out and he listened attentively. All the time Ari remained silent in his arms. He didn’t even rock her. She just stared at him, though he wasn’t paying much attention to her.
I even showed him my drawings of Patrick and Katherine.
“Why you chose those ones?”
“Patrick as from Spongebob and Katherine’s just I don’t know. It has that ring in the ears. Something’s misplaced about it so it kind of fits,” I paused a little while Nik gave it a thought. “I don’t know, that was the only thing that I could come up with. It sucks doesn’t it?” I frowned.
“No, not at all. Go on,” he encouraged me and so I did. I read him those few sentences I came up with and he said I should just go on. “Just follow your gut” he said. “Write whatever comes to your mind then we’ll see.”
I nodded and then began to write. I wrote few more sentences, stopped and read what I had so far. Then I realized Nik’s not doing anything but holding Ariella. It just didn’t seem fair.
“Ok, give her to me,” I said reaching out for Ari and Nik looked at me confused.
“Why?”
“You can’t write while holding her,” I pointed out.
“And you can?” he cleverly returned.
“I can’t but I’ll lay her down here,” I tapped a place next to me.
“It’s better for a baby to be held by another person you know,” he returned significantly.
“Nik, we have homework. Both of us. And right now, only one is doing it.”
“Oh, I’m nearly done with mine,” he reassured me and surprised me. “I’m just refining it. You know, polishing it, checking grammar...”
“When have you finished it?” I was still shocked.
“Last night.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To help you, of course,” he simply returned with a grin.
“Still…”
“Hey, I’m of legal age so don’t worry about my heath,” he dismissed me. “Just focus on your novel, ok?”
Hesitating a little, I figured he can think for himself. So I turned my focus back to the screen. Slowly, blank page in Word was filling up with words. Turned out it wasn’t so hard to do it. I chose that for first chapter it would be best to have Patrick’s story only of how he got turned. I was skeptical about writing of Katherine so I already planned to justify it with her being reserved for second chapter.
“Ok, want to hear this shit?” I asked Nik when I thought I’m done, he nodded and read it.
“That’s all? What about Katherine?” he asked right away.
“I kind of thought to leave her for later…”
“I don’t think she’ll buy it,” Nik frowned. “Maybe if she didn’t know the course of the story but now… I’m not sure.”
“Fuck, I was afraid you’ll say that,” he smirked.
“Everything else is good. I like it,” he added.
“How about you read me yours?”
“Ok,” he nodded and pulled her laptop closer and began reading.
Boy he was good. He got me right from the opening. Brisk and short sentences that just hit you and instantly grab your attention so I soaked up every single word. He was good at creating mystery and aura of danger. I loved how he made me feel something really sinister is bound to happen.
When he finished, I felt like I wanted to hear more, needed to hear more.
“Damn that’s brilliant,” I didn’t hide my thrill. It didn’t really surprise him all that much. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” I squinted my eyes.
“I’ve been writing for years but I never really shared any of it with anyone,” he was a little nervous.
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged his eyes drifted away from me. “I never really thought it’s worth anything.”
“Nik you don’t really seem like guy who lacks confidence.”
“Well, things often aren’t what they seem,” he returned. “Maybe, I don’t lack confidence but it doesn’t mean I’m not vain.”
“Somehow, it’s hard to believe,” I shook my head.
Nik chuckled, “Truth is I went to all these courses and didn’t feel like I’m making any progress. Then I heard about this one and thought if anyone should tell me I suck it’s her. That kind of failure I can live with, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I think you do,” I nodded with a sympathetic smile.