Chapter Two
After finally ending up getting a room at the Marriot, Wayne waved off the attendant. He clambered into his room, swearing slightly. He was fairly drunk on wine and passed out face-first on the double bed, his single bag still in hand.
Wayne woke up, his head throbbed slightly, but he didn’t care. He stumbled over to the window and blinked hard, looking out onto the even lawn. He grinned despite his hangover, he was home again. He could see Tara again, today. He just needed to find her number again.
He showered and got dressed before checking the time and heading downstairs. At 12.30, he would only be able to get hold of lunch. He walked around and found the reception, figured out where he would be able to get lunch and try to get Tara’s number off his phone.
He ate without realizing what he was eating as he looked over the crystal pool, and vowed to go swimming in it that very day. He rifled through his contacts list on his phone but the last called and received numbers had completely vanished. Wayne decided the only thing he could do was go to a well-known social spot and try and find someone who knew her.
He decided to head down to the cliff face mall first, and grabbed a cab, bargaining for the cheapest price. He was excited to see the city, he had been away for three years, not wanting to face everyone together. He wandered around, seeing no one who looke remotely like Tara. Except sometimes some girls would have the same hair he remembered, or the scent of her shampoo was carried over to him in the breeze.
He went to the bookshop and stayed there for a few hours, rifling through anything and everything. He just couldn’t concentrate in there. It was the exact same as he remembered it. He could almost imagine things getting stranger and Tara floating through the door in a gauzy dress and spinning around to a song laughing to herself, or someone else, maybe him. But he’d never know, because his imagination was getting to him.
“Excuse me, I’m going to have to ask you to be quiet. I appreciate that our bookstore inspires happiness in you, but you’re bothering the other patrons,” A young woman with glasses perched on her nose was peering down at him. Wayne hadn’t realized that he had starting singing, and loudly too. He couldn’t help noticing that when she shook her head, she did it the same way as Tara used to. He stared at her, wordless. She seemed to be slightly annoyed at him, and she pursed her lips, “well, I’m glad you got that. You do speak English, right?” The girl narrowed her eyes.
Wayne coughed into a fist and leaned back on the step he was occupying, “yes, I do. I got that. Um, I’m terribly sorry.” He grabbed a couple books and got up, brushing past her. He bought them and decided he should probably leave. There wasn’t much to do in town, and though he might just relax, and call his family since he was here anyway.
There were no payphones, and his phone didn’t get a signal in Africa at all. He thought he should pop into his parent’s home anyway and let them know he was back, after heavily insisting he wouldn’t come back unless it was urgent. He got a mini open taxi, a Tuk-Tuk, similar to the rickshaws in India. When he got home he waited outside a moment. Wayne knew it wouldn’t be very different, but he was simply nervous. He didn’t know what to say when he was asked why he came back. He could pass it off as a surprise but his older sisters would definitely know why he looked so lost.
He knocked at the gate, and waited for the security guard to come and open the door. It was four in the afternoon and the sun was beating down on the earth, cracking the black dirt down the middle. He sighed lightly, he supposed he couldn’t complain, he had lived here his whole life. He grinned as the security asked him who he was.
“Wayne, don’t you remember me, old man?” Wayne clapped his shoulder lightly and recognition shone on the old man’s face. He looked tired and weathered; it wasn’t much of a difference because Wayne remembered him that way from when he was a child.
Wayne, back in his old room, sighed. He supposed it was a good thing his family had bought the excuse, and he supposed it was because he wasn’t actually acting. He was happy to see his parents and his two slightly obnoxious but loving sisters. The posters that surrounded his bed were old, but he missed them.
He told his parents he was leaving and went back downstairs, only to be grabbed by either arm by either sister. Karrie and Teriyan Interrogated him until even though he refused to answer.
In the end they convinced a short, hurried explanation from Wayne as he expressed his desire to escape and search for Tara. Her liquid brown doe eyes filled with hurt the last time they really talked in person consumed his sight. He stumbled out of the house, and was out of the gate before he realized he couldn’t see anything at all. Night had fallen quickly, and even though he wanted to find Tara, Wayne’s common sense overrode him.
Note: chapter Two's not really finished. :)
