Roxy stood just outside the gate carefully observing the music in silent awe. Just then, a voice interrupted her concentration.
"Hello!"
Roxy spun to her right and saw a woman who looked to be in her late 40's walking on the pavement towards the gate. The woman had neat, short-cropped hair and wore a black coat and pants, and carried a suitcase, signifying that she had probably returned from work. Roxy assessed that she must be a professional. The woman smiled pleasantly.
"Are you looking for Anna? They are in the garage. Sorry if she can't hear you. It's too loud," the woman said.
"Er..well, I just happened to pass by," Roxy answered in contemplation.
"You want to come on in then?" asked the woman.
"Uh nevermind I have to go home for dinner," Roxy replied after some hesitation.
"Feel free to drop by anytime you like," stated the woman as Roxy started to walk back home.
As she casually strolled back in the direction of her relatives' house, Roxy wondered which band was rocking out in the garage just now. Was it publicly well known? It certainly sounded like they could have easily produced a number of hit albums through their skill and enthusiasm. Or perhaps, it was not a live band at all, but rather, someone had left the home stereo system on with its volume tuned up to concentration-breaking heights, using the strategy of noise annoyance as an asymmetric tactic in a neighborhood dispute, as one of the means of retaliation against some nasty neighbors. These and other thoughts fleeted through Roxy's mind as she approached her house.
As she stepped passed the front gate, Roxy noticed that Aunt Jenny's car was parked in the porch,
"Is dad back?" Roxy enquired as her aunt was checking out a new pair of binoculars she had just bought.
" He's upstairs, hun," Aunt Jenny gestured while peering through the lens out of the window.
Roxy decided not to enquire about her aunt's new sight range enhancement device, and trodded up the stairs and found her father unpacking his bag in the spare room.
"Dad, can we go out for dinner?"
"Sure, I'm literally starving to know what's going on around this town," her dad replied, and then he lowered his voice to virtually a whisper, "Besides, your aunt hardly ever cooks, and when she does, it can keep the hungriest mongrel satisfied with just one bite."
"How's your day at the convention?" Roxy inquired, seeing her father looked somewhat lethargic or exhausted.
"Oh its nothing. At least I don't have to see those morons in my office back in New York, who think they can boss and push me around and think they are smarter than me. They don't have even half of the brain I have" Her dad answered with a laugh as he placed his laptop computer on the desk.
"Yea dad we know you literally own them when it comes to cerebral power." Roxy rolled her eyes as she replied. She and Jane (and their mum) had heard her dad's self-declaration in mental capability as often as he stirred his cup of morning coffee.
Roxy followed her father downstairs.
"It's time for dinner. You wanna bring that along?" Her dad asked Aunt Jenny.
"Err, nope," replied her aunt as she appeared to muse for a while before placing the binoculars on the coffee table.
"Good gosh, coz we are not touring Niagara Falls anyway," Roxy muttered with a shrug.
As their car reversed out of the porch and rolled off along the street, Roxy looked in wonder at the house she had stopped at earlier. It looked calm and quiet, as though its occupants had also gone out. Roxy tapped the seat and pondered for a while. Was Anna the woman's daughter? And were the infectious and catchy tunes attributed to her? The more Roxy thought, the more she became fascinated. She then made up her mind to pay them a visit the next day.