Chapter 2

Friday night at the willtermons house, three weeks after Cristian arrived. The neighborhood was curious. the lights of the house always filled the empty space with the presence of the family when they were there, and when they were not. The days passed really quickly, day after day Cristian started to loose a huge part of his memory, all that was left of his memory was in his notebook secretly saved in his room under the mattress, even after he forgot to write his desperate need for keeping the small notebook in a save place where he could easily remember became his last priority. It was Friday night and Cristian could not remember Friday morning or Friday afternoon, but one thing Cristian would never forget, not even if he try hard enough, and what he could not forget was when the mafia took over the willtermons house and Robert's life was exactly what the mafia wanted in their hands. A small undefined noise suddenly came from the back door, just exactly how Robert expected to be found, sitting on the couch watching TV and eating potato chips. Cristian always felt the need of Robert who is the expert in memorizing others people mistakes, but not in reminding them what they have done. What happen before the mafia got so close to Robert? ... It was that day, starting from the morning, everything was planned for Robert, but not for Cristian in general.

Cristian was trying hard enough to avoid the feeling of staying in bed. Just when Cristian walked from the bed to the door there were already ten small details that he forgot, five from that morning and the other five from when he went from the door to the bed previous nights before. Cristian used all his strength to go from the door to downstairs where he felt glad to see Robert sitting on the couch.

"Hey! What are you doing standing there?" shouted Robert. Cristian looked down.
"Well ... I wanted to ask to something because I can not do it myself." said Cristian in a whisper.
"What is it? ..." there was a stiff silence.
"I want to have a shower ..." Robert looked at him from top to bottom.
"Listen I would not go in that bathroom and expect me to do everything for you if that's what you are thinking ... You are not a baby, so do it yourself like a big boy that you are." Cristian felt that he was loosing balance for a moment.
"But ... I don't know how to use a shower anymore." Robert felt panic because by looking in his eyes he was afraid to believe him.
"Are you kidding me?! There are only two choices, hot and cold, so you choose hot and then you get in ... You get it." Robert saw Cristian expression and was clear that he was confused.
"Please help me, I don't know, this showers are more complicated than what I used in my days." Robert was pissed off.
"OK, I'll help you, but only because I can't stand the smell of you." Just before Robert got close to the stairs where Cristian was waiting for him, there was a knock on the front door, and then Robert decided to change his direction from going to Cristian to going straight at the door, Robert opened the door while Cristian watched him from behind.

"Hello! ..." said a man very friendly standing in the porch with a suspicious smile wearing a winter coat.
"What do you want Nick?" Robert felt his presence as if he was a police even though he was not longer a cop, but he knew that if he was standing in front of him, then there must be trouble on the way.
"I didn't mean to bother, it's just that I have a bit of a problem here and-" he was cut by Robert before he even finish his phrase because Robert knew that he was being too friendly and he knew him well to tell that he would have to be extra careful.
"What is it?" Robert voice was tense because he wanted Nick to go straight at the point.
"Hmmm ... Do you have enough time because it's kind of a story." Nick smile was even friendly trying to earn more confidence.
"Just tell me what you want, whatever this it is better than having a shower with an old man." they both laughed like little kids.
"Jajaja huhhh ... Well I should begin saying that you are my neighbor and I don't have anything personal against you-" Robert interrupted nick exhausted. "Cut it out and tell me." Robert was really trying to push him to the point because he talked too much buying time for friendship.
"Ok, ok listen, the willtermons are supposes to be back already, but they are not-" Robert interrupted him trying ti get rid of him.
"What does that have to do with me?" replied Robert sarcastically and very confident.
"Well ... Remember Clara's speech at the party last year when she said that her wish was to go with her family to Africa and then two months later she purchased the tickets ..." Nick felt that Robert understood everything.
"Yes I remember that but what does this have to do with me?" answered Robert dramatically.
"Her nanny Melisa was supposed to pick them up after they flew, but she went missing before the family flew back, so they asked me one of their most trusted friends to pick them up in case Melisa had an emergency, but I never got to see them, Melisa went missing alone with the family, and what's more strange is that Melisa lives with the willtermons and you never bother in saying anything after she went missing three weeks ago." three weeks ago Cristian arrived so he never really met Melisa ... Robert felt Nick sorrow in his voice noticing that he was worried.
"Well my friend, don't bother because I talked to them and they're just find-" Nick felt anxious for answers.
"Well where are they?" Nick was getting excited.
"Hohh, I can't tell you that, but don't worried they'll be back soon." said Robert sadly because he knew different. Cristian moved from the stairs to the door slowly.
"Can I have my shower now." said Cristian feeling his last teeth tremble.
"Who is this old man?" Nick knew that the family told Robert that if someone asked for the room in rent to tell that person to wait until the family fly back.
"He's just my grandfather that came here for a visit." said Robert sarcastically.
"Hey! what's up with you? That's not true, you know that I'm paying to be here." Cristian felt panic.
" So you mean he doesn't live here." Nick looked carefully at Cristian.
"Don't worried, my grandfather won't be here for much longer." Robert laughed.
"If my presence here is so negative to you, then you should have told me, I'll not stay in a place where I'm not welcome." said Cristian.
"You should help your grandfather get that shower before he gets mad." Nick laughed.
"Like if I have a choice, OK then let's go, see you later Nick." Robert looked how Nick left, Robert closed the door and walked upstairs, Cristian followed him to the bathroom very slowly. Robert and Cristian were in the bathroom, but Robert stopped for a second to ask something.

"It's there something you want to do before you have a shower? Perhaps get your clean clothes ready for after the shower." Robert looked at Cristian with ashamed.
"Yes." replied Cristian.
Cristian walked from the bathroom to his room, took some clothes and then saw his notebook on top of the bed, he then took it and as he was holding it in his hands he started to look through the pages trying to read and remember things that he had already forgotten. Cristian walked back to the bathroom when he heard a telephone call, he ignored the telephone call and continued to walk towards the bathroom.

"Do you have all you clean clothes ready now?" Robert looked at Cristian from top to bottom.
"Yes, but I think I heard someone on the phone." said Cristian.
"I though that I was clear when I said not personal belongings in the bathroom. What is that ... A notebook?" Robert turned on the shower.
"Yes, but I'm just going to leave it beside the clothes." said Cristian coughing.
"Give me that, I'll take care of your little notebook, don't worries, you can have your shower now." said Robert smiling.
Cristian got inside the bathtub while the water was warming up, Robert left the bathroom, he then looked back at Cristian but did not bother in closing the door and walked downstairs with the notebook, he put it on top of the coffee table that was located at the center of the living room. Then he put some popcorn on the broken microwave without knowing what he was doing. The telephone rang and Robert walked from the kitchen to the living room and picked up the phone.

The water suddenly became warm and then hot, and every single tiny drop of water was like a bullet that attacked his old skin and made him feel that the water could not be more rough on him, for while he wanted to jump out of that shower, he had already made up his mind about having a shower, but then he though that it might be the last shower if he was able to live any longer, he didn't care anymore, the water in his skin made him feel heavy and fat, he then though about Robert and that was the last though that he had with conscience. He lost one of his most precious childhood memory and trying to get it back he lost another one, his memory started to be less clear every time a drop of water hit his skin, the water, the noise, and his wet body were keeping him from getting those memories, he started searching deep in his mind hopping to find what had giving him the strength to live a hundred years, and suddenly the water reached the limit making his old skin red, and in that very moment, everything in his head was gone, his secrets, everything that he kept in his head for so many years, all his good and bad memories were erased, were gone, in just one wink, what the old man lost did not affected his feelings because he though that is was going to come back to his mind, knowing that he did not know the past anymore, and now he was suspicious about the present, the old man started to cry, but even he, could not tell if he was really crying because the water was going straight at his face, and at last he spoke.

"I don't know what is hope anymore ... Why am I crying? ... Should I be sad ... What am I doing here?" Cristian looked aside at his clothes. "Of who are those clothes? ... Are those rags my clothes?" Cristian heard someone yelling from downstairs, he tried to move, but his body didn't answer him.

Robert walked heavily and fast from the living room to the kitchen and then to the basement with the phone in his ear, then he pressed the volume bottom of the phone to the max, and then slowly put it again in his ear.

"I told you that I don't have the money Giuseppe please let go of the family this is between you and me, the willtermons don't have anything to do with it." Robert voice trembled.
"They'll die and so are you. Today we are going to visit you and you better have my money ... Time out! now pray for your life." Robert hanged the phone and went back to the living room where he took a deep zip of whiskey, then he sat on the couch and opened a bag of potato chips with panic.

"Pig as always." the whisper from behind told Robert that it was too late to run, he was about to get up but he knew well who was speaking to him, at the moment he got up he got trap by his arms around his neck from behind which he could not see but even though he knew who. The tight hands around his neck told him that his opponent was muscular.

"Please." he shouted coughing. The man released him.
"You see Carter here is my champion, was he too rough on you? Well what did you expected? That I was going to leave my stolen money ... Did you expected that I was going to act tomorrow? Was my visit here too soon? Jajaja did you really though that I was going to let you go again, when I called I already knew what you were doing. Did you though that I was going to give you enough time for you to take your things and leave? NOT TWICE! not again my friend, this time you won't have any luck." Carter started to punch Robert and Giuseppe saw the notebook on top of the coffee table, he garbed and saved it in his coat.

Cristian was still in the shower but the smoke of the heat was so intense that when the mafia entered the house the fire alarm already was active.

"Robert answer me a question ... Who is having a shower upstairs?" the sound of firemen made Giuseppe so angry that he punched Robert with his own hands.
"You fool you call the firemen already crying for help I'm going to break your bones ... Very funny, very funny you think you can contradict me." his punches were fearfully every time he punched Robert starting from the face to the guts.
"What do you say Carter this guy really is lucky isn't him?" Carter smiled watching Giuseppe give a heavy fist into Roberts noise making him bleed.

There was a knock on the door and everyone could see through the window that the fireman were outside.

"Carter you take care of it I have blood and this guy is almost death." Carter opened the door while Giuseppe hide Robert in the kitchen. Carter talked to the firemen and told them that it was an accident, that not fire was anticipated, the firemen took it easy and even were friendly and kind when they explained how serious it might have been if it was a real fire. The firemen drove off and Carter closed the door, then he walked back to the kitchen and notice that Giuseppe was holding Robert like a silly boy with shock and wide open eyes expecting good news and it almost appeared to be funny.

"It's all good." Carter smiled as Giuseppe threw Robert away realizing that he was about to vomit and with disgusts he shacked and spat on Robert who was lying on the floor of the kitchen fainted.
"Now he'll see how lucky we are, pick him up I want to give him a few more punches before taking him to our nest." Carter smile as four other men entered from the back of the house smoking.
"The others are here, they can do the job of picking him up." Carter pointed the men guiding them to pick Robert up as Giuseppe watched. Robert was so heavy that the agony of their lungs were heard from two blocks away. Giuseppe looked at Robert and could not help laugh and everyone knew why he was laughing, they knew that Giuseppe was laughing at how many times Robert got away just for being lucky and they were so confident that this time he was going to die. Everyone looked at Robert with a smile when they finally lifted him up and everyone murmured "braggart" and at that very moment a huge explosion took place, everyone in the kitchen was bleeding and lying on the floor. Robert opened his eyes and realized that the broken microwave provoked a fire by just putting popcorn in which he forgot that it was broken. The men stood up and left the house but Giuseppe and Carter stayed. they were about to leave but they were so angry about the explosion that they forced Robert to get in his feet.

"The firemen won't come back this time! am sure of it." said Carter as he grabbed Robert by his shoulders angrily and walked out of the house, Giuseppe followed him and in a moment of stiff fire flames they were gone, but the fire did not stopped.

Cristian still was in the shower but he did not realized that the house was on fire because the water became so cold that he felt that he was a frozen statue ... But he felt glad that the cold water reminded him something from the past. The hard training he had when he was young and when the leader of the team forced the squad to have a shower in the cold budget where the cold drops of water made his skin strongly frozen at five o'clock in the morning just like a tough soldier.