3. Home Sweet Home
Wiliam unlocked the door to his apartment and stopped just inside, nudging the door closed with his foot. He felt out of breath, even though he hadn't run since he left the bookstore. He set down the sack with the books, and one from the grocery store, which contained a turkey and swiss sub and a bottle of Coke Classic. He then took off his coat, throwing it over the back of a chair, picked up the sacks, and went to the couch, laying back.
William took another look at his clothes, rather suprised, but pleased that there were no tears after his tumble in front of the bookstore. There was hardly even any dirt on them. He then reached into the grocery sack, unwrapped half his sandwich, and took a bite. He was a bit more hungry than he thought, and wished he had gotten chips as well.
He reached for the sack from the bookstore and spilled the contents onto his lap. The two new books - and the paper. William studied it again for a moment, and his thoughts flashed back to the encounter with Angelica. He searched his mind for any recollection of meeting or seeing a woman who looked like her. Nothing. He then thought about everything that Angelica had said to him...the quick and relentless pace of her voice...the unexplainable warmth of her hand...her inescapable stare. And how did she seem to know so much about him? He searched his memory again for any clue that he had met or seen her before. Again, nothing.
Then William's thoughts turned to the paper itself. It almost felt like it was torn from an old grocery sack. It was as if it had been exposed to the elements for quite some time. The paper was supple to his touch, not crinkling as newer paper would. He smelled it, and got a strong odor of vanilla. William then remembered that Angelica smelled a bit like that, too - not the "normal" unwashed odor that one would expect from someone who had been living on the street. In fact, there was really nothing "dirty" about Angelica but her clothes. Her hands were smooth and her nails were well-kept, if unpainted. Her hair was clean, even if stringy.
William continued to work on his sandwich while studying the image. It wasn't a high-quality rendition, but it was immediately recognizable as Kim. The odds didn't even fit a million-to-one shot that Angelica would just happen to have a drawing of Kim Possible in her pocket. It couldn't be that Angelica was trying to stalk William, he thought. No one knew about his "family" - the one inside of the box. He never told anyone about them, or anything about his "other" life.
"It'll make an appropriate bookmark," William said to himself, folding the paper again, and picking up "Bueno Nacho." He didn't give much more thought to the encounter with Angelica - but it was more a case of not being able to form any logical conclusion or explanation, rather than just dismissing the bizarre meeting with a woman he had never seen before in his life, but who seemed to know more about him than a first meeting would present.
William finished his sandwich. He fell asleep while reading the passage where Kim had bribed Rufus into doing her Nacho cheese duty for her..."Gooood little naked mole rat...."
to be continued...
Wiliam unlocked the door to his apartment and stopped just inside, nudging the door closed with his foot. He felt out of breath, even though he hadn't run since he left the bookstore. He set down the sack with the books, and one from the grocery store, which contained a turkey and swiss sub and a bottle of Coke Classic. He then took off his coat, throwing it over the back of a chair, picked up the sacks, and went to the couch, laying back.
William took another look at his clothes, rather suprised, but pleased that there were no tears after his tumble in front of the bookstore. There was hardly even any dirt on them. He then reached into the grocery sack, unwrapped half his sandwich, and took a bite. He was a bit more hungry than he thought, and wished he had gotten chips as well.
He reached for the sack from the bookstore and spilled the contents onto his lap. The two new books - and the paper. William studied it again for a moment, and his thoughts flashed back to the encounter with Angelica. He searched his mind for any recollection of meeting or seeing a woman who looked like her. Nothing. He then thought about everything that Angelica had said to him...the quick and relentless pace of her voice...the unexplainable warmth of her hand...her inescapable stare. And how did she seem to know so much about him? He searched his memory again for any clue that he had met or seen her before. Again, nothing.
Then William's thoughts turned to the paper itself. It almost felt like it was torn from an old grocery sack. It was as if it had been exposed to the elements for quite some time. The paper was supple to his touch, not crinkling as newer paper would. He smelled it, and got a strong odor of vanilla. William then remembered that Angelica smelled a bit like that, too - not the "normal" unwashed odor that one would expect from someone who had been living on the street. In fact, there was really nothing "dirty" about Angelica but her clothes. Her hands were smooth and her nails were well-kept, if unpainted. Her hair was clean, even if stringy.
William continued to work on his sandwich while studying the image. It wasn't a high-quality rendition, but it was immediately recognizable as Kim. The odds didn't even fit a million-to-one shot that Angelica would just happen to have a drawing of Kim Possible in her pocket. It couldn't be that Angelica was trying to stalk William, he thought. No one knew about his "family" - the one inside of the box. He never told anyone about them, or anything about his "other" life.
"It'll make an appropriate bookmark," William said to himself, folding the paper again, and picking up "Bueno Nacho." He didn't give much more thought to the encounter with Angelica - but it was more a case of not being able to form any logical conclusion or explanation, rather than just dismissing the bizarre meeting with a woman he had never seen before in his life, but who seemed to know more about him than a first meeting would present.
William finished his sandwich. He fell asleep while reading the passage where Kim had bribed Rufus into doing her Nacho cheese duty for her..."Gooood little naked mole rat...."
to be continued...