Chapter 37
Minnie was the first to finishing eating her breakfast of flapjacks that were sprinkled with powdered sugar and she wanted to walk around the grounds.
"Please be patient, we have to eat ours, too," Nicholai said to his daughter.
"I don't mind walking with her," Angel replied and drank the last of her mimosa.
The two girls walked around the mansion, a lot of trees had shaded them from the sun, and they liked it.
Angel looked back at the two men; they were engrossed in some sort of conversation and at one point, Nicholai gave a look at Mok. Angel couldn't tell due to the bandages on Nicholai's face and decided to forget about it.
"Miss Angel," Minnie said and she turned to face the girl. "How did you and Mr. Swagger meet?"
"He invited me here one day, but we didn't actually fall in love until much later," Angel replied.
"But he loves you now, a whole lot, I can tell," Minnie said with a smile.
"Yes, yes he does," Angel replied and she also smiles.
"Are you a singer?" Minnie asked.
"I do sing, but not much, I really don't have the passion for it. I always wanted to a police investigator," Angel answered and the little girl's face showed curiosity.
"Oh, you mean like hunting down bad guys?" she asked and Angel nods.
Mok was right; Minnie was like sunshine piercing through the dark clouds of depression that lingered over Angel.
Just then, Angel's head shot up when she heard a twig snap. She got to her feet and looked around the trees.
"Miss Angel, are you okay?" Minnie asked, but Angel shooched her.
She searched around for the source, but there wasn't anything within sight. Angel, however, sensed that something or someone was watching them.
"Angel?" someone said from behind her. She gave a scream and raised her hand to claw at whoever it was, but someone grabbed her hand.
"Angel, it's okay! It's me!" Mok exclaimed and Angel relaxed, but she panted hard.
"I'm sorry," she replied, "I heard something and I thought it was…" she said as Mok gently rubbed her shoulders.
"No one is going to take you away, not while I'm here," he assured her and leads her back to the patio.
"Excuse me, sir," Zip said to his boss, "There is a, um, a Mr. Harold here. Do you want me to bring him here?"
"Yes, of course," Mok answered and Zip heads off.
"He came all the way here from Miami?" Angel asked, but Mok shook his head.
Zip came back with Harold, who was carrying his violin case and a sack of some sort.
"Harold, welcome," Mok says to him and they shook hands.
"I don't mean to brag, but how did you get here so fast?" Angel asked and Harold chuckles.
"I hitch on whatever transport that will take me where the wind goes," he answered, "And it seems that the wind brought me here in time for your concert."
"If there is no place for you to settle, my mansion is opened for you," Mok said to him and asks, "If those are clothes in that sack, my employees can have them washed, if you like."
Harold looks at his sack and the clothes he wore. "I usually don't ask for favors, but if they don't mind. I prefer they wash my clothes in ice cold water and hang them," he said and gives the sack to Zip.
"That means they can't be machine dry," Mok informed Zip.
"Oh, you mean hang them from a wire," the child-like giant said and goes off with the sack.
"What's in there?" Minnie asked, pointing to the case.
"That would be my violin; do you want me to play a song?" Harold asked and she nods in delight.
He took out the instrument, tunes it, and says, "I call this one the 'Appalachia Waltz'*."
Harold began to perform the most luscious sound everyone had heard. He mostly played with the high-pitched notes and he seemed to be lost in the flow of music.
When he was done, Minnie clapped her hands wildly and everyone, including Toad, Sleazy, Zip, and Cindy followed.
"I have a feeling Mr. Swagger, that your final concert will be a huge hit," Harold said and Mok nods.
"Not to mention that he will show his fans a lost art," Cindy added.
Harold put away his violin and Zip fixed him a plate of food. A few minutes later, the adults and Minnie watched as Zip and Sleazy struggled to put up a wire from a post to a tree.
Mok groaned, while the others laughed at this. When the two succeeded in getting the wire up, they took Harold's washed clothes and hung them.
Zip, however, flapped the shirts and they made a whip-like sound. Angel heard this and the memories of being whipped by Legrand were coming back to her. She also thought of what Stretch said before he died. "Omar...shot us..." In her mind, she heard the booming of a gun being fired.
She gasped for breath, she felt the stitched wounds burning on her back, her body began to shake, and she flattened herself against the wall.
Mok noticed this and came to her side. "Angel, it's okay, there's nothing here that will hurt you," he said to her, placing both hands on her cheeks, but her skin turned white as a ghost.
"Zip, stop that!" Cindy shouted at her brother and he did.
"Daddy, what's happening to Miss Angel?" Minnie asked her father, seeing that her new friend was having a panic attack.
Nicholai turns to Cindy and says, "Make my daughter comfortable, make sure she doesn't see." Cindy obeys and has the little girl turn her head away from the scary scene.
"Should I call a doctor?" Toad asked his employer.
"Here, I know what will help," Nicholai said and stands in front of Angel. "Angel, do exactly as I do," he says to her and breaths in through his nose and exhales out his mouth.
Angel did exactly that and they continued to do the breathing technique for a few seconds and she began to relax.
The color came back to Angel's cheeks and the tension lifted from her muscles.
"Did I just…have a…panic attack?" she asked, but she seemed to know the answer. "Oh God, I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, the good thing is that it has passed," Nicholai said to her.
They sat back down and continued to chat, but they did not dare bring up the horrible scene that just occurred.
A gentle breeze flowed by, causing Harold's clothes to sway like flags.
()()()()()
*The Appalachia Waltz was written and performed on the violin by Mark O'Connor.