It's me again. Told you it was the SIXTH chapter /grin/.
Anyway, thank you for all you reviews. Remember, guys, it's fiction. And I
understood I certainly need a prequel to "Last joy". With the explanation
how come Clarice became "sociable", because she didn't really. And Angie. I
told you she is naughty, didn't I? She is smart, yes. And all this happened
to her just because she was TOO smart.
So! If you want a prequel – just tell me, 'cause it actually was in the
original story... only needs a translation.
Now thank you again. Next time I want to know e-mails of every person who
submits a review. Because I didn't get the point of reading aloud. And now
I can't contact the person who could explain it to me.
D/N: still the same.
A/N: I owe no songs and poems in this chapter. Still at your service if you wanna know the author.
Chapter 7. For life.
"I wish I played like Goya." Angie said. "Someday I will."
"Where's your mother? She's late." Hannibal chuckled.
"Still want to play?" Angie pur the guitar away. "Maybe there's no need to. She loves you, I know."
"Then why did she run away from me?" Hannibal grinned. "Thrill me with your wisdom."
"Every decision she might have made was wrong, don't you think so?" Angie replied.
They remained silent for a while. Then Angie broke it.
"It's another awkward situation, isn't it? I wish my cell-phone rang."
And it rang.
"Who is it now?" Angie murmured peevishly. "Damn, it's Felix. Shall I answer?"
"Why not," Hannibal answered. "You said it's no use of playing games, so don't play. Tell him we're coming."
"Yup."
"Angie... Angie... come as soon as you can!"
"Felix, calm down and tell me what happened."
"Your mother... Your mother... and I'm the only one to blame!..."
"What's happened with her?"
And while listening to Felix's explanations she was getting pale, it seemed for the one single moment she would faint, but she managed to compose herself. Hannibal, though, got worried. Something happened with his Clarice.
"Well?" it seemed he'd lost his famous patience for the moment. "What happened?"
"We're going to the hospital." Angie replied. "The game isn't over yet. Got the car?"
"Tell me what happened first."
"This kind of information is not for those, who can get nervous."
"But I can get impatient. You'd better not see me impatient."
"Uhum, I know. You'll never harm me – I know that too. Mum's in hospital. In intensive care. Felix told her 'bout me. She was in a shock. Unfortunately that time she was driving. And a car crash as a result. Now shall we go? Got a car?"
Angie swore. She really underestimated the intensity of his feelings for her mother. She watched him getting deadly pale, eyes becoming black in a mixture of anger, pain and worry. "Come on, father," she rested her hand on his shoulder. "The sooner we are there the sooner we know more. Maybe she needs us more than ever right now. And we are just sitting here, playing our intellectual games."
"I don't have a car. I mean I parked it near your place." At that moment Hannibal understood why Angie insisted on expressing thoughts shortly. Words really take much more time than anything in this world.
"Have a driving license with you?"
"Yes."
"Let's go then."
Two minutes after they were driving in an Alpha-Romeo. Angie had the keys. When he asked her about it, she answered there was no need to worry. It was just an extra car for her own purposes. "Mum once had to pay fine for overgoing the speed limit in this car. Felix insisted she should change it – just because it didn't bring her luck."
"Knowing your mother I can't quite understand her sentimental attechment to those guys. She wasn't very friendly those days when we were having our game of "who-catches-who". Hannibal sighed. "She was polite, courteous, frank – but not friendly."
"Mmm, polite, courteous, frank... Don't you think that "friendly" is the complex element, consisting of those three in the right proportion?" Hannibal felt she was teasing him – and wondered why she remained so calm.
"Don't ever panic." Angie read his thoughts. "Mum told me not to panic, no matter what happens. Panic is killing the mind."
"What book was it taken from?" he wondered.
"I am certain the name won't tell you much." Angie replied.
"Maybe. But I remember it was fear who was supposed to kill the mind. Errare humanum est, you know."
"Sed non licet in errore perseverare."
She KNEW Latin. He looked at her. A very interesting combination of his and Clarice's features in one small body, who was ready to give the new life to someone... And his thoughts returned to Clarice. Intensive care. Hmm, if only he could take her away from this place. He could treat her better, he was sure.
But now he had two girls to care of. And the smaller one needed more attention. She'd managed to stay calm so far, but what would happen next? Her baby... Another new being he didn't want to lose. Hannibal signed and thought that if he were another guy, he would pray. Pray for Angie, ask God to give her strength, think about her baby. After all she inherited his calmness, didn't she?
And then he saw a tear. He was concentrating on the road, but this tear made him turn his head again. A single tear making his way through her cheek, to her chin, only to fall on the neck, very close to collar-bones. A single tear – and nothing more.
"Don't try to blame yourself." They both said at the same time. And then she started to cry. She couldn't stand it anymore. After all she's only a girl, Hannibal thought. A strong one, but a girl. She didn't weep, she didn't let a single sound escape from her mouth, but the sea of tears almost hid her fine face.
At last they were there. The hospital. Angie didn't manage to walk calmly, she ran, as if two minutes could change anything. The young woman at the receptionist's desk told Angie she could go and speak to doctor Byrne, even showed her to him. Hannibal, who as always preferred not to be noticed, followed her quietly. However, when he saw the doctor, he relaxed a bit. New generation, he won't remember me, Hannibal thought.
"Your mother? Yes, two broken ribs, a broken leg, thumb on the left hand is almost torn apart. She's having an operation in twenty minutes.
A thumb for a thumb, Hannibal thought. "Is she conscious?"
"No," doctor replied. "And we actually don't expect her getting conscious very quickly..."
"Can we see her?" Angie interrupted.
"No, not yet. Maybe after an operation. You'd better go home now and come in four or five hours. We have a lot of work to do. Now if you please excuse me..."
Doctor left. Angie looked at Hannibal and asked: "What are we going to do now? I don't want to leave."
"Me either," he replied. Fourteen years – and they are at the same building, he and his small Clarice. And there's nothing he could help her. Only sit and wait...
"Only sit and wait," Angie repeated aloud.
And they sat and waited. This was going to be a long day.
"Errare himanum est, sed non licet in errore perseverare" is a complete quotation, most of people know onlt the first part. It means: It's human to mistake, but it's not allowed to stay in the mistake. (word for word).
D/N: still the same.
A/N: I owe no songs and poems in this chapter. Still at your service if you wanna know the author.
Chapter 7. For life.
"I wish I played like Goya." Angie said. "Someday I will."
"Where's your mother? She's late." Hannibal chuckled.
"Still want to play?" Angie pur the guitar away. "Maybe there's no need to. She loves you, I know."
"Then why did she run away from me?" Hannibal grinned. "Thrill me with your wisdom."
"Every decision she might have made was wrong, don't you think so?" Angie replied.
They remained silent for a while. Then Angie broke it.
"It's another awkward situation, isn't it? I wish my cell-phone rang."
And it rang.
"Who is it now?" Angie murmured peevishly. "Damn, it's Felix. Shall I answer?"
"Why not," Hannibal answered. "You said it's no use of playing games, so don't play. Tell him we're coming."
"Yup."
"Angie... Angie... come as soon as you can!"
"Felix, calm down and tell me what happened."
"Your mother... Your mother... and I'm the only one to blame!..."
"What's happened with her?"
And while listening to Felix's explanations she was getting pale, it seemed for the one single moment she would faint, but she managed to compose herself. Hannibal, though, got worried. Something happened with his Clarice.
"Well?" it seemed he'd lost his famous patience for the moment. "What happened?"
"We're going to the hospital." Angie replied. "The game isn't over yet. Got the car?"
"Tell me what happened first."
"This kind of information is not for those, who can get nervous."
"But I can get impatient. You'd better not see me impatient."
"Uhum, I know. You'll never harm me – I know that too. Mum's in hospital. In intensive care. Felix told her 'bout me. She was in a shock. Unfortunately that time she was driving. And a car crash as a result. Now shall we go? Got a car?"
Angie swore. She really underestimated the intensity of his feelings for her mother. She watched him getting deadly pale, eyes becoming black in a mixture of anger, pain and worry. "Come on, father," she rested her hand on his shoulder. "The sooner we are there the sooner we know more. Maybe she needs us more than ever right now. And we are just sitting here, playing our intellectual games."
"I don't have a car. I mean I parked it near your place." At that moment Hannibal understood why Angie insisted on expressing thoughts shortly. Words really take much more time than anything in this world.
"Have a driving license with you?"
"Yes."
"Let's go then."
Two minutes after they were driving in an Alpha-Romeo. Angie had the keys. When he asked her about it, she answered there was no need to worry. It was just an extra car for her own purposes. "Mum once had to pay fine for overgoing the speed limit in this car. Felix insisted she should change it – just because it didn't bring her luck."
"Knowing your mother I can't quite understand her sentimental attechment to those guys. She wasn't very friendly those days when we were having our game of "who-catches-who". Hannibal sighed. "She was polite, courteous, frank – but not friendly."
"Mmm, polite, courteous, frank... Don't you think that "friendly" is the complex element, consisting of those three in the right proportion?" Hannibal felt she was teasing him – and wondered why she remained so calm.
"Don't ever panic." Angie read his thoughts. "Mum told me not to panic, no matter what happens. Panic is killing the mind."
"What book was it taken from?" he wondered.
"I am certain the name won't tell you much." Angie replied.
"Maybe. But I remember it was fear who was supposed to kill the mind. Errare humanum est, you know."
"Sed non licet in errore perseverare."
She KNEW Latin. He looked at her. A very interesting combination of his and Clarice's features in one small body, who was ready to give the new life to someone... And his thoughts returned to Clarice. Intensive care. Hmm, if only he could take her away from this place. He could treat her better, he was sure.
But now he had two girls to care of. And the smaller one needed more attention. She'd managed to stay calm so far, but what would happen next? Her baby... Another new being he didn't want to lose. Hannibal signed and thought that if he were another guy, he would pray. Pray for Angie, ask God to give her strength, think about her baby. After all she inherited his calmness, didn't she?
And then he saw a tear. He was concentrating on the road, but this tear made him turn his head again. A single tear making his way through her cheek, to her chin, only to fall on the neck, very close to collar-bones. A single tear – and nothing more.
"Don't try to blame yourself." They both said at the same time. And then she started to cry. She couldn't stand it anymore. After all she's only a girl, Hannibal thought. A strong one, but a girl. She didn't weep, she didn't let a single sound escape from her mouth, but the sea of tears almost hid her fine face.
At last they were there. The hospital. Angie didn't manage to walk calmly, she ran, as if two minutes could change anything. The young woman at the receptionist's desk told Angie she could go and speak to doctor Byrne, even showed her to him. Hannibal, who as always preferred not to be noticed, followed her quietly. However, when he saw the doctor, he relaxed a bit. New generation, he won't remember me, Hannibal thought.
"Your mother? Yes, two broken ribs, a broken leg, thumb on the left hand is almost torn apart. She's having an operation in twenty minutes.
A thumb for a thumb, Hannibal thought. "Is she conscious?"
"No," doctor replied. "And we actually don't expect her getting conscious very quickly..."
"Can we see her?" Angie interrupted.
"No, not yet. Maybe after an operation. You'd better go home now and come in four or five hours. We have a lot of work to do. Now if you please excuse me..."
Doctor left. Angie looked at Hannibal and asked: "What are we going to do now? I don't want to leave."
"Me either," he replied. Fourteen years – and they are at the same building, he and his small Clarice. And there's nothing he could help her. Only sit and wait...
"Only sit and wait," Angie repeated aloud.
And they sat and waited. This was going to be a long day.
"Errare himanum est, sed non licet in errore perseverare" is a complete quotation, most of people know onlt the first part. It means: It's human to mistake, but it's not allowed to stay in the mistake. (word for word).