What Lies in the Past
"Right," I started, "I suppose it all started… five years ago? When I lost my job…" I paused, recalling the day in my mind. "… and my car… I used to be a Lingerie Buyer," I explained, "Until the company decided to downsize. So, I went job hunting and eventually went to my cousin for help. I'm still not sure to this very day why I even entered that office that day, I mean, he's the sleaziest slime ball I've ever had the misfortune of meeting, let alone being related to. So I was intending on applying for a filing job, but was eventually convinced by his office manager, a good friend of mine, to take a Fugitive Apprehension position. I had to black mail him into giving me the job, but he did, and well, that's what I've been doing ever since, much to my mother's displeasure." I laughed a bit at this, because my mother was never happy with anything I did, but forged ahead nonetheless. "I had a bit of trouble getting started, considering I had no training and no equipment, so Connie, that's the office manager, got in touch with Ranger to give me some help."
Iggy sat down in the armchair opposite me and leant forward with interest. Wow, life here must be really boring if this has caught his interest. I took a moment to order the events out in my mind before continuing. "We met in a Café and well, from there he became my mentor. He helped me when I needed it, which was quite often, and I helped him when he needed it, which was surprisingly more often than one would think of an ex-mercenary." This statement struck me as strange and I trailed off, pondering.
"I don't get it," Iggy said in his cute Spanish accent. "How does that make this house funny?"
I took a deep breath. "I guess it doesn't. It has nothing to do with anything here. What I was trying to get to though, was Ranger is a man of few words, he practically never talks about his life to anyone. He hides things away in the dark of his mind and never lets it out for others to see… at least, that's how it seems. Am I making sense?"
He shook his head and we both laughed. Once the laughter died off I thought again of how to phrase how I viewed Ranger. "I don't know Ranger all that well," I said simply, "And being here just doesn't seem right. I've only ever known Ranger when he's on the job." And that one time off the job, I was reminded. "It's weird," I summarised.
"I see what you're getting at," Iggy nodded. "It's like taking a look inside someone. Seeing the inner workings."
I nodded my agreement, but was only half aware of the continued dialogue as my gaze caught the large hardwood desk at the far end of the room. Without hesitation I rose from the sofa and approached it. The chair positioned behind the desk was green leather and incredibly comfortable, I found was a sat down. On the table top, positioned between two horse head bookends were five books that looked to be well loved; the creases in the spines indicating that they had been read numerous times.
Pulling the first toward me, I settled down in the chair to skim the back. When I came to the last sentence on the cover I looked up to find Iggy standing over me, a curious expression on his face. "Master Ric has sat there many a night reading and re-reading these texts," he informed me as I returned my gaze to the book between my fingers. "He is especially fond of this one." He pulled the second out of the row and handed it to me, flicking on the lamp on the desk to shed some extra light.
I pushed "The Wind in the Willows" aside in order to take a closer look at the book Iggy indicated. "Lysistrata," the front read, "A comedy by Aristophanes." That seemed a little out of character, Ranger, reading a comedy? I shook my head and opened to the first page, finding it was in the form of a play.
Iggy glanced at his watch. "Breakfast should be ready in about half an hour," he stated, "I'll leave you to explore shall I?"
I made an affirmative grunt as my eyes were transfixed on the page, trying to figure out what made Ranger so fond of this book. The time just seemed to zoom by and before I knew what I was doing I was searching through the thousands of books on the shelves lining the walls of the room in order to find out more about this war they had spoken of in the play, the war that the Ancient Greek women had stopped by abstaining from sex. I hadn't been on a quest for knowledge like this in… well, okay I'd never been on a quest for knowledge, but it was invigorating. Sitting on the floor amid piles of open books each one revealing more about the war and the reasons behind it than the last. I delved into the Greek mythology, remembering lines that had caught my interest like "Poseidon in a tub," which was in reference to a myth about these two gods that did the deed and the chic gave birth to twins but abandoned them naked in a washtub. Everything was so intriguing; I wondered why I hadn't discovered this earlier.
A great many hours had passed before I was disturbed from my knowledge quest. Iggy was at the door, wondering if I intended on eating anything at all today, as it was nearly dinnertime. As if on cue, my stomach growled. He laughed and helped me off the floor.
After dinner I returned my thoughts to all the questions roaming around my head. There were way to many to keep track of mentally, so I decided I needed to write them down.
Julie's room?
Empty room?
Music room?
Lysistrata?
Why am I here
I reviewed my list and decided that I needed to reorder the items.
Why am I here?
Empty room?
Lysistrata?
Music room?
Julie's room?
Nope, still not right. What am I missing?
How Ranger not know about stalker?
Why mistake Ranger for stalker?
Why am I here?
Lysistrata?
Empty room?
Julie's room?
Music room?
There, that's that sorted. Now, what can I spend the rest of my night doing? I wondered down to the music room, thinking I may as well fiddle with some keys for a while, it wasn't like I would get to sleep with all these questions running through my mind. Sitting on the piano stool, I was bored of the same old keys, I needed something new to occupy my attention. I walked along the row of shelves, opening some of the books to find the squiggley lines and dots I knew were music, and then I found a book called Cello for dummies. It wasn't with the rest of the music, it was on a music stand next to an awkward looking stringed instrument. I opened it and found I actually understood the instructions.
As I sat down on a nearby chair in order to peruse the book some more I felt his presence in the room Fantastic! Time for questions. I spun quickly to face him. "Ranger!" I exclaimed, before he had a chance to do or say anything.
He froze in the doorway, his warm chocolate brown gaze locked on mine. "Babe."
"I have some questions about, well everything. About the house, about the rooms, about me, about….EVERYTHING!" I couldn't help rambling a little, he just made me so nervous. He nodded and indicated for me to sit down as he sat at the piano. I swear, if he starts playing that damned instrument I'll scream.
Ranger's fingers danced across the keys not making a sound for just a moment, then he began to play a soft melody. I kept my promise I screamed. He stopped abruptly, giving me a curious glance. "What's wrong?"
"This house!" it was all I could do to keep myself from yelling. "Everything is so wrong!! Batman doesn't play piano, or any of these other instruments. Why is there an empty room upstairs that hasn't even been cleaned? What's with that Lysistrata thing? How did you not know about my stalker? Why did I mistake you for my stalker? WHY AM I HERE?" the last demand was significantly louder than the rest. The list be damned
Ranger gave heavy sigh, settling himself sideways on the stool as I paced impatiently in front of him. "I've played piano since I was four, the other instruments I can play to an extent, but I've teaching myself, so it's not that good. The empty room upstairs is the one I shared with Julie's mother for that brief time in my life, I don't care for it as it brings too many thoughts to mind. The Lysistrata thing, as you so eloquently put it, was an interest of mine in high school Ancient History, and it has proven to come in handy of late. I didn't know about your stalker because I've been out of the country. I have no idea why you mistook my for you stalker. And last of all you're here because you needed to be in a safe house and this is the safest house I know."
"Not to mention the biggest," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest and returning to my seat at the cello. I picked up the big wooden, stringed thing and the bow or whatever it was called and pulled it across the strings, grimacing at the harsh sound it produced.
"Would you like me to show you a bit?" Ranger asked, standing from the piano and closing the distance between us.
I know, I know, I've asked more questions without reveal the answers to previous ones. I promise, the answers will come! Please let me know what you think, constructive critcism is welcome.