Wild Crows - 2. Revelation : english version

by Blandine P. Martin

  — "Perfect. We’re all set then. "

  Ash laughed again.

  — "Tricked by a six-year-old. Joe, you need to toughen up! "

  I winced. When his cell phone rang, Ash walked away to took the call. My eyes followed the black leather jacket. He was a shaggy guy, but I enjoyed discovering all the layers of his personality, one by one.

  — "Are you two sleeping together? "Jenna asked.

  I almost choked.

  — "What? "

  — "Do you sleep with Ash? "

  — "No! "

  I was shocked, but I laughed.

  — "No! " I repeated. "Why on earth would you think something like that? "

  Jenna shrugged. She also looked at the tall, black-haired man, as he walked away.

  — "It’s the way he behaves around you. He always keeps an eye on you. He’s so protective…everyone can see that …"

  Suddenly it hit me.

  — "That’s because… we went through hell together, a few months ago. "

  — "I know about it. All of us do. The guys talk, and we listen. "

  I was surprised.

  — "What do you know exactly? "

  — "We know that you, Ash and Mack were kidnapped by the Russians. And we’ve all talked about Mack’s death, of course …"

  — "Then you don’t know everything. It doesn’t matter. Just know that I went through hell, and Ash was there for me. So, it makes sense that he would try to protect me, but more like a father would. "

  — "There’s more. He respects you, and he talks to you sweetly. That’s not the man we all know. Seriously, you must be blind, not to see how he looks at you. "

  I was stunned.

  — "You’re exaggerating! " I replied, laughing.

  — "You don’t get it. He doesn’t behave like this around us. He’s a different man! "

  I felt she was about to share details that would drastically change my vision of him.

  — "So, tell me…How is he with you? "

  Deep inside, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. The type of relationship the guys had with the sweeties wasn’t a healthy one. On the other side, I was curious.

  — "He just uses us as commodities, Joe. He does his little business, and then he leaves just like he came. Girls are not fighting over Ash! Not at all! Still, he is hot, especially for his age, but he acts like an asshole with all the girls. We don’t get any respect or consideration from him. We are his toys, and that’s why we try to stay away from him, except Carole who has a big crush on him. "

  I swallowed hard. I never considered Ash under that angle. So, he was a misogynous and primitive man… I was speechless!

  — "By the way, you should take some time to speak with the girls. They think you are trying to avoid them because you consider yourself superior to them. Jealousy spreads fast among a group of girls. You surely know this. "

  Her words touched me.

  — "That’s not what I’m trying to do! "

  Maybe she was right. I wasn’t comfortable with their situation, and unconsciously, I might have kept my distance with them.

  — "A few of them have been waiting to become regulars for a long time. For you, things are different. Your genes gave you a privileged position in the club, as soon as you arrived in Monty Valley. The men all respect you, and you did nothing to deserve this respect. "

  It was easier to understand the girls ‘behavior around me.

  — "I came to meet my father. I have no intention of becoming a regular. "

  — "I understand but ignoring the sweeties isn’t the solution, if you want them to stop seeing you as a rival…"

  She was right. It wasn’t my intention to look down on them, and I would have to make an effort to get closer to these girls. Suddenly, I realized why I never had many girlfriends. They had this tendency to get into catfights. I found it exhausting. It was so much easier to hang around men, who were less complicated.

  — "I’ll make an effort, " I replied thoughtfully.

  Jenna smiled at me, and I could see she was sincere. She looked at me for a long time. It was a bit destabilizing.

  — "Really... I would have bet you were doing Ash! I can feel these things. "

  I coughed, before laughing.

  — "Well, you’ve lost your magic power, " I joked.

  — "Yeah. If you say so…"

  She grabbed the lid of one of the pot and filled two cups with the burning hot liquid. Then, she handed me one.

  — "Cheers! "

  Laughing, I drank to my new and surprising friend.

  *

  Later, one of the men in charge of the event came to tell us that it was time to close, and we were delighted to see that both pots were almost empty. It was a success. We had earned a lot of money. It was a good thing for the club. The Wild Crows needed cash, and they weren’t the only ones. I knew now that sweeties depended on them to survive. That’s the pact they had signed with the devil, or I should say the crows.

  Billy, Gale, Lazar, and Casey appeared out of nowhere. They all helped to take down the stand and carry everything back to the van. Having a few men around proved very useful, when it came to this kind of task. Their dedication was total, and it was nice to see such a strong team spirit. It reminded me of what Christmas was all about.

  When we were done, I closed the doors of the van and thanked everyone. I wished a merry Christmas to Jenna and Billy, as I knew they wouldn’t come to Jerry and Mona’s party. Casey offered to drive me back, but I turned him down politely. I told him I had planned to walk around the park, before closing time. I saw he was worried about me.

  — "Your father told us to keep an eye on us, Miss, " said Billy.

  — "Ash is still here, " I replied. "I’ll tell him to meet me, and he will drive me back. Relax guys. "

  — "Then we are going to wait for him. "

  I was surprised by their devotion.

  — "You are afraid of my father…"

  — "We just respect him, " Billy told me.

  That made sense. I decided to text my friend, Ash.

  « The world champion would like to be picked up, so she can attend the best show of the year. I am in the parking lot, in front of the van. Billy doesn’t want to leave me alone. Hurry up or his Christmas dinner is going to be ruined. »

  Five minutes later, the king of explosives arrived with a big smile on his face.

  — "Billy, go home to your wife! " He told the old man.

  Billy grunted. The others were waiting for him inside the van, trying to get warm, as the temperature was getting colder and colder. A few moments later, I was alone with a slightly deranged retired bomb squad expert, who could be sweet sometimes. But just in my company, or so I had heard.

  — "It’s still time to find an excuse, " he whispered to me, winking.

  — "I would never do that! "

  — "In that case, let’s go Mini-Doc! "

  CHAPTER 14

  Joe

  The night was falling. Thinking of the unusual way I had spent my day, I smiled. I liked the magic and festive atmosphere that was floating in the air.

  — "It was nice to have a stand and sell stuff. " I told my friend.

  He shrugged dismissively.

  — "It’s a nice way to spend Christmas eve, and it good for the club’s PR. "

  — "You are such a party pooper! " I said, nudging him in the ribs.

  He smiled. I liked it when he looked happy. I stared at his deep blue eyes, before he turned them back to the horizon. It was hard for me to look away, but he was only a friend. Still, I would have lied to myself, if I said I wasn’t under their spell. It was probably his secret weapon, and he must have used it a thousand times. In my case, I was probably just feeling euphoric because of the holiday spirit.

  — "Jenna is nice, " I added.

  My words caught his attention.

  — "Yeah, she’s cool. "

  Was he serious? He didn’t care and seemed even more detached than u
sual.

  — "Hey, be more cheerful… It’s Christmas! "

  This time, it worked. He pointed his finger at me.

  — "Not exactly. Christmas is tomorrow, " he corrected me, amused.

  I nodded. As a self-proclaimed champion of the best eggnog in the world, everything was relative.

  — "We had time to speak. I must admit I never tried to get close to the sweeties. Just Mona. "

  — "Mona is great. She’s like our mother. "

  — "It seems so. "

  — "She does a lot for us, like your father, and you can always count on her. "

  I nodded.

  — "Well, the sweeties don’t seem to like me much, " I said.

  Ash raised an eyebrow.

  — "They think I look down on them because I never talk to them. Oh, and they consider me as a threat, when it comes to getting a spot as a regular in the group. "

  — "Oh! I see, " Ash said, before laughing.

  — "I still don’t consider myself as part of the club. "

  — "We use sweeties so the bar is always full of hot girls, and they help us blow some steam off. They don’t have any real power, so I wouldn’t care that much."

  I stopped walking and looked at him.

  — "That’s a horrible thing to say, Ash. "

  — "What? "

  — "They try their best to survive, as we all do. "

  My words seemed to touch him, and he tried to justify his point of view.

  — "Between you and me, there are other ways …"

  — "Not to become homeless? " I interrupted him. "Sometimes, that’s the only way they can find to provide for their children, when they are on their own. "

  — "I know that, " he replied sharply.

  — "We all try our best. Not all of them are there because they admire your jackets or they want to become the official girlfriend of one of you. They just don’t have any other choice."

  He clenched his jaw, and I realized that he didn’t share the empathy I felt for these women.

  — "Trash collectors also do their job, so they can survive, " he said shrugging. "The same goes for morticians…"

  I stared at him.

  — "In their case, you don’t consider them as objects, and you don’t make fun of them. "

  He seemed to realize he was wrong. A smile passed across his lips.

  — "We are going to be late," he whispered to me.

  It was his way to tell me the debate was over. We walked up the path, until we met a group of laughing children, accompanied by their proud parents. I stopped for a moment, feeling out of place, even though the magic of Christmas was working on me. At that moment, I saw the mischievous round face of a boy. With his unruly black hair and the same deep blue eyes as his uncle, Tommy was running towards us. His innocent happiness was communicative. Instead of grabbing Ash’s legs as I expected, he stopped in front of me and took my hand.

  — "You came! My friends said I was a liar! "

  I laughed. It was touching to witness how these little things seemed to matter at that age, even when it concerned a self-proclaimed eggnog champion. Tommy’s expectations were high and I felt somewhat stressed.

  — "Hey, little guy, " said his uncle. "Where’s your costume? "

  The little boy looked at him menacingly because he interrupted us. Once again, I bit my lower lip, not to laugh out loud.

  — "I still have five minutes left! I wanted to see Joe first! "

  Ash laughed, throwing his hands in the air.

  — "OK, OK. "

  We looked at each other, and I noticed he seemed surprised. I found it funny to have become the boy’s favorite. At that moment, a woman, who looked slightly older, called the children. They all had to go backstage and get ready. Tommy left, after giving us a big smile, which made me melt. Many rows of chairs had been installed, in front of a stone platform. Tall trees, decorated with lighted garlands, surrounded the spectators. The night was dark, and these little lights looked a lot like the milky way. Many people had already taken their seats, and Ash spotted his sister and her husband in the crowd. At the same time, she turned and waved at us. I took a deep breath. I had accepted to come to please a sweet little boy with a big smile, but I felt out of place, sitting next to his parents and his uncle… Now, it was too late to change my mind. I just tried to act natural, and followed Mister T to my reserved seat. I let my friend sit first, and I felt relieved, when he chose the chair next to his sister. Evan was on the other side, and I thought it was better like that. Suddenly, people around us stopped talking, and the curtains opened. A few parents started to clap, probably anticipating a brilliant performance from their child.

  The show started. We watched the traditional representation of Jesus Christ’s birth, but Tommy’s classmates had added a touch of originality, by imagining what his life had been as a toddler. The story was creative, and it involved a traveling lobster, which had decided to travel in space. A meteorite storm had compromised its plans, and it ended up on Earth. Was the show about the colonization of our planet by aliens? It was their interpretation of the first signs of life on Earth, and my cute little friend, Tommy Connor, was the lobster’s best friend, a space dragonfly. Kids had so much imagination…! Their teacher encouraged free speech. I laughed to tears during the show, and Ash told me to make less noise.

  The show ended with a big standing ovation. I stood up to imitate the proud parents around me. Tomorrow’s artists would be the ones with unlimited imagination! We left our row, and headed backstage.

  — "What if I told you I didn’t understand the show…" I whispered to Ash.

  — "In that case, I would say you’re less intelligent than these five and eight years old. "

  He winced, as I gently pinched him.

  — "OK, maybe I didn’t get it either, " he confessed laughing.

  I laughed too. Something warm touched my hand, and I jumped. Tommy was gently pulling my arm, with a big smile on his face. He was still dressed as a dragonfly, but he had taken off his hat.

  — "There she is! " He screamed as loud as he could.

  I looked around and saw a group of children running to me.

  — "Joe is the eggnog world champion! "

  I blushed, as Ash burst out laughing. A boy, a little bit taller than Tommy, came closer to me with his arms crossed upon his chest. Was his trying to defy me?

  — "Really? Tell me, where did you win the title? "

  I smiled awkwardly.

  — "That’s right, Joe. Where did you get your title? " Whispered Ash to my ear, looking at me mischievously.

  I almost cursed.

  — "Well… at the world championship… the eggnog championship, " I stuttered.

  Still looking unconvinced, the kid questioned me again.

  — "Yeah? " He said suspiciously. "And where was that? "

  — "In… Modesty! " I replied proudly.

  — "Where is that? " He insisted.

  — "Far, young man. Very far! Ask your parents… tomorrow. "

  Ash sighed.

  — "I told you, guys! "

  — "Will you make some for us? " Asked a red-haired boy.

  — "I promise, but not tonight, " I replied, stroking his cheek gently.

  Then, I straightened up, ready to say goodbye to the children. I was relieved, as I was not comfortable around humans under fifteen years old. I could deal with teenagers, but children were another story. I didn’t understand them, and I never knew what to tell them. Tommy was different, and we seemed to get along. How could I resist his adorable face?

  Suddenly, I froze. That accent! It couldn’t be! But there he was, a few feet in front of me. My eyes were fixed on this man, who spoke in such a distinctive and unbearable way. He had grey hair and was dressed elegantly in an expensive wool coat. He was talking to a woman, who was probably the mom of one of these kids. He was sharing his admiration for her son. But his voice…that accent! He came from an eastern country, and I assumed he was Rus
sian. I was ready to bet on it. My blood ran faster through my veins, and my face became white.

  — "Don’t you, Joe? "

  Who was talking to me? This man was standing so close to me…Was he one of them?