Shane was completely stunned. What kind of a naughty beast had shown up in front of his house? What was she doing here anyway? It was not even Saturday afternoon and he didn’t expect anyone before two o’clock.
He swallowed hard and felt a premonition rise within. No, that couldn’t be true.
"No, Romeo is a horse and horses get scared by pretty much anything. They sometimes get even scared by their own reflections, let alone you and your fancy car!”
She turned to the car, dragging out a large paper bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken full of gnawed off chicken legs. She handed him the bucket.
"Here, you’ve got some food for your horse.”
With these words, she walked away from him, having seen Gregory standing next to Romeo, apparently trying to calm the still distraught horse.
"Gregory there you are,” she hurried over to him, trying to hug him. Gregory backed away, as if the devil himself was standing in front of him. He clung nervously to the horse's neck. Shane shook his head, disillusioned. Oh boy, his guess had unfortunately been right. The Amazon queen seemed to be the highly praised Mila.
"Mila, right? I thought you knew that he has lost his memory. Oh and by the way, it looks like there has been an explosion in your luxury car.”
Mila didn’t even listen to him. She was staring at Gregory, fascinated.
He was still standing next to the horse, peering back at her in disgust.
Leyla had been right, his eyes had a different color now. They were no longer blue, but turquoise. Would that really mean?... A loud voice close to her earlobe tore her from her thoughts.
"Hello, I'm talking to you. Are you severely deaf? I've read that too much fast food is the most common cause of deafness,” he gazed provokingly at her long bare legs, "and it also causes cellulite.”
Mila slowly counted to three. Her temper was rising and she was about to explode. Still she had to calm down and do what she came here for.
She slowly turned around and walked back to the car.
"You’ve gotta be Shane. I've heard a lot about you and I must say that you are by no means living up to my expectations.
I didn’t expect a Neanderthal boar.”
She looked at him defiantly. “Would you be so kind and tell me where I can mix my antidote? I don’t want to waste my time.
I have to bring back that car as quickly as possible. I also would appreciate if you'd remove Gregory from the neck of that horse and got him into the house. I think I'll inject him the stuff.
He is hardly going to drink it, the way he looks at me. As if I was Mephisto! Is he always that jittery lately?"
Shane didn’t move and remained completely silent. He just stood there with his arms crossed, looking steadily and unimpressed at her.
"My God, why are you standing there and staring at me? What are you waiting for? Bring him into the house. I haven’t got all day.”
Shane had heard just enough. This stuck-up bitch would get to know him better than she would care for.
“I heard of you too and you don’t live up to my expectations either. I mean, Alice was mean too, but never a fucking bra burner. She was still sexy playing her dirty little tricks. Even if she killed someone, she was sexy as hell. You, on the other hand, remind me of some kind of an amazon warrior bride, a real man-eater. Or maybe in truth you are a dude!
I am asking myself what Leyla likes so much about you?"
Mila couldn’t believe her ears.
“Are you out of your freaking mind?”
What was this idiot talking about? She was no dude.
"Whether I'm sexy or not, is none of your business and who the hell is Alice?"
She began furiously stuffing the garbage from inside the car into a big plastic bag. He was still standing in the same spot watching her efforts to clean up.
"Are you seriously telling me that you don’t know Mila Jovovich from Resident Evil? She plays the role of Alice. Leyla told me you were as hot as Mila.”
He stared at her boldly.
“Of course, I know that dumb game and those stupid movies, but Mila Jovovich is around forty in the meantime. Are you telling me that I look like fourty?” He laughed, “Alice and Mila will always be hot.”
She rolled her eyes and turned to face him. “Your brain must have slid backwards.”
They both had forgotten completely about Gregory and the horse while they were arguing, until there was a sudden sound of screeching wheels followed by a loud horse neighing. Gregory got hold of the jeep and drove away with Romeo in the trailer.
Shane pushed Mila to the car, “Quick, get your ass over here. We must follow him. God knows where he is going with that horse. Damn, Alice that's all your fault.”
She didn’t have any time to protest, so she started the car, but not without a swipe at Shane.
“Put on your seatbelt, genius and don’t touch anything. This is an expensive car, you stink, and you're all sweaty.”
"Oh shut up Alice and show me what you've got, otherwise we‘ll lose him.”
Mila stepped on the gas. He really had a talent of pissing her off. The car shot forward.
“Call me once more Alice and I'll throw you out of the car, you freak.”
Shane bit back a further remark. Finally, they could not risk losing Gregory. She had to concentrate on driving. Shane saw Gregory turn onto the Northumberland County Road towards Elmhirst Resort. Apparently, his short-term memory seemed to work just fine. Mila drove like a lunatic.
“Hey, relax, he is there in front of us,” he said to her, ”you do not want to scrap the expensive car, right? So drive slowly, otherwise our friend will notice us and get the impression that you are hunting him down and he’ll try to escape again.”
Mila had to admit that he was right.
Elmhirst resort was about ¾ of an hour drive from Port Hope. Shane and Mila followed the horse trailer in silence. It was an awkward silence, tugging at Mila’s nerves. She turned on the radio, her favorite station 98.1 FM playing the hot tracks of the week.
“Don’t tell me that you are into that mainstream chart shit. You don’t seem that kind of girl.”
Shane gave her a smug look.
“Why do you care anyway? What's wrong with that? You always put people in drawers that easily? What kind of music do I look like then?”
“Marilyn Manson.”
She thought she had misheard.
“What? Really, that’s so very kind of you!”
“Why? What's wrong with him? He is an excellent musician and he has exactly the same combat boots as you wear.”
"That's hardly a good reason to like his music. What are you listening to then?"
"Me? Weird stuff like the Cure.”
"Pretty grim,” Mila noted and frowned. “Don’t get me wrong, this is not an accusation, just my opinion.”
He looked at her clear, perfect profile. No, she was obviously not one of these made-up chicks, strutting around in high heels. There was not a trace of make up on her face and she sure as hell hadn't bothered to make any effort to look good. Nevertheless, her face was flawless. No pimples, no large pores. Her eyebrows perfectly curved long thick lashes that looked good even without mascara and full lips. A slim figure and not to be forgotten, her infinite long legs. She was probably a mutant he decided. No human girl could look that way without making an effort. Mila was aware that he was staring at her.
“And what are you doing in life if you are not working with horses?”
He did not answer.
"Hey, I'm talking to you,” she looked over at him questioningly. He shrugged.
“Nothing. What exactly do you mean by nothing? Do you still go to school or are you in college?"
"No.”
Apparently, he was not very talkative right now or ever.
She probed further, “Did you quit school then?”
"That's none of your business. You’d better keep your eyes on the road or we‘ll lose Gregory and the fucking expensive horse in t
he damn horse trailer.
“No need to be so rude. Don’t make such a fuss about that horse, I have a luxury car to watch after, which is clearly at least equally important.”
He looked at her laughing in dismay.
“You don’t have the slightest idea about horses, do you Alice? This horse is a well-known jumper and has already won a few tournaments, and so this car is worthless compared to Romeo. After all, you have scared Gregory away. So it's practically your fault that he took off. He knew where we were heading. By the way, he behaved pretty normal since yesterday. No more signs of paranoia even without medication until he saw you.”
He fell into a hostile silence.
"Damn it, my name is not Alice. I'm sorry, I had no idea that the horse is worth that much, but I can’t imagine that Gregory took off because he was afraid of me.”
"You are probably right, although even if you don’t look scary, you still are able to get me in trouble with Mrs. Benson. My little white ass is on the line because of you.”
"I guess that statement is quite racist. Does that mean that Mrs. Benson is black?”
"Hey, I was talking about the color of my ass and not about hers.”
To her surprise, she saw him grinning through the rearview mirror. What an idiot, she tried to keep a straight face herself.
"That probably means that Mrs. Benson is actually a black lady.”
"It doesn’t matter anyway. What matters though is that she is the owner of the expensive horse you Xanthippe.”
"What the hell is a Xanthippe?"
"Never heard of Wikipedia?”
She narrowed her eyes.
“I prefer Google,” she retorted.
She would look that word up and if it was something nasty, she sure would hit him with the hammer she carried around in her bag next time they met. They fell silent until the local sign of Elmhirst department came up. Mila was a little confused. She knew that she was a bit repulsing at times which made her kind of a loner. Still, this Shane was behaving far worse than she was. He was completely inaccessible, plus, most of the time very rude and offending. Well, she had to admit that she was doing all that too. Yet at least she didn’t hurt people saying stupid stuff about appearances like he had done several times today. She came to the conclusion that his behaviour was not any better than hers was. That’s why he probably preferred to pass his time with horses than people.
Poor horses, she really felt sorry for them. They had no choice and were at his mercy, defenseless. What did Leyla have in mind when she sent her here all by herself? Shane and she had more or less the same character. Somehow, she could recognize a part of herself in him. This also meant they were like dynamite and an explosion was practically inevitable once they met.
She thought about Leyla's remark that she had that friend in Port Hope that reminded her of herself. This little stinking rat had hoped that Shane and her collided and some sparks would fly. The bitch had planned the whole damn thing. She would sure have to show her what she usually did to people that tried to play her in the first place, once she got back.
"You‘ll have to take the next exit.”
Mila had completely forgotten about Shane's presence and flinched at the sound of his voice. She put the turn signal and turned right. They left the highway. From her shoulder bag, the main theme from Star Wars could be heard.
He looked at her and said teasingly, “This isn’t serious right? Aren’t you going to get it? Can you please answer it? I can’t get it right now.”
He started to rummage around for her phone in her bag. Since he could not find it, he took the whole bag on the front seat. “My God, why do you carry a hammer and a pair of pliers around in your bag? Are you about some serial killer on the loose?”
She growled.
“Now get that damn phone, stupid!”
At last, he found it.
“Hello, no, she's fine. We are in the car and she is driving, that’s why she can’t come to the phone right now. By the way I 'm Shane, a friend of Leyla and we are currently chasing after Gregory, because he has taken off with a horse.”
Mila could hear Brooklyn's jittery voice from the driver's seat.
“God, Shane, tell her that her dad’s car is ok, otherwise she is going to lose it.”
“Did you hear that Brooklyn?”
“She has heard you. So stop screaming around or else there is a chance that I’ll go deaf.”
“Brooklyn, did you know that your friend here has a hammer and a pair of pliers in her purse? Now let me ask you, do normal girls do such a thing?”
”What are you saying? Oh I get it, you think that she is not normal at all?”
”You think she is kind of crazy. Actually I think that you are completely right about that.”
Mila tried to seize the phone from his hand. The car lurched dangerously and she could dodge a truck at the last moment. Finally, she got hold of the phone while doing the manoeuver and jammed it between her shoulder and her ear.
“Don’t believe a word he is saying, he is the crazy one; a real fruit cake. Wonder how Leyla manages to meet such crazy dudes anyway. I have everything under control. Please don’t you worry about the car. When does your dad come back you said? Perfect until then I will be there. I'll call you before I leave. Sorry but I have to hang up now. Ciao”
She threw the phone in the back seat.
"How could you tell her that Gregory has bunked off and that we are chasing after him?”
"Are you telling me that I should have lied?”
His expression was a mixture between annoyed and uninterested. She would really have given anything just to have the chance to hit him once in his smug face. Unfortunately, that was impossible while driving. She was in enough trouble as it was and was looking forward to deliver the car back to Toronto possibly in one piece. She saw the big sign that said Elmhirst Resort. Hallelujah, they had reached their destination.
She parked the car in the parking space in front of the main building and started to look for the trailer and the jeep, without bothering to wait for Shane. A young black woman in a riding dress approached. Obviously, this had to be Mrs. Benson.
“Hey Shane, the young man you’ve sent me is really a great help. That boy is a natural with horses. Romeo has rarely been so calm after a trip in the trailer. And who is the young lady with you?”
Neither Shane nor Mila understood what she was talking about until they saw Gregory coming out of the stables. He had apparently been taking care of Romeo. Gregory stopped pointing at Mila.
“Why on earth did you bring the crazy one here Shane?"
Sometimes it is easier to forget than to remember
Mila pushed Shane unexpectedly and he almost crashed against the stable door. He rubbed his elbow.
“What was that for, are you nuts?"
“That was for telling Gregory that I was crazy before I even showed up here. Thank you very much,” she stomped furiously towards Gregory.
Shane could not help himself, he had to simply call after her. “You know what? Shockingly enough it is kind of true though, you are crazy. I didn’t know you back then, but now that I have met you. I have to agree with him.” Mila didn’t bother looking back but she had to admit that she probably overreacted a bit. She saw that Mrs. Benson was looking at her and felt that she had to explain herself and the situation somehow. So, she turned to Mrs. Benson and reached out her hand.
“May I introduce myself. My name is Mila Casa Grande and I am visiting Gregory. Unfortunately, he has amnesia due to an accident and he no longer remembers me. He is staying with the Sullivan’s to recover from the accident and eventually gain his memory back. But I 'm sure Shane has already informed you about everything,” she smiled winningly and Shane was amazed. Well, she could actually behave normally when she had to.
Mrs. Benson smiled.
”Oh yes, I think Shane mentioned something. Are you a friend of Leyla?” Mila nodded. Mrs. Benson seemed to be a big fan of Leyla.
> “She is such a nice girl, but unfortunately, she has no talent at all when it comes to riding. She is a hopeless case. But when I look at you, I think you could have what it takes. You should come by and take a riding lesson when you have the time.”
Mila did not want to seem rude and said that she would love to come by another time. But today she was here to drop off the medicine to Gregory that he needed urgently.
"Of course, then another time, I 'm looking forward to meet you on a horseback,” Mrs. Benson said, getting into a silver Chevrolet.
She waved at them and disappeared in a cloud of dust. Mila looked after her and when she turned around again, both Shane and Gregory were nowhere they could be seen. These two guys drove her slowly but surely nuts. After all, she did not have time to run all day after Gregory. Shane wasn’t exactly a big help either. She went into the barn and looked for the two of them. In her bag, the Star Wars Fanfare started to ring again loud and shrill. She winced, maybe Shane was right and she needed a new ringtone.
“Hello,” she said, a little out of breath.
She did not know the number on the display, but in the present tense situation, she could probably not play the part of being unreachable. To her relief, it was Leyla and not Brooklyn’s dad she had feared halfway.
“Oh, hi. No, I couldn’t give him the antidote so far. The boy fled as soon as he laid eyes on me. Yep, you heard quite right. Oh and as a matter of fact, your friend Shane is not exactly helpful. He is…”
She was searching for the right word.
“…He's just too much like me. Stop laughing, that’s not meant to be funny. We don’t really get along well and we fight all the time. He never ever answers my questions.”
She heard some noise in the back of the barn.
“I have to go now. I think I've found them. No, I am not in Port Hope. I am at Elmhirst Resort. Stop yelling at me. Please, I have to go now. I'll explain everything tomorrow, that is, if I survive the whole thing here and make it back soon enough with Brooklyn's Dad’s car before he comes back from his business trip. Ok, bye until tomorrow.”
She hung up, and put the phone back in her shoulder bag.
ELEMENTARY VIRTUE: The Savior Page 20