Status: Thank you for reading.
Just to Live
Of The Bard And The Noble
Brian was in the kitchen, writing music and testing his original creations on his acoustic guitar. It was a lengthy day; time seemed to pass by excruciatingly slow. His only company was his guitar and Erika. He wouldn’t have minded talking to her except she was busy drawing a coral reef.
“Do you like art?” Erika asked Brian.
He shook his head. “Nope. Why do you ask?”
Using the tip of her sky blue color pencil, she pointed at Brian’s left arm. “You have tattoos on your arm. I thought you were an artist.”
“Oh nah. I’m a musician.”
“What do you play?”
“Guitar.”
Tabitha shook her head, watching Brian and Erika’s conversation from the entrance to the kitchen. Erika began excelling in her fifth grade class. Maria was happy to have work. Tabitha wanted nothing more than to leave the mansion. The only things keeping her from leaving were her mother and sister and the contract. If not, she would have left the second everyone turned their backs on her. She sighed and walked away.
Concurrently, Brian couldn’t stand sitting at the table playing on his guitar any longer. He put the acoustic against the wall behind him and closed his music sheet book. “Do you want something to eat?” he asked Erika.
The little girl neatly placed her color pencils back into their box and smiled at Brian. “Yes, please.”
“Anything specific you want?” he inquired, drumming his fingernails on the table.
“No.”
“So you don’t mind blueberry pancakes?” he continued.
“I love them!” she beamed. “They remind me of Tabby.”
Brian circled around the kitchen counter to reach the cupboards and stove. He hustled around, grabbing the box of pancake mix, the container of vegetable oil, and the basket of blueberries, a carton of milk, and one egg from the refrigerator.
“How come?” he questioned after he was able to set all the needed ingredients on the counter.
“When I had the chicken pox, she made me blueberry pancakes. That was the only thing I wanted to eat.”
“Oh really? So does she like them too?”
“More like an obsession,” Erika muttered.
Brian chuckled, whisking the wet and dry ingredients together. “Blueberry pancakes are a good obsession though.”
“Yeah sure!” Erika agreed skeptically. “Hey…tomorrow’s her birthday.”
“Is it really?” Brian quizzed, taking out a nonstick pan.
“Yeah, she’ll be 18 and I didn’t get her anything…”
He finished cooking the pancakes and placed a plate in front of her. “How about this,” he reasoned, “after you finish eating and you’re done with your homework, I’ll take you to go get her a present.”
“But I don’t have money,” she frowned, taking a small bite out of her pancakes.
“But I do. We could say we teamed up and got it for her.”
“Perfect!” she cried with a mouthful of her afternoon snack.
“Yup. Do you have something in mind?”
“Uh huh!”
After Erika hurriedly ate her blueberry pancakes, she colored the rest of her drawing and tucked it inside her Finding Nemo folder. She pushed the folder into her backpack and left it next to Brian’s acoustic guitar. They left the mansion and drove to the nearest Barnes and Noble in less than 15 minutes. Erika gasped at the sheer size of the bookstore.
“She loves Mary Higgins Clark’s books,” Erika stated softly, remembering the massive book collection Tabitha used to have.
“Suspense and mystery,” Brian answered thoughtfully.
“Yeah that!” she agreed.
The two explored around the bottom floor of the store, going through all the different genres of texts offered. Erika seemed intensely captivated by any picture or word relating to the vast oceans and seas. She would blink at whatever objects caught her attention for a few seconds before jogging along Brian once again.
Within five minutes, Brian found the designated author with a large selection of published books to choose from. He had to pick up Erika since she wasn’t quite tall enough to see over the tall shelves.
“I don’t know which book to get,” she murmured, biting her nail.
“How about we get them all?” Brian offered.
“That’s so expensive!”
“I have money. It doesn’t matter.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” He placed Erika down on the floor. “Just pick a number.”
She furrowed her eyebrows in clear confusion. “Why?”
“Just do it please?”
“Okay. 20!”
Brian proceeded to take 20 different books from Mary Higgins Clark. An employee passed by, amazed that Brian and Erika were going to buy so many books in one go. She was used to seeing familiar faces appear at the store two or three times a week to buy more books. Still, she proceeded towards them holding a Barnes and Noble heavy-duty tote bag.
“Excuse me,” she said. The man and child proposed their attention to her. “Would you like to put those books in this bag? You don’t have to buy it, but it should help make holding the books easier.”
“Sure, thanks,” Brian smiled, dropping the books in the bag.
The woman opened her mouth again, meaning to strike up a flirtatious conversation with Brian, but found that he was already walking away with the young girl. She sighed, slightly disappointed.
“Cool,” Brian muttered, looking at all the books in the bag. “Oh, do you want anything?” he asked Erika who tagged along so happily.
Her cheeriness deflated. “No…” she muttered.
‘Humble, just like her sister.’
“Come on, I’ll pay for it.”
“You shouldn’t spend that much money. It’s bad for you,” she reasoned.
He chuckled, “I think I’ll survive. I bet you want some of your own books to read.”
“Well…”
“Exactly. Let’s go get you some books sweetie.”
Brian took Erika to the second floor, to the Young Adults section. He let her search through the spacey area, allowing her to pick out whichever books she wanted. She ended up picking up the Harry Potter series and The Giver. Brian also picked up an encyclopedia of the marine life.
By the time they returned to the mansion, Erika was fast asleep in the car. Brian slung the bag of books over his left shoulder while carrying Erika into the mansion. At the door, Maria walked by, did a double take, and smiled.
“So that’s where you two went,” she sighed. She took Brian’s place as Erika’s carrier.
“Yeah. We bought Tabitha a birthday present.”
“Oh right, she’ll be 18 tomorrow,” Maria said to herself.
“Hey,” Brian softly uttered. “Is something wrong?”
Maria nodded. “Everything’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
Nevertheless, Brian couldn’t help but feel concerned that something happened between mother and daughter.
“Do you like art?” Erika asked Brian.
He shook his head. “Nope. Why do you ask?”
Using the tip of her sky blue color pencil, she pointed at Brian’s left arm. “You have tattoos on your arm. I thought you were an artist.”
“Oh nah. I’m a musician.”
“What do you play?”
“Guitar.”
Tabitha shook her head, watching Brian and Erika’s conversation from the entrance to the kitchen. Erika began excelling in her fifth grade class. Maria was happy to have work. Tabitha wanted nothing more than to leave the mansion. The only things keeping her from leaving were her mother and sister and the contract. If not, she would have left the second everyone turned their backs on her. She sighed and walked away.
Concurrently, Brian couldn’t stand sitting at the table playing on his guitar any longer. He put the acoustic against the wall behind him and closed his music sheet book. “Do you want something to eat?” he asked Erika.
The little girl neatly placed her color pencils back into their box and smiled at Brian. “Yes, please.”
“Anything specific you want?” he inquired, drumming his fingernails on the table.
“No.”
“So you don’t mind blueberry pancakes?” he continued.
“I love them!” she beamed. “They remind me of Tabby.”
Brian circled around the kitchen counter to reach the cupboards and stove. He hustled around, grabbing the box of pancake mix, the container of vegetable oil, and the basket of blueberries, a carton of milk, and one egg from the refrigerator.
“How come?” he questioned after he was able to set all the needed ingredients on the counter.
“When I had the chicken pox, she made me blueberry pancakes. That was the only thing I wanted to eat.”
“Oh really? So does she like them too?”
“More like an obsession,” Erika muttered.
Brian chuckled, whisking the wet and dry ingredients together. “Blueberry pancakes are a good obsession though.”
“Yeah sure!” Erika agreed skeptically. “Hey…tomorrow’s her birthday.”
“Is it really?” Brian quizzed, taking out a nonstick pan.
“Yeah, she’ll be 18 and I didn’t get her anything…”
He finished cooking the pancakes and placed a plate in front of her. “How about this,” he reasoned, “after you finish eating and you’re done with your homework, I’ll take you to go get her a present.”
“But I don’t have money,” she frowned, taking a small bite out of her pancakes.
“But I do. We could say we teamed up and got it for her.”
“Perfect!” she cried with a mouthful of her afternoon snack.
“Yup. Do you have something in mind?”
“Uh huh!”
After Erika hurriedly ate her blueberry pancakes, she colored the rest of her drawing and tucked it inside her Finding Nemo folder. She pushed the folder into her backpack and left it next to Brian’s acoustic guitar. They left the mansion and drove to the nearest Barnes and Noble in less than 15 minutes. Erika gasped at the sheer size of the bookstore.
“She loves Mary Higgins Clark’s books,” Erika stated softly, remembering the massive book collection Tabitha used to have.
“Suspense and mystery,” Brian answered thoughtfully.
“Yeah that!” she agreed.
The two explored around the bottom floor of the store, going through all the different genres of texts offered. Erika seemed intensely captivated by any picture or word relating to the vast oceans and seas. She would blink at whatever objects caught her attention for a few seconds before jogging along Brian once again.
Within five minutes, Brian found the designated author with a large selection of published books to choose from. He had to pick up Erika since she wasn’t quite tall enough to see over the tall shelves.
“I don’t know which book to get,” she murmured, biting her nail.
“How about we get them all?” Brian offered.
“That’s so expensive!”
“I have money. It doesn’t matter.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” He placed Erika down on the floor. “Just pick a number.”
She furrowed her eyebrows in clear confusion. “Why?”
“Just do it please?”
“Okay. 20!”
Brian proceeded to take 20 different books from Mary Higgins Clark. An employee passed by, amazed that Brian and Erika were going to buy so many books in one go. She was used to seeing familiar faces appear at the store two or three times a week to buy more books. Still, she proceeded towards them holding a Barnes and Noble heavy-duty tote bag.
“Excuse me,” she said. The man and child proposed their attention to her. “Would you like to put those books in this bag? You don’t have to buy it, but it should help make holding the books easier.”
“Sure, thanks,” Brian smiled, dropping the books in the bag.
The woman opened her mouth again, meaning to strike up a flirtatious conversation with Brian, but found that he was already walking away with the young girl. She sighed, slightly disappointed.
“Cool,” Brian muttered, looking at all the books in the bag. “Oh, do you want anything?” he asked Erika who tagged along so happily.
Her cheeriness deflated. “No…” she muttered.
‘Humble, just like her sister.’
“Come on, I’ll pay for it.”
“You shouldn’t spend that much money. It’s bad for you,” she reasoned.
He chuckled, “I think I’ll survive. I bet you want some of your own books to read.”
“Well…”
“Exactly. Let’s go get you some books sweetie.”
Brian took Erika to the second floor, to the Young Adults section. He let her search through the spacey area, allowing her to pick out whichever books she wanted. She ended up picking up the Harry Potter series and The Giver. Brian also picked up an encyclopedia of the marine life.
By the time they returned to the mansion, Erika was fast asleep in the car. Brian slung the bag of books over his left shoulder while carrying Erika into the mansion. At the door, Maria walked by, did a double take, and smiled.
“So that’s where you two went,” she sighed. She took Brian’s place as Erika’s carrier.
“Yeah. We bought Tabitha a birthday present.”
“Oh right, she’ll be 18 tomorrow,” Maria said to herself.
“Hey,” Brian softly uttered. “Is something wrong?”
Maria nodded. “Everything’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
Nevertheless, Brian couldn’t help but feel concerned that something happened between mother and daughter.
♠ ♠ ♠
Thank you for commenting. ^-^~~~~
the-quiet-one
mistery gurl
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"The two explored around the bottom floor of the store..."
Oh crap that rhymed and I didn't even notice until I revised it. xD