บท 16: Cow Dung Manure
Like a symphony of light, the golden half-wing, shrouded in an ethereal glow, sparkled like the stars in the night sky. Before a thought sank into Leandre's mind, the blazing flicker around the birthmark disappeared, returning to its normal state. His heart raced as he frantically looked around, mindlessly counting the number of times he felt the familiar feeling.
Third time.
Torpidly, he gazed at the crowded street, packed with shops, hustling and bustling people with a cacophony of voices and footsteps. Is it possible to find his mysterious, puzzling piece out of these people before it slipped out of his naked eyes? It was not a small crowd that Leandre could count on fingers. His gaze fell on a woman, three feet away, talking on the phone. Wordlessly, he walked towards her and grabbed her right hand.
"I need a minute of your hands!" He declared in a stony voice.
"Wha..!" The girl gasped. ''Who are...'' The mobile slipped out of her hand and fell to the ground out of sudden intrusive fear. Seeing a stranger, a dapping one for that matter, examine her hands without permission, her eyes froze in the open. The word 'freak' was at the tip of her lips, and before it travelled out of her mouth, he released her hands and left, leaving her dumbfounded.
Totally unaware of the thoughts running through the girl's mind, Leandre jogged to his left, finding a couple of girls entering a cafe. Like a desperate freak who does desperate things, he stopped every girl passing by him, freaking the wits out of them. Fifteen minutes later, after turning the girl's crazy, he walked to his car, disappointed and angry.
''Damn it!'' He slammed the car bonnet in rage. He lifted his hand to look at the peaceful half-wing mocking him, 'I sparkled. My job is done. Your job is to search for the other half-wing.'
Growing up, the birthmark has become Leandre's companion, a reminder to embrace what is truly his, wondering why he was born that way. A sculptor could not have craved it better, like nature's divinity incomparable to the manmade tattoos.
"Do it again for another time!" He said, testing the waters. "I promise I will find this time."
Leandre's sigh was a mixture of exasperation and irritation, witnessing the wing stay silent as though it was not bothered about his feelings anymore. He made a beeline to the car to meet his friend, only to remember his car brokedown.
Leandre fished out the mobile to call Dustin when he heard someone call his name.
"Leandre!"
''Leandre...here..."
"Look straight..''
Leandre frantically looked around, trying to filter the voice in this jarring crowd, and finally, he saw a little girl on the opposite road.
With things going south today, Leandre thought he was hallucinating about seeing Kalhys here. Squatting under a tree, she was playing with pebbles alone. She waved her little hand at Leandre with a cheerful smile.
What is firecracker doing here alone? Leandre pondered. Why does he see her at random places? Sometimes, Leandre feels she is more mysterious than the secretive murder cases he handles.
Leandre crossed the road and walked to Kalhys, where she was sitting.
''Hey, Leelee, what a coincidence?" She smiled, calling him by a nickname.
''Kalhys.'' Leandre addressed her in a rather serious tone, not in a mood to reprimand her for the funny nickname she gave him. ''What are you doing here alone?" He didnot forget how she abandoned him at the restaurant the last time he met her.
"Can't you see? Playing." She said playfully. She was donned in a three-piece suit, and a pink cap crowned her head, adding fineness and style. She tilted the brim of her cap to let her bangs hang down. As usual, the blue backpack dangled from her shoulders as if she didn't want to part with it. With the adventures she pulls, it's not a wonder to Leandre that Kalhys father has stuffed her bag with money.
"I didnot ask you that," Leandre raised his brows. "How did you get here?"
''My lovely mom and crooked dad are there.'' Kalhys pointed her finger at the house, screaming fresh and green.
Cherry tree greenhouse, Leandre read. ''A plant nursery?''
''Hmmm...They are here to buy plants. I am bored inside—all adults. No kids. So, I came out to play and happened to see you touching women's hands. Is Leandre looking for a girlfriend?" She asked, her voice feigned with innocence, but Leandre caught the sarcasm in her tone.
Damn this little kid. Did she watch the drama to the complete end? Leandre awkwardly cleared his throat, tongue-tied for the first time! He changed the topic to get himself out of trouble. ''Why did you not let me meet your parents at the restaurant? Don't your Mom and dad get scared if you keep disappearing like this?'' His tone was harsh. Since Kalhys parents are here, Leandre decided to meet and warn them to keep a keen watch over their daughter.
Kalhys pouted. Ducking her head, she threw a pebble at Leandre's feet, implying she was unhappy with his tone.
Madam has got an attitude also! Leandre sighed in defeat, squatting to her height. "I am sorry, Kalhys. I was worried for you."
''You don't need to worry about me." She whispered, giving him an explanation. "I don't get lost because my crooked dad says I am the most intelligent kid.'' She said, arranging the pebbles into a circle to make a clock. "Even if I get lost, my dad has ways to find me."
"Alright, you win again. Kalhys +1, Leandre - 1, happy?"
His words brought a smile to her little face. She nodded her head eagerly. "Why is Leandre here?"
''I was going to meet a friend. My car shut down suddenly." Leandre didnot go into the details about the absurd things he experienced. His day started crazy, starting with the road blockages forcing him to take this unfamiliar road and finally ended up with a breakdown. And then his half-wing glowed, giving him hope for a second, and filled with disappointment in the next minute, worsening his mood.
''That's so sad.'' Kalhys pouted. ''What are you going to do now?"
"My friend will pick me up." He said. "Meanwhile, let's meet your parents." He said, not leaving room for discussions. He will not let her slip away from his hands today.
"Okies, dokies!" Kalhys agreed.
Together, they entered the plant nursery, the species stretched to the fields. Customers were busy loitering around, examining the plants, and the workers organizing them in a row after the clients moved ahead, leaving the plants disorganized.
"Where are they?" Leandre asked.
"I am searching."
Meanwhile, Leandre kept an eye on Kalhys, who walked beside him in silence. She tightly clasped the straps of her blue backpack as if someone would snatch it away. Leandre had the urge to open the backpack to see the amount of money Kalhys dad had stuffed into it.
"Where are they?" Leandre asked again.
"Wait!" She impatiently replied, her sharp eyes turning left and right. She made a one-eighty-degree turn. There was a sudden sparkle in her eyes, her smile deepened like a crescent moon. ''Leandre, turn around.." Her voice filled with excitement. "Look here..."
Leandre halted his footsteps, hearing Kalhys's exhilarated tone. Irresolutely, he turned around without knowing a girl was just two feet away, walking behind him with a plant pot in one hand and a handful of fertilizers in another. His momentum stopped. His body froze upon seeing the girl's eyes widen in fright, stumbling with her footsteps.
No.
Like a high-speed car rear-ended on a parked vehicle, a crash came down on Leandre. He landed on the ground with a loud thud, unconsciously pulling her along. He was certain the cow dung manure sprinkled on his face and body had out smelled the Nitrogen, phosphorous, and Potassium combined.
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