A week has passed since that meeting with Ramshackle and Freya. Kilney wants to return to him and keep going but he feels like an absolute ogre every time he goes through any of his interactions with Gimby.
He has started painting himself in such horrible colours, that he is ashamed to even step out of his apartment. Work is no longer a suitable distraction even though the court date of his client’s divorce is right around the corner. Not only has he been thinking about Gimby, but he has also been thinking about his choice of profession. Has he become a divorce lawyer because he likes to exert his will upon other people? What does that say about him?
Sick of his inner monologue, he decides to head to Ramshackle’s house. He has no way of contacting the man to make an appointment so simply walks up to the house and knocks on the door on a Saturday morning.
He knows something is wrong when the door does not open immediately. He waits five then ten minutes. When the door remains locked, he presses his hand just below the eyehole and breathes heavily.
“Please,” he whispers, “please, I really need to talk to him.”
To his surprise, the door unlocks. He does not pause to question the invitation. He pushes it open and climbs in. He is so relieved, that he does not even notice how the house has changed to reflect his mood.
He finds a straight-backed chair. It looks uncomfortable but he sits on it anyway. It’s like he is punishing himself by choosing to sit on something that will force his body to stay upright, create a dull pain in his tailbone in under fifteen minutes and give him a backache. But he does not move. He sits there and takes his punishment silently.
He realizes, as time passes, that perhaps Ramshackle is in another meeting. It is an interesting notion and on the heel of that thought comes the second, much intriguing one. What will he look like? Will he even be a man? The train of thought distracts him from his obvious discomfort and he spends a happy few minutes imagining Ramshackle in different avatars.
It takes Ramshackle a half hour to make an appearance. He is disappointed that Ramshackle looks like…well Ramshackle.
“I see you and the house have made friends.”
“I’m sorry if I was…”
“Not at all.”
Ramshackle motions and the straight-backed chair changes beneath him into a comfortable sofa. Kilney frowns but says nothing.
“How are you?”
The question takes him aback. He doesn’t know how to answer so makes an observation instead, “You’re not in a suit. You weren’t in a suit the last time either. Have you suddenly grown allergic to suits?”
Ramshackle laughs, a first. It’s a human laugh. “We’re friends,” he sounds fond and cheeky. “So no suits. What brings you here?”
He rubs his thighs in obvious distress. “I spoke to Gimby’s friend. They were close. While talking…” he recounts the entire incident. He isn’t feeling like an ogre anymore but he’s still far from feeling settled about his situation.
Ramshackle opens his mouth to speak but then closes it. The house, by allowing Kilney to wait inside, has indicated that if Ramshackle had to transfer ownership of it to someone else, it would prefer Kilney. It’s a sobering thought.
To transfer ownership…he knows he can’t simply give Kilney what he wants. “I wish I could help you but this is something you will have to figure out on your own.”
His knee-jerk reaction is to storm out of the house but he restrains himself, barely. He hisses angrily. “Why is it important that I figure it out myself? I thought you were here to help.”
Ramshackle’s smile, honest to god, is mischievous which makes Kilney feel wrongfooted.
“You wanted to understand. You cannot do that if I do all the thinking for you.”
Kilney huffs but accepts the reasoning. He says after a while, “So what do you do for fun?”
It’s an odd question but he knows exactly what they can do together. “Do you like Pinot Noir?”
16 of 26 of an ongoing series The Dream Maker. You can read all posts here. Written as part of #BlogchatterA2Z.
I also have a weekly newsletter that I send out every Monday at 8 AM. You can read one of the newsletters here.
tales of Suchita 
Leave a comment