Thomas smiled again. He got up and went home. The mother was home and she was standing at the stove cooking something.Thomas sat down at the table and looked at his mother whose eyes were puffy with tears. "She must have cried a lot" Thomas thought.
"How are you mom?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine now, I'm making you some soup. "
"You were talking to Richard. "
Mom suddenly turned around and looked at Thomas with her brown eyes.
"Yes, he invited me for a cup of tea in honor of our becoming neighbors, is something wrong about that? ".
"No, I was just worried about you. "
"Don't worry, Thomas, I'm alright, I'm going to court tomorrow and after that we'll definitely get a divorce with your father. "
"Are you sure? "
"100 percent, I've been crying a lot and thinking about him, but I know he has someone else, he told me today, so I won't get upset anymore, he's not worth it. "
Thomas stood up.
"Mom, you have me and I will always love you. "
Thomas hugged his mother and she held him close,
"I love you too, son. "
"I'm glad" he said and sat back down at the table.
"Your father made the decision, and I didn't want to deny it, but I think you know I was very upset. "
Thomas looked a little relieved,
"But you're a strong, mom and I'm glad you were able to agree to this step."
"I couldn't have it any other way, he has another woman. "
"This woman looks like a woman on the cover of a magazine and she turned my father's head, she looked like a bitch. "
"Thomas. "Although his mother looked at him with a judgmental look, he felt joy in her.
She served Thomas some soup and he ate it gratefully, washed his plate and looked at his mother.
"Listen, mom, maybe we could invite Richard to come over sometime. "
"I see you two are already friends since you just call him Richard, so I guess we can invite him over."
Mom smiled at her son and then went to her room.It was hot outside and Thomas went out on the porch. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed John and to Thomas's surprise he answered. He asked Thomas to go with him to a place and Thomas didn't mind.He said goodbye to his mom and ran out of the house.Thomas was bored at home alone so he gladly accepted John's offer.
"Hi Thomas" John said, putting his arm around his friend.
"Hey, how are you doing? "
" I'm ready. "
"Where are we going? "
"Don't worry, Thomas, it's a cool place, we need to rest a bit, the weather is nice today. "
"So we'll spend the night there. "
"Yes"
"Damn, I should take my backpack. "
"Don't worry, I have everything we need and the taxi is here.
"But... "
John pulled Thomas into the car. He handed the driver some money and told him how long it would take to get to the fair.
"About one hour, probably. "
"Oh, cool. "
"To the fair?" Thomas was astonised.
"Yes, there's a fair in a certain place, so I thought it would be good to go there. "
Thomas didn't say anything, he could feel the joy in his friend and it calmed him down.
"I'm sorry, that I haven't answered your calls, I've just been a little busy, my mom went to her sister's house to help her with her birthday party and I've been left with everything. "
"How about your dad?"
"Dad is busy, he works from morning to night. "
They didn't talk most of the way, but suddenly Thomas spoke up:
"Listen John, will be something interesting at that fair? "
"Sure, I decided to go to the fair because I didn't really want to go to my mom's sister's birthday party. "
"Why? "
"You don't know my young nephews" John said with a wry smile "So I decided it would be best to go to the fair, and when I decided to call you to come with me, it was as if you knew and called me yourself. I'll finally get over Julia and maybe find someone much better. "
"What do you mean, you'll find someone better?" Thomas said, looking out the window, where trees were disappearing and reappearing.
"That's what it means " he grumbled.
Thomas didn't look out the window anymore, just looked in front of him as different houses appeared, and some people passed by.
"I'll tell you when to stop" John suddenly said "We have to go get another young man and then we'll walk. "
The driver looked at John, his head was bald and his face was covered with dark hair.
"Another young man" Thomas asked "what are you talking about? "
"Yes, I have a friend in this region and I asked him to come with me and he agreed, I don't see anything wrong with that. "
"You could have at least warned me" Thomas grumbled, imagining who it could be, but he couldn't think of anyone.
"Don't worry about it, Willie is a nice guy, I think you'll get along. " Thomas didn't answer, he just leaned back in the seat and fell asleep feeling tired.It was sunny outside so he felt sluggish.
Thomas opened his eyes and the taxi suddenly stopped.
"Thomas, we're here" John said. Thomas followed him out and they both stood in front of a house.
"Come on, Thomas, what are you standing there for?" Thomas obediently followed John and watched him knock on the door.
"Willie, it's me, open the door. "The door opened.
Willie was a broad-shouldered, black-haired guy with a long face and bright eyes.
"Who was that all of a sudden?" Willie looked at Thomas in surprise, "You didn't say anything about... "
"This is my friend Thomas"
John let go of Will's hand and stepped back.
Thomas looked at Willie standing in the doorway.
"Well, hello" he said, holding out his hand. He reluctantly took it.
"I believe John told you about me. "
"Not so much, but yes, he did"
Willie's house looked pretty nice.
"Why don't you come inside, little Johnny" Willie suddenly laughed.
"Don't call me that" John said indignantly as he stepped inside.
"Okay, sorry. "
Willie was older than John and Thomas, but Thomas didn't like this guy for some reason.
"Sit down and I'll get you a beer. "
John nodded cheerfully...Thomas felt like a fool for being here.
"Thomas, is something wrong?"
"It's okay " Thomas replied reluctantly, accepting the bottle Willie gave him.
Thomas opened the bottle in one swift motion and put it to his lips.
"How are you John? I haven't seen you in a long time " said Willie as he handed his friend the bottle.Thomas shifted nervously on the couch but Willie decided not to sit down next to them.
"I'm fine" John said, tipping the bottle "I'm glad we met. "
"And you, Thomas... "Willie looked over at Thomas.
"All right. "
"We're going to the fair now and you are coming with us. "
Willy smiled "I'm not going to miss this opportunity to have fun." He walked away and Thomas was left alone with John.
"What do you think about him, Thomas "John asked suddenly.
"I don't know"
"You look nervous or is it just me? "
"I'm fine" Thomas said, and not wanting to talk anymore, he stood up and walked out onto the porch.
Thomas finished his beer, wishing he hadn't come here, he just wanted to have fun with John, since he didn't have a backpack with him that made him feel even more depressed, he had nothing but a few bills in his pants pocket and his phone. Later, John and Willie left the house. Willie walked beside John and Thomas felt a little redundant. Willie suddenly pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to John, who accepted it gratefully to Thomas's surprise.That was not the John of old, the John who would never hold a cigarette.This John, who was next to Willie, pulled out a cigarette and lit it.Smoke came out of his mouth. John handed Thomas a cigarette, but he refused and asked:
"Since when do you smoke? " This question seemed to irritate John because he put the cigarette in his shirt pocket and looked at Thomas with his blue eyes.The cigarette was sticking out of his mouth and he took it out.
"What difference does it make since we are not children anymore, Thomas? "
Thomas fell silent and didn't say anything else.John was getting cold to him, probably because of the incident at the school party, Thomas thought.They walked down a path that eventually led them to a large gathering of people.There were many stalls and a stage.
"This is where the concert is going to be" John said.
"Yes" confirmed Willie, "I recently broke up with Margaret, I think now I can find someone else. "
Thomas threw the beer bottle in the trash and looked around.There were a lot of people around, some of them paying attention to them, but Thomas didn't care. He walked beside John now, who was talking to Willie about something.Willie was smiling and Thomas could feel the joy in him. He put his hands in his pants pockets and looked in front of him.
"Listen, Thomas, do you want to go to the bar with us tonight? "
Thomas suddenly hesitated, he knew he didn't have much money.
"Don't worry, I'll pay for you" John hit his friend on the shoulder and Thomas felt embarrassed but didn't say anything.
"Thomas, you've been quiet lately" Willie said "Maybe you can tell us something about yourself. "
"What to tell? "
"When did you first meet John?" he suddenly asked.Willie's cigarette was sticking out of his mouth.Thomas suddenly thought, he remembered it very well.
Thomas was walking down the street when he suddenly heard shouting. Three boys were standing next to John and beating him with their fists.
"Let him go" Thomas shouted.
These boys were stronger than Thomas and John and at least three years older. They were laughing at the words but continued to beat John.
"Three of you and one of him, that's not fair"
"And after that we both got a good beating" John said, laughing.
"I couldn't sit in a chair for a week " Thomas admitted.
Willie laughed too.
"Well, that's a good start to a friendship, so it looks like you owe Thomas for that one time, John. "
"Yeah" he muttered, throwing the cigarette out of his mouth and stomping it with his shoe.
"I don't think you owe me anything, John, we're friends. "
John was a little agitated.
"Yes" John said quietly "Friends"
"We'll get something to eat now, but the most important thing will be tonight " said Willie, raising his index finger up.
John smiled and along with Willie left Thomas to stand alone.
Soon they returned with glasses in hand and a packet of cookies.
"Here you go, Thomas " John said, handing the packet to Thomas.
"Thank you"
"I thought this fair would be more interesting,"
"Fairs are never interesting, don't you know that, John" Willie said. They sat down on a nearby bench and watched the people pass by.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Willie, maybe three years ago when I was in camp and that's it. "
"So you met in camp" Thomas asked.
"Yea" John said, dipping his lips into his glass "And we've been friends ever since.
"Let's go somewhere else, it's too loud in here " Willie said, standing up.
"John told me there would be something interesting at the fair, so he lied."
"As I said, there's never anything interesting at the fair, but I'm looking forward to the bar tonight. "
John laughed and handed the cookies to Thomas, who handed him a glass.
"How did you manage to forget about this Julia? " Willie asked, obviously John had told him everything, even his feelings for Julia.
"I tried, but damn it, I couldn't, that's why I came here to get away from it."
"That's right Johnny, you should forget about her, she's a nice girl, but there are plenty of others out there. "
"I told you not to call me that".
Thomas drank what was in the glass and threw it in the trash. Eventually they came to some ruins and went inside.
"What if it all collapses " John said suddenly.
"It won't fall down, don't worry" Willie pulled a pack out of his pocket.
John put his hand over his mouth.
Thomas looked at Willie in surprise, he was holding not just a pack.
"These are pills " he said calmly "pills that make you feel much better. "
"Don't do that, Willie, don't do that " John said, looking at Thomas in fright.
There were no doors or windows in the house, so Thomas was afraid someone would hear them.
"Okay, not now "Willie put the package back in his shorts pocket "But you two look like scared puppies".
"Would you like some pills, Thomas? " Willie asked in one second.
"No thanks". "I didn't know you were friends with such type of people" Thomas whispered in John's ear.
John recoiled and bit his lip indignantly.
"Willie, you do realize that if anyone found out.... "
"Don't you understand, John, no one will know except the three of us, only if you blab. " Willie glared at John and then turned his attention to Thomas.
"You'll keep your mouth shut, right Thomas? "
"It's none of my business"
"Good, I don't think Johnny will do anything stupid."
"That guy is suspicious " Thomas thought again, wondering why John had contacted him.
"What we came here for " John said indignantly.
"I thought you'd grown up a bit, but I was wrong, you're still the little Johnny I used to know. "
"Don't call me that Willie, just because I didn't agree with you taking that shit doesn't make me a kid, right? " John was mad.
"Don't worry, im joking, you know." Willie walked over to John and scratched his head. John was shorter than Willie but was able to get away from him and move to the side.
Willie pulled a cigarette out of his pocket.
"Here " John grunted, throwing the lighter.
He caught and lit the cigarette on the move.Willie sat down on the old bed that was pinned to the wall and looked at John.
"I'm bored " he said "and I want to have some fun. "
"Whose house is this? " Thomas asked.
"An old man who still wanders this street. "
"Why does this place look so bad? "
"This man left his house a long time ago, he burned it down himself, but the fire was still out."
Thomas suddenly smelled something he had never smelled before.
"He burned it himself " John wondered.
"He's not in his right mind, so if you meet this man, don't go near him, but people say he doesn't hurt anyone anymore, I don't know if it's true".
"Why doesn't he live here in these ruins" Thomas asked, looking up at the second floor.
"I don't know, but he just sleeps on the street like a bum, but they say he comes back here sometimes. "
"That's strange"
"Yes, the man is mysterious, but is that what matters now? "
Willie exhaled a heavy breath and lay down in bed.
"I'm going to get some rest, so you guys should go for a walk. "
John looked at Thomas in surprise and followed him out.
"Let's go to the second floor and see what's up there " John said, putting his hands in his pockets. They went back into the house and Willie was snoring and holding a cigarette butt in his hand. John snatched it out and stomped on it. Then they went upstairs. There was a tattered wardrobe, another burnt bed and some kind of nightstand near the bed. John went to the other side and Thomas sat down next to this nightstand and opened that. It was filled with all sorts of junk, but then Thomas noticed a notebook among that. Brown binding. Thomas looked around, John wasn't there. He wiped it clean of dust and opened. There was no name of the person who owned the notebook, but it contained photos of people Thomas didn't know. Suddenly Thomas realized there were a lot of photos and it seemed that those who were dead were simply crossed out, and those who were not...
"What is this, Thomas? "
Thomas suddenly slipped the diary into his pocket before John noticed.
"It's no use" he said, closing the nightstand.
"Let's get out of here, there's nothing interesting " John said calmly and Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.
They went down to the first floor and suddenly heard something creaking.
"This building is very old, so I think it could collapse at any time " John said.
They went out, leaving Willie alone.
"Maybe we should wake him up " asked Thomas, still thinking about the diary.
"Could this man Willie was talking about really be some kind of killer? But why didn't he say anything about it, does no one know anything, and why is this man walking around like a psychopath, but he should either be in a hospital or in jail? "
Thomas was overwhelmed with questions he clutched the diary in his pocket, and didn't say a word to John.
"I don't think so, Willie is a fool, if anyone finds out about his tricks he'll go to jail, we'll be complicit".
"Jesus John, no one will know about this, I don't know why you got involved with him, he's a bit of a shady guy. "
"Maybe you're right, Thomas, maybe not, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be friends with someone. "
"You didn't even tell me anything about him. I know you were mad at me about Julia, but you've known him for a long time and we promised that we would never lie to each other. "
Thomas sensed John's anger, he nervously pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, using another lighter.
"Yeah, Thomas, you're right, but that doesn't mean Willie's a bad guy, does it?"
"I don't know" Thomas shrugged
"You just don't know him, he's always willing to help, trust me."
"Yes, you're right, I don't know him at all, you've never told me about him."
"God, Thomas, we're not children anymore, we're not angry with each other anymore, it's over. "
"I didn't know you smoked, John, you never told me that either. "
"I've had some bad days, and that's why it happened. "
"I thought Willie taught you that. "
Thomas smiled and John frowned.
"Well, I'm sorry, I'm not your daddy to blame you, I'm just worried, that's all. "
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I've been so frustrated, Thomas, that's why I came here, to have some fun"
"Because of Julia. "
John nodded silently, holding the cigarette in his teeth. Then he pulled it out and smoke slowly came out of his mouth.
Thomas felt a sadness in his friend, now that he knew this was the John he used to be.
"You know what it is Thomas, I'm in a lot of pain, I just feel like I'm not wanted. "
"But it's not her fault, John. "
"It's not her fault, it's my fault because I fell in love with her, even though I knew it was so stupid and childish, I thought it would go away, but I still think about her, I thought it was a crush, but it won't go away, Thomas, I don't know what to do. "
"Calm down, buddy, I think you'll forget about her soon enough. " Thomas put his hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled.
John threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it.
"Give me one "
"You don't smoke " John said in surprise. John smiled and handed Thomas a cigarette and lit it.
Thomas coughed from the smoke, but after a while he felt a little better.
"I tried it once before and didn't like it" Thomas said.
"How do you like it now? "
"Not so much. "
John smiled again and Thomas blew out a puff of smoke and looked at his friend.
"Do you think he can change or not, I mean Willie"
Jonh's voice became lower. "Actually Willie's kind of a weirdo, but like I said, if I asked him, he always helped. People are tend to change tho". John looked down in concern and Thomas felt a stiffness in his gaze.
"But not in Willie's case"
"You really think so. "
"I do."
John snorted and didn't say anything.
"Sometimes it seems to me you can see things that others cannot" John said as he lit another cigarette.
"Look, you're not mad at me for this, are you? "
"What about? "
"Because of this ball"
"Of course not Thomas, I had a few too many drinks and said too much. "
"No, it's okay, but it was just a bit of an accident. "
"What happened? "
"The fact that I was there on the dance floor with Julia. "
"Oh, you mean that. "
John nervously squeezed his hand, taking the cigarette away from his mouth and looked at Thomas.
"I guess it doesn't matter anymore, let's leave these things in the past, Thomas. "
"You're right."
"Maybe we should go back for Willie, I think he's awake by now. "
"Let's go".
Thomas suddenly noticed an unusual group of teenagers.
"Who is that?"
John looked around.
"I think it's Willie's ex-girlfriend, but what's she doing here. "
"Who is she? "
"I don't know, but Willie told me about her. "
The girl suddenly noticed John and waved him over.
"Damn, I'll have to come over. "
"Hi John" the girl said cheerfully.
She was standing with another girl, she with long blonde hair and the other with dark brown hair.
"Hi Margaret" John said, holding a cigarette in his hand.
"I haven't seen you in a long time, John, you've changed, you're looking better. "
John smiled and turned away, Margaret and her friend, who was shorter than her, stood there smiling at John and then at Thomas.
"Who's this?" She asked looking at Thomas.
"My friend Thomas. "
Margaret bit her lip with a smile and looked at Thomas.
"He's not bad " she said, and extended her hand to Thomas.
Thomas could feel her excitement.
"I'm Margaret. "
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Thomas. "
He also stretched out his hand and shook it. Margaret moved away and Thomas noticed that she was wearing a short white dress, which was blowing in the breeze.
"And this is Angela"
Angela smiled, she didn't say anything, just looked at him, "Obviously shy" Thomas thought.
"So John, how's Willie? " Margaret asked with a little disgust "Does he miss me? "
"Of course " John laughted.
"You're coming to the party tonight, aren't you? "
"Yeah."
"And bring your friend too" the girl smiled slyly.
"All right Margaret, if you say so. "
"You've been quiet, John, has something happen? "
"No, I'm fine. "
"I'll see you at the party" Margaret said and walked away. John and Thomas stood there for a second, watching her and then headed into the unfinished building.
"Margaret cheated on him with another man and he left her " John said later.
"That's what Willie told you. "
"Margaret is not as simple as you think. "
"Yes, I've noticed"
"Don't tell me you like her, Thomas. "
"I didn't say that. "
John laughed
Thomas suddenly thought again about the diary "Who it belonged to, who the man was, and maybe he had made a mistake in taking it with him".
"Where have you been? " Willie wheezed, rubbing his eyes.
"We were just walking with Thomas and we ran into your ex on the way. "
"Margaret" Willie arched his eyebrows and got on his foot.
"Yes"
"Bitch" Willie said as they stepped outside.
Thomas looked over at John.
"Calm down" John said and Willie lit a cigarette.
"She betrayed me and I hate her, but Margaret is a girl with a temper and I like that. "
"So you like her"
"I mean, not really, but she's different. "
John laughed.
"Why are you laughing? "
"I have a feeling you still like her, Willie. "
"None of your business, Johnny. "
John frowned. Suddenly, Willie crashed into a man.
"Goddamn it " Willie snapped.
"Watch where you're going, you little bastard" the man said and punched Willie in the stomach, sending him flying and crashing to the floor.
"Willie" John shouted and ran to him. The man disappeared and Thomas noticed that he had gray hair and that the man was strange.
"How are you, Willie? "
"Who was that?" Willie wheezed, getting to his feet. The cigarette flew out of his mouth and Thomas put it out and helped Willie to his feet. "What the hell was that? " his eyes were bulging and looking frightened.
"You just ran into a man, so he gave you a beating "John said calmly, hiding his smile.
"My head. " Willie grabbed the back of his head and looked down at his hand, which was bloody.
"You need to ice it, I'll be right back" John said and walked toward the fairgrounds.
Thomas and Willie sat down on a bench and didn't speak for a while.
"What was that, Thomas? " Willie asked later
"I have no idea."
The man seemed to have just pushed Willie, but he went flying with such force that he smashed his head.
"My back, I think it's hurt too. "
Thomas sat and listened to Willie groan until John brought him some ice and put it on his head.
"We're not going to the party " John said suddenly.
"We will go, I'll feel better soon"
Thomas only now noticed that it was getting dark outside and that it was time for the party.
Willie yelped when he touched his head, but he was better.
"I still don't understand what happened"