BLOODY LOVE'S
Chapter 8's

“So, you're going to the Discussion Building too finally?” Marco folded his hands in front of his chest, watching Jose in front of the mirror in the room.

“That's.” Jose nodded, combing his waves of black hair with his fingers.

“Why?”

“Because it looks interesting. Didn't Uncle himself urge me to go there often?”

“Yes, and you always resist slippery like an eel,” welcome Marco to wonder. “Who are you going with?”

Jose turned around, throwing astonished laughter at Marco. “Halo? Dad's not like that, Uncle.”

“It is precisely because of that. Your mother is busy with her company and your father is busy with work. They appointed me to be your tutor and supervisor. You are in my responsibility. So, who are you going with?”

“With Dave,” replied Jose, giving up because Marco will definitely remain fussy and urgent to find out. “Why? Will Uncle also come today?”

Marco hasn't been coming to the Discussion Hall very often lately. The man was busy with the missing person. Jose was just flirting about wanting his uncle to leave, forgetting that Marco was not a quitter.

“You'd better get home in time Jose.”

“Maybe I'll have a drink with Dave first," Jose said annoyedly. Marco always curbed himself and never left him alone, always making him angry and irritated. That's why he always runs away from his private lessons.

“Dave who do you mean?”

“Lord Dominic,” Jose says lazy. “His little name is David and I call him Dave.”

“Ah, Wright's first child?”

“Ya,” is Jose's only response. He knew his uncle would agree without much protest. Marco attaches more importance to status than anything else. During this time Jose was rarely fond of his friendship because he was lazy to see Marco's reaction. His friendship with Maria alone was enough to make the two almost betrothed—if only Maria did not laugh in front of Marco when the man proposed the engagement.

He recalls a story that one day Marco politely asked Mary something that contained a question about engagement. Knowing what Marco meant made Maria unable to hold back her laughter. Just a small laugh, a burst of startled laughter from not expecting the conversation to appear.

Jose would have laughed if he had been there. He could not imagine his uncle talking about engagement. It was not offended, but Marco was the other way around. The man turned away with a sick heart and his nose lifted high.

Garnet's family sent apologies with various expensive and valuable collections, and Maria herself came to apologize for her rude attitude (which was disobedient, according to her additional parents). Marco nods and forgives, though Jose knows that the man still harbors a bit of heartache.

Jose took a breath, broke the daydream and returned himself to reality. He turned his body around and walked to the door, looking at Marco with a frown. “I can pass?” tanyakanya. The man blocked the door by standing on his threshold.

“Sure.” Marco tilted his body, letting his nephew through. “You should bring a bodyguard with you.”

“Jeez, I'm with Dave! We are two grown men!”

“You're just twenty-three,” reprimand Marco.

“I'm just in the Discussion Building, Uncle. Don't exaggerate. What do they say when they see me coming with a bodyguard? I'll be laughed at!"

“That's a threat?” Jose turned around, staring with angry glittering eyes.

“That's affection. Well, impress everyone and hurry back, okay?”

Jose just turned the eyeball in return.

***

It's three o'clock, but Dave hasn't shown up yet. Jose went back and forth in and out of Pierre's shop tired of waiting. He knew that his friend was very difficult to be asked on time, but did not expect Dave dared to be late by half an hour.

Did he see any more girls? Jose glanced at the watch in his hand for the last time, then walked slowly away from the Pierre Shop. It's up to Dave to come and be surprised to see that he doesn't exist, just let him wait forever. Jose was getting upset when he thought maybe Dave had actually left first and forgot about their appointment.

Jose could've called the charter train, but he'd rather walk. Walking makes you think more clearly.

He could not stop thinking about the missing people and what his uncle was hiding. His eyes watched the ranks of the taverns as well as other shops. From small to large, the entire economy in the city of Bjork is controlled from the back by Marco. No one said that to Jose. Not even his parents. Jose knew that by himself.

When he was a child and his parents still often went out together, Jose was always a night explorer. Even when his three older brothers had slept well or pretended to sleep for fear of their uncle's anger, Jose was always the last to sleep. He would scour the house from room to room, pretending to be a cop being targeted by paid criminals.

So, he always sneaks in and practices making all his moves not sound to anyone. From there he learned what Marco was building.

Some well-dressed people came one night to Marco, they talked about a lot of things about this and that store, about income and expenses, and then after arguing with a serious face, he said, everyone always handed Marco a large bag and envelope. Long after, Jose only realized that the parcel must contain money. The people who came to his uncle were businessmen.

On another night there will be others who come to his uncle. For example people with shabby and tattered clothes. They will whisper slowly. Sometimes excited, usually Jose to be able to listen if someone talks past the spirit. Sometimes people of this type will cry or kneel while linking his hands in front of Marco, and the old man became the party who gave the bag—although the size is smaller than he usually received. It was only after adolescence that Jose realized that it was his uncle's way of looking for information.

Then there are other nights that are different from all that. There will be cops coming to Marco. Jose liked the police, so he watched his uncle every night whenever his parents left. He wanted to see the police again. The policemen would sit down drinking yellow or orange liquid, joking with his uncle. Sometimes they talk in whispers so Jose doesn't hear them.

It was all Jose's childhood memory. He was caught eavesdropping on police talks. After that, Marco always made sure his bedroom door was locked when he put Jose in the bedroom. Unfortunately Marco had no thoughts of locking the window. A curious and suspense-loving Jose soon finds a new hobby besides sneaking around. Parakeet.

All of those memories floated cinematically in Jose's head as he left the Pierre Shop where he had met Dave.

Dave.

Remembering his best friend made Jose feel a little guilty. So he thought again, should I wait for fifteen minutes?

Ah, but he was already too late, argued Jose himself, still in mind.

He glanced around, watching in case he saw Dave on the street. There are women with fluffy skirts, other more modern women with miniskirts, there are old men who buy flowers, children running around carrying books, and there are old men who buy flowers, then there were two patrolmen walking silently. But there was no Dave.

In fact, Jose's eyes caught another familiar figure. The person was walking calmly in the opposite direction of the Discussion Building. His clothes were all black formal suits, with a high hat as in general and a sweet metallic walking stick.

That's Sir William.

***