.2.
Dom’s uncle, Sunny, walked into the coffee shop, coming to a pause when he saw his nephew’s slim body slung over the front counter, waist up.
“You okay there, Dom?” Sunny chuckled.
Dom shot upright and pushed his hat back. He grinned and nodded sleepily, “Yeah, I’m good... Just a little stiff...”
Sunny shook his head as he walked over and turned Dom’s face to one side so that the wound on his face was clearer to see, “Yeah... You’d better go ahead and take off, kid, you look pretty done up.”
“I’m fine,” Dom assured him quickly, clasping his hands together in his lap, “Dad won’t be home ‘til later anyhow seeing how he’s fallen into the habit of stopping by the neighborhood bar every night after work.”
By the way that Sunny looked at him, Dom knew he had said too much. Biting his lip, Dom rubbed the back of his neck and squirmed uneasily on the barstool on which he was seated.
“How are things, Dom?” Sunny queried, resting his elbow on the counter top’s surface as he leaned against it.
Dom pressed his lips together and lowered his sapphire gaze to his lap, longing for a customer to walk in. None did, and when he returned his gaze to his uncle he found he was under a heavy examination.
“Fine, I guess...” he said finely, “Different from what it used to be... but fine.”
“Do you want to come stay with Teri and me for a while?” Sunny asked him, “Just until things clear up or...”
“No,” Dom said quickly, hopping off the stool and snatching up his satchel, “No... umm... On second thought... I’m gonna head down to the pier, I think... The light’s perfect for snapping some pictures and all that, so...”
He rushed passed Sunny, “Besides, Chewy’s with Talon at the Ferris wheel so I need to go ahead and get him-“
“Dom,” Sunny interrupted him.
Dom looked over his shoulder at him just as he reached the door.
“You can tell me anything,” Sunny told him.
Dom licked his lips and seemed to feel more apprehensive than before. But he nodded and flashed one of his famous crooked, white grins before he hurried out the door without another word.
Chewy sat at Dom’s feet when Dom sank onto a bench. Dom looked at the shepherd dog and gave his limp ear a fond tug as he sighed, “What are we gonna do, buddy?”
Chewy whimpered and rested his head on Dom’s knee, his liquid blue eyes pouting up at him.
“I don’t know either,” Dom sighed, biting his thumbnail.
He gathered the dog’s face in his hands pressed his brow to Chewy’s saying softly, “We’ll get through this together, though, right, pal? Things’ll calm down some, we just have to get through it all...”
A camera flashed, and he looked up to see one of the most peculiar sights he had ever seen.
A girl stood only a few feet away holding a large camera. That was not what puzzled him. What startled him were the varieties and the patterns of the colors that she wore. Reds, blues, greens, purples, yellows, even oranges. Her hair even had bizarre colors among the long tresses of the natural dark crimson. To anyone with eyes she might have been the most colorful, vibrant person on the pier. She was.
“Did you just take a picture of me?” he asked, knowing it was completely obvious.
She giggled and seated herself next to him, “Well, when inspiration hits you, you might as well roll with the blow. Otherwise, you’ll lose that perfect moment... I’m Red. Well, that’s not my real name; my real name is Evelyn but I told my mother it sounded like some gothic name from the Medieval Times and I don’t really like that time period, so I went with “Red” my favorite color, plus everyone calls me “Red” anyhow, so I might as well just go along with it, right?”
Dom stared at her for a moment. He grinned, flashing a smile as he held out his hand, “Dom... My name is Dom... Short for ‘Dominic’.”
“Ooh, I like that name,” she gasped, “It sounds so strong and superior.”
He grinned.
“You know, you suit your name very well,” she told him, “Especially with all those fighting mars. My friends over there saw you and they said you looked like a ‘bad boy’ or whatever, but I don’t think so at all.”
“Why don’t you think so?” he asked.
“Because if you got those bruises from a fight you wouldn’t be trying to hide them like you are now,” she replied, shrugging, “It’s neat how I do that, huh? My mom’s a psychoanalyst and she’s taught me all kinds of tricks like that.”
He gulped and looked away, suddenly uncomfortable.
Red only smiled, “I tend to a little outspoken... I’m sorry, Dominic... Most people hate me for that. But I am what I am and I guess that means they have to live with it.”
He looked at her again. She amazed him with her willingness to speak to a complete stranger.
“Well, my class is about to move on,” she sighed, “I’d better go.”
She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and said, “I’ll see you around, Dominic.”
Dom watched her go, his head in a daze. He turned to Chewy, who sat there panting with his pink tongue lolling out of his mouth.
Dom turned back to see if he could spy that sprite-like girl, but she was gone. Again, he looked at Chewy, and said, “What just happened?”
