It was a dark and stormy night.. I mean, no, really, it was.. as Ranveig was lying in bed, dreaming about the argument with Robert just the night before, to the sound of the rain hammering down on the roof and the wind howling its way up through the valley... It was just one of those usual august rainstorms, and according to the forecast it should be raining all day..
"Maybe I was a little to hard on him.." she thought as she woke up, "..but then again, he needs to understand that in my house he will follow my rules. It's for his own safety and well being that I don't want him roaming around the streets at night.. I still remember that case from some years ago, when a teenage boy went missing, leaving behind only one of his shoes and a bag of gym clothes.. and they still haven't found him.."
Still thinking about it, and the newly upgraded tv that also just happened to break before she went to bed yesterday, she gets up to meticulously make her bed before going downstairs to prepare lime pie for breakfast.. Oliver Freddy is also up, and turns on the tv downstairs to play some video games.
Then it's time to go to work. Ranveigs
summer holiday is over, and its back to the office.. She tells Oliver
Freddy to watch the pie in the oven and to remember that Robert is
grounded and isn't going anywhere today, before she heads out the
backdoor braving the rain as she runs towards the work carpool
outside..
"No problem mom... I got it.." he answers
with his eyes glued to the screen probably hearing only half of what
she said...
Upstairs Robert wakes up and it looks like he's in a real sour mood this morning...
He wants to make sure Ranveig has left the lot before going downstairs, so he picks up a book from the bookshelf that Ranveig just bought to organize the home a little better and sits down to peacefully read a copy of "Murder in Pleasantview"... He had just reached the bottom of the page where a random bypasser had found the charred remains of a body that was later identified as Karen Gast, the cute old nanny living just up the street with her two cats and a parrot. The book went into quite a lengthy description of the surroundings where the body was found, as well as of the body itself.
"This book is really well
written, it's almost as if I can smell the body from where I'm
sitting.." he thought. "It really does smell like something
has been burnt, or is burning..."
"Wait, hold on a minute..."
His smell didn't betray him, something was burning.. Of course, Oliver Freddy had gotten so immersed in his video game, he completely forgot about the lime pie in the stove...
"Oh shoot.. the pie!" Oliver Freddy thought to himself when the smell reached his video gaming nostrils, making him throw the controller away to get up and do his best to put out the fire that developed shortly thereafter..
"What's going on? The kitchen's on fire!" Robert shouted as he ran down the stairs after being startled by the fire alarm and losing what page he was on..
"I forgot the pie! Call the
fire department!"
Robert did as his brother told him. Even though he was in a bad mood, he didn't want to see the house burn down because of a pie in the oven..
..though there was no need to, as
Oliver Freddy managed to put the fire out just before the fire truck
arrived outside. Having finished his fourth semester at university,
Oliver Freddy had already built up enough of experience putting out
kitchen fires started by the various specimen of room mates he had to
share a dorm with...
With the fire being put out, Robert thought he could wisely use the moment to plant a trap on the chair outside that he knew his mom always liked to sit on whenever she started to feel.. a little strange (even though, since she started to finally take medications, she hasn't had the urge to do so in a good while).
A fire fighter eventually arrived, and was as expected not very happy..
Though she was perhaps slightly impressed still by Oliver Freddys bravery to put out the fire, as she stayed behind to talk to him for a good while. Not just about fire, but also her favourite plays at the theatre...
While she was keeping Oliver Freddy busy, Robert thought he could use the opportunity to sneak out because atleast they would have to understand that he needed to go to school, but Oliver Freddy saw him and gave him a sharp reminder that he was grounded.. which planted some pretty ghostly thoughts into his mind...
"I hate him, and I wish he was dead....I need to get out of this house..."
Since walking out the front door didn't work, Robert pretended he was going to sit down on the computer to do a little more writing.. but he only did so in order to walk past them towards the back door... He wasn't sure if it would work sneaking out that way, but it was the only option he had left, besides climbing out one of the windows, that is...
"He must really like that fire fighter girl to not notice this..." he thought after he had made it past them to open the door as silently as he could...
"I can't believe he's that dumb..
but hey, it's fine by me.."
"Mom left her car behind, as she always does when Oliver is home.. I almost want to take it for a drive, but I'm probably in enough trouble as it is.."
Robert being an athletic and outdoorsy
person wanted to go for a swim, but since it was still pretty stormy
outside he hitched a taxi to go to the gym to go swimming in the
indoor pool instead..
After a good while of talking the fire
fighting woman thought she had built up enough rapport to take the
conversation to the next level (and maybe with time offer him
some of her own pie...), however, Oliver Freddy wasn't that
interested after all. From here things turned a little sour, and she
thought it best to leave and return to the fire
station..
After she had left Oliver Freddy still
wanted to make friends with her and send her a text message.. just to
bad he didn't get her number...
At the gym Robert took a break from swimming to go upstairs to tell jokes about the stars to Mikael Bastiansen. Robert was lucky that he didn't ask any questions as to why he wasn't in school...
It looks like Oliver Freddy has
completely forgotten about Robert now, because after eating his..
brunch.. he called his girlfriend up to hang out at the arcade over
at the Hermansen lot. Again it was raining to much to do anything
outside.. on a fine summer day the small alley café on the lot would
be bustling with people, but now it was pretty empty...
Photo: The Hermansen Lot behind the theatre and next to the Garage pub.
..but of course, since it was an arcade, there were plenty of ways to be entertained indoors, such as playing one of the latest arcade games to come out; DragonForce XIV: The quest for Stevies magical triangles...
While they were playing Inge talked
about going back to university to continue her art studies, and of
course a little later also brought up the topic of having a family of
their own, raising kids and all that, to which Oliver Freddy didn't
really reply...
When Ranveig was finished with her
shift she came home to an empty living room, but since the stereo was
still on, she assumed that Robert was upstairs, either watching tv or
reading a book.
...but of course, nobody was there and
he wasn't in the boys bedroom either..
At the gym a few seconds later somebodys phone was ringing.. Robert hoped it was Margrethe as he pushed the buttons to slow down the speed of treadmill before getting off. Though it was a female voice on the other end, it wasn't the sweet voice of his girlfriend, but rather the harsh voice of his..
"Mom...H-hi mom, I was just.."
"Robert! Where are you? Need I
remind you that you're grounded..."
"I'm uh... but
mom, I thought I could go to school..."
"School? Really? If you're in school, then why do I hear treadmills, huh?"
"It's uh.. we're having an
excursion today, to the gym!"
Ranveig knew this was a
lie, as the school would always send the kids home with a letter in
advance for each parent to sign before taking the kids to an
excursion, and she had seen no such letter recently...
"Oh, I see.. then you won't mind
if I have a word with your teacher then, so we can sort this
out..."
"I uh.. I can't, she's umm.. busy helping
someone else..."
"Is that so? Stay right where you
are, I'm coming to get you!"
Those words couldn't have been more ominous.. Ranveig had always been a determined woman, and she was not one to be messed with, and she wasn't going to accept having her own son defy her own rules, and then lie directly to her like that..
Once she hung up she was quick to call for a taxi and run out the door as soon as it arrived.
"Take me to the gym!" she said with a stern voice as if she was an officer in the army shouting orders to the new recruits...
"Yes sir ma'am!" the taxi
driver responded, thinking it wouldn't be much use trying her usual
playful banter with this one.. "Why is everyone so grumpy today?
Must be the weather..." she thought, as she put the car in gear
and carefully rolled out of the driveway...
"Just floor it!" Ranveig commanded from the backseat "I'm in a hurry!"
"Ma'am.. I understand, but I
can't break the speed limit, especially not in these conditions.."
the taxi driver responded as the wheels of the car hit another puddle
of water in the road, splashing it all over the windscreen and
proving her point...
At the gym Robert had gone into the men's wardrobe to shower, thinking that atleast he would be safe in there.. When he was finished he had nervously peaked through the horizontal glass windows on the door to check if the coast was clear, and since he saw no sign of his mom, he thought he was just about to get away with it all.. until he rounded the corner, that is...
Ranveig was really furious, and it
wasn't only to prove a point, she was genuinely mad as she turned to
face Robert.
"You're in MAJOR trouble now, young man! Don't EVER let me catch you doing this again! Do you understand!?"
"Ok, mom.. I was just going to the gym, I did nothing wr- " Robert tried to excuse himself, but Ranveig wasn't listening.
"Get in the taxi, we'll talk more
when we get home!"
Once home Ranveig had managed to calm down a little now that her son was back home again. she explained to him that she just almost considered prolonging his grounding, but instead she gave him an offer that she would not do so if he instead started to help out a little around the house.. She also gave him a time out and told him there would be no tv or computer for a while... not even to write on his novel..
"Stupid mom....."
Robert wasn't happy with any of this,
and thought she was being way to strict.. Come on, he was just out
fishing! So what if it was a little past curfew? There was no need to
be grounded for that! And he was only at the gym working out! How can
that be wrong!? Everybody does that! And to even deny him to write on
his novel... that just didn't make sense! It was totally not
right! He was definately gonna get back at her once his time out was
over! Definately! Stupid, stupid, stupid mom!
While Robert was angrily pondering his next move against his mom (in a game he was destined to lose no matter what..), Inge and Oliver Freddy was happily driving home from the Hermansen lot in Ranveigs car.
After they had stopped outside Ranveigs
house, Inge needed a time out to deal with her own tender emotions
before entering the house – like she always did. Bless that
artistic and sensitive soul of hers.. ;) It's just so touching, she
finds beauty in everything, from the fleeting rings made by the
raindrops as they hit the puddles of water on the sidewalk to the
fact the she will once again return to Lake Onebega and meet her
roommates again... and Samantha Grey, her new and fascinating friend
from last semester...
Oh, it was all so overwhelming! It was just to much to handle! Her heart was just way to open to all these impressions... sometimes she really did wish there was a way to shut it all out, if not for just a little while...
At the same time as Oliver Freddy was
out there comforting Inge, Robert was planting a trap on the computer
for whoever was to use it next.. a trick he had learned from Otto who
has already succesfully used it during computer class in school...
devious little bugger. ;)
..but he wasn't done with that.. shortly after Inge and Oliver Freddy had gone inside to seek shelter from the rain and wait for the truck to take them to university, he immediately wanted to talk to Inge for some reason..
He starts off innocently by talking
about the weather and telling jokes about cooking, before getting a
little more 'serious' and delivering flirtatious comments.. He's only
thirteen and much to young for Inge, and she is, of course, appalled
at his comments..
"I'm not into boys... and I'm already in a relationship.. with your brother!"
Now, I can see why a 13 year old boy
can find a 21 year old woman attractive, that probably happens all
the time, but....so I'm not gonna hold it against him, hormones and
all... and I wouldn't be to surprised if Robert is going to take
after his party animal father, who was quite the womanizer in his
younger years (or.. atleast fond of women...), which is just why
Robert at one point in time came to be...
Inge sat down to watch some tv with Ranveig, when Oliver Freddy got up to answer the phone. It was the driver of the van that would take them to university.. He apologized for taking so long as he had to do a detour. The rain had eventually reached further inland and caused flooding so bad that the main road leading out of Sunset Valley and up into the mountains had to close.. but finally he was here, or 'just around the corner' and it was time to go...
Robert could hear
his brother talking on the phone from upstairs, and came down again
to say goodbye..to his brother that is, not to Inge. He knew he would
regret it if he didn't...
Ranveig was on the spot immediately to wave her beloved offspring goodbye. Robert was a little more hesitant, and didn't feel comfortable waving his brother off until he was sure Inge had gotten into the car and was out of sight...
..and as they stood there waving and the car gained traction on the still wet road surface, finally the clouds began to give way just enough for the trees to cast their shadows once more... :P
..and that was it, as the car drove off makinge a right turn at the end of the road to head for the mountains...
Now it would be only the two of them again.... and Robert should probably head back inside soon once Ranveig snaps out of watching them leave.. as he is still grounded of course... ;)
"Safe travels... and don't forget to call me after you have arrived..."
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