The next day, Pardi was sitting in the private lounge at the train station. He was waiting for Orcille to arrive. The train pulled up at the station. Shortly afterwards, Orcille entered the private lounge.
Pardi rose from his seat to rush over to meet him. ‘So good to see you, son,’ he said as he opened up his arms to hug Orcille. Orcille accepted the hug. He did not hug in response. He felt very uncomfortable.
‘Your actions have contributed to changing the whole course of our civilisation,’ proclaimed Pardi.
‘So, I’ve contributed to our extinction,’ replied Orcille sarcastically.
‘Well, in a weird way, you’re not that far from the truth,’ said Pardi in an upbeat tone. ‘You just need to add a bit more of a positive spin to it,’ he added.
‘Where are you sending me off to next?’ asked Orcille cynically.
‘Last few years have been tough,’ said Pardi. ‘Last time you were here, it was tougher. I have changed so much since those days. Just give me a chance?’ asked Pardi.
‘You left me in a prison cell for weeks. So don’t blame me if I’m sceptical,’ replied Orcille.
‘You’re here now,’ replied Pardi. ‘I have arranged for you to have your own apartment. It’s in a very convenient location.’
‘Convenient for what?’ asked Orcille sharply.
‘For your new job,’ said Pardi.
‘Thanks, I guess,’ replied Orcille.
‘Come, let’s take a stroll together. It’s only a twenty-minute walk from here,’ said Pardi.
The two walked together to the apartment. The conversation was amicable.
Pardi showed Orcille around the empty apartment. ‘What do you think?’ asked Pardi.
‘It’s nice,’ replied Orcille.
‘That’s not all,’ said Pardi. ‘You can order anything you want. You can design the place exactly the way you want it.’
‘Anyway I want it?’ said Orcille.
‘Anyway at all,’ said Pardi as he pulled his laptop out.
The two of them sat on the floor as they searched decorators’ websites. Orcille found a website that allowed users to design the interior of their own apartment virtually. Orcille had fun picking wall-painted artwork.
‘This place is going to look so cool,’ said Orcille.
‘It’s everything you deserve, sweetie,’ said Pardi as he put his arm around Orcille. ‘Okay, now it’s time to fill this place with furniture and lots of other really cool stuff,’ said Pardi. They spent the rest of the day ordering things.
‘That’s it, two days from now. You’ll have your dream home,’ said Pardi.
Orcille rested his head on Pardi’s shoulder. Pardi rubbed his fingers through Orcille’s hair.
Orcille began crying. ‘It’s okay. It’s all okay now,’ said Pardi softly.
‘It hasn’t been like this for so long,’ sobbed Orcille.
‘I know, I’m so sorry for how I have treated you, sweetie,’ said Pardi.
‘Can I come home tonight?’ asked Orcille.
‘Sorry, not tonight,’ said Pardi. ‘I have things I need to attend to and some complicated guests.’
‘Guests you are keeping secrets from, I suppose,’ said Orcille.
‘Yeah, that’s a fair assessment,’ said Pardi. ‘I have booked a hotel room for you for the next two nights.’
‘When this is all sorted, can I come home sometimes?’ asked Orcille.
‘Of course, anytime you like. Whatever suits you,’ said Pardi as he kissed the top of Orcille’s head.
Orcille rolled onto his back to face Pardi. ‘There’s something I need to know. Please be honest with me,’ requested Orcille.
‘Of course,’ replied Pardi.
‘What happened to the two girls that went missing?’ asked Orcille.
‘What do you mean?’ replied Pardi.
‘The two girls that showed up were imposters,’ said Orcille.
‘You have a keen eye,’ said Pardi.
‘Tell me. Please tell me?’ asked Orcille.
‘I needed replacements for the girls as I needed them as witnesses to prove Victor’s guilt,’ said Pardi.
‘You also used them against Denise and Morgan,’ said Orcille.
‘It was necessary. I needed more than one to take the fall for what happened,’ said Pardi. ‘Even more so after Victor died.’
‘Will you help them now that this is over?’ asked Orcille.
‘If you want me to, I will,’ said Pardi. ‘I’m already sorting something out for the commander.’
‘Okay, great,’ said Orcille. ‘You still haven’t answered my question about the whereabouts of the girls.’
‘You’re persistent,’ replied Pardi.
‘Yeah, I’m not going to stop asking until you tell me,’ said Orcille.
‘The families were transferred out of Adoy to a new region. During the transfer, the girls were swapped back. They all went off to live happily ever after,’ said Pardi.
Orcille knew the story sounded weak but did not want to persist in asking questions at this time. He was afraid of ruining the great day he had spent with his father.
After walking Orcille to the hotel, Pardi walked back home. To his surprise, Governor Lily was in the dining room with the girls. They were painting each other’s faces.
‘Looks like you are having fun,’ said Pardi as he sat down with them.
‘Bringing art and fantasy together,’ said Lily.
‘We are both monsters, and Lily is a superhero,’ said Yassme.
‘I didn’t think superheroes saved monsters,’ said Pardi.
‘In our fantasy, anything is possible,’ replied Yassmay.
Lily looked at Pardi and smiled. ‘You seem much happier now,’ she said.
‘I am. It feels like things are coming together again,’ replied Pardi. ‘I also enjoy having you here.’
‘Maybe I’m a better strategist than Collingswaggle,’ said Lily.
‘Maybe you are just more evil,’ replied Pardi.
‘Well, we are like two supervillains trying to take over the world,’ said Lily.
‘Hey, stay in character. You’re a superhero tonight,’ said Yassmay.
‘Okay, we are like two superheroes trying to save the world,’ replied Lily.
‘I think that’s a hint for us to paint you too, daddy,’ said Yassme.
‘Sure, why not?’ replied Pardi. The two girls painted Pardi’s face.
Afterwards, they shared a few cakes, drank some pineapple juice, and had a really enjoyable evening. The girls were exhausted. Pardi and Lily carried them to their bedroom. They tucked them in and kissed them goodnight.
Pardi and Lily sat on the sofa together. ‘Today was different,’ said Pardi.
‘Looks like you did things that made you happy,’ said Lily.
‘I wasn’t productive,’ replied Pardi.
‘Just motivation to be more productive in the coming days,’ said Lily.
‘Are you coming over tomorrow night?’ asked Pardi.
‘If you want me to,’ said Lily.
‘Of course, we have lots of planning to do,’ said Pardi firmly. ‘Almost all the candidates are confirmed. The election is only a week away.’
‘Then I better get home,’ said Lily. ‘I need to start working bright and early tomorrow.’
‘You’ll need to let me wash your face first,’ said Pardi. ‘You can’t walk home looking like that. It’ll hurt your credibility.’
Pardi gently wiped Lily’s face with a damp cloth. He took his time as he carefully felt the contours of her face. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a few seconds.
After Pardi had successfully cleaned all the paint off, he led Lily to the door.
‘Do you need me to walk you home?’ he asked.
She grinned slightly. Then she gave Pardi a hug. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she said as she walked off.
Two days later, in the afternoon, Pardi arrived at the hotel where Orcille was staying. Orcille was sitting in the lobby, drinking pineapple juice.
‘Great news, your apartment is ready,’ said Pardi to Orcille.
Orcille quickly downed the rest of the pineapple juice. ‘I’m ready to go,’ he said as he leaped out of his seat.
‘Love the energy,’ replied Pardi. They walked out of the hotel together. They took a few detours to the apartment to buy clothes, shoes, and hats. About two hours later, they finally arrived.
‘Close your eyes,’ said Pardi.
Orcille closed his eyes. Pardi opened the front door. He pulled Orcille to the centre of the lounge area.
‘Open your eyes,’ he said.
Orcille opened his eyes. He looked around the room in amazement. It was decorated exactly the way he wanted it. He was so impressed with the detail of the pictures and the variety of colours used.
‘Check out your kitchen. It has all the most modern appliances. It even has robots to take care of any of the mundane tasks,’ said Pardi.
‘This is really impressive,’ said Orcille.
‘You also have the latest virtual reality set. It will take you anywhere in Sapia. It will let you go on any adventure. It even has a nosepiece so you can experience smell and a mouthpiece so you can experience taste,’ said Pardi proudly.
‘Wow, I’ll try not to overindulge,’ said Orcille with a smile.
‘Next up, your bedroom,’ said Pardi.
They both walked into the bedroom.
‘Here is the cave bed you have always wanted,’ said Pardi.
‘I’m really looking forward to the best night’s sleep ever,’ said Orcille.
‘Just as long as you are able to get up tomorrow,’ said Pardi. ‘You have a busy day ahead of you.’
Orcille continued to look around the room. ‘Two wardrobes. One for formal and the other for informal clothes,’ said Orcille.
‘More like one for sensible and the other for crazy,’ said Pardi.
‘There is something else I would like, but I know you wouldn’t approve,’ said Orcille.
‘Whatever I wouldn’t have approved of is in the past,’ said Pardi.
‘For real?’ asked Orcille.
‘You bet, now let me show you your awesome hot tub,’ said Pardi.
