“Dad likes to garden. He has a huge flower garden out back.”
That sounded pretty cool to me.
When we got to the front door, Malin stared at it for many seconds.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ve never rang the bell here before.”
“I’ll do it.” I stepped forward and pushed the button. Deep inside the house I heard chimes, rich and redolent like bells on a breeze. The double doors were huge. We waited silently, side byside. Trying to remain at ease. But both of us were anything but calm.
The doors rattled. Then began to open. A man in a black and white tuxedo stood at the entryway staring at us.
“Hello, Elias,” Malin said.
The man nodded at Malin, looked me over for a second, then stood to the side, arm out. “They’re expecting you in the second living room. You’re just in time. Luncheon will be served shortly.” His words were clipped. His eyes did not smile at Malin as he spoke.
Through our bond, Malin was slightly annoyed. I couldn’t quite tell if he liked Elias or not. Certainly, there was no welcoming gesture from the man.
I worried for a few seconds that we were walking into a world of cold winds, but as we stepped inside, the house was warm. It had a good energy.
I followed Malin past a beautiful foyer with paintings and mirrors and antique buffets, down a marble tiled hall and past a grand room with couches and stuffed chairs. We didn’t stop there but went deeper into the mansion until he made an abrupt left. We came to a halt beneath an archway. Straight ahead, I saw two men, one sitting on a couch, one pouring a drink. A little boy was sitting in a child sized chair watching cartoons on a huge flatscreen above a fireplace. He had a mop of curly blond hair. Toys lay scattered around him: a big yellow truck, a couple of stuffed animals, a tiny piano and some picture books.
Elias stepped forward. “Your guests have arrived,” he announced.
Immediately, the two men turned to look. They were both quite handsome. The taller one had dark hair like Malin’s and the other had hair a shade lighter than mine. Tane and Kirion. The boy remained glued to the cartoons.
Tane moved forward, hands out. At the same time, Kirion stood.
“Welcome, welcome,” Malin’s father said. “Come in and join us.”
“Hi, Dad.”
“Malin. I’m so happy to see you.”
I noticed they didn’t approach each other. Well, it had been years. Tane stared at Malin for a long time, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and done. Kirion came up alongside Tane and said, “Welcome to our home. I’m Kirion.” He smiled at me. “Would either of you like a drink? We have just about everything.”
“Hi. I’m Cassius. I’ll take a diet soda,” I said.
Malin cleared his throat. “I’ll have the same.”
I saw Tane’s eyebrows rise. But he didn’t comment. He turned to me, blinking. “Cassius. Nice to meet you. I’m Tane.”
We shook hands. “Nice to meet you, too, sir.”
He turned back to Malin. “There’s so much to catch up on.”
“Yes.” Malin didn’t move.
Tane waved his arm. “Well, come on in. Have a seat. Anywhere.”
At that moment, Remington turned to view us. He did not get up. Kirion went to a wet bar and got out sodas, glasses and ice. As he was pouring our drinks, he said, “That’s Remington being a little shy over there.”
I waved at him. “Hi, Remington. I’m Cassius.”
He waved back and said, “I’m four.” He held up four fingers.
Malin said, “Hello. I’m Malin. Four is a lot.”
