Greg took another puff of his cigarette and looked up at the clouded Philadelphia sky. His grandmother was inside the yarn store. Knitting with her friends and talking about who knows what. He needed to find a way to talk to Frank, he always had the answers to everything. As if on cue Greg’s phone rang and he answered, “…please press five to accept this call.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6ZHVOWgPw
Pressing five Greg waited a moment before a deep voice was heard on the other end of the line. “Hello, Greg?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SPaI4yjAd
“Hi, Frank…I mean Ian.” Greg said nervously.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlU37MGzw3I
“How many times have I told you to call me Ian and not Frank?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2O3NpsfW1X
“Sorry.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgZL52pdB1
“Don’t let it happen again. Have they searched your place?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5W4mH8ziL
“The detectives are there now.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpKq1j1Z4r
“Did you hide the box?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg730edEn56
“Yes, I did.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZrHCf4Nxm
“Good. You talked to the photographer?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZPpvDgIGa
“You mean Ben?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsG06bjmPxg
“Yes, of course.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8k7jFs9pjV
“He called me earlier and the rest of the crew. They’re figuring out another plan.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDJvkqqW1k
“Okay. You need to…”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYrw7Wr3WI
Greg could hear arguing in the background.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHu48S81gmQ
“Everyone back to your cells!” he heard someone yell.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxH8v7SK7R
“Greg I gotta go.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9zwr7r9GT
“What should I do?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofRmMUi8au
“This call has ended.” Greg heard from an automated voice before the line went dead.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSGq4f5siJ
He put the phone back in his pocket and sat on the steps outside of the yarn store. A woman who looked in her early thirties opened the door and stepped out of the shop. She wore a pair of light gray crocheted mittens and a knitted sea blue colored beanie. Walking down the steps, she bumped into Greg’s back with her foot.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRusWGDPOy
“Hey watch it!” Greg yelled looking up at the woman. 435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhmYl3uNj6
“I’m so sorry. I should have been paying more attention.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw28Ge1tW6a
“Yeah, you should have.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2A7IElxST
The woman smirked at Greg as she walked down the opposite side of the steps and stood a few feet away from him.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHPy3SOyd0
Greg couldn’t help but look at the woman and admired her beauty. He wanted her. No, he needed her. Greg smoothed out his jacket before calling out to the woman, “Hey.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8awk1XShT
The woman shifted her eyes towards Greg before she said: “Look I said I was sorry.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mgcpZy0n6
Greg watched her fiddle with the phone in her hand, glancing down at it from time to time.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5tELYNsK6
“What are you doing out here it’s late?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhKuxJgAhr
“It’s none of your business.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizUTRNAWPD
Greg stayed silent for a minute as he tried to figure out what to say next. “Are you waiting for someone?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iK8YDew3u
The woman frowned and stepped a little closer to where Greg was still sitting and said "My friend is picking me up. There’s an outdoor concert a few blocks away, but she hasn’t responded.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEB4GIzfGX
Greg looked at his watch which lit up against the night sky. His grandmother was almost done with her group. Suddenly, oh so suddenly an idea popped into his head. So daring and it wasn’t something he’d done before, but it was finally time to get something he wanted. “Well, my grandmother is almost done with her yarn group and I could take you there if you’d like.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTziBMxXqg
The woman darted her eyes toward the ground. Before she could respond to him, Lucy and the other women walked out of the shop.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ByKZQsi15
“Greg you could have waited inside it’s so chilly out here.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN8QuZRLZv
“Grandma it’s okay. I wanted some fresh air.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzEPDML1dl
“I see you met Odilia,” Lucy said pointing to the woman who by this point had joined the rest of the group.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKhoNnSlTz
“I thought you were going to that concert.” Odilia’s grandmother said.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrm7NQicXAS
“I’m waiting for my friend to answer me back.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNTbWRizKx
“Greg, why don’t you take her?” Lucy said smiling at him.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfihVv1NEJ
“Well, I…”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqklB1eJyD
“He doesn’t have to. I’ll be all right.” Odilia said glancing at her phone once again.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdR9OqCcZv
“I insist. Greg is such a nice young man. Plus, I want great-grandchildren.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfGJBPcbTb
“Grandma!” Greg said widening his eyes before continuing, “How are you going to get home?” he said to Lucy.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33e2yzXJla
“I’m going over to Odilia’s grandmother’s house. She has some nice yarn I could have. Plus, we were in the middle of a good conversation.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiH8GCGrQnl
“Ah okay. Is that okay with you Odilia?” Greg said trying to put on his best smile.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TzWlRkrch
“Yeah, I guess,” Greg observed the hesitation in her eyes.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZek75ffpg
“Don’t worry I won’t bite.” Greg gave Lucy a hug before leading Odilia to his car. As he drove toward the concert he couldn't wait to see what the night would bring.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeaWhU9vrU
****435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHYDubCCIx
The bright lights of the outdoor stage lit up the night as Greg parked his car near the back of the concert.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemocbia7QK
“This is my stop,” Odilia said buttoning the top of her jacket. Stepping out of Greg’s car she continued, “Thanks again.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKrmPtJ5xs
As she shut the car door and walked toward the venue Greg rushed out and ran up to her.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriqUaZzYxF
“Yeah?” she said turning around to face him.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Q9YZqHjHN
“Would you like some company?”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCsQuk9QOU
“No, thanks.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyePAixHuh
“You sure? Concerts are always fun with other people.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKz6FyKwPp
“Concerts are always full of people,” she said with a laugh.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjE4xxaHaaQ
“It will be fun. A time you’ll never forget.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqtmE1BhFP
Greg could almost see the wheels spinning in Odilia’s head. She looked up at him with a soft smile and said “I guess. I need to get home by midnight. I have a busy day tomorrow.”435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhKihDDWmh
“I’ll get you home before then,” Greg said with a smile as he walked with Odilia into the crowd.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdGZII3BpT
****435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNS7UGSnlX8
The music pulsed in Greg’s ears as he hit Odilia once more. He saw her chest slowly rise and fall. Pieces of her clothes were in a small pile near her body. He looked around and saw a beige burlap fabric laying on the ground. It probably covered some tech equipment at some point in the night. Greg covered Odilia’s body, and he casually walked away.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbm9AvvW1B
Returning to his car he drove back to his apartment. His hands created red marks on the steering wheel as he smiled. Happy to know he finally got what he wanted and he couldn’t wait for more.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW510hAtKlM
