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.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtw43TgTzs
Pressing five Greg waited a moment before a deep voice was heard on the other end of the line. “Hello, Greg?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZL9H5kYGp
“Hi, Frank…I mean Ian.” Greg said nervously.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzk0trAHbT9
“How many times have I told you to call me Ian and not Frank?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsKBL9QEId
“Sorry.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DsXKqbukL
“Don’t let it happen again. Have they searched your place?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4Y0UFf1mU
“The detectives are there now.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRNNn2pbtQ
“Did you hide the box?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AVOu4xLek
“Yes, I did.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZd5ejfibO5
“Good. You talked to the photographer?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tm9mHiGmo
“You mean Ben?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXz9TB0nvJ0
“Yes, of course.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlMdQYzMGb
“He called me earlier and the rest of the crew. They’re figuring out another plan.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SRd7riU4D
“Okay. You need to…”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UTMjLPfBJ
Greg could hear arguing in the background.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuUi0dKDNn
“Everyone back to your cells!” he heard someone yell.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlyz4couKD
“Greg I gotta go.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkPj3oKSA5
“What should I do?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBs6F9NJKkJ
“This call has ended.” Greg heard from an automated voice before the line went dead.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡme8s7fham1
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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAemeTANECJ
“Hey watch it!” Greg yelled looking up at the woman. 436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbvYJuUF5B
“I’m so sorry. I should have been paying more attention.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhXpczwXbt
“Yeah, you should have.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dd5ZTsyAJ
The woman smirked at Greg as she walked down the opposite side of the steps and stood a few feet away from him.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckcmgiZ96U
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.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhvafwfbL2
The woman shifted her eyes towards Greg before she said: “Look I said I was sorry.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WIIoO144H
Greg watched her fiddle with the phone in her hand, glancing down at it from time to time.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPp3Fu7JnSE
“What are you doing out here it’s late?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnok4UPzBOe
“It’s none of your business.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgP5UT1HARZ
Greg stayed silent for a minute as he tried to figure out what to say next. “Are you waiting for someone?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwAMZ0Uit4
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.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPM3BOfnH9B
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.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxlAROp4Aw
The woman darted her eyes toward the ground. Before she could respond to him, Lucy and the other women walked out of the shop.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEp0OqYOtm
“Greg you could have waited inside it’s so chilly out here.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIK3DMtTAib
“Grandma it’s okay. I wanted some fresh air.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3hgFiHzhu
“I see you met Odilia,” Lucy said pointing to the woman who by this point had joined the rest of the group.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYasbOH1EYZ
“I thought you were going to that concert.” Odilia’s grandmother said.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNYEmZtgat
“I’m waiting for my friend to answer me back.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mLCbaCqgK
“Greg, why don’t you take her?” Lucy said smiling at him.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBGoMgkj6U
“Well, I…”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEPK3eFA9Z
“He doesn’t have to. I’ll be all right.” Odilia said glancing at her phone once again.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEesZQd8HL
“I insist. Greg is such a nice young man. Plus, I want great-grandchildren.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GzWjYAgMj
“Grandma!” Greg said widening his eyes before continuing, “How are you going to get home?” he said to Lucy.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDFvdT5g0z
“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.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntCotNR7U5
“Ah okay. Is that okay with you Odilia?” Greg said trying to put on his best smile.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAuwCUPMoP
“Yeah, I guess,” Greg observed the hesitation in her eyes.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijT6qYiFPi
“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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ94sjOaW4a
****436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKV9TbTkpa
The bright lights of the outdoor stage lit up the night as Greg parked his car near the back of the concert.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9vFBW0iB6
“This is my stop,” Odilia said buttoning the top of her jacket. Stepping out of Greg’s car she continued, “Thanks again.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLoFQsinya
As she shut the car door and walked toward the venue Greg rushed out and ran up to her.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1z3l4FGlHz
“Yeah?” she said turning around to face him.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVmaLzhrrn
“Would you like some company?”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8nfCalAR6
“No, thanks.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAllPqopOu
“You sure? Concerts are always fun with other people.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPHULwrVS0
“Concerts are always full of people,” she said with a laugh.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUZrGWDaFU
“It will be fun. A time you’ll never forget.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWDQm50Fm9
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.”436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDPQ9jFman
“I’ll get you home before then,” Greg said with a smile as he walked with Odilia into the crowd.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUsrE3W1ON
****436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHNIBOUc1B
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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpsAtyQFz7
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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhbOYB6oRs
