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.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQDgJOQleV
Pressing five Greg waited a moment before a deep voice was heard on the other end of the line. “Hello, Greg?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVVuld0X6e
“Hi, Frank…I mean Ian.” Greg said nervously.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkUdlKJaT8
“How many times have I told you to call me Ian and not Frank?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLE5RlyOr3G
“Sorry.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2FZS5lKVX
“Don’t let it happen again. Have they searched your place?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhG9LuyZJh
“The detectives are there now.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRQSr31w2x
“Did you hide the box?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6MiX6AlzU
“Yes, I did.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8ymS380NB
“Good. You talked to the photographer?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcyQVERYvv
“You mean Ben?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dh4VQhjiI
“Yes, of course.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecpyjd1dvL
“He called me earlier and the rest of the crew. They’re figuring out another plan.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdNyfHizPu
“Okay. You need to…”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ncNVjA1wb
Greg could hear arguing in the background.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xGZtqwt7K
“Everyone back to your cells!” he heard someone yell.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuokZ9nQiN3
“Greg I gotta go.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lDnAhIkZU
“What should I do?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uSlwhV0Go
“This call has ended.” Greg heard from an automated voice before the line went dead.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVSYlE9Zrv
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.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEbCUO681A
“Hey watch it!” Greg yelled looking up at the woman. 434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HtCUDoSsT
“I’m so sorry. I should have been paying more attention.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdOt8jDtZ1
“Yeah, you should have.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ185ihqTZw4
The woman smirked at Greg as she walked down the opposite side of the steps and stood a few feet away from him.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBmOZ0Q4NW
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.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MJ4xj1cJN
The woman shifted her eyes towards Greg before she said: “Look I said I was sorry.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLpTQGQHxH
Greg watched her fiddle with the phone in her hand, glancing down at it from time to time.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOxAkaWvAO
“What are you doing out here it’s late?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcL646AWRC
“It’s none of your business.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TzsRyM7GG
Greg stayed silent for a minute as he tried to figure out what to say next. “Are you waiting for someone?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6jvZqPDBU
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.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEm74jrsLo
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.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDkzWRyXnc
The woman darted her eyes toward the ground. Before she could respond to him, Lucy and the other women walked out of the shop.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eDdPPM5G1
“Greg you could have waited inside it’s so chilly out here.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsMQegiLxk
“Grandma it’s okay. I wanted some fresh air.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeBqqzDMDo
“I see you met Odilia,” Lucy said pointing to the woman who by this point had joined the rest of the group.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6p4iGdm93
“I thought you were going to that concert.” Odilia’s grandmother said.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRyLZUGaTc
“I’m waiting for my friend to answer me back.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dAwni5PwJ
“Greg, why don’t you take her?” Lucy said smiling at him.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡep7DmJukTl
“Well, I…”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfsNGd0DJt
“He doesn’t have to. I’ll be all right.” Odilia said glancing at her phone once again.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5OEXf7pBm
“I insist. Greg is such a nice young man. Plus, I want great-grandchildren.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVueOdANUm
“Grandma!” Greg said widening his eyes before continuing, “How are you going to get home?” he said to Lucy.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetkPsxdjT3
“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.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXHLrgOdM2
“Ah okay. Is that okay with you Odilia?” Greg said trying to put on his best smile.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73ibmEBkzF
“Yeah, I guess,” Greg observed the hesitation in her eyes.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH7WRKQLvo
“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.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTBhAIhnhx
****434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVzMyCEc1K
The bright lights of the outdoor stage lit up the night as Greg parked his car near the back of the concert.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkkU5BGYRB
“This is my stop,” Odilia said buttoning the top of her jacket. Stepping out of Greg’s car she continued, “Thanks again.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LBszww4yh
As she shut the car door and walked toward the venue Greg rushed out and ran up to her.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdXiWpgeEK
“Yeah?” she said turning around to face him.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSK7zilpFg6
“Would you like some company?”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UynFHF9qe
“No, thanks.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4Oab3hdcV
“You sure? Concerts are always fun with other people.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2mBDV2cxV
“Concerts are always full of people,” she said with a laugh.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8cJBj4FeB
“It will be fun. A time you’ll never forget.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7olDmq0oQ0
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.”434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8KQBpzuQQ
“I’ll get you home before then,” Greg said with a smile as he walked with Odilia into the crowd.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2pkjNoAAG
****434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlleBzgMRJb
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.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQjQOoLO8r
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.434Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfd2JbJMD9
