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.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhCKWWdQ4p
Pressing five Greg waited a moment before a deep voice was heard on the other end of the line. “Hello, Greg?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhD2cwMfgg
“Hi, Frank…I mean Ian.” Greg said nervously.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjA1iExyHr3
“How many times have I told you to call me Ian and not Frank?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozezBrw8Jl
“Sorry.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0OG05Tz8Z
“Don’t let it happen again. Have they searched your place?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNI3qODueaY
“The detectives are there now.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJIktCS2Qa
“Did you hide the box?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIDyf4prYL
“Yes, I did.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkCcuafKRj
“Good. You talked to the photographer?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9tSTE5N6u
“You mean Ben?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oFX2mYSoJ
“Yes, of course.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93xUD5LA9Z
“He called me earlier and the rest of the crew. They’re figuring out another plan.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5dTenjl64
“Okay. You need to…”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WYjlrZtof
Greg could hear arguing in the background.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUG0OFMyIP
“Everyone back to your cells!” he heard someone yell.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9tc7kIrpr
“Greg I gotta go.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYRg5it9IN
“What should I do?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlAWwsoLkW
“This call has ended.” Greg heard from an automated voice before the line went dead.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fGijFRTVb
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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6hv0EJ4Tm
“Hey watch it!” Greg yelled looking up at the woman. 430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIDZJc4ZWH
“I’m so sorry. I should have been paying more attention.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAai1MaFTU
“Yeah, you should have.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaouyGNyyX
The woman smirked at Greg as she walked down the opposite side of the steps and stood a few feet away from him.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CJofJoFfE
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.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmXelAC2lA
The woman shifted her eyes towards Greg before she said: “Look I said I was sorry.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTNM0lQxfp
Greg watched her fiddle with the phone in her hand, glancing down at it from time to time.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡei29yx2kMR
“What are you doing out here it’s late?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkFOacSzFv
“It’s none of your business.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqS0RVZ9uOt
Greg stayed silent for a minute as he tried to figure out what to say next. “Are you waiting for someone?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzewAUPCDm
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.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWJBV3S8vc
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.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFZS3tsnkh
The woman darted her eyes toward the ground. Before she could respond to him, Lucy and the other women walked out of the shop.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcUrmS3clS
“Greg you could have waited inside it’s so chilly out here.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUByKz44yfZ
“Grandma it’s okay. I wanted some fresh air.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvhlrV79BP
“I see you met Odilia,” Lucy said pointing to the woman who by this point had joined the rest of the group.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxpMSnfx44
“I thought you were going to that concert.” Odilia’s grandmother said.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8k0vS0R9R
“I’m waiting for my friend to answer me back.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1OJJAVfyl
“Greg, why don’t you take her?” Lucy said smiling at him.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKQgYpOTKh
“Well, I…”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNOHuKeYdr
“He doesn’t have to. I’ll be all right.” Odilia said glancing at her phone once again.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AhMSghL7m
“I insist. Greg is such a nice young man. Plus, I want great-grandchildren.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwY9CYeiYUs
“Grandma!” Greg said widening his eyes before continuing, “How are you going to get home?” he said to Lucy.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNWPk7xryl
“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.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeo2LzH6sU
“Ah okay. Is that okay with you Odilia?” Greg said trying to put on his best smile.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0HS4VCl0E
“Yeah, I guess,” Greg observed the hesitation in her eyes.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4l0i5tVH1U
“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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGdXkkoLXx
****430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdAGUbVRKI
The bright lights of the outdoor stage lit up the night as Greg parked his car near the back of the concert.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRC388ZHfa
“This is my stop,” Odilia said buttoning the top of her jacket. Stepping out of Greg’s car she continued, “Thanks again.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZDXfyAAYw
As she shut the car door and walked toward the venue Greg rushed out and ran up to her.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhR4u6KTeC
“Yeah?” she said turning around to face him.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiW1ToQCHN
“Would you like some company?”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQP7jm3mAN3
“No, thanks.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEvmCl3DS6
“You sure? Concerts are always fun with other people.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPXmvgsNZq
“Concerts are always full of people,” she said with a laugh.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2LUPQ5cNe
“It will be fun. A time you’ll never forget.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAqycH59ay
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.”430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRguwGHVZMK
“I’ll get you home before then,” Greg said with a smile as he walked with Odilia into the crowd.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIrUquP21b
****430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoz6bcWyAe
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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJAgxGC6AB
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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxUWDcoHjH
