A friendly face

*“Hey Rob”*, mom said, *“There is someone outside to meet you”*. I was sitting on my sofa and reading the book, ‘A 1000-year-old boy’ for the fourth time that year. It was a cold and a dark day, the day of the Autumn Equinox. I glanced outside the window, from which I could see the long-stretched beach. I stayed near the beach of Miami.  It was almost sunset. The pink and reddish sky had started to become crepuscular. *“Who came to meet me at this time?”* I thought, tilting a little to my left to see a lad standing there. His arm was fractured and the plaster had many *‘Get well soon’* written on it. He had a paunch and was wearing what seemed like a short yellow-colored Bermuda pant. He looked like a person in his early 20s, but was too short to be one. His eyes were sea green in color and his camouflage shirt made me think he was in Army. But he was too hunched to be one. Fair-looking person he was and had curled lips which I thought were from anxiety. Supporting a moustache, he looked as if in a hurry. The part of his T-Shirt right above his epigastrium contained a sign I did not recognize. The blond person had cleanly combed hair and had dimples on both his cheeks. His other hand was in his pocket and from what I could see, it was full of multicolored bracelets.

He looked at me from the window with a familiar looking smile, and I descried that he had a birthmark right below his left cheek’s dimple. This made me recognize him. It was my friend Jimmy, whom I last met seven years ago, on the train which separated our ways, he vamoosed to become an artist, and I departed for post-graduation. I wish he had grappled it. I remember that we did not rendezvoused seven years ago, then why did he come to visit me? Did he wish to meet me to discuss some problem or just wanted to have a normal talk after seven years? I stood up excitedly and ran towards the door to receive him. We both exchanged greetings. His voice had completely changed. It had become heavier than it was before. I almost jumped after I heard his voice. *“Jimmy”*, I said, *“Long time no see! Where have you been?”* With a soft smile on his face, he said, *“Oh, so you have recognized me Rob.”* I had to think of something quick, therefore I said, *“Oh, I recognized you the moment I saw you*”, which was a lie because it was actually his birthmark which made me realize that it was him. *“That is great m’ friend”,* he said laughing. I had a bizarre feeling that he had realized the truth. To hush up the awkward silence, I said to him in a small but pleasant voice, *“What makes yo’ remember m’ after seven years?”* With a combination of chucking, smirking and scowling, he said, *“Oh, oo’ requires an excuse to meet his friend?”*

Smiling, I asked him if he had become an artist, and he confidently said yes. He even showed me the copy of *Mona Lisa* he had made. It was beautiful, and looked just like the original one. After approximately one and a half hour of chit-chat, I heard police sirens far away, but they were coming close. Even before I could look outside the window, Jimmy said, *“Oh, I should not be over here”,* and he ran outside my house, said bye hurriedly and ran behind another building 50 to 60 meters away.  Discombobulated, I sat back on my comfy sofa and switched on the idiot box. Was he a criminal? A thief? Alas! I would never know. I changed the channel to the news channel which I usually watch. The reporter said, *“And now, breaking news, Mona Lisa has been stolen and the thief, has gone missing near Florida beach.”*

I was heartbroken.