6. The Tale of Two Kitties

Morning saw Mira sleeping in late, which was a rarity. She wasn't the kind to be tardy. When she opened her eyes though....

"Aaaah! What the hell are you doing here?" She asked a naked Kris, on whose chest she had passed out yesterday night. The fact that she was fully clothed made her feel better, but she wasn't wearing much to begin with.

"Why are we in the same bed?"

"Shouldn't you be asking yourself that? You were all over my body, the entire night. Now you're pointing fingers at me?"

"That can't be true. You know what? Whatever!" She stomped out of the bed and the room. Kris grinned. He thought about yesterday night. She even tore away what he was wearing. A strange creature, she was.

Kris sat up to meditate. He closed his eyes and suddenly he heard a voice say, " how long did you think you could hide, Krsna?" He opened his eyes. Nobody. Bewildered, he closed his eyes again. "Don't you miss your best friend, buddy?"

"Sive?"

"So you remember. I thought you abandoned me completely."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to come back."

"I will but give me few years here."

"How many?"

"As long as this human lives? You know that for us it's not long."

"Hmm. Okay. But you need to help me when I can't handle stuff alone."

"Of course, but I don't think you'd need my help."

"Let's see. Are you having fun there? Does she know yet?"

"Not yet."

"Tell her. It'd be fun to watch."

"Haha. You sure are cold."

"Pfft.."

The voice stopped. Kris dropped into his bed.

-------------------------------

When Kris went down, Mira had already left for the office. "Time for some fun, then." Kris muttered to himself.

He walked out of the house, and locked the door behind him magically. Before him stood a brilliant red Porsche 911. The door swung open and Kris slid in. The car zoomed past other vehicles towards the beach. He parked his car in the slot provided for visitor's parking and took the pavement. He was window-shopping for some. "Aha!" He stopped. A 'To-Let' board hung smugly in front of the cafe before him. He pushed open the door and suavely walked in. All eyes were on him. There were not many customers, though.

"I saw the board outside." He leaned over the counter and spoke to the person on the other side.

"Please wait while I go call the owner," she said as she ran to the kitchen. In a moment, a man of sixty walked out. His face was rugged with age and hard work. Kris liked it; he sniggered. The old man looked curiously into his face.

"Why, is there something on my face?"

"No. It's just that...you look strangely familiar."

"Ah.. I get that very often. So, here for the shop? How many months?"

"I was wondering... Would you like to sell it to me?"

"Hmm. That would be difficult. How about this. Rent it for three months, and I'll think of your proposal. I need to know that you'll take good care of the place. It's been my home, you know. 30 tears, I've spent on it."

"I understand. So how do we go about it?"

"Come with me to the office."

Kris followed the old man.

The office was a small but tidy room with few chairs and a table. It was all in off-white colour, including the curtains and paint. Kris found it comforting. Something warmed up in his chest. What was this feeling?

" So, I'll call my lawyer up and ask for the papers to be ready by tomorrow. What's your good name, young man?"

"Kris Nadet. I'll pay in cash, by the way."

" Fine by me. In fact, convenient. I'm in need of money, that's why I'm renting out the place."

"Is something going on, if I may ask?"

"Yes, my son got into a car accident and he's in coma. It's been one year. I didn't have much savings and the hospital bills need to be paid."

"In that case, please allow me to pay you an additional 1000. Think of it as my investment. I am pretty confident that I will buy this place."

The old man chuckled. "You seem too emotional to be a businessman, sonny."

"You'll think differently soon." Kris winked and got up from the chair. Before the old man knew, he was gone.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

At the bookshop, Mira was fighting with sleep. She felt awfully tired. Before she knew, she had fallen flat on the desk and was sound asleep. When she opened her eyes, somebody was helping a customer choose a book. Thinking it was Clint, Mira smiled. She got up and stretched. Her eyes widened as she saw the figure in front of her. The customer happily walked to the counter, in the meantime.

"Ms. Kristoph, you're assistant is simply amazing!", the woman blushed as she said this.

Mira tried very hard to smile at the customer and she ended up looking as if she was making faces. The customer didn't notice as she was in her own world. As soon as she left, Mira walked up to Kris.

" What do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm working here. As you just heard, I love books."

"We don't have any vacancies right now, so I can't offer you a position."

"It's okay. I'm here to offer you a deal."

"What deal?"

"Well, I'm opening a book cafe near the beach. I'm thinking of renting out some books from your place. Just one mini shelf would do. I would need new books every week. I'll pay you 1000 grand per month. How's that?"

"Umm. I need to think about it. What about the books, wouldn't they become used books, then?"

"No, think of it as, say,...an exhibition. People just peruse the book. If someone wants to buy it, you'll get the revenue. I'll only take the revenue from the food and other services."

"What other services?" Mira's imagination started running wild. What if he worked as a gigolo during his free time? Or a thug? What if he's mafia?

"As of now, I've thought of installing a gaming cubicle and also, a Saturday night live event. Thinking of hiring a singer, and a story teller."

"Sounds wonderful. Can I visit sometime?"

"Sure, as soon as I sign the contract."

So this was what having a family felt like.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Minister."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Find Krsna's wives. Any one of them."

"Umm.. Okay, my Lord."