Adonis Blue (2)
by Margaret Grace

Chapter One (1)

'Will you marry me?'
The woman said and showed him a ring.

He didn't show any emotion on his face.
It disappointed her.

'We-well, yeah-yes, we? we have been living together at this apartment, for a pretty long time, in this way, ye-yes.
So, I, I hope that we can get along from now on, and, forever? right?'

He nodded slightly.

'Oh, my hon? s-so you agree with me, don't you?
You'll get married to me, won't you?'

She jumped in joy, round the tiny room.

The next morning she woke to find no sight of him.

'Jeanne, my honey?'

She looked round her dwelling, but all his stuff, which had been there until last night, had disappeared.

'Darling, where are you? Don't be so mischievous and come to me, come on, Jeanne?'

It is a presentiment she has never felt before, and she felt it coming to her deep inside.
Now this feeling had risen in her, she walked into each room, calling with a louder voice.

'Come on, what's been wrong with me? Don't you like such a cuff as marriage? If so, I don't care if we won't do it at all! Please, let's bring the word of marriage to nought. So, please, you, must be kidding, Jeanne, don't go anywhere!'

She repeated the same words again and again, and awaited his return.

For days, for weeks - however long she waited, he never came back to her room anymore.

She later fell mentally ill, and was never able to lead a sound life again.

One day, as overhead sunlight awoke him from his sleep, there was a face looking into him.

Awakened from sleep, his blurred focus was getting back to normal, and when it came into focus, the unknown face grinned setting the eyes on him.

Surprised, he jumped, and tried to run away.

'Oh, sorry, sorry. Did I surprise you?'
The boy said without abashment.

'Because you were sleeping so soundly and comfortably at our schoolyard'.
Said the boy and held out his hand on the grin.

'Hi, I'm Theodore. Call me Ted.
I'm sixteen, and a first-year high school student.
What is your name?'

What the hell so familiar this guy is, he thought, putting his hand out.

The boy took him by the hand, grasped it excessively, and winked at him.

'Jeanne'

'Oh god, what a pretty name! It's like a miracle you are here in such a place.
It's great to meet you'.

The boy took hold of his hand with both hands and was shaking it vigorously up and down.

He's a bit suspicious, so I'd better not get close, he thought and turned to leave the place.

'Hey you, have you got boyfriend?'
The boy said.

'What? A boyfriend? What are you talking about!
I am a guy, it's impossible to have such a stuff!'

The words startled the boy so much that he let go of his hand.

'O-oh, really, a guy, oh, yes, I'm sorry.'

'What do you mean by really? Ain't I a guy by all appearances? Am I?

'Y-yes, what you say is true, to be sure.'

Here have the riddle of the boy's strange behaviour been solved.
Unable to get angry at all, he burst into laughter.
It turned the shrinking boy into smile.

'Y-you are Jeanne, aren't you? I was wrong, doing such an strange stuff.
By the way, how old are you?'

'Sixteen'

'Sixteen! Same here. What high school?'

'I don't go to school'

'Oh, don't you? Then what do you do?'

'Painting'

'Cool! Hey, try painting something'.

He opened his briefcase, which was under his head during his sleep, took out a felt tip pen and pasteboard, and got the boy to sketch a portrait of him.
Intentionally he was making it look much more handsome than the boy was.

'Here you go'

He thrust it before the boy's eyes.
The boy took hold of the paper with both hands.

'Wow, awesome, this is true to life'

This guy's foolish, he thought, putting the things back in his briefcase.

'A Great picture! It's more exact me than any others I've ever seen.
You're a genius, aren't you?'

'You bet'

'Hey, Jeanne, I'll introduce you to my friends, right?
Don't hesitate it. Come along with me'

The boy pulled the absent-minded artist to the school building.

There were students finishing a P. E. class and changing clothes in the classroom, and eyes converged at the two boys at the door.

'Ted, where have you been, missing the P. E. class?'

'O sorry, but I've got a headache, a splitting one'
Ted replied and whispered, to tell the truth, I'm poor at sports.

'Hey, that's unusual. You're carefree always!
Are you worried about anything?'

'It does happen, even to me'
Said Ted, turning his eyes to a girl at a corner of the classroom, who's indifferently looking out through the window.
Only he caught sight of Ted's action.

'Anyway, aside from that'
Ted changed his tone of voice.
'I brought you guys a funny man. My friend.
This guy's such a good artist.
Have a look, this my portrait, this guy drew it. Great, isn't it?'

Ted held up that piece of paper.
They looked at and gave voice to it in their various ways.

'Wow, Ted's become cool somehow!'
'Ted, it's not like you'
'It's much modified beautifully'

'Oi, what do you mean by that? It's every inch a copy of me'

They laughed out loud.
'What are you talkin' 'bout? Hey, you're startin' your usual conceit again'
And Ted was not the only one who became the butt of their ridicule.

'That guy's wearing a bit strange clothes'
One student pointed out his loose coat.

'He's an unfamiliar stranger around here'

'It's a bit shapeless'

'What's more slovenly all over'

The classroom was filled with laughter.
The outsider couldn't stand the vulgar laugher and their eyes looking at an alien object.
He flew out of the classroom.

'Hey, w-wait' exclaimed
Ted as he run to catch up with the new friend.