2. Time Loop 2

TYRE

I woke up again in my bedroom, still trying to gather up some momentum, I hadn't gotten over the incident that had claimed my life the second time. I sat upright on the bed and stroked my hair down to my face. I thought I had it figured out, turns out the law of causes and effects didn't apply, 'Que, será será; whatever will be will be' I reminded myself of the old Spanish song. If death were a person, he was darn persistent.

I scurried to my feet after soliloquizing for a minute, I was beginning to detest this time loop of a thing. Well, since I was caught in it, I might as well attend to details I had overpassed. Blueview, from the windowpane, was blue as ever, arrayed with green bushes of various heights and shapes. it was 6.30 am and, trust me, all the birds in town were doing their best in letting us know.

If I'm right, Christy is in the kitchen busy with the dishes and Annabelle is missing a textbook. I positioned myself against the wall at the corridor facing both the kitchen and diner room beside the hearth stead and watched as it all played out, again.

Suddenly, I backed the wall I initially peered from and gave a deep sigh. How would Christy take this for the second time? Annabelle must've seen a section of my hand hanging out from the other side of the wall, which pretty much gave me away.

She hollered. "Mom, Dad's awake! "

As if I wasn't already expecting that, she motioned to hug me, obliging, I did the same as we both ran into each other in a warm embrace, making sure she didn't notice the tension I felt, being strong for her was the best thing I could do at this time. Smiling sheepishly, I adjusted the collar of her school wear. She looked too professional for a grade 3 kid, and don't get me wrong, I liked it. I brushed off a strand of the red long hair that dangled in the way of her innocent face.

I approached Christy again, telling her everything. I'd never experienced such déjà vu before. I even tried being smart, I told her I knew she was going to Nelly's. To my surprise she shrugged, telling me she goes there almost every day and anyone could've predicted that.

With the shit load of crap I had suffered, I knew by now that nothing I did was going to prevent the inevitable, so I decided to go to work. That wasn't a logical decision to make at the time but I had this hunch to do so.

I showered, got dressed up for the office, and approached the sitting room, where I saw Ann sitting dejectedly on the couch, I snorted lightly and walked up over to her with my documents all intact in my small silver briefcase. I croaked and slightly adjusted my tie as I took a seat opposite her.

I narrowed my eyes playfully and acted dumb in front of her, but my efforts to make her laugh were defeated when she only forced up a curt smile.

I stroked one side of her face. "Is this about the CA?"

She arched an eyebrow. "It's not that, " she said almost turning towards a different direction.

"Okay? " I narrowed my eyes even more, "Mind telling me what's bothering you? "

She stared straight into my eyes with all seriousness. "Dad, am I a weirdo? "

Honestly, I didn't know how to answer such a question, all my preparations for handling situations like this as a competent dad seemed to have failed me. Ann was definitely going through something in school but had kept it from us, believing we had enough on our plates already. I got to think right, and carefully select my next words because, psychologically or emotionally, that's all she'll hold on to.

"Okaaay, " I slowly said, "What definition of 'weirdo' are you talking about here? "

"What do you mean, dad? "

I unconsciously adjusted my tie again as I sat upright, she brought her head close to mine.

"There are two types of weirdos, Ann. There are those weird in an awful way, and we have those, weird in an intriguing way. "

I could tell by her look, she didn't understand what I'd just said, still, she decided to play along.

"Which am I, dad?"

"Sweetheart, guess. Don't spoil the fun. " I smiled.

"The second, " She replied without having to think about it.

I patted her shoulder gently. "That's my Ann. "

She again reclined on the couch, I could tell all her worries were still not done away with.

"What's the matter, Ann? "

"No one in my class likes me, " she said rubbing off the tears already formed in her eyes before they could roll down her cheeks.

I wept in my heart the moment I heard that, I could relate well with what she said and, frankly, I'd been called many names worse than, 'weirdo' in my childhood.

I held her little arms in mine and moved in closer towards her. She could no longer hold in her tears as they came rolling down.

"Yes, Ann. " I smiled. "Let it all out. Don't worry, I permit you. "

She looked at me as her eyes blistered with more tears. Fortunately there appeared to be a handkerchief in my breast pocket, I wiped her face with it and handed it to her.

"Why do you say that, Ann? "

"They must think I'm weird because of my four toes. "

Ann was born with four toes only on her left leg, but I'd already forgotten that since it did not in any way affect her gesture or looks.

"Did you show them yourself?" I asked.

"Back in second grade, during our first swim class, I'd revealed it to everyone. I thought it was not a big deal until my closest friends started avoiding me and I could hear everyone calling me 'weirdo with the four toes' behind my back."

"Gosh... Did Mr. Frezer know about this?"

She nodded her head and gave me that matter-of-factly stare. "Yes," She said drifting again into her infinite loop of sobbing.

How can her Class teacher know about this and still refuse to take up the matter with iron hands? Ann fidgeted with her fingers as she silently kept on sobbing.

"Dad, I don't want to go to school anymore."

"You have to Ann, you're doing yourself a favor by doing just that, trust me," I said.

"But–"

"See it this way, going to school helps you become a better person in the near future who can help fight against injustices like this." I smiled.

"You mean I can fight against this someday."

"Only if you go to school," I teased.

She slowly rubbed off her tears with the handkerchief I lent her. "Okay."

"Don't worry, I'll address the principal about this soon," I said feeling quite pleased with myself.

Christy stormed her way into the sitting room, peering at the wall clock still moving frantically, she held a band which she used to pack her hair into a ponytail.

"We're a little late. " she looked at Ann, "Who's ready for school?"

Ann's eyes and mine met in a conniving way. She packed up her school stuff and headed to the entrance door where I pecked her bye.

"Be careful with the wheels," I told Christy as she gave me one rancid look. Seemed that came out of my mouth more as an insult than as a caution.

I watched from the doorway as Christy's red Chevrolet Aveo sped off, then I too left for work.

***

I took a cab this time. One can never be too careful, the taxi driver carefully dropped me at the entrance of my workplace as I'd instructed. I was almost swayed by how cool the weather was until I saw someone.

It was the strange-looking guy in black again, I suddenly connected the dots in my head, he was the dude I saw before I had died the first time, and I was now staring straight at his very suspicious figure, the only exposed part of his body was his eyes. Talk about a ninja in daylight.