The Choice Era. Part 1. Nata Kay

flower shop…»

      «What kind of books?» Ivy perked up.

      «It doesn’t matter,» Harry dropped his hand. He regretted he had blabbed about Bob’s jokes, but now it wasn’t about Bob or the books, but about his sister’s future. She probably would have loved to change the subject, but Harry wasn’t going to do that.

      They saw an empty bench nearby. Harry nodded his head, walked across and sat down. Ivy obediently followed him and sat down next to him. She was looking at her brother, but he wasn’t looking back at her.

      He gazed out somewhere into the distance. Both kept silence for a while. Harry couldn’t decide what to say. He perfectly knew Ivy would do whatever she wanted. As a child she was very nice, but a little bit reckless. Ivy didn’t like stereotypes and people, who were afraid of everything in the world. Ivy was always somewhere outside the limits and it made her charming and suspicious at the same time.

      Harry loved the way she could pursue her dream for years, but now her dream didn’t make any sense. Harry couldn’t allow that. He faced a real challenge to make Ivy think as the most people thought. After all, a majority knew for sure: science was better, more profitable and more stable than a flower shop.

      «Okay, let’s agree on the following,» said Harry. He put his hand on his sister’s hand. «You’ll think it over again, weigh the pros and cons, take into account not only your desires, but also common sense. And one day I will pay a visit to this shop, talk to Mrs. Thompson and look around. Then I’ll think about it all by myself, weigh everything and we’ll meet again and discuss everything.»

      Harry was at a disadvantage. He had just heard unexpected news and didn’t know how to react. It took a long time for Ivy to build het plans for the future. She definitely planned this conversation, so things between her and her brother weren’t equally balanced.

      In addition, Harry had no right to command his sister and interfere into her decisions. She as everyone else could manage her life whatever she wanted. Within the law, of course, but such laws, to Harry’s great regret, didn’t prohibit anyone to work in flower shops.

      Ivy smiled and nodded slightly.

      «Now,» continued Harry. He took a deep breath and clapped his hands loudly on his knees. «Let’s pretend you didn’t drop a bomb on me with your desire to derail science for retail. We can talk about something else.»

      The Nelsons managed to change the subject.

      They talked about various minor things. Ivy had no difficulty in the conversation, but Harry almost forced himself not to mentally return to Ivy’s words about the change of activity. He reminded himself that one couldn’t pressure a person, one needed to let him go his own way. Soon Harry succeeded to convince himself, managed to relax and started joking.

      Ivy loved his jokes. She always laughed at them so sincere that sometimes Harry deliberately used humor in his own speech just to hear his sister’s sonorous laugh. Nobody laughed like her.

      The conversation didn’t last long. It was interrupted by a group of young people spending time near the Nelsons. Ivy was the first who noticed them. Harry spoke for a few more seconds before he understood his sister had stopped listening and was looking the other way. He followed her gaze and frowned at what he saw.

      Young people seemed like typical graduate students. They were actively discussing something. And with every passing moment this discussion became more tense and unpleasant.

      Harry wanted to get back to his conversation with Ivy, but she didn’t follow his attempts to distract herself from the students. Harry sighed. From an early age Ivy was sensitive to any violent display of emotions, so now Harry didn’t have the slightest chance to captivate her with the conversation again. He had to join the observations.

      Harry and Ivy were unable to hear the whole conversation, but they heard some scrapes and the tone.

      «I thought we were friends,» one young man said loudly.

      «We are friends,» the second answered no less loudly and then the volume of both went down.

      Two guys were getting closer and closer to each other. Harry noticed that one of them, the one that was heard first, squeezed his fists. There was rage on his face. It looked like he had forgotten to blink. The second young man, if he was angry, he was hiding it. He was completely focused on what was happening. He was probably afraid of getting punched in his face.

      Three more acquaintances were standing nearby and watching the dialogue with thrill. Everyone kept silence. They didn’t almost move, standing in a row like marble statues, which had learned to change their expressions.

      «You can’t just steal my girlfriend,» the first young man started talking again loudly.

      A quarrel over a woman… Harry looked down ironically and stared at the pavement. Despite this was a surprise for him, the arguing was as old as the world. Nothing original. How many films had been shot about fighting for love? And still people couldn’t calm down… However, Harry thought, if one looked at this question from the other side, one could remember that women were beautiful and certainly worth fighting for. But why people did it so clumsy?

      «I haven’t stolen her,» the second one stretched his arms. He tried to talk his friend down. «That was her decision. This is her choice.»

      «Don’t you dare say that!» the first swiftly streamed right ahead, the second took a step back, but he groped a small cliff with his foot and stopped. The first moved forward and now the young people were standing close to each other. Both were clenching their fists. A little longer, and there would be a fight.

      Harry wanted to take Ivy away. If a scuffle begins, the young girl should not witness it. Otherwise she would have nightmares later. Harry himself wasn’t eager to watch how these two beat each other right in a public place in an awkward manner.

      He almost voiced an offer to leave out, but the fight had ended before it even started.

      The first guy remained being angry with every breath, but he backed off. He was busy eyeballing his enemy.

      «We’re not done yet,» he almost spelled it, turned around and walked fast out of the park. One of his quiet friends followed him, the other two decided to stay with the guy, who claimed that he had not stolen «her».

      Nobody raised their voice anymore.

      «I’m sorry you saw that,» Harry looked at his sister. «How silly… To fight in front of everyone in the park.»

      «I don’t think they did it on purpose,» replied Ivy. She followed the argument more attentive than Harry. Even now, when one guy was out of sight, Ivy continued staring at his opponent. «It seemed it was an accident. Don’t blame them.»

      «A kind soul!» laughed Harry. «You’re always ready to justify everyone.»

      «Not really,» Ivy said it almost seriously. «I’m ready not to blame everyone. All actions and events have an explanation. And the consequences.»

      Harry looked at her in theatrical amazement.

      «You sound like such a grown-up,» he smiled again. «Okay, I suggest we go home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very glad to see you, but I think Mona has already started to worry.»

      Ivy agreed that Mona shouldn’t worry and stood up. Harry followed her and they walked out of the park.

      Despite their meeting was short, it was very eventful. Harry had to come to terms with his sister’s choice or find a way to get her back to normal life. The world around Harry had definitely decided it was high time for Nelson to cheer up. Otherwise, Harry couldn’t explain the strange ideas and actions of relatives and friends. Nevertheless, he intended to cope with all this business.

      On their way out Harry and Ivy were discussing the weather which was apparently about to change. There was a cyclone moving from the north and it could bring a small cool-down.