A Walk With Caileen

A Walk With Caileen

Jonathan Paul Diaz

(THIS IS JUST A SHOWCASE COPY OF THE STORY. IF YOU WANT TO READ THE WHOLE STORY, THE EBOOK VERSION WILL BE SOLD SOON )

It was the first day of summer vacation and Caileen woke up early to go for her early morning jog. It was only five in the morning and as she stepped out of their front door she stopped and looked around her surroundings. Everything was new to her, she was used to seeing crowded houses but this time there were only two on that residential area. They had moved to a place where only a few could afford and she was starting to like it since there were tall trees around and a mini park nearby.

She tied back her red hair and put on her hood and started to jog towards the park, along the way she could not help glance on the other house. After an hour of circling the park she started to cool down by walking and still her eyes were drawn towards the other house. It was a huge estate, huge gates were all around so she could not see what was inside. Due to her curiosity she walked towards the guards’ outpost and asked who lived there but she learned that no one was living there but there were people who came to clean it.

On her way back home she started to think that a celebrity resided there and the more excited she was. She was only seventeen, pretty and smart, her parents were both doctors and they did spoil her for she was their only child. Before Caileen went inside their house she glanced again at the other house and somehow she felt something amazing would happen soon.









Chapter 1: Caileen and the Cave Man

A week passed and Caileen was again out for her morning jog, she had circled the park twice when she saw a man leaning against a tree and who seemed lifeless. She stared at the man who had long hair and who sported a long beard and mustache. She ran towards the man and lay him down on the ground; she held his nose and instinct told her to apply CPR immediately. Their lips barely touched each other when the man started to move, “Are you trying to kiss me?” he said. Caileen was surprised and moved back, she smiled at him and said “Oh, sorry I thought you were dying, I was about to administer CPR.” The man stood up and looked at her curiously, “Trying to steal a kiss and that’s the only lame excuse you can utter? Keep your hormones in check young lady” he told her and Caileen was irked. “Hey, I was not trying to kiss you! Why would I kiss a cave man like you? There are good looking boys out there who deserve my first kiss you know!” she answered and the man laughed at her.
“Excuses excuses, kids these days are really sexual predators” he comments as he walks away. “Hey wait, are you from here? Where do you live?” Caileen said and the man turned his head to look at her. “Where else but in a cave of course” he said while grinning. “I am trying to be friendly here and you answer me with a joke!” she yelled. “Hey you were the one who called me a cave man so where do you think cave men live? Why do you want to know where I live? Are you going to stalk me?” he asked and Caileen was irate. “You are so rude! You are a dirty old man, a rude dirty old man!” she said and the man again laughed at her. “So you think I am a dirty old man now” he said and Caileen stopped and shook her head. “I’m sorry…you actually smell good for a dirty old man so maybe your just old” she told him. “So you actually had time to smell me when you said you were going to give me CPR. Get your act straight, your pretty but you’re also perverted” he commented.

“I am not perverted!” she yelled but the man walked away from her. Caileen followed the man and walked beside him, “Hey, I’m Caileen, I live over there, what’s your name?” she asked him. The man didn’t bother to stop but said “Good for you, now go away and leave me alone” he said. “You’re being rude again! I am just trying to be friends with you” she said. The man stopped and looked at her, “Why are you being friendly all of a sudden?” he asked. “Well, you called me pretty and I don’t think that you are mean person. And old people like you need friends, so here I am trying to be friends with the elderly” she stated and the man laughed at her. “Cave man, dirty old man, and now you call me an elderly, so why don’t you give me all the insults you can muster right now” he said. Caileen blushed and felt ashamed; she did not know that the man was offended that easily,

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. Okay let’s start again, hi my name is Caileen” she said. “I am Fred, nice to meet you so now leave me alone okay?” the man said and he walked towards the house with the huge gate. Caileen was amazed and she became curious, “Fred, you live here? Are you a celebrity? Tell me your whole name and what do you do?” she playfully asked. The man opened the gate and stepped inside, he looked back at Caileen and smiled at her, “Yes I am a celebrity, my whole name is Fred Flinstone and I a cartoon character, a cave man, YABADABADOO!!!” he said then shut the gates. Caileen became furious and she banged on the gate, “You rude old person! You may have gotten one over me today but I tell you I’m going to get back at you! Rude old man!” she yelled and kicked on the gate then she walked home.

The following day the man did not show up for jogging so Caileen decided to pay him a visit after breakfast. The summer sun was intense and the silent residential area started to get noisy with Caileen banging on the man’s gate. Thirty minutes passed and the gates opened, the man peeped and he saw Caileen sitting on the pavement. “Why are you still here, go home you pervert” he told her. Caileen stood up and tried to take a peek inside the gate. “Please stop calling me a pervert, it does not sound good at all” she pleaded. “Stop calling me old man then” he said. “Okay, but tell me how old you are first, I am seventeen” she said. “Fine, I am 30 years old, now are you happy?” he told her. “Thirty years old? Stop joking me, my dad is 45 and he looks way younger than you” she commented. “So you are judgmental, you are basing my age on the way I look. So be it, but next time don’t ask a person a question if you will not believe their answer” he lectured and Caileen looked at him closely.

“Why would a 30 year old man wear that kind of hair all over his face? Anyway, since we are friends already maybe you would like to show me your house?” she asked. “And why would I do that?” he shot back. “Because we are friends” she said. “Are we? You have not showed me your house yet. I can’t let you in I have a dangerous pet inside” he told her. Caileen became more curious and she tried to push the gate open, “I want to see it, show me” she said. “Panther is a dangerous animal, I would not come inside if I were you” he said and Caileen started laughing. “Your grammar is wrong, it should be ‘A panther is a dangerous animal’” she said. “You think? Anyway go home, I am busy right now” he told her and she pouted. “Its summer vacation and all my friends are away, I’m grounded so I have to stay at home. Hey maybe I can help you with what you are doing, don’t worry I won’t charge you” she suggested. “I don’t know you that well, and sorry I don’t need your help, I know how to swim on my own” he told her and Caileen’s eyes grew bigger with amazement. “You have a pool inside there?” she asked. “Of course, where do you think would I go swimming? In my bath tub?” he said.

“Please let me in, I want to have a swim too, but I don’t know how to swim so you can teach me right?” she asked. “Nope, sorry, I don’t know you that well. We just met and I still don’t trust you. Go home and leave me at peace please” he said and shut the gate. Caileen started banging again on the gate but the man would not open it, she became more furious but her hands started to hurt already. She walked home angry, she really wanted to swim, and this time she knew what their new home was missing.

Caileen and her parents were enjoying dinner when they heard a wonderful tune emanating from the outside. Caileen rushed towards the front door and looked around; her father stood beside her and said “Someone surely knows how to play the violin well.” Caileen looked at her father and said “Do you know what tune he is playing dad?” and her father shook her head. A few seconds later Caileen’s mother stood next beside her and whispered

“That my dear is the sound of loneliness” her mother said. Caileen looked at her mother and put her arms around her waist, “Mom, that guy is rude to me but I guess he is just lonely, can we invite him to dinner?” she asked. “Well I don’t see any problem with that, invite him tomorrow then” her mother said. Caileen smiled and leaned on the porch, “Caileen lets go inside its cold out here” her father said. Caileen quickly rushed to her room and opened her window; she lay in bed and listened to sad tune emanating from the other house.

Life has been good to Caileen and she does not understand the concept of loneliness. As she listens to the sound of the violin she tries her best to comprehend the state of being lonely, she tries to recall moments in her life where she could fit in this tune but she could not find a match. She gets up and walks towards her window and glances at the other house, she pictures the man with his eyes closed, holding his violin close to his cheeks, playing the sad tune but still she cannot understand why.