Chapter 2: The Favour

It turned out that he was going to get a lift to our home for around 3 pm. It all felt a bit pre-arranged but whatever. I kept reminding myself that this was giving back, helping the young man out. Our little Hammer family, had our usual dinner and tidied up. Claire then went out to meet some friends. Emily sat in the garden with a book and I grabbed my laptop to kill some time for the next few minutes before he arrived.

He arrived a few minutes early, which I appreciated. Dropped off by Father Paul, who nearly invited himself inside. He ended up shaking Nick’s hand, telling him good luck and thanking me for the favour. I read a lot more into that little interaction that I probably should have. Especially the way they both smiled at each other. It made me think of the Father Pauls’ flock and how he almost had some form of mind control over them all. It’d swear Claire and Emily would pretty much do anything he asked them too, and I mean anything. Obviously, all in the name of god.

Once we’d settled in the living room, the conversation flowed until he asked where Emily was. I told him she was out in the garden, a nod of my head directing him towards her. I was surprised when he stood up and walked out of the room and towards the kitchen!

It caught me by surprise and I jumped up to find him in our kitchen looking out into the garden, where he was obviously looking at my wife. Though, as soon as I appeared he simply turned and walked back into the living room, where I found him sat back down again. He was almost rude, very strange at the least. I did ask him what that was, his reply creeped me out a little, ‘he wanted to check that Emily was ok’.

I felt like digging into that but didn’t want a confrontation. Instead our conversation quickly returned to the history with his family and the now lack of one. He started to get a little emotional but was sure that God had a plan for him. I had to hold back a chuckle. A short while into that conversation Emily appeared asking if we wanted tea.

Whilst I answered that we both did, he jumped up and headed to her. They were clearly on friendly terms and knew each other as he leaned forward and kissed Emily on the cheek but what shocked me was that I’d swear he turned his hand and copped a feel of her right boob. She either didn’t notice, or it didn’t really happen. It was so quick and smooth that it almost caught my breath. Did I really see that? Why did my wife not react at all?

“You have a beautiful house.” He looked around. “There is another floor?” as he looked up the stairs. Was he playing dumb or was he really not used to stairs in a house?

Emily let him know that that’s where the main bathroom was, my office and our bedrooms. I’d swear I picked up on a smirk from him when she said bedrooms. My mind really was playing tricks on me today.