Alan laughed at something Ben had said, which unfortunately he couldn't remember. They were on their way to his cousin's office. It had been a week since Alan had met Ben in the square near his house.
- I didn't say anything too much," said B, annoyed that Alan always laughed at what he said.
- You'd think so - Alan settles into the seat of the Uber - You come out with all sorts of things.
- But this time I only spoke the truth. - Now the teacher would have to agree with the man next to him.
- Hmm, I know.
- It's true or he doesn't look like Leontius from Woodpecker.
Alan laughs again.
- You're terrible.
- I'm nothing," Ben concluded with a laugh.
The truth was that the man reminded them of the cartoon character, and he really did look like him.
The car stopped in front of a medical clinic and the two clowns, if you can call them that, stopped talking.
- Whoever is alive always shows up - Marcus said when he saw that the person entering his office was his cousin - What can I do for you?
Marcus still looked the same as the last time Alan had met him, his hair was still black, his white skin stood out, and his blue eyes, which he had taken from his mother, now had a different shine, it seemed that Marcus was happy at last, which was surprising for Alan who had always seen his cousin sad, trapped in a loneliness that he couldn't understand.
- Ben... - Alan started to say but couldn't finish, he didn't know what to say.
- I woke up in an abandoned house with a wound on my head and I don't remember anything about my life, my name, where I live, nothing - Marcus typed the patient's complaints into the computer as he said them.
Alan watched everything that happened in front of him and knew that at some point his cousin would want to talk to him alone. The problem wasn't even that, it was saying that he was no longer with Cauã, because he knew Marcus would question it.
- From what you've told me, it may have been a concussion where you received the blow, but to confirm this I'll order an ultrasound to be sure. - Can I talk to you for a minute, Alan?
- Yes, you can - Alan said shyly.
B left the room saying she would wait for him outside.
- Now spit it out, I know you're dying of curiosity.
- Not so much Alan...
- Yes, I know...
- Okay! I'm just going to ask you once, since you don't want to listen to me
- Come on, I haven't got all day
- Marcus said, looking deep into Alan's eyes, trying to see what was wrong with his cousin, who had been quiet all his life and never showed his anger under any circumstances - What happened to Cauã?
Alan looked at him in bewilderment, his cousin really thought that he had done something to that piece of excrement. Taking a deep breath, counting to ten, the teacher let the answer come out with a naturalness that he believed to be true.
- Nothing happened
Marcus looked at him as if a hideous being was standing in front of him, planning to devour him. His cousin certainly didn't believe his not-so-truthful truth.
- Try another one because this one isn't sticking.
He didn't want to tell Marcus that his so-called "perfect" life had been turned upside down and that he hadn't even had time to process everything that had happened to him over the last two weeks.
- I'm still waiting... - Marcus knew he shouldn't be being so incisive, he knew he had to give Alan time to say his piece, but he had to make sure that the teacher was okay and not in danger, which wasn't the case.
- The truth is that I threw Cauã out of my house, I finally realized how bad he was doing to me and decided to end my marriage.
Marcus hadn't expected such an attitude from his cousin, which made him open his mouth in shock at Alan's statement.
- And now it seems that he's given up on having me as his husband and has sent a kidnapper to kidnap me?
- What did he do? You went to the police. Did you take any action against it - Marcus interrupted him out of concern.
Alan lowered his head, regretting that he hadn't taken any action against him. The tears that Alan thought he would never shed for this toxic son of a bitch ran down his face, dripping onto his clasped hands, which were resting in his lap.
Yes, the professor was shaken by everything that had been happening recently, his life, which had previously been peaceful, had now become a real action-drama movie.
Alan started laughing like crazy, which made Marcus more worried than he already was: "What was happening to my cousin?" This question was on his mind. He had never seen his cousin sad, let alone crying and laughing in despair like he was.
Not knowing what to do or how to react to such a situation, Marcus got up from his chair and hugged his cousin, whispering reassuring words, he really didn't know how to proceed, but fortunately he thought quickly and acted as he would want to be treated if he were to reach a state of emotional crisis.
A knock sounded on the door and Marcus asked who was there. Ben said he'd heard crying and wanted to know how Alan was.
- We'll talk later, Alan.