Syndedeménos (Connected)

CHAPTER 04

At three o'clock in the afternoon Keenan was already at the bridge connecting Ancient Eagle Middle and High School. He leaned against the railing of the bridge, repeatedly checking the cellphone in his hand. Several people passed Keenan for crossing the bridge from the junior high school building to the high school building, or vice versa. However, there was not a single student who resembled the figure of Nathan Wêed in Keenan's memory.

Finally the person Keenan had been waiting for ten minutes appeared. A male student with chin-length curly brown hair and a headset wrapped around his neck.

"What is it that Keenan Aldrich wants to see me?"

"It should be me who asks you first. Why did you interfere in our conversation in the elevator?"

Nathan smiled and then snorted at Keenan's words.

"Do you have so much free time that a trivial thing like this bothers you?" Nathan answered with his rhetorical question.

"Are you also having too much free time by not answering my questions but questioning my free time instead?"

"Hahaha… well. I have an acquaintance in the first grade of high school so I wanted to answer your friend's question. Isn't that just a coincidence?"

Nathan's answer clearly did not satisfy Keenan. Keenan's intuition told him that there was something strange about Nathan. But intuition alone cannot be used as supporting evidence to dispute the person in front of him at this time.

"Keenan Aldrich…you seem to be one of those people who never believe in coincidences huh?" Nathan said while waiting for Keenan who was thinking. Keenan's face looked dissatisfied with Nathan's answer.

Have I recently become too sensitive about trivial things? Could it be that my mind has become too complicated because I'm used to dealing with parties who can cause trouble because of trivial things?

Keenan questioned things in his mind until he finally decided to stop following his intuition at that time. Keenan decided to make Nathan's words something to let about.

"Okay… I won't bother you anymore," said Keenan, letting Nathan walk away leaving him alone on the bridge.

*****

"Clothes are ready. Toiletries are done. Skin care is done..." Karen put a tick on the list she mentioned one by one. All the items that Karen mentioned were already in a large suitcase. The suitcase was located on the bedroom bench in the room.

"Wow. You really want to pack things for your study trip by yourself, " said Keenan who was sitting on Karen's bed while looking at his sister who was busy here and there to pick up things.

"I'm seventeen years old. I need to learn to be more independent and be able to do many things like you."

"Haha… you've been praising me too much lately. There must be something behind it."

Karen stopped what she was doing and sat beside Keenan. Karen's eyes widened as her smile widened.

"I want to give a present to Sean. So do you think he will like amulets? Or food? I don't really understand the gifts that can be given from villages in the mountains."

"Finish your packing first, then we'll talk again. So now what can I do for you?"

In the end, Keenan not only accompanied Karen to do the packing, but also took part in the tidying-up activities. Keenan patiently arranged one by one his sister's belongings after removing all the items in the suitcase that had been inserted carelessly.

While Keenan was struggling with the things in the suitcase, Karen added more things because she had forgotten to make the list of equipment at the beginning. Finally, the packing activities carried out by the two Aldrich siblings were able to be completed smoothly thanks to Keenan's patience with Karen.

"It's useless if you give food gifts to Sean. He is very picky about food. Just give him what you can't buy here," said Keenan, placing Karen's suitcase in the corner of the room.

"Oh… okay! So… you're going back to your room already?"

When Keenan was just about to answer Karen's question, suddenly a question popped into Keenan's mind. It was something he had asked himself many times after meeting Nathan.

"Karen, before going back to my room I want to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Am I someone who has a hard time believing in coincidences?" Keenan asked according to what Nathan said a few days ago. Karen immediately raised her eyes as a sign that she was remembering something.

"For sure you don't like romance films where the main characters often meet by coincidence."

"Yes, that's right. One year has three hundred and sixty five days. One day has twenty four hours. And one hour has three thousands and six hundred seconds. Everyday people meet more than ten people. Especially if that person has to go to school or work in an office. Well… the possibility people can meet multiple times in some unplanned scenes is…”

Before Keenan gave the mathematical calculation formula, Karen had raised her hand to make Keenan stop talking. Karen's face looked as flat as the door.

"Actually, I'm too lazy to count. But I just wanted to say that I can't understand the coincidences that happen many times in the movies you watch," said Keenan trying to make himself appear more normal in his sister's eyes.

"I now understand why my handsome, smart and kind-hearted brother has no partner and has never even been close to women. Because you can't enjoy coincidences! Everything has to be predictable by you," said Karen excitedly because she got answers to questions about Keenan so far.

Now it was Keenan's turn to show a flat face. However, his sister's thinking was too far from being related to his matter. So Keenan tried to simplify the language he used to make it easier for Karen to understand.

"Actually I just followed Mom's words when we were little that someday we'd know many things were actually prearranged."

Seeing Karen's face start to frown, Keenan immediately waved his hand in the air. Indicates that the words he said no need to be concerned.

"Forget it. Pretend I was rambling on unimportant things today. I'll go back to my room first, you should sleep early tonight," said Keenan getting up from his seat while patting Karen's head lightly.

"No. It's not that I don't understand what you're saying."

Keenan stopped walking, turned around and looked at Karen who still looked confused.

"I just didn't know Mom ever said that."

"Maybe you forgot it because you didn't understand when you were little," said Keenan, making Karen nod slightly. "Tomorrow morning you have to leave. Have a good night's sleep, Karen."

"Goodnight, Keenan!" Karen said as she got up from her seat, then approached Keenan to hug him.

Keenan came out of Karen's room and closed the door slowly. Outside the room, Keenan didn't move from his position for a while.

How could I forget Mom's words? Mom always said it when her face was sad. Even before Mom left the house, she didn't forget to mention that advice.

Keenan thought about the conversation he had with Karen just now and connected it to the past when he was with his mother. Then Keenan repeated his mother's words in a very low volume.

"When you experience a moment that feels strange because the conditions are so right, first check the information behind the moment. It could be that everything was arranged to be a coincidence."