“Who is that man?” asked Robyn to Calvin - seeing a tall lanky figure on the camera leave briskly through the gate. She watched the scruffy dog slip out also, following him closely behind.
“That’s Francis - he’s our groundsman … caretaker - you know - that sort of thing” he smiled gently as he said this.
“Dad gave him a job just before he died and I haven’t had the heart to let him go. Frankly I am not quite sure what he is meant to be doing here.”
Calvin looked down at the ground as he said this. “I know I should haven taken the time to get to know the fellow but somehow he reminds me of those terrible months - and I guess I’ve been hoping he might just up and leave.”
“Where does he go to when he disappears like that? I thought it was only desert out there with nothing else around? Is there a shopping mall I have been missing out on?”
“True to say it's a mystery” - agreed Calvin. “He does it quite a bit - takes Chips for a walk and then a few hours later he returns. I don't suppose you might take some time with him and report back what you think? It might help me make my mind up about the guy.”
“I’d be flattered to” said Robyn importantly. She felt genuinely pleased to be asked for a contribution. Life at the complex had been turning into something of a holiday.
“And Charley .. is she due back any time soon?”
“Yes”, said Calvin absentmindedly as he was tweaking the coffee machine with a new filter he had designed. “She’ll be back some time tomorrow.”
“Upstate?”
“Dunno really. Her pa’s place. She jokingly describes it as his ‘treehouse’.”
-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances
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