His Other Half

Chapter Two

Walking through the Main Street of an old beautiful country town, Jasper can't help but have high hopes and feeling the nervous excitement bubble inside his tummy.
He had been travelling via public transport buses and trains for over 30 hours and had finally made the mental decision to get off the next stop.
So here he stands, facing a 60's style diner, that seems to be the centre point in the town. From the outside window, Jasper could see an elderly lady taking people's orders with a pen and paper, while talking and laughing amongst the customers she is serving. He could see lone diners. Enjoying coffee and cake, local police officers sitting at a round table with plates of chips in the centre of the table to share with eachother. But what really got Jaspers heart speeding up a bit. Was the families in the diner. The families with A Mum and a Dad. Interacting and talking in depth conversations with their teenage children, spoon feeding the babies who are to young to feed themselves, fathers that are cutting up their toddler aged children's meals. The geniune love and care only a parent can hold reflecting in their eyes.

When Jasper witnesses a situation like that, he can feel the physical pain in his heart, slowly making minuscule cracks around the edges.
Sighing, Jasper was tired. Physically, mentally and emotionally, it has been a very difficult week for him. He just wanted a place to call home. It was about 6.30 at night, so Jasper slowly put his weight on his walking frame and followed the "MOTEL" signs down the Main Street. He passed several different shops, including A small pharmacy, A bakery, that still had the smell of freshly baked bread seeping through the cracks in the shut door, even though the bakery had closed an hour ago, Jasper couldn't help himself but inhale deeply as he walked past.

Arriving at the Motel, the night was beautifully calm and quiet, unlike the sounds the city produced at night, and even the orphanage, there was always noise, sure it was noise that most people would get use to, ignore and sleep through, but things like that got to Jasper, he couldn't deal with sounds and noises at night no matter how small they were, so to arrive at the motel with the soundless calm, Jasper couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Once settled into a room for the night, after awkwardly avoiding eye contact with the receptionist and mumbling and stuttering his way through, Jasper ran his bath, adjusting so his temperatures were exact and just the way he liked them. Jasper can't have showers. The feel of thousands of drops of water hitting and prickling his skin over and over repeatedly, he melts down and panics in the presence of shower water running. In a bath, he can control the depth he sits in, he can control where the water goes on his body, he can control what hits his skin.
Once Jasper deemed himself clean enough, he settled into another temporary bed and tried to stop the shudder running through his body just thinking of the possible characters who had rented the room before him.

The first sign of sunlight was peaking through the cracks in the light curtains splayed across the motel window. After a restless night sleeping in the freely double size bed, Jasper couldn't help but be elated for the first sign of morning light, showing he could get up and get himself ready for the day.

Walking back down the Main Street of the town, the name of the town Jasper still has not found out. He once again found himself planted at the same window the day prior, gazing inside at the diners enjoying their breakfasts and coffees before their working day had started. With a small burst of courage, Jasper found himself shuffling towards the entrance and towards the menu displayed.
Too keep his nerves at bay, while reading the menu, he mumbled multiplication sums under his breath, not even realising he had attracted the attention of the curios elderly lady at the counter ready to take his order.

The lady gazed curiously at Jasper tilting her head to the side while studying his features. She was wondering how such an innocent looking face could hold such deep pain in those crystal blue eyes. It was something not everyone could see, but if you took the time to study his features, you could see the deep hidden pain. The pain that held and showed he had been through far too much for an innocent young man.

Once Jasper had decided what he wanted to order, he took out a $20 note and glanced up from his long thick dark eyelashes, to take a peak at the elderly lady and made his order, barely above a whisper.

"T-two-o p-p-panca-k-kess-s With s-s-yru-p-p a-a-nnd-d fr-fr-fruit plea-s-see"

"Ofcourse honey, any drinks with that today?"

The lady responded with not a hint of disgust or judgement in her tone. Jasper was taken aback by her politeness and he had to take a second peak at her with wide eyes.

"j-j-jussss-tt A-A w-w-water-r-r p-p-pleas-s-see" Was Jaspers stuttered response.

He started handing the lady his money, but before he could extend it any further, the lady shocked him yet again by placing her warm frail hand ontop of his with a twinkle in her eyes and said

"it's on the house sweetie, go sit down where you are comfortable and I'll bring it out to you when it's ready".

Jasper not believing what he was hearing stood with wide eyes and mouth gaping, not knowing what to say, his mouth opening and closing not able to get words out, he looked like a fish. The lady whose name tag read "Mary" reaffirmed him of what she said by giving his hand a simple squeeze and hobbled her way to the kitchen with Jaspers order.. It wasn't until Mary had come back to the counter and Jasper shocked himself back into reality and looked around the counter. He found what he was looking for, and placed his $20 into Mary's tip jar, he turned to Mary, looked at her in the eye, there were unshed tears in his eyes, but he gave her a smile. The first real smile he had shown since his parents were alive. He whispered to her a simple
"th-th-Thankyou"
but he had no idea what else to say. That woman had shown him more kindness since he can remember.

Maybe. Just Maybe, Jasper thought, he will find not just a house in this town. But a home.