In the Night [Richard]

Not needing to be anywhere for quite some time, Richard was perfectly content to focus on his sketch. It didn't matter how suspicious or odd he looked. Although the girl's house was still in view it wasn't like he was on her yard or anything. He just wanted to iron out some details on the hat so he could begin construction.

This wasn't the easiest place to let the creative juices flow what with no desk and the need to clutch a flashlight in one hand but oh well. He was inspired and he wanted to work through this now.

Richard wasn't quite sure how he wanted to hat to curve. Would sharp edges be best or maybe something a bit smoother? He did think the hat was a bit large. Something a bit smaller would probably suit the girl's head better. He erased some of his lines and adjusted.

Sharp and daring curves. That was the way to go with this hat. He was sure of it. He looked away from his notebook for a moment, hoping to gain some sort of perspective when he saw that the girl had come back outside.

Well...This must look suspicious. He chuckled awkwardly and waved to her. "It's not what you think!" he promised her. "I'm just working on a hat sketch!" And that seemed believable how?

"No, really! I can show you!" he offered hastily.

Maybe his co-workers called him Mad Hatter for a reason. He supposed he could get a little...overly obsessed when it came to his hats. He had this way of tuning everything out and just focusing on them.

Technically had hadn't been doing anything illegal. He wasn't on her yard. There was no law against standing near the side of the road sketching. Still, he'd prefer not to explain his actions to anyone. They were suspicious as hell.

"Look, I'm not breaking any laws. I'll just leave. I just got a little caught up in my hat sketch. I finished a hat this morning and I had a new idea and I wanted to work on it. That's all. I have no idea who you are. I wasn't watching you. I wasn't on your lawn. I was just drawing this little hat here," he said, holding the notebook in front of him, shinning his light on the picture. She might be too far away to see it but hopefully she could tell it was an innocent enough sketch. Just a hat. Nothing more.

Richard's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He couldn't help himself. He got overly excited whenever anyone mentioned his hats. They were his passion.

"Yes! I love designing hats. I get these ideas and then I sketch them. I tinker with the design for a while and when I'm satisfied with it I can build them. Once I finish them I try to find them good homes. I want to give them to people who will truly appreciate them and wear them!" he exclaimed.

He stared at the closed door. What had just happened? Richard was really confused. But on the plus side she didn't seem angry and it didn't look like he'd need to explain himself to any of his co-workers which was always good. Best case scenario he'd never hear the end of their "Mad hatter" comments. Worst case scenario he could be suspended from work.

Come back tomorrow? As she'd invited him it would be rude not to; but, he was surprised she wanted to see someone as suspicious as him again. And dress decently? Just what the heck did that mean? Suit? He scratched his head, puzzled. He figured he'd sort it out. But he should probably head home before he actually did get into trouble. He could continue working on his hat back at the house.

Richard got off his shift at noon the next day. He returned home and tried to scrounge up something acceptable. He did have the suit from the time he needed to interview. He supposed that was probably the best thing he had. A far cry from comfortable but she had specifically instructed him to dress decently.

He hesitantly returned to what he assumed was her home and rang the doorbell, wondering if she'd even be in. He felt rather silly. He had no idea what she expected from him or what he should say. He simply stood outside, feeling remarkably uncomfortable.