Chapter 169: His Misadventures
The navy blue truck glided smoothly along the expressway, the city now a distant memory behind as beautiful open fields stretched on both sides. The sun rose higher in the sky, bathing the road in golden light.
Lariette’s gaze still remained on Ruediger’s side profile, curiosity flickering in her sapphire eyes. He hadn’t said anything, but it seemed like he was thinking about where to begin.
In the rare times Madeline talked about Ruediger, she used to mention that the man was an avid traveler during his school break. Felicia was often worried because he usually only packed a few things before setting off.
Ruediger hummed thoughtfully, still tapping one finger on the steering wheel in a slow rhythm. After a moment of pondering, he said, "Well... I haven’t told you the time I got chased by an ostrich, right?"
Blinking, Lariette was dumbfounded, "Excuse me? Chased... by an ostrich?"
Seriously? Where did this happen?
Ruediger glanced at Lariette, laughing at the sight of the funny look on her face. He returned his eyes to the road, a grin tugging at his lips as he explained.
"It was in South Africa. I visited a wildlife reserve. Someone told me ostriches were harmless if you didn’t provoke them."
Narrowing her eyes, Lariette asked suspiciously, "Did you bother the bird, Eddy?"
Who knew? The much younger and spirited Ruediger perhaps thought it was a good idea to touch the ostrich. Or, did another thing happen?
"Hahaha, no!" Ruediger shook his head, his crimson fringes swaying on his forehead, "I did absolutely nothing. I swear, the bird just looked at me and was offended. It started charging out of nowhere."