Rinaldo's stream of consciousness

Prologue

“So you’re finally free huh?” she asked over the phone.

“Well, maybe. Maybe not. But things are changing, that, for sure”, Fred replied. His eyes, still closed. He just woke up to Riya’s call.

“Good,” she agreed. “Change was what you needed”

“Surprising you’d say that. The last time something changed in my life, it didn’t reall — ”

“Let me stop you there. It made you a better person. For good. And I’ve seen you morph into what you should have been. And in all honesty, that’s a blessing. So don’t say it didn’t go well” she was clear in her message.

He laughed. Almost fully awake now. A string of words like that from her was enough cortisol for him.
“Fact is, I wasn’t going for ‘didn’t go well’. I was going for, ‘didn’t go as expected’. I don’t regret it at all. Fortunately, it was a change for the greater good”

“Alright. So long as you know it isn’t something you should dismiss. Anyway, get up. Let’s go for a ride” Riya reminded. They planned for a short trip nearby. It was long due.