She smiled and said, "See, here's the thing. You know that Ben Folds CD I loaned you?" She paused before continuing. "And a couple of DVDs and that NYU sweatshirt?"
"Yeah," I said. Confused.
"I kind of need them back." She stared at her feet then, seemingly fascinated by the old beaten road.
"Are you serious? You asked me to meet at our spot so you could get your stuff back?"
"Come on, James. We broke up three months ago, it's time to move on."
"Move on? Move on?" I yelled. "You're in every single one of my classes. Remember? You thought it would be a great idea to have to SAME EXACT schedule for our senior year so we could spend all of our time together."
"Yeah, but I didn't know--" I cut her off.
"Didn't know what? That you would cheat on me? Well, that's a relief. At least you didn't know." I kicked the dusty gravel at my feet, sending a smokey cloud of particles into the air.
"Yes," she said. Meek.
"You know what, Rebecca?"
"What?" She nearly whispered.
"You can't. You can't have your stuff back. You cheated on me, you got to skip out on all of the heartache and loneliness, so I'm keeping your stuff." I turned around and marched back towards my car as she stood there heavy like a stone. I paused before opening the driver's side door and looked around and the abandoned, old farm house..
"Oh, and you and whatshisname can have 'our spot,' it doesn't mean squat to me now."
I climbed inside the car, turned the key and cranked the radio to deafening levels. I put the car in Drive and spun the wheels, kicking up a thick layer of dust, then peeled down the abandoned drive for the last time.
There was a time when I wouldn’t have cared why she was here, I just would have been happy to see her. But now...now she needed a damn good reason.
“You’d better start talking or I’m gone,” I said, looking back at my car.
She smiled and said, “I’ve missed you, Lulu.”
Her denim jacket was ripped and dirty. Her hair had been dyed raven black some time ago because the brown roots were two inches, at least.
“Don’t call me that.” I shook my head, angry at myself for falling for her bullshit.
“So...you going by Luanne now?” She pulled out a pack of Djarum Blacks and lit up.
She blew a stream of smoke at me. I inhaled the sweet clove fragrance that was my sister.
“I’ve been Luanne for five years, Lexi.” I folded my arms across my chest, my armor. “I thought our self serving government banned those last year.” I nodded at her cigarette.
“Yea, well that’s the thing I need to talk to you about,” she said.
“You want to talk politics?” Lexi always brought out the sarcasm in me.
She barked a hoarse laugh. “Yea. Matter of fact I do.” Lexi jumped up on the hood of my Prius. “I need your help, Lulu.”
“Of course you do. You wouldn’t be here otherwise.” I leaned on the car door. “What is it this time? Pregnant? Out of money?”
“You know, it killed me not to see you or talk to you for five years.” Lexi reached out and stroked my hair.
“And yet...you did it anyway.” I stepped away from her touch.
“I’ve been working for the CIA. In Prague.”
It was my turn to bark out a laugh. “Are you effing kidding me? You expect me to swallow that?” Damn, she’d almost sucked me in. If it hadn’t been for such an over the top...
I heard a small pop. Lexi slid off the hood of my car and crumpled on the ground, a clean hole in her forehead.
There was a time when I wouldn't have cared why she was here, I just would have been happy to see her. But now... now she needed a damn good reason.
"You'd better start talking or I'm gone," I said, looking back at my car.
She smiled and said, "Is that any way to talk to someone who's about to save your life?"
She'd always been cryptic and I found it endearing once, but not any longer. I turned to go. Even a reverse commute back into the city ran into traffic over the Bay Bridge.
"Wait..." she said and looked down at her watch, "four seconds. About one football field or twenty car lengths. I'll be here later if you change your mind."
I wasn't likely to change my mind. I slipped behind the wheel and tried not to think about her. Would it have been better to stay and deal with her nonsense so that I didn't spend the drive back remembering the way we'd been. As I slowed through the FastTrak lane, I realized I still thought about her. Only a few cars lined up at the metering lights and I jabbed the seek button. Mostly talk radio, I finally found Shawn Mullins's Lullaby and I sang along as I accelerated.
The bass line of the song sounded offkey. Perhaps, that was why he'd been a one-hit wonder. I heard a crack of thunder and I looked around. The skies were blue. Red tail lights. I slammed on my brakes and looked to the lanes to either side of me but they were full of breaking cars. I missed the car in front of me and we all came to a complete stop.
After fifteen minutes, I scanned the radio for any news. I didn't hear anything. I got out of my car and asked the man leaning on the door of his truck with the advertisement Jake's Construction, "What happened?"
"Bridge collapsed, just before Treasure Island."
I looked up at the hill of Treasure Island and walked between the lanes. There were other people squeezing forward as well, but no one spoke. I looked down at the edge and saw the tip of a car's roof still above water.
My phone buzzed and I looked at the text message. "100 yards".
She smiled and said, "See, here's the thing. You know that Ben Folds CD I loaned you?" She paused before continuing. "And a couple of DVDs and that NYU sweatshirt?"
ReplyDelete"Yeah," I said. Confused.
"I kind of need them back." She stared at her feet then, seemingly fascinated by the old beaten road.
"Are you serious? You asked me to meet at our spot so you could get your stuff back?"
"Come on, James. We broke up three months ago, it's time to move on."
"Move on? Move on?" I yelled. "You're in every single one of my classes. Remember? You thought it would be a great idea to have to SAME EXACT schedule for our senior year so we could spend all of our time together."
"Yeah, but I didn't know--" I cut her off.
"Didn't know what? That you would cheat on me? Well, that's a relief. At least you didn't know." I kicked the dusty gravel at my feet, sending a smokey cloud of particles into the air.
"Yes," she said. Meek.
"You know what, Rebecca?"
"What?" She nearly whispered.
"You can't. You can't have your stuff back. You cheated on me, you got to skip out on all of the heartache and loneliness, so I'm keeping your stuff." I turned around and marched back towards my car as she stood there heavy like a stone. I paused before opening the driver's side door and looked around and the abandoned, old farm house..
"Oh, and you and whatshisname can have 'our spot,' it doesn't mean squat to me now."
I climbed inside the car, turned the key and cranked the radio to deafening levels. I put the car in Drive and spun the wheels, kicking up a thick layer of dust, then peeled down the abandoned drive for the last time.
Awesome! I'd keep the Ben Folds album too!
ReplyDeleteHe is The Man.
ReplyDeleteEmily, love it!!
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when I wouldn’t have cared why she was here, I just would have been happy to see her. But now...now she needed a damn good reason.
ReplyDelete“You’d better start talking or I’m gone,” I said, looking back at my car.
She smiled and said, “I’ve missed you, Lulu.”
Her denim jacket was ripped and dirty. Her hair had been dyed raven black some time ago because the brown roots were two inches, at least.
“Don’t call me that.” I shook my head, angry at myself for falling for her bullshit.
“So...you going by Luanne now?” She pulled out a pack of Djarum Blacks and lit up.
She blew a stream of smoke at me. I inhaled the sweet clove fragrance that was my sister.
“I’ve been Luanne for five years, Lexi.” I folded my arms across my chest, my armor. “I thought our self serving government banned those last year.” I nodded at her cigarette.
“Yea, well that’s the thing I need to talk to you about,” she said.
“You want to talk politics?” Lexi always brought out the sarcasm in me.
She barked a hoarse laugh. “Yea. Matter of fact I do.” Lexi jumped up on the hood of my Prius. “I need your help, Lulu.”
“Of course you do. You wouldn’t be here otherwise.” I leaned on the car door. “What is it this time? Pregnant? Out of money?”
“You know, it killed me not to see you or talk to you for five years.” Lexi reached out and stroked my hair.
“And yet...you did it anyway.” I stepped away from her touch.
“I’ve been working for the CIA. In Prague.”
It was my turn to bark out a laugh. “Are you effing kidding me? You expect me to swallow that?” Damn, she’d almost sucked me in. If it hadn’t been for such an over the top...
I heard a small pop. Lexi slid off the hood of my car and crumpled on the ground, a clean hole in her forehead.
There was a time when I wouldn't have cared why she was here, I just would have been happy to see her. But now... now she needed a damn good reason.
ReplyDelete"You'd better start talking or I'm gone," I said, looking back at my car.
She smiled and said, "Is that any way to talk to someone who's about to save your life?"
She'd always been cryptic and I found it endearing once, but not any longer. I turned to go. Even a reverse commute back into the city ran into traffic over the Bay Bridge.
"Wait..." she said and looked down at her watch, "four seconds. About one football field or twenty car lengths. I'll be here later if you change your mind."
I wasn't likely to change my mind. I slipped behind the wheel and tried not to think about her. Would it have been better to stay and deal with her nonsense so that I didn't spend the drive back remembering the way we'd been. As I slowed through the FastTrak lane, I realized I still thought about her. Only a few cars lined up at the metering lights and I jabbed the seek button. Mostly talk radio, I finally found Shawn Mullins's Lullaby and I sang along as I accelerated.
The bass line of the song sounded offkey. Perhaps, that was why he'd been a one-hit wonder. I heard a crack of thunder and I looked around. The skies were blue. Red tail lights. I slammed on my brakes and looked to the lanes to either side of me but they were full of breaking cars. I missed the car in front of me and we all came to a complete stop.
After fifteen minutes, I scanned the radio for any news. I didn't hear anything. I got out of my car and asked the man leaning on the door of his truck with the advertisement Jake's Construction, "What happened?"
"Bridge collapsed, just before Treasure Island."
I looked up at the hill of Treasure Island and walked between the lanes. There were other people squeezing forward as well, but no one spoke. I looked down at the edge and saw the tip of a car's roof still above water.
My phone buzzed and I looked at the text message. "100 yards".
Nice Emily, I found myself wondering if he was playing Ben Folds as he was driving away. Deb, I like the twist at the end.
ReplyDeleteOoh, Aidan...I always hated driving over the Bay Bridge for that very reason!!!! I just knew it was going to go again. Nice story!
ReplyDeleteAidan - Nice touch! I didn't even think about the Ben Folds exit music!
ReplyDeleteWell done, you guys.