Little World - Prologue: Gone (232 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 0.33 on 4 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by a_little_more_time (View user info) at 2006-09-05 09:46:25 EDT
It was the first cool night of the summer when he met her outside her parents' house, behind the barn. The cacophony of the nocturnal insects was buffered by a sustained breeze from the north, and the clear sky shone with a thousand pinpoints of light. She was well protected from the crisp air, clad in her favourite baggy, gray hooded sweatshirt and plaid flannel pajama bottoms. He set his duffel bag down on the ground with a grunt and rested against the red-painted wood for a moment before withdrawing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the breast pocket of his worn jean jacket. He took one from the box, flared it up, took a long drag and then handed it to her, letting the smoke escape slowly from his lungs.
She followed suit and passed it back to him, that smile on her face that, were it any other day, he'd be more than happy to indulge himself by taking a good long look. Now, though, he felt obliged to keep his eyes from her, for reasons more than one. She brushed her straight, auburn shoulder-length hair from her face as he took another puff. "What time's your bus?"
He sighed out the smoke. "Half an hour."
She smiled again and took the cig from his hand. Her skin was warm and soft. "You need a ride to the station?"
He shook his head quickly. "Nah. I planned on hoofin' it."
"Does Ian know you're leavin'?"
Another shake of the head. "No way I'd tell him. All he'd do is try and talk me out of it. God knows he's succeeded enough times as it is. I'm not gonna risk another one of his guilt trips."
She laughed. "Yeah, he was always good at that, huh?"
He nodded, grinning despite himself. "Yeah."
They stood there a moment in silence. He took out another smoke, letting her have his first one, and took another long drag. Finally, she broke the awkward pause, pointing to his black duffel bag, stuffed full. "That all you're takin' with you?"
"Yeah. It's mostly clothes and a few essentials until I find a place."
She shuffled her feet and asked shyly, "You need any money?"
He tossed her a jokingly incredulous look. "Yeah, right. What are you gonna do, give me your waitressing tips?"
She sighed. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that, always needin' to do things yourself. After all, that's why you're leavin'."
He flushed red and looked away. He doubted she'd meant that as a barb, but it stung all the same. He masked it with a shrug. "I guess so."
There was another pause before she asked, "Did you leave a note or anything for your dad?"
He shook his head. "Didn't have to. We fought about it again last night, so I think he went to sleep with a pretty good idea of what I was gonna do."
She nodded slowly. "Well, if he asks, I'll let him know."
He stubbed the cigarette out on the side of the barn. "He won't. That fight was pretty much it for us." Unconsciously, he reached inside his jacket to touch his tender left side; the old man had gotten in a few good shots, but he reckoned that he was at home right now with an icy bottle of Rolling Rock on his swollen jaw. That thought made the pain dull a bit. He looked at his watch. "Well, I'd better get goin'. Bus won't wait for me if I'm late."
That statement seemed to startle her; she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Oh! Okay, well, um..." She took a moment to recover, then stepped close to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You'll give me a call when you get settled, right?"
He put his arms around her in suit. "Y-Yeah, I will." He managed to keep his voice from shaking too much.
"And write me, okay? To let me know how you're doing?"
"I will, I promise."
She took a deep breath and tightened her hug. "Make lots of money fast and come back to me, okay?"
He nodded and kissed the side of her head. "I will, Ally, I promise." He let her go, hefted the bag over his shoulder and strode away before the exchange could go any further. He was walking down the side of the road out of town in a matter of seconds, unable to bring himself to look back.
He reached the Two Rivers, Washington (pop.: 1552) Municipal Bus Terminal at 11:28 PM, which gave him just enough time to fish the ticket for the southbound midnight run to Seattle out of his pocket, show it to the driver, stow his bag, and climb aboard. He found his seat and turned out the overhead light.
The bus was occupied by only a few other riders, so he was able to kick off his worn boots and stretch out across the other seat as it pulled out of the station. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was Allison's last words. "Make lots of money and come back to me, okay?"
He would, on both counts. One day, he would.
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"I bought a toothbrush, some toothpaste
A flannel for my face
Pajamas, a hairbrush, new shoes and a case
I said to my reflection, let's get out of this place
Pass the church and the steeple, the laundry on the hill
Billboards and the buildings
Memories of it still keep calling, and calling
But forget it all I know I will."
- Squeeze, "Tempted"
User Reviews
Submitted by hour_man (user info) at 2006-09-05 10:00:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
HAd it been easier to read would have been a +1.
Submitted by a_little_more_time (user info) at 2006-09-05 09:56:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Eh, no problem. It'll get better.
Also, apologies for the formatting. For some reason AppleWorks copies into Uber differently than Micro. Works. Won't happen again.
{DAMN, that looks ugly. FUCK.}
Submitted by hour_man (user info) at 2006-09-05 09:54:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Meh +0.5 from me. Seemed a little...meh...sorry wish I could be more specific
Submitted by hour_man (user info) at 2006-09-05 09:50:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Welcome to rapesville on the structure.