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sendthemback) wrote2009-12-22 12:31 am
sendthemback) wrote2009-12-22 12:31 am
One last thing...
Epilogue
Rachel spends the morning on the phone, the afternoon on the couch, and the evening in her bedroom, packing. She goes to bed early and sleeps poorly, dreams coming in little fits and flashes, more distorted memories than anything else.
Once, when she was a kid, her brother caught a dragon fly in a jar. They spent all afternoon watching its body and its wings. Night came and they forgot to let it go. It was dead in the morning. Rachel finally slips into a real dream remembering her father's lecture.
She dreams of shouting and slamming doors, until she's running down a hallway and hiding in some unknown bedroom. Then, she's lying in a bed and there are Keith's hands, running down from her knees to her ankles, not teasing or tempting her, just sliding smoothly over her skin. Then everything muddles and darkens into things she can't remember.
Even though she doesn't have anywhere she has to be, Rachel wakes up before her alarm clock goes off, before it's even begun to get bright out. After a few phone calls, simple double-checking and checking in, she finally showers and gets dressed.
She forces herself out into the morning, her duffle bag on her back, deciding to stop for coffee before she climbs into her truck and disappears toward the mountains. The air is still cold, but damper than it was when she left Keith's, and she takes deep breaths as she walks, watching the steam that puffs out from her lips on the exhale.
Gabby's wearing a hat and gloves along with his coat, but she recognizes his shape next to the doorway as she slowly glides toward the store.
"And where are you going?" he asks as she approaches, nodding at the bag on her shoulder.
Rachel shrugs. "The mountains. I'm having some coffee first, though, if you'd like to walk the block with me."
"I'd love to."
The clerk doesn't let Rachel pay for her coffee, even has her throw a copy of the New York Times on top of it. He waves slightly as she and the little old man turn back toward the street.
"So, how's your daughter?" Rachel asks when they hit the corner.
Gabby smiles. "She'll live, whether she likes it or not."
"That's good, I think." She keeps her eyes on her coffee, shrugging under her bag.
He nods. "And how are you?"
"Okay, I think."
"You think?" Gabby asks, still smiling. "That's why you're heading out, isn't it?"
Rachel snorts. "Possibly."
He steers around her snort with remarkable grace. "It's a good day for it, not supposed to snow or anything, so you should be fine. Are you going anywhere particular?"
Rachel shakes her head. "I'm just going where I'm going."
"That can be good."
"I think so."
They make the circuit more quickly than Rachel expects, and soon, they're back in front of the store, shifting their weight and not quite looking at each other. Rachel kicks at the curb and then finally glances up from her hands. Gabby shrugs, then grins.
Rachel can't return the grin, but she does return the shrug. "Well, I guess I'll..."
"Yes," he says. "And I'll be around here whenever you get back, if you'd still like a walking companion."
"Of course," Rachel answers, finally letting herself smile.
"Good. Now, one thing..." He raises an eyebrow at her, waiting until she nods before he continues. "Promise me you'll think about something for me while you're gone?"
Rachel frowns and nods. "Sure."
"Figure out why you're running toward the mountains. Make sure you're running to something and not from it, okay?"
"Okay," Rachel mumbles, her eyes returning to her hands. She stares down at their dry, almost chapped skin. Gloves...
Then, Gabby's bare fingers encircle hers. He squeezes once and then drops his gloves into her palms.
"You should know better," he smirks.
"I do!" Rachel protests, actually laughing. "I just ruined my last pair and keep getting distracted from buying new ones.
"I'm sure," Gabby chuckles as he turns away.
She watches him for a few seconds before she finally calls out at him. "And, I'll let you know."
He doesn't turn back, but she can see him nod. And then, all she has left to do is turn around herself. She swings around on the balls of her feet, heading out across the city toward her truck and the eventual mountains, not yet really thinking of anything.
~~~
And, since it exists, here's the playlist that goes with my NaNo, just songs somehow vaguely related to this story:
http://is.gd/5wVup [102 MB zip file, via Megaupload]
Rachel spends the morning on the phone, the afternoon on the couch, and the evening in her bedroom, packing. She goes to bed early and sleeps poorly, dreams coming in little fits and flashes, more distorted memories than anything else.
Once, when she was a kid, her brother caught a dragon fly in a jar. They spent all afternoon watching its body and its wings. Night came and they forgot to let it go. It was dead in the morning. Rachel finally slips into a real dream remembering her father's lecture.
She dreams of shouting and slamming doors, until she's running down a hallway and hiding in some unknown bedroom. Then, she's lying in a bed and there are Keith's hands, running down from her knees to her ankles, not teasing or tempting her, just sliding smoothly over her skin. Then everything muddles and darkens into things she can't remember.
Even though she doesn't have anywhere she has to be, Rachel wakes up before her alarm clock goes off, before it's even begun to get bright out. After a few phone calls, simple double-checking and checking in, she finally showers and gets dressed.
She forces herself out into the morning, her duffle bag on her back, deciding to stop for coffee before she climbs into her truck and disappears toward the mountains. The air is still cold, but damper than it was when she left Keith's, and she takes deep breaths as she walks, watching the steam that puffs out from her lips on the exhale.
Gabby's wearing a hat and gloves along with his coat, but she recognizes his shape next to the doorway as she slowly glides toward the store.
"And where are you going?" he asks as she approaches, nodding at the bag on her shoulder.
Rachel shrugs. "The mountains. I'm having some coffee first, though, if you'd like to walk the block with me."
"I'd love to."
The clerk doesn't let Rachel pay for her coffee, even has her throw a copy of the New York Times on top of it. He waves slightly as she and the little old man turn back toward the street.
"So, how's your daughter?" Rachel asks when they hit the corner.
Gabby smiles. "She'll live, whether she likes it or not."
"That's good, I think." She keeps her eyes on her coffee, shrugging under her bag.
He nods. "And how are you?"
"Okay, I think."
"You think?" Gabby asks, still smiling. "That's why you're heading out, isn't it?"
Rachel snorts. "Possibly."
He steers around her snort with remarkable grace. "It's a good day for it, not supposed to snow or anything, so you should be fine. Are you going anywhere particular?"
Rachel shakes her head. "I'm just going where I'm going."
"That can be good."
"I think so."
They make the circuit more quickly than Rachel expects, and soon, they're back in front of the store, shifting their weight and not quite looking at each other. Rachel kicks at the curb and then finally glances up from her hands. Gabby shrugs, then grins.
Rachel can't return the grin, but she does return the shrug. "Well, I guess I'll..."
"Yes," he says. "And I'll be around here whenever you get back, if you'd still like a walking companion."
"Of course," Rachel answers, finally letting herself smile.
"Good. Now, one thing..." He raises an eyebrow at her, waiting until she nods before he continues. "Promise me you'll think about something for me while you're gone?"
Rachel frowns and nods. "Sure."
"Figure out why you're running toward the mountains. Make sure you're running to something and not from it, okay?"
"Okay," Rachel mumbles, her eyes returning to her hands. She stares down at their dry, almost chapped skin. Gloves...
Then, Gabby's bare fingers encircle hers. He squeezes once and then drops his gloves into her palms.
"You should know better," he smirks.
"I do!" Rachel protests, actually laughing. "I just ruined my last pair and keep getting distracted from buying new ones.
"I'm sure," Gabby chuckles as he turns away.
She watches him for a few seconds before she finally calls out at him. "And, I'll let you know."
He doesn't turn back, but she can see him nod. And then, all she has left to do is turn around herself. She swings around on the balls of her feet, heading out across the city toward her truck and the eventual mountains, not yet really thinking of anything.
~~~
And, since it exists, here's the playlist that goes with my NaNo, just songs somehow vaguely related to this story:
http://is.gd/5wVup [102 MB zip file, via Megaupload]
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