Another Language I Forgot

March 15, 2018April 6, 2018 ~ Piece, of the Sky

Hyrule_Castle_Courtyard

It was late at night; Karen sat at the bar in The Gem. It was an old, wooden bar. The wizened barkeep polished the counter-top with a rag.

Karen nursed a mint julep. Ran sat down beside her, in a black leather bomber jacket. She ordered a whiskey on the rocks.

“It’s nice to see you Karen,” Ran said between sips, “Boy, has it been a while.”

“Yes, things have changed since you headed out to California,” Karen smiled.

“I went west, but I’m back,” Ran laughed.

“But you didn’t come back for me, did you?” Karen feigned indignation.

“Of course, I did!” Ran guffawed, “No, no, I met someone.”

“Out there?”

“No, in the Caribbean actually,” Ran admitted.

Karen put her chin in her hand, “Tell me about her.”

“Well, she’s an accountant, and she’s lived here most of her life. She likes lifting weights.”

“That’s it?” Karen frowned.

“Yes, Karen, that’s it,” Ran grinned, “We can’t all be genius authors.”

“Hmm,” Karen mused, and finished her drink.

“You’re like a mother to me you know,” Ran said, “I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“I was more than a mother to you, I hope,” Karen responded, with a sidelong look.

“She’s never going to measure up to your standards, is she?” Ran drained her drink and signaled for another.

“Accountant sounds responsible,” Karen thought aloud.

Ran considered her drink, “You wish we were still together.”

Karen also looked down, “Of course I do, Ran.”

She gave her a wan smile, “We had our time Karen.”

“Why are you meeting with me then?”

Ran looked confused, “Because I care about you? Because I haven’t been to New York in a long time?”

“You never understood me at all, did you?” Karen looked at her.

Taken aback, Ran recomposed herself and muttered, “No, maybe I did not.”

She left a twenty on the bar, to pay for her drinks, and straightening her jacket, left, walking out the door.

Karen watched her go. She turned to the bartender, “Another.”

detox

Perturbation Theory

March 12, 2018April 6, 2018 ~ Piece, of the Sky

I miss the sea, water

Alli was paddling back, from kayaking out to the Peak, a rock that stood up in the water, rising at least twenty feet. Every time she came out to Ran’s house on the waterfront, she spent the morning heading out to the pinnacle and rowing around it, before heading back to shore.

The morning was hazy. White clouds hung low in the sky. The crest of the Peak, had been covered in fog.

One oar stroke at a time, Alli made her way forward, through the choppy waves of the low tide. She was cruising. The beach was in sight. Trees here and there, and the scrubland of the dunes.

Ran’s house came into view. Ran was sitting on the beach waiting for her. She had a fire going and was grilling breakfast sausages. Just like when I met her, Alli thought.

She tied up the boat at the dock out front. Strolling down the beachfront in her sandals, she waved to Ran, who waved back. In the house, she changed into a T-shirt and shorts that weren’t damp with sweat and put on a new sweatshirt. Outside, she made her way to Ran, who was plating the sausages.

“How was it out there?” Ran asked, as Alli got closer.

“Peaceful,” Alli said, sitting down on the sand.

“How was your parents’ house?” Ran asked, handing her a plate.

“Uneventful,” Alli answered, “We just watched ‘Jeopardy,’ mostly.”

“That’s good,” Ran said. She gave Alli a fork.

They ate the food, watching the sun climb through the low-hanging mist.

“How was your time with Kaan?” Alli asked. She opened a thermos of coffee Ran had brought.

“Oh, you know, just watched the fight,” Ran shrugged.

Ran unrolled a colorful, striped blanket, and they lay down in the dune grass, after eating their food, staring up at the brightening sky.

Ran put her arm around Alli’s shoulders, “Do you like being with me?”

Alli glanced at her and put her arm around Ran’s stomach, “Of course I do.”

She ran her hand over Alli’s soft hair, the medium fade, “Do you think people can reincarnate while still alive?”