| |
––––––––
After ending the call to my Mum, I found myself shaking as I didn’t know what I wanted to do first, scream in anger or agony. Because I didn’t want to allow her words to create doubt in my mind. I didn’t want that poisonous and lying emotion called hope clouding my decision to leave.
No, she was just saying all of those things to try and get me to go back there. Because she loved me still, like a mother would. She cared for my safety. She would say anything. I swallowed hard and folded my arms across the steering wheel before burying my head there and sobbing, letting it all go. The sound of someone calling becoming nothing but a theme song for my pain and I looked side on at the screen through my tears, cancelling it with a stab of my finger and all those after it.
Then, I took a deep shuddering breath and started the car ready to follow through with the rest of my getaway. Which meant that I continued to drive, all the while asking myself what on earth Luc had said for both him and my father to be driving to the plane together?
It was the only part of this that made no sense. I knew my dad and if he believed Luc had been having an affair with his wife then other than outright killing him, which he couldn’t do, the very last thing he would do was spend time with him in a fucking car!
But then again, when did any of this day make sense?
When did the sense part come into it, as everything in your life starts to unravel?
Never. That’s when.
I looked at the clock and seeing that the longer I gave them, the more chance they had to issue their orders, it meant that it was time to put the next part of my plan into action. And well, for that I needed to speak to the only person in my life I felt I could trust. The only person who wouldn’t try and convince me to go home or ‘do what they thought was best’. I thought about Auntie Pip, but then I knew she would never go against my mum and she was clearly emotional after what had happened. So, as much as it pained me, I knew that I couldn’t count on her.
No, there was only Wendy left in my life. And lucky for me I had memorized her number a while ago, which meant that I could tap it in to the car’s inbuilt phone using its Wi-Fi and ring my last lifeline.
“Err...Hello?” Wendy answered in the way most people would when they didn’t recognise the number calling them.
“Kirky, it’s me,” I said, unable to prevent my emotions from pouring out in those three words. Because that was the effect of a true friend, one you needed in moments of desperate need for comfort. I had missed my friend and had barely had the chance to speak to her during all that had been going on. But, before leaving for Afterlife, Lucius had given me his phone so I could call her, finally able to update her with the status of my relationship. News that seemed pointless now.
“Emmie! Oh my God, Jesus, I have been so worried!” The second her panicked voice said this I knew that she had already been contacted.
“I’m fine, honey.”
“Yeah, well, that boy of yours doesn’t seem to think so, as let’s just say that he put the fear of God in me!” she said, making me tense.
“What do you mean...Lucius called you?” I asked with a shake of my head knowing that this didn’t sound right.
“Oh yeah, he called me alright and your father, oh and then Dante, the asshole,” she said in a tone that was incredulous and ended on a growl of words obviously disliking the last one, something I knew I would have to ask her about when the time was right. I had tried the last time I spoke to her, but it had been obvious she hadn’t been ready. Something, that unfortunately in this moment I could relate to, so I hadn’t pushed.
“What did he say?”
“I would ask which one, but I gather with the sound of heartbreak in your voice you only mean one...oh and also I have someone’s skull to crack should I ever meet the asshole!”
“Yeah, well I will hand you the bat, but for now...” I said, leaving out the part that he would just catch it on the downward blow and snap it in two. However, my comment made her chuckle before telling me,
“Only that you had done another runner and that it was basically a life and death situation that you were found and that if I wanted to be any help to you, I would call him the second you called and tell him everything you told me.”
“Gods, why would he do that?” I muttered in disbelief.
“My guess, because he cares and is freaking out that you left him,” she answered making me frown at the dashboard with a shake of my head. Then I found myself asking,
“Are you going to?”
“Fuck no! You’re my girl, he can eat shit and die if he hurt you, which I am guessing he did.” I snorted a laugh and wiped the tears that had escaped with the back of my hand telling her,
“Yeah...he did.”
“Oh Smock, I am so sorry, honey. Men are shits, what can I say?” I scoffed at that and said,
“You can say that again.”
“Alright, men are shits, now you say it with me.” I laughed and did as she asked,
“Men are shits...you got that right.” I said lacking her enthusiasm for it and making her whisper,
“Oh, honey...do you wanna talk about it?” I sniffed back my tears and told her,
“Maybe one day but right now it’s just too painful, you know,” I told her and right in that moment I wished I was back there. I wished I was about to knock on her door, ready to throw myself in her arms and pour my heart out. But then again...
I wished for so many things.
“I understand, honey. I wish I didn’t but like I said, men are shits so what are you gonna do other than invest in a bat thing.” I snorted a laugh at this, smiling through my tears before she then asked,
“So, what can I do, you coming home, need a plane ticket, whatever you need, I’m your Trekkie.” I smiled, sniffing back the tears that threatened again, this time from the love I had for this woman...this wonderful friend of mine. As we may not have spoken much these last few weeks, what with all the craziness that was happening in my life, but it didn’t matter. Because this was what real friends were, the ones who were there for you no matter how much time had passed.
They weren’t the ones who got shitty with you for what you had or had not done. They understood the situation and gave you the space you needed, being ready at the first moment you needed it, surrounding you with their comfort. It made me long for my life back. It made me wish that I could just go home and camp out in my living room in my PJs with Kirky by my side making me laugh or holding me through my tears.
But I couldn’t.
Because right now, my life wasn’t my own. Lucius’ phone call to my best friend was proof enough of that. Besides, I still had a job to do. Which is what I told her,
“I can’t. I have something important I need to see through to the end before I can get my life back on track.”
“Alright, now I feel the need to say this just because if anything ever happened to you and I hadn’t, then I would never forgive myself...you know,” she said in a serious tone that told me she was worried.
“Yeah, I know.”
“So, here it is, the friend lecture part of the call.” I laughed and said,
“Okay, go for it.”
“This thing you need to do...is it dangerous?” I released a sigh before telling her,
“I am not going to lie to you because you’re my best friend, which is why I am telling you, that yes, it could be.”
“Smock...I don’t...” she started to say, and I could almost see her shaking her head, wondering if her 50’s pinned barrel curls were lasting through it. So, I cut her off,
“Okay, so before you say anything, there is something I need you to know about me.”
“Which is?” she asked in a naturally suspicious tone. I took a deep breath and told her,
“I am kick ass.” She burst out laughing and said,
“Yeah right, pull the other one,” she said referring to her leg, one that was most likely attached to some quirky mad shoe of hers.
“No, I am serious and shit you not, my friend. I am a total bad ass, I said trying again.
“Seriously, this coming from the girl who makes painting her toenails look dangerous?” I laughed and I had to say, it felt damn good.
“Oi, I said I was bad ass not a gazelle...besides, as it turns out, you can totally beat the crap out of guys and still be clumsy enough to trip over standing still.”
“Ha, who knew,” she replied before adding,
“So, being serious for a moment, exactly how bad ass are we talking here, like John McLane or John Wick?”
“I would like to lean further towards the Wick but without his extensive knowledge of guns,” I told her with a smirk.
“Holy shit! Are you serious?!” she shouted after first sounding like she might have spat out her drink.
“Deadly.” I giggled happily in that blissful moment, ignoring the past and painful hours this day had granted me.
“So, like when...when did this happen, I mean what exactly have you been doing these past few weeks, training with the Marines?” she asked clearly surprised, as anyone would be.
“I wish... no, it’s just something I have always done.”
“Ermm...back up a sec, like why is this something I am only now hearing about?”
“Well, it never came up,” I argued lamely.
“Okay, just so you know for future potential friend making, that granted, will never be as awesome as me but nevertheless, it should always come up... for example, like when we first met, you should have introduced yourself as, ‘hello, I am Emmie, kick ass extraordinaire, my hobbies include collecting Lego, lame T shirts and putting men on their ass when they get too grabby...plus, I just bought a bat.” I burst out laughing at that before agreeing,
“Right, I must really remember that for next time,” I said with a smirk.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! I could have been making money with you in underground fight clubs!” she said in a high-pitched way, again making me giggle.
“And just how many of those do you know about, huh?”
“Admittedly not one, but hey if I ever find a Brad Pitt look alike then I will follow him and see where he goes.”
“Oh sure, that’s why you would follow him,” I said in a knowing tone making her laugh this time.
“And besides, don’t you mean Ed Norton, as I believe...”
“Yeah, yeah alright smarty kick ass pants. So, back to this plan of yours, what do you need?” she said getting back down to business.
“Do you still have your connections in New York?” I asked, knowing she was right. Because as much as I needed this conversation for my sanity at the moment, I also had a time restriction set against me.
“Yeah...whyyy?” she said in a way that extended the word and I could just tell it was one of those, ‘I have a bad feeling’ type of why.
“Because I have a plan, but first I need money.”
“Well, why not just...wait, you’re not just running from the hot Ex are you? That’s why I got a call from hot daddy too.” I groaned and told her,
“Please, don’t call him that and yes, I am running from everyone.”
“But why?” she asked clearly confused, which became just one more thing to add to the long list of shit I couldn’t tell her fully.
“It’s hard to explain right now, but I promise you, Kirky, one day I will explain everything...off the record of course, I said knowing this was only a half promise and feeling bad about it, but then again, I also knew it was a truth that I was forever forbidden to tell.
“Alright, but I am trusting you here not to get yourself killed...don’t disappoint me...yeah?”
“I promise and if it helps, I really don’t want to get killed either,” I admitted.
“Good to know and just for the record...you are officially one of the coolest and most mysterious people I know, especially when I just thought you were a geek in PJs.” I laughed at this and said,
“Oh Kirky, you have no idea.”