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THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, I got into my car and sat there for a moment. From my vantage point, I saw that Lily was home and that she was in her bedroom. It was hard to tell, but it looked like she was taking off her clothes. The thought should have excited me but instead, it filled me with the bitterness of regret.
Instead of growing closer together, we were falling apart and that was always the thing that I regretted the most.
With every intention of canceling the night’s interview, I called the number that Diana had given me in case I needed to get into contact with her employee. It rang a few times but in the end, no one bothered to answer. I tried again only to face the same result.
“Strange...”
Next, I tried Diana but hers went straight to voicemail. Typical. She was horrendous at answering her phone. Even when we had dated, it was a nightmare trying to get into contact with the woman.
I thought about ditching the interview all together but I didn’t want to force one of Diana’s writers to wait for me all night long. That would be unusually cruel. So, with a heaviness weighing on my shoulders, I rolled out of the driveway and started down the street. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the curtain pulling back from Lily’s window as she watched me go.
Whatever happened tonight, I would tell Lily the truth. I couldn’t keep my love for her a secret any longer. She could do with it what she wanted but I wasn’t going to let it fester inside my heart any longer because each day it threatened to suffocate me.
I barely remembered the ride getting to the bar but I do remember that eerie feeling that someone was watching me. I surveyed my surroundings but nothing seemed out of place. Even the biker gang seemed to ignore my existence. But the feeling remained.
Turn back, came a warning that sounded through my head. Something isn’t right here.
I’m probably just worked up over Lily — that’s all, I thought to myself. It’s nothing.
So, I got out of my car and managed one more look around the place without making it glaringly obvious that I was doing so but hey, I’m a baseball player, not some spy working for the English crown.
Shrugging my shoulders, I walked inside. Diana had forwarded a picture of her writer in order to make it easier for me to find her. She was a decently cute redhead with eyes that were a little too big for her face. If I had to imagine, she was a friendly sort and I didn’t think she would give me too much grief if I said that I needed to cancel. She certainly didn’t look like the pushy type and no one could beat Diana in that department and I had already dealt with her.
From the looks of it, she wasn’t even there yet. I tried calling her number one more time but again, it was left unanswered.
Thinking that I would wait for her, I ordered myself a drink to pass the time.
The minutes ticked by like snails on a hot summer’s day. I could barely stand it.
Where is this girl? I thought to myself. And Diana had vouched for her too.
After my second drink, I was sick and tired of waiting. If this girl wanted to waste my night then I wouldn’t let her gain that glory.
I paid my tab and left.
Good luck explaining this one to Diana, Mindy, I thought to myself as I got behind the wheel. I was just about to pull away when the redhead walked through the door and disappeared inside the bar. I considered leaving and letting her wait the night away but I just didn’t have it in me to do something like that. Maybe she had a legitimate reason as to why she was so late and the least I could do was hear her out on the matter.
As soon as she saw me, she sprung to her feet, eyes widening. “Mr. Nash! I am so sorry! I missed the bus to get here and then my phone died.”
I held up my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I understand that these kinds of things happen. I won’t hold it against you.”
“That’s very kind of you, sir.” She blushed and looked away in a bashful manner. I was glad I had given her the benefit of the doubt. I never would have forgiven myself for screwing over such an innocent little thing.
“But I’m afraid that I cannot stay for much longer,” I said. “I intended to meet someone tonight.”
“Oh?” She asked with a genuine curiosity to her voice. “Might it be that lovely fiancée of yours?”
“As a matter of fact, it is.”
“Lily is simply fantastic. She’s a spectacular writer and just a joy to work with. We’ve grabbed lunch together a couple of times.”
“Sounds like you two are getting along quite nicely.”
“I’d like to think so. Work becomes so much easier when you’re friendly with your peers,” she beamed.
I had a sense that this girl was just one of those people with the never-ending upbeat personalities and those types tend to get old rather quickly. The less time I spent with her, the better.
“So, what I’m asking is whether we can reschedule this for another time. I’d be more than willing to give you a ride home.”
“Oh, can’t you stay and answer just a few questions? Diana is really going to want me to get some work done on this story and I can’t do much if I only have Lily’s side of the engagement. It would be a tremendous help. Five minutes, that’s all I ask of you.” She rested her hand on my forearm and give me big, puppy dog eyes that were incredibly hard to say no to.
“Alright, five minutes.” I ordered myself another drink.
“I hope you don’t intend to drink and drive,” she said with a frown. “It would be just terrible if something would happen to you when you’re due to get married.”
“It’s just some sprite,” I clarified. “I never go behind the wheel after I’ve had something to drink.”
“That’s good to know,” she said with a smile. “Keep yourself and others safe!”
Yep, she was already getting tiresome.
“So, about those questions.”
“Right, right.” She pulled out a notebook from her back and opened it up on the counter. There was a whole page filled with questions. If she intended to ask me all of them, then I would never get out of here.
***
BY SOME MIRACLE, MINDY wrapped up our little interview rather quickly. She only asked me a handful of questions and none of them were particularly hard to answer. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said that she was only stalling me for time but that didn’t make any sense. Why would she have any need to do that? No. She was just respecting my request to keep things short.
“Well, it’s been a pleasure!” She chimed.
“Likewise. I look forward to reading your story.”
“It’ll be my first cover story!”
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “Diana tends to write most of them herself. Very rarely does she give them out to the staff writers. I’ve been waiting nearly five years for something like this to happen. I was starting to have my doubts but good things happen to those who wait, right?”
I almost felt guilty for Lily had snagged a lead story on her very first day while this girl had been sidestepped as a result.
“Right.” I smiled in an encouraging manner. “I’m sure you’ll knock it out of the park.”
“Thank you, Mr. Nash! You don’t know what it means to me to hear you say something like that.”
“You’ve earned it.”
Her eyes twinkled at my compliment. “But, I really must be going now.” I finished my sprite and covered her tab. “Are you sure that you don’t need a ride home? I’m more than willing —”
“No, no. Please don’t burden yourself with that. I believe I’ll stick around here for a bit longer. Some of my friends are playing billiards. I might join them.”
I glanced over at the group of college-looking kids gathered around the table. They seemed decent enough but I still had my apprehensions about leaving such a girl on her own. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“Just fine!” She assured. “There’s no need to worry about me. I’m much tougher than I look. I promise. Although, I am flattered by your concern.” She offered a warm smile.
“Well, in that case, have a good night and take care of yourself alright, Mindy?”
“Will do!”
I got back to my car and started it. As always, I admired the purr of the engine. After giving it a minute to warm up, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. I took the backroads to give myself some added time to gather my thoughts. When I told Lily my feelings for her, I wanted it to be well articulated.
Suddenly, the steering wheel began to shake. I tried to steady it but it was already too late. Via the side mirror, I saw the back tire blow. Sparks flew as the rims grinder against the asphalt.
The car fishtailed until I was driven off the road. And that’s when everything happened in slow motion. First, I saw the trash from my console fly up towards the windshield then everything started to spin as the car flipped once, twice, three times —
Crash!
My body flew forward. The seatbelt tightened around my torso and whipped into me like a rope made of fire. The glass shattered. It rained all over me and the rest of the interior. I tried to shield my face but my arms refused to cooperate. It was like they were no longer a part of my body.
The car had yet to stop.
Slam!
I saw stars as my temples throbbed with the impact.
When I blinked, there was so much blood. I couldn’t see what was right in front of me but somehow, I managed to unbuckle my seatbelt. Next, I tried the door but it wouldn’t budge.
Smoke billowed from the hood. I knew it was only a matter of time before the whole thing would blow me to Timbuktu.
“I need to get out of here...” I croaked. I heaved every ounce of strength into opening the door but... nothing.
Darkness began to creep in.
“No...”
But there was no fighting it.
This was it. This was the end.