The Park Collaboration

Gethsemane Park.

 

Sunday.

The day after.

 

Squinting at the bedside clock Ravyn let out a groan. How long had she been asleep? It was late. She snuck a hand between the sheets and slapped at a cold mattress. She was alone. Groaning again she slumped back into the pillows and covered her head. Through the material she could still hear a multitude of alien unfamiliar sounds. There were cars passing on the street below and birds singing. Someone somewhere had the radio blasting. In the distance sirens wailed. All of it conspired to keep her awake. Flinging the pillow away Ravyn swore under her breath.

Already she was regretting waking up. Still physically spent from a long day moving and shifting boxes her body was angry with even the slightest of movements.

Pushing herself up out of bed she stepped into some clothes and made her way out of the room. The sound of electronic car engines warbling from the TV made her cringe in the doorway.

“How long have you been at that?” she wondered, emerging in the living room.

The sunlight streaming in through curtain-less windows stung her eyes. Boxes were strewn about haphazardly; many were opened with their contents nestled between layers of crumpled newspaper. On the sofa Rob sat with his long legs outstretched staring at the TV screen. He held a game controller clenched between his fists. He didn’t even blink as he thumbed a button and leant to the side a fraction, his focus vested intently on the virtual car speeding around a hairpin turn and nothing else. He grunted by way of response as Ravyn approached and leant across the back of the seat to kiss him. Rob swerved away from her.

“Don’t, I’m winning,” he grumbled, clicking hard on the controls.

Ravyn scoffed as she drew upright. She ran her fingers through his thick scruffy hair. Again Rob jerked away and accompanied it with a sound of irritation. Ravyn s******ed at him as she wandered away. She didn’t have to look at the screen to know he was about to crash, chuckling at the sound of brakes skidding and glass shatter.

In the kitchenette she kicked aside empty boxes and made her way to the refrigerator. Stocks were running low, as to be expected. The last thing she had wanted, on top of shifting everything else yesterday, was to try and shift a box load of food that would have only gone off in the process. Still, it would have saved some time, and they still had so much to do by way of unpacking.

Preparing a morning coffee Ravyn stood assessing the mess left just as it had been last night, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the prospect of what lay ahead. Rob however seemed to be taking it in his stride, as was his usual way. Struggling hard to finish the race, Rob didn’t seem to have a care in the world beyond what he was managing on the television screen. Of course he hadn’t had any reservations about them moving in together again but Ravyn had, she just hadn’t said as much. Yet. She couldn’t. Besides, it was early days, and Gethsemane Park was a fresh start for the both of them. They were in a new place, in a new city, with a whole new world of possibilities open in front of them. It was natural of course she would be feeling a little unsettled, she told herself, and figured things would settle down once they were set up and stable.

Stable. The word made her smile but not in fondness.

As she finished pouring coffee Rob could be heard tossing his controller atop the coffee table. He drew his long legs down, his joints popping like whip cracks in the midmorning silence. He yawned and stretched in the stillness.

“Get much sleep?” she wondered with a raised brow.

Rob grunted his joints stiff from sitting still too long.

“Some. You?”

“Like the dead,” Ravyn smiled. “It’s a wonder the neighbours haven’t complained. Snore so loud sometimes you’d think someone had let lose in there with a chainsaw.”

“Yeah,” Rob uttered dryly, “Lucky me.”

He met her besides the breakfast bar with a word of thanks and a kiss. Ravyn smiled and briefly lulled her head against his shirt. He was tall, warm and comforting. In this strange new environment they were meant to call home now she found little save for his presence to be of any great comfort at the moment.

“Neighbours. What neighbours?” he said stealing a sip of her mug. Ignoring her jibes he set it down and scuffed at her hair. “We’ve got the place to ourselves. Was a steal too. If I knew it was going to be this good I would have bought into it like way earlier.”

Ravyn gave him a forced smile and hid the rest behind the rim of her coffee mug, content to watch him search the empty cupboards and refrigerator for food.

“Not much to eat,” he whined. He leant over the fridge door. “I’m starved.”

“I’m exhausted,” Ravyn countered, “but you don’t hear me complaining about it. Have to go grocery shopping sometime today. “Going to help?”

Rob scoffed with a half hearted smirk that suggested she should have known better than to ask.

“Nope. Too much to do,” he said.

“Yeah? Like what?”

“I don’t know, like… stuff.”

Making his way through the maze of boxes and unsorted items Rob returned to the sofa and slumped down, disappearing across it. Only the lower half of his bare legs dangled over the cushioned arm towards the floor.

Ravyn s******ed and set her coffee down. Lazily she cast her eyes around the apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was good for what they had been able to afford.

With two bedrooms, one bathroom and a conjoined living area and kitchen it had just enough space for the two of them, and the art deco styled windows allowed plenty of natural light to flood in. Given it didn’t have much cupboard space and even now there seemed no feasible way that half of what they’d packed would fit even with some creative thinking, yet looking at the empty walls and the seemingly endless obstacle course of boxes Ravyn felt apprehensive about giving any of it away. They had already given up so much to be here, she thought to herself.

Outside on the fire escape pigeons were cooing. A sudden clatter against the glass sent them flurrying in a panic. Startled by the sight of the Xbox control on the floor below it Ravyn gave Rob a reprimanding stare. She walked over to the sofa and leant down against it. He lay across the cushions with a forearm hiding his eyes.

“What?” he murmured defensively. “I’m trying to sleep.”

Ravyn’s smile dwindled. Surrounded by the eerie silence and the chaos of boxes around her, Ravyn watched him stir and appear to doze back off to sleep. She watched him like a mother doting over her beloved infant, she watched him like a predator lying docile and dormant. She watched him like she was waiting for something. A shudder ripped through her.

“Take the key,” he said without lifting his arm from his eyes. “Don’t be long.”

“Okay.”

She leant down and gently stroked the hair from his brow. In the sunlight the ink tattooed into her wrist seemed to be an unnaturally vibrant blue. It was of a shooting star. Ravyn stared transfixed a moment. The thick white scars that scored her flesh too gleamed with a morbid kind of beauty. Feeling her stomach plummet Ravyn stooped down and kissed his forehead. Rob sighed and peered out from beneath his shield.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You sure? You think too much. Come here,” Rob said, and with his arm drew her head down to rest against him. Again he sighed. Ravyn remained still a moment crouched beside the sofa listening to his heart beat and his slow hypnotic breaths. She didn’t want to go anywhere but all too soon her joints were protesting against her. Ravyn tried to jerk free and couldn’t. Rob was dozing seemingly ignorant he still held her in a headlock.

“We’re all good,” he murmured sleepily, as though half awake or half asleep. Ravyn pried herself free enough to face him. He had morning breath and badly needed a shave but for a moment at such close quarters she was rooted to the spot as if grafted to him. “It’s all behind us now. It’s all good.”

Blinking down at the inside of her wrist Ravyn nodded against him and eventually managed to drag herself away.

She couldn’t think of that day she told herself, she couldn’t. They had moved on now, they had to move on, it was time to forget it, it was over.

After a quick shower and changing into fresh clothes Ravyn ripped a brush through her hair, tied it back, and slipped some shoes on her feet. Gathering up her bag and keys and making sure she had everything she needed she paused at the doorway looking down at him as his gentle snores slowly filled the room. Pushing her spectacles up on the bridge of her nose Ravyn bowed her eyes and left Rob and the apartment sleeping peacefully.

 

 

Gethsemane Park was closely situated to a crop of general stores. Everything they needed was in close proximity, making owning a car somewhat redundant, but in The City That Never Slept you could get around with relative ease if you knew where you were going. Everywhere she looked graffiti was splashed across the walls in a rainbow of colours. Trees dotted the streets and broke up the monotony of row upon row of looming brick tenements. On both sides of her the buildings felt like impenetrable fences closing in on her, keeping her locked in. It was a silly thought of course but she felt it just the same.

Old habits, she thought.

Peering up into the same clear blue sky Ravyn shivered briefly in the sunshine. It was just as it had been the day before. At least that she was familiar with.

At a corner store she picked up enough supplies as she could carry and even had money left over to treat Rob a Kocher breakfast. He would be happy and stop harassing the wildlife for a while at least, she smirked. Hurrying home she paused watching yellow Ryder trucks pass her on the street. Intuitively she considered they were new neighbours pulling into Gethsemane Park but then she shrugged the notion away. She didn’t mind having neighbours, especially now as she and Rob were just figuratively finding their feet on their own with no one around to support them. She didn’t have many friends, in fact she was too reserved to make any, and Rob had left his back in LA to make this cross country voyage with her, much to their detriment, in spite of the fact New York City was unfamiliar and unchartered territory for the both of them. They were alone here and all they had were each other, and Ravyn couldn’t help but wonder once more if she’d made the best decision in taking this big step with him when she wasn’t completely sure any of it was for the right reasons in the first place.

Watching the van pass and disappear around a corner Ravyn sighed and wrestled her bags, one in each arm, as she made her way back to the apartment. Still thinking of the prospect of new neighbours Ravyn made her way inside and up to her floor without any trouble.

 

 

The day passed quickly. It always did when you remained busy. After his nap Rob awoke and ate and bypassed a shower in lieu of changing into a fresh tee shirt and sweatpants. For hours they continued to unpack and fill the cupboards with pots and pans and clothes and linen, all the while accompanied by an unwavering backdrop of silence.

Rob didn’t talk much. He had never been the world’s greatest conversationalist. Even when prompted he would respond with a look most of the time rather than actual words, and even they were usually well scripted. At around six and a half feet he towered over her. Not that that was hard. Their physical differences had been a great source of amusement for his friends, but Ravyn was used to the ridicule. She was short, not exactly pretty, insecure and independent, and had spent a lifetime being teased about one thing or another. She didn’t get close to people for the most part but for some strange reason Rob had been the exception. Half of the time she didn’t know whether it was out of sympathy or real friendship on his behalf, half the time she didn’t know whether she meant the words she shared with him, but even on the rare occasion they did exchange terms of endearment, she never wholeheartedly believed what he told her. His usual response to her ‘I love you’ left her feeling lost sometimes with a vague ‘you too.’ She wanted to think the best of him, after all she had never in her adult life been as close to any man as she was him, but she couldn’t. Something inside of her always got in the way.

In the apartment now silence and stillness and disorganised chaos still reigned supreme. Rob didn’t help matters; he was more content stacking a box of CDs into piles as Ravyn sat watching. Her ears were ringing. Rob hadn’t noticed her attentions. Maybe he was too focused. Maybe he didn’t care. Ravyn was about to open her mouth and say something when she heard a noise coming from outside. On impulse she turned her head towards the door.

“What was that?”

Rob now turned to face her. He looked vague as he shrugged back in response.

“Don’t know.”

“Sounded like yelling.”

“Maybe,” Rob suggested.

A moment later he was back to sorting through the CDs again as though nothing had happened.

Thinking she had imagined it Ravyn shrugged it off and decided to fetch them both a cool drink. The heat was still relentless and they had to economise with the air cooler, at least until one of them got a job now and they could afford to use it. Setting the box she had been nursing aside she stood up and manoeuvred her way past the breakfast bar. She paused. Out through the window down on the street below she was sure she could see a sluice of yellow. Maybe it was that Ryder truck after all, she wondered. She felt something inside of her rise and sink again anxiously. It had to be new neighbours. She hoped whoever they were, they were nice people. She wondered if they would like her. She peered out through the glass again far below to the scrap of street below and fretted that they would all be young and gorgeous and single women all with enough spunk and surgically enhanced assets to steal Rob attentions, maybe even the man himself. Ravyn gripped at the bench top and dug her nails in feeling panic crest and wash away from her. She looked at the scars of on her wrist again and slid her hand down by her side. She tried hard not to think at all then as she fetched them both drinks and handed Rob his and lingered a moment at his side like a guard dog protecting her pup. Sure Rob was a few years younger but in her eyes he was all she had. She forced a smile down over him when he petted her back and tried to push down this growing sense of unease that the sounds outside had suddenly kindled within her.

Something was coming. She just couldn’t tell what it was yet.

Wow, I'm really looking forward to see other people's stories. Wow, haha on so many levels I'm loving this already, I wasn't prepared for such calmness and stability between you and Rob.

 

 

Sunday.

“Get up, now!” shrieked Sarah at the top of her voice, as she stood over the half naked corpse of her partner laying in bed with a hang over from the previous night’s drinking expedition. Sarah leant over the still sleeping body of her partner, grabbed a pillow, and started to smother the body with it the feathery pillow. There were struggles and there were muffles, begging Sarah to stop it, as her partner overpowered her and threw the smothering object out of her grip.

“Do you mind, there is someone here with a hangover trying to get over it?” asked Mike, as Sarah put her hands on her waist in disgust that he had completely forgotten that it the night that Mike chose to drink and get wasted, was the night right before the day that they were supposed to be moving to their new apartment together. As it meant that them moving in with other was another step closer to committing themselves to their partner even more, without Mike being the one that always crashed at Sarah’s place without paying rent or paying for food whenever he wanted. Mike then opened his eyes as he realised what today was for him and his missus. “Oh, sorry, I completely forgot.” Mike looked to his partner and gave her a weak smile. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay, just don’t let it happen again, come on, we’ve got to pack the rest of the bathroom and the kitchen before the removalists come in about two hours,” replied Sarah, as Mike sat up straight and stretched. “You can start on the bathroom seeing that’s where the painkillers are.” Sarah smiled faintly as she disappeared into the living room where there really wasn’t anything that would make up a living room, except for the television and the couch. Everything else had been packed up, the various coloured side tables were already broken due to drunken nights where they held their mini-parties, so they had to go in the trash, and the various lamps had been packed up along with the various magazines they both had gathered over the various years. There were just boxes everywhere with scribble all over them.

Neither of them decided to have breakfast right now, as it would mean unpacking all of the bowls and then to repack them again, Sarah wasn’t doing that. She decided that it was better to get some fast food for breakfast and to work on an empty stomach just for now. She could hold off for another two or so hours. She entered the kitchen and started to move the heavy boxes by pushing them with her all of her strength.

“Hun?” asked Mike, who was now in the bathroom and looking for the painkillers that he swore he didn’t pack away in yesterday’s packing session. Mike was still half naked walking around with track pants on.

“Yeah,” answered Sarah, stopping for a second.

“Did you pack the painkillers away?” asked Mike, as Sarah stopped to think about if she did or didn’t. He stood in front of the medicine cabinet that was empty and cringed. “I can’t find them. In fact, by the look of this cabinet, someone must’ve packed everything away.”

“Maybe we’re out of them,” suggested Sarah, as she stopped attempting to push heavy boxes to one side of the house to make space for walking room. She walked over to a pile of flat boxes that hadn’t been assembled yet and picked up. “I think in that case, you’ve just got to work with a hangover. Now that teaches you to get off your face before moving.”

“Sure does,” Mike mumbled, as he closed the cabinet above the basin and cringed in pain as his head was throbbing with pain. “We better hurry up, if those guys are coming in less than three hours.”

“Didn’t I just say that moments ago?” asked Sarah, ripping some masking tape off its roll to put on the folded flaps of the bottom of the box. She frowned as she thought she must be hearing an echo around the place. Mike shrugged but Sarah didn’t see it. “I feel like I’m hearing a strange echo around this place.”

In an approximately two hours later there was a knock at the door, as Sarah finished shoving all of her clothes and her partner’s into a box. She pleaded with Mike to get the door. Mike rolled his eyes as he detached himself from gathering up all of the beer bottles that he had brought back from last night’s drinking expedition and was about to put them out in the recycling. Mike opened the door and there stood three guys in the dark green uniforms of the removalists that they had paid to help them move. Mike greeted them with a smile and told them to come on in, but the guys just huffed and started to go for the couch.

“Be careful with that,” told Mike as he cringed at the lounge hit the corner of the doorway, as the guys were moving it out first. “Not mine. Soon to be mother-in-law doesn’t like me; don’t give her more of a reason to hate me even more.”

“What’s happening out there?” asked Sarah, trying to push another box to one side to start shoving clothes into another made up box.

“Nothing,” smiled Mike, as another set of removalists came and started to pick up the boxes with the breakable china in it. “Just be careful with that, okay? It’s her family’s heirlooms. She has so many of them, because her mother thinks we’re her storage space.” One of the removalists exited the room with the large box full of newspaper and china. Seconds after disappearing from the room the removalist dropped the box, as the sound of breaking expensive china was heard. Mike cringed and cussed underneath his breath as he ducked out of the room, so he wouldn’t have to answer to Sarah’s ten thousand questions about the sound of breaking china.

“Sorry buddy,” apologised the removalist, as Mike ripped open the box to inspect the damage. “Is it replaceable?” Mike shook his head. “Sorry.”

“I’ll glue it back up, she won’t notice,” replied Mike looking at a broken saucer and placed it back into the box. He cussed underneath his breath as he saw Sarah standing out of the doorway with her arms crossed. “It’s nothing, no damage done.” Sarah smiled and withdrew the hostile pose. “I swear.”

“Okay, I’ve nearly done packing the clothes,” replied Sarah, as she smiled again and walked back into their apartment.

“Quick, get it out of here,” Mike muttered to the removalist, as the removalist picked up the open box and went down the stairs. Mike went back inside, as he realised that he was working pretty well for someone who had a raging headache and felt like someone had just trampled over him several times with a tractor. He headed back inside.

In a short manner of time the two couches had been removed, about two dozen boxes had been put away and Sarah was getting exhausted as she felt like she was the one that was doing everything. That was half true, because Mike spent most of the time arguing with their landlord that had come around and Mike ripped into him about giving the bond back that Sarah had paid at the start of her agreement.

“You see this?” asked the landlord, pointing to a large hole in the wall that had been badly concealed with the same coloured paint to the wall. Again, another drunken moment gone horrible wrong. “This wasn’t here when she first moved in here and she has to pay for the damages.”

“She fixed it,” complained Mike. “Look, it’s not so obvious to the naked eye when you stand at a further distance.” Sarah stood next to Mike not wanting to say anything; she had always hated her landlord and had never managed to gather the guts to stand up to him.

“Sorry, damages equal no bond, rules are rules,” the landlord concluded as he bid farewell to the pair and left the apartment.

“Ass,” muttered Sarah, now annoyed.

“Tell me about it,” replied Mike, as a removalist came up to the pair. Mike glared the removalist. “Can we help you?”

“We’re nearly done, we need you to sign off on these things,” answered the removalist as he held out a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. Mike put his hand out for a pen, the removalist shrugged so Mike looked to Sarah for a pen, and Sarah went into the next room to get on out of her bag. She came back with a black pen, as Mike held the clipboard in his hands. He scribbled his signature on the bottom of it, as he passed it over to Sarah for her to sign. She accepted the clipboard and the pen. She scribbled on the bottom of the piece of paper her name and handed the clipboard back to the removalist as she realised how empty the place was starting to look. She kept her pen. “We are we off to?”

“You know that apartment building down on Gethsemane Park?” asked Sarah.

“Which one lady?” asked the removalist. “There are three.”

“The orangey one, Gethsemane Park Apartments,” answered Mike, remembering the one the one that his partner was talking about. The removalist nodded as he remembered which one as well. “I thought we told you guys this, a couple of days ago?”

“Different people on different days,” answered the removalist. “What number apartment?”

“Twenty One,” answered Sarah, remembering how much she wanted number Twenty but couldn’t have it because it was already taken. She turned to her partner. “We better get ready, honey. Because I’m not going out like this and like hell you’re going out like that.” Sarah like Mike was still dressed in her sleeping gear. “We’re grabbing coffee and breakfast before we go there okay?” Mike nodded as he thought how nice the taste of freshly brewed coffee against his lips would feel.

“Can’t wait,” smirked Mike. “Just like I can’t for a lot of things to happen.” Mike winked as he left Sarah to go to the bathroom.

It was now midday and everything had been picked away and removed from their apartment. The only thing that the pair left without was Sarah’s bond for her place. They were one step closer of starting a new life together, they smiled at this thought as they walked down the streets of New York City hand in hand in their newly changed into outfits layered by coats, as the sunshine was out today and it was starting to slowly warm up the city.

“Can we get a cat?” asked Sarah, as they slowly approached a restaurant where they had changed their mind to go to.

“And have your mother over our place everyday so she can play playmates with her cats as well?” asked Mike. “That’s a big no, no, right there.”

“How about a puppy?” asked Sarah.

“Why do you even want a pet?” asked Mike, a bit confused as they stopped at a crossing and waited for the signal to start walking again. “All it’s going to do is crap all over the floor, stain the carpet, and eat my socks as though they were an entrée to the food that it gets everywhere but its mouth. If we wanted that to happen, we would’ve let your mother move in with us.”

“That’s a bit harsh,” commented Sarah. “You know she only tends to mean well. It’s not her fault she doesn’t really like you.”

“You’re right, it’s her problem,” concluded Mike, somewhat surprising Sarah with his attitude. “Then why it does always have to include me in her problem?” Sarah shrugged. “The world works in mysterious ways.” The red pedestrian man on the opposite side of the road turned to the green one that indicated that it was all clear to cross. They started to cross, still hand in hand. “If you want a pet, we can get a bird. I hear cockatiels drive people insane to death with their whistling. Hey, maybe we should get your mother one of those for her birthday, seeing it’s coming up soon.”

“Mike!” frowned Sarah.

“What?” asked Mike. “Or failing that her crazy cats would eat it.”

“Can you stop with the mother-in-law jokes?” asked Sarah, not looking at Mike but was busy looking at the sidewalk in front of her as people passed her. “It’s getting tiring.”

“Alright, I’ll shut up,” concluded Mike, as they came to a stop in front of the restaurant Central Perk which coincidentally was just around the corner from their new apartment building. Both of them wished they would have nicer neighbours and a nicer landlord compared to the old place. “Ladies first.”

“Would be nice if you actually opened the door for a starters,” Sarah noticed Mike just standing there and not opening the door.

“Oh right,” replied Mike, as he went up a step and opened the door for his partner. “Ladies first. Is that better now?” Sarah nodded and smiled as she accepted Mike’s offer and went into the restaurant. Mike shortly followed Sarah into the restaurant that was more of a diner than anything. Mike froze as he saw his boss sitting just metres away from the empty table that they were walking to.

“What’s wrong?” asked Sarah, stopping and turning around.

“Oh hide me now, Giselle,” answered Mike, as he hid behind his partner, as he saw his boss get up from her table and started to walk towards the restrooms of the diner. “I cut work the other to see that game I was telling you about, I pulled a sick day on her.”

“Oh well, deal with the consequences of your actions Mike,” Sarah advised as Mike stopped hiding and Sarah continued walking towards the table by the side window. Mike continued to walk beside his partner. They walked past business associates and all types of people on their journey over to the table. Sarah sat one side while looked a bit weary and sat on the other. Immediately, a waitress came up to them and asked them what they wanted. Sarah was a bit surprised about the automatic response timing of these waitresses. “Give him something fatty and greasy.” Sarah looked to Mike who was hiding his face in his arms on the table. Sarah looked back to the waitress with the notepad and pen in her arms. “Give me the opposite.”

“Salad?” asked the waitress, as Sarah nodded. “With the bacon and eggs for him?” Sarah nodded again. “Twelve fifty.” She ripped the piece of paper off the notepad and handed it to her. “Any drinks?”

“Doctor Pepper,” mumbled Mike. “Haven’t tasted that stuff for ages, better make that two.”

“But I hate that stuff,” objected Sarah, looking to Mike as he raised his head.

“Who said you’re having it?” asked Mike, as Mike went back to his mini sleep on the table that separated the couple. Sarah sighed as she ordered a strong coffee that was bound to keep her awake half the night. The waitress walked away without giving neither Mike nor Sarah the proper amount that was going to be due. “I want to go back to sleep.”

“I wanted a three caret diamond ring for our engagement but it never happened, I don’t even know where you got it,” replied Sarah as she couldn’t help but to think about the ring that was still on her finger. She frowned as the diamond sparkled in the light. She looked to Mike. “Where did you get it by the way?”

“Where else, but a jeweller,” answered Mike, as he felt bad about lying to Sarah.

“That I figured, but which one?” asked Sarah, rolling her eyes and as she stopped frowning.

“I’m not telling you,” replied Mike. “Why would I give my darkest secret away?”

“You’ve told me worse things and I have found out worse things,” answered Sarah, simply, as she remembered all the tell tales of his mischief that had landed him in trouble. “Remember that time I found out that you were the individual that broke into the science labs back in grade school and you threatened to shut me up by means of what was it again…something along the lines of if you squeal little bitch I’ll slit your throat so fast you won’t be able to squeal anymore. Hmmm, is that correct Mike?” Sarah frowned remembering the good old days of grade school were Mike and her were like fire and ice, they just did not get along. “Ironically, here were are today, about to get married in a couple of weeks time, engaged and having an adult conversation, for the rare times that we do.” The waitress came and placed Mike’s two Doctor Pepper drinks down on the table in front of him, shortly followed by Sarah’s steaming hot coffee. The waitress didn’t say anything as she scampered off to another table in her pink and white uniform that she was forced to wear. Sarah picked up her coffee and started to sip it, as she awaited Mike’s reply. Mike didn’t say anything, the only thing that he did was pick up his drink and drink it. “Am I mistaken?”

“I’m not saying anything, I stand by my dignified silence,” answered Mike, as he turned around to see Giselle right next to him, looking unimpressed as ever. Giselle didn’t say anything to him, just gave him a nasty and brutal look, as she was engaged in a conversation with another woman. “I should’ve not cut that day of work.”

“You realise this just now?” asked Sarah, as she took another sip of her coffee and gave him a weird look. Mike shrugged as their plates of food were put in front of them. Sarah was impressed by their service and the quick timing.

“Yum…quick and greasy food, best thing for a hangover,” commented Mike, as he rubbed his hands together, put his drink down and started to ignore the cutlery provided by the diner and eat with his hands, as he picked up the greasy rash of bacon and started to shovel the food down his mouth. Sarah rolled her eyes at she picked at her salad with her fork.

It was now three in the afternoon and they had just left the diner, as Mike kept re-ordering the same thing over and over again because he found out that it was the best thing to get rid of a hangover that had been complicated even more by packing up stuff, covering broken things up with lies and of course, just getting out of bed so early. They walked down back where they had come and came to a stop at their parked car right next to a newsstand. Each person of the couple opened their door and got in. Mike fiddled around for quite a few minutes until he found his keys in his pockets.

“I was beginning to think you left your keys at the zoo,” commented Sarah, as she saw Mike draw out his keys and stick into the car’s engine.

“We didn’t go to the zoo,” replied Mike, a bit confused and missed Sarah’s sarcasm. Sarah rolled her eyes at Mike. “What? I don’t get it. Oh, do you want to go to the zoo…now?”

“The zoo as in you acted like a starving monkey in there that had been caged right next to a fruit bowl filled with bananas,” replied Sarah, as she rolled her eyes, as she told herself that she was going to get dizzy from rolling her eyes at him too much. “Just drive the car before you drive me up the wall.”

Mike pulled out and suddenly hit a car in front of him that had suddenly appeared.

“What the hell?” asked Mike, getting a bit angry and with a slight case of road rage, as he wound his window down and started abusing the other driver. “Learn how to drive moron!”

“Get a brain and a social security number buddy!” yelled the other driver, yelling out of his window. “And while you’re at it, stop stealing our jobs and go back to the sweat shops!”

“You want to repeat that?! I couldn’t hear you because you were speaking in a language I can’t understand! Go back to driving school!” yelled Mike, through the open window. “Speak English or go back to ‘Nam.”

“I fought Koreans and Japs like you to keep them outta my country, so you get lost!” yelled the angry driver, as he got out of his car and looked to Mike.

Sarah grabbed hold of Mike’s sleeve, as he had already opened the door and had one foot out of the car. Mike looked to Sarah.

“Let go of me,” growled Mike.

“Let it go, close the door, and continue driving, please, for me,” pleaded Sarah, as Mike closed the door as the angry driver laughed at him. “He’s a retard and an idiot. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

In a matter of time, the angry driver had finally stopped laughing and moved his car so that Mike could continue driving. Mike was pretty furious at that driver for telling him to go back to the sweat shops and everything else under the sun about that one angry driver that Sarah wished Mike had simply told to just move. Sarah didn’t say anything much. It took them about thirty minutes or so to drive from that diner where Mike had stuffed his face at, to get over a couple of blocks over because the roads where jammed up with New York City traffic that when it came peak hour, it was like standing still and looking at a brick wall for hours at end.

“So where is it again?” asked Mike, forgetting which turn off was the street that they had moved into.

“On this right here,” answered Sarah, as she pointed to a green sign that said in big letters Gethsemane Park. Mike smiled and turned into the street as Sarah pointed again at the large orangey building on the side of it. Sarah smiled as she saw the removalist guys leaving, indicating that they were done. They waved to the couple from in the removalist truck, Mike and Sarah waved back with a friendly smile as Mike came to a halt. “Is this even a parking space, Mike?” He turned the engine off, as he shrugged. Sarah saw a loading zone sign, as they saw the set of metal mailboxes on the side just before the front door. “We’re not even supposed to be parking here, it’s a loading zone.”

“Just like handicap spots, useless as ever,” replied Mike, as he opened his door and detached himself from that conversation with his partner that was going to end up in an argument about his tendency to park in both designated loading zones and handicap parking places.

“And my mother asks me why I’m still together with him,” Sarah sighed to herself as she opened the door and slammed the door of the car once standing up straight on solid ground. Sarah had a feeling that she was going to get way too drunk tonight.

As soon as Mike and Sarah entered their new apartment together, Sarah looked around and smirked, as she had just confirmed to herself that she indeed was going to wasted with some friends.

“Where are you going?” asked Mike, in which Sarah had just left the room to another room and brought out her cell phone. Mike followed Sarah into the spare bedroom that they were hoping to fill one day. Mike stood in the doorway, as he saw Sarah turn around with the cell pressed to her ear. “And what are you doing?”

“House warming party,” answered Sarah, smiling, as her friend picked up her phone. “Yeah hi Jenny it’s me.”

By the end of the night, or so, more by ten that evening everyone was trashed off their faces, as friends invited friends who invited more friends to the so-called house warming party, which in all truth, it was just another excuse to get intoxicated and socialise. There was a knock at the door, as Sarah got to her feet off the couch that was oddly placed in the middle of the room, swaying from side to side as she walked over to the door, running into boxes on the way to answer the door. She struggled to open the door and when she did she had two people on the other side of it.

“Hi, new people right?” asked the woman who stood next to the man.

“Come on in, if that’s what you’re here for,” Sarah managed to slur half her sentence.

“No, just came by to say hi,” answered the man. “And oh yeah, please keep it down.”

“Thank you, you are all very nice to me and Mike,” replied Sarah, smiling and trying to maintain her balance as well. Mike had already passed out from the stage of being sober, he was in the bath, fully clothed and all and playing with the bubbles in the water, and of course, laughing about it. “What’s your names?”

“We have to go now,” answered the woman, as they walked out of sight without saying another word or doing another thing.

“Bye, we have to go now, nice meeting you,” farewelled Sarah, as she closed the door. She slumped against the door as Mike came out of the bathroom doused in water and with bubbles flying everywhere.

“The water’s just fine, surf’s up!” yelled Mike, as everyone who was merely intoxicated rushed into the bathroom to jump into the bathroom. “What’s wrong with you?” He noticed Sarah slumped against the front door by herself. “You, are you feeling okay, alright?” Sarah shook her head, as she got to her feet and stumbled over to Mike. “You don’t look; you don’t look so well…”

“I think I’m gonna…” And by that stage it was already too late to finish her sentence her to give any warning. She bent over and threw up all over the brand new carpet. Sarah lifted her head as Mike laughed at her.

“You know, you know I see that magical shit happen all the time, and that ain’t real, I can tell you now,” laughed Mike, as Sarah started to laugh as well. But as soon as she started to laugh, she threw up again, but this time all over Mike. Mike laughed again. “Man, you’re wasted. You’re going to be so hung over when you wake up tomorrow morning.” Sarah didn’t feel that well, as she stumbled over to the couch and laid on it. She stared at the ceiling, as various people walked away from the stench of vomit. She groaned as she covered her eyes, shielding them from the bright lights that lit the room that was filled up with drunks and gossiping sober people.

Ohhhh myyyyy goddd. This is gonna be great... I'll be moving in asap...(when i can get enough time to think of something)

Monday.

“Shit shit shit,” were the first words as Mike rolled over and noticed the time on the clock radio beside him that he had set up before everyone had come last night and got wasted. He threw the covers off him, as Sarah slept through everything and started to put his work clothes on. He worked down on the main street for an insurance company and because of it, he was hated by many customers. Mike usually just shrugged it off knowing that he was only doing his job. He was more worried about running into Giselle and getting the evil looks for skipping work the other day to go and see a baseball game instead. He ripped through a box that Sarah had shoved every piece of his clothes into, as he started to look for a tie and a white shirt.

“What’s happening?” asked Sarah, as she rolled over taking the extra blankets with her. Unlike Mike, she didn’t work and she hadn’t held a job for a while. Sarah still had her eyes closed as she felt so sick and had a massive headache from drinking the previous night.

“Going to work and should’ve left about an hour ago,” answered Mike, as the time was now ten past ten when he should’ve left quarter to nine as it only took him ten minutes to get to work. “Where are my shirts?”

“Somewhere I suppose,” answered Sarah, still wanting more sleep because of the hangover she was faced to deal with.

“That tells me a lot,” Mike rolled his eyes as he found a crinkled white shirt and a red tie. “This will do. It’s all good.” Sarah didn’t reply but merely fell back into sleep deeper. Mike looked at himself on the mirror cupboard as he put his crinkled and creased shirt on, buttoned it up in a rush, and hung his tie around his neck. He half tucked his shirt on so there were chunks of loose shirt hanging out the sides and the back. He shrugged, as he combed his hair with his fingers. “That’ll do. I’m off, see you this evening.”

“Hmm…” Sarah mumbled as she rolled onto her other side trying to get some more much needed sleep and battle a hangover at the same time.

It was about two hours after Mike’s departure that Sarah finally woke up. The phone that was placed on the floor next to the bed with its bare phone cord and phone line sticking out of it was hurriedly put it, so Sarah’s mother could call whenever she pleased. No exception here. She picked up the phone.

“Good morning darling, how’s it all going?”

“Ma…?” asked Sarah, as she rolled back onto her back and opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling as her head felt like it was going to implode at any minute now.

“Well, yes, who else would be calling you since that boy of yours never returns your calls whenever he was at work?”

“That was once. Can’t you two just get along?”

“I get along with the boy just fine, why, what does he say about me?”

“Why do I even bother sometimes, Ma? All you ever do is criticise him non-stop and I am getting fed up with it.”

“I just don’t like the look of him, that’s all,”

“I think he looks gorgeous,”

“No, that’s not what I meant, you know what I mean, there’s something about him that I don’t like, and I’m afraid I don’t know what it is,”

“Ma, you’re afraid of monkeys in the zoo and who are you to tell me to run my life?”

“I’m your mother, how’s that for a starters? You’re the only child, how’s that for seconds?”

“I am now wishing I could’ve been adopted or been abducted by aliens and given another sibling to blame,”

“Now don’t say that, that’s not fair on yourself and that’s not fair on your father and I,”

“Ma, you and my old man divorced when I was three and I was stuck with the various boyfriends of yours over the years until I moved out and had enough of your shit,”

“What are you talking about, my shit? Don’t you have any manners young –?”

Sarah hung the phone back on its hook having enough of her mother and her antics about how she should’ve arranged a marriage for her only born or had her sent over to another country to get married to a complete stranger. Sarah rolled over again as she went back to sleep for another couple of hours.

It was lunchtime by this time for Mike as he sat outside McDonalds with one of his friends Ryan, shoving the fast food’s takeaway food down their throats and in a deep conversation.

“You know when Giselle comes around the building, she’s going to wring your ass from one end of the joint to another, you do realise this?” asked Ryan, as Mike was still looking scrappy with messy hair, a loosely tied tie, creased and crinkled shirt that hadn’t been ironed and on top of that being late and being yelled at by another work colleague. Mike shrugged as he shovelled deep fried pieces of potato down his throat. “You do realise that we’re not suppose to be here right now? Everyone had their lunch break an hour and a half ago. I can’t believe I had to wait around for you to finish that deal off before I could get something to eat. You should think yourself as being lucky. How are Sarah and the new place?”

“Good,” answered Mike with a mouth full of food. He paused for a second as he was trying to finish the mouth full of food so he could talk to his work colleague properly. He swallowed hard. “She wants a pet most preferably a dog or a cat.”

“Doesn’t your mother in law, well, soon to be mother in law class as a bitch already?” asked Ryan, as Mike laughed. Ryan snorted with laughter. “Sorry man, I just had to say that.”

“She is the bitch of the litter,” corrected Mike, with a smirk. “I am going to hate being near her constantly, I even hate her phone calls let alone hearing her voice. Why does she have to come to the ceremony or even the reception? Can’t we just record it on a DVD and send it to her or something? It would spare both sides a lot of mental pain.”

“Mother of the bride is just important as beer with Sunday football man, or so it is said,” replied Ryan with a slight smile as both men crumpled up both the paper bags that they had stashed their rubbish in from the fast food place that they were sitting outside of. They weren’t going to do the right thing and put it in the trash, they just left it there as both men stood up and proceeded their way back to work which was a couple of buildings over. “Did you enjoy the party last night?”

“How did you hear about it?” asked Mike, sarcastically. “Only the whole suburb of Queens found out about our house-warming party which ended up with Sarah throwing up all over the carpet. Oh, that reminds me, she better clean that shit up because it reeked when I left.”

“Don’t want to know, not into that getting drunk business,” said Ryan, as they saw Giselle walking ahead of them with various sized envelopes in her hands. “You want to duck and cover before you get busted.”

“Mike,” Giselle noticed as she approached the pair of work colleagues coming back from a late lunch break that they had declared themselves. They stopped to talk to their boss as Mike realised there was no way that they were going to avoid conversation with her. “You want to start turning up on time and while you’re at it, do you want to stop fixing your own lunch breaks? Designated times for a reason Mike, you do realise this? And another thing before I rip into you about skipping work to go to a stupid baseball match down at Yankee Stadium, do any of the listed things again and you were be fired. Are we on the same page?” Mike nodded slowly. “Good. I’ll be seeing you back in the office while I go out and post some things.”

“So you got yourself a warning today?” asked Sarah, looking at Mike unimpressed with her arms crossed. It was now eight in the evening when Mike had gotten back from work. He walked through the front door, dropped his keys into a little bowl that had Sarah’s keys in it as well and that was the first thing Sarah said to him when he told her about how well his day went. Mike had brought Chinese takeaway home and they were currently eating it on the couch. Sarah looked to Mike. “Mike…I don’t mean to sound like a nag, but, we and yourself in that manner, cannot afford to lose income. I don’t want to start asking my mother for money, again.”

“Well, get a job like most people normally do,” answered Mike. “I hate this job, I hate Giselle, she’s worse than your mother at times. The only good thing about is that we get to stir up the customers with bullshit claims like we cannot accept your claim because I think your mother is a prostitute nah only kidding, someone said that once and got fired three minutes later. I mostly tell them that the information is incorrect.” Sarah didn’t like the idea of getting off her lazy backside and getting a job, especially after today, where she unpacked the kitchen and got rid of the vomit and the stain it left behind and then went back to sleep. She fiddled with the noodles in her bowl and looked uneasy about the thought of getting a job. “Why the uneasy look?”

“Don’t get fired, I don’t want to go out back into the workforce just yet,” answered Sarah, getting to her feet and placing the bowl with the Chinese food in it on the floor next to the couch. “I’m going to bed.”

“Why?” asked Mike, looking to the time on his watch. “It’s only just past eight and I’ve hardly had a chance to talk to you.”

“Because I’m tired and I don’t want to talk to you right now about anything, I’m annoyed,” answered Sarah, leaving the room and slamming the bedroom door. She climbed over the bed and under its covers. She laid awake thinking about actually doing something, as the housewife image was quickly disappearing from her head. Mike didn’t know what to do. He just sat there in front of a blank TV screen that hadn’t been plugged in or connected, eating his noodles and sweet and sour pork, trying not to think about Sarah’s stubbornness and attitude.

(Yeah, I thought I'd try something different with being civil with Rob for once. See how it goes

Hi Foxxy! I left Draiman for you, you realise, just in case, can't wait to see what you come up with )

 

Monday

 

Late.

Again Ravyn awoke alone. She pouted at the vacant pillow beside her. In the stillness of a practically empty room she tuned her ears for the sounds of movement. All was quiet, thank god. She frowned to herself reminded of the neighbours having their housewarming party last night. The noise had been unbelievable. After a long and tiring day the last thing both her or Rob needed was to be kept awake by the thumping music and the yelling and the acrid smells wafting in under the door. They had endured it for hours before Ravyn finally had enough and decided to confront them. The young woman that had met them at the door had been far too drunk to glean any sense from. She was young, loud and far too sociable, Ravyn had noted, as Rob stood along side doing his part to look serious. Though she couldn’t fault them for enjoying themselves Ravyn also couldn’t help but be annoyed. The fact it had not been a bevy of playboy bunnies was of cold comfort as she had surveyed the mess and crowds through the haze of cigarette smoke. If her new neighbours had wanted to give themselves a good reputation they had gone the wrong way about it she thought, pushing herself out of bed. Still, there had been part of her that wanted to join in, but she wasn’t young and stupid anymore and not only that, Rob wouldn’t really approve anyway. Despite the fact he had only just entered his thirties he was the poster child for good clean living. He ate right; he didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, and certainly didn’t mar his temple with tattoos of dragons and stars or pierce his skin with rings and bars of metal as she did. And up until the last few days he slept well too. Usually too much – she envied his ability as much as she scorned it. Tugging the blankets up on the bed Ravyn tried not to scrutinise whether Rob had even stayed in bed with her last night or not. She could barely face the possibility he might be avoiding because then she would drive herself crazy trying to rationalise why, and it was far too early in the day for thoughts like that.

Outside in the short hall Ravyn was startled by the sound of a bang. She practically choked on her tongue as her back hit the wall. Her bare feet stung as she stood on what felt like scattered nails. When she heard another few thuds she realised it must have been Rob in the next room shifting boxes around. Rubbing at her tender heel she frowned as she made her way towards an opened door. Holding onto the buttress she peered in. In front of her a tall narrow window allowed views of the cityscape against a backdrop of blue sky and grey haze. Beneath it a desk had been set up and a set of shelves sat half filled with books on its left. Ravyn pouted as she leant against the cold hard wood. She had envisioned in the back of her mind someday that they might set up a nursery or something, and smiled to herself as she allowed the daydream to play out like it always did. She could see him setting up a crib and see them furnishing it together with warm smiles and this glow of contentment, but reality settled like freezing water and stripped the smile from her face. She wrapped her arms about herself dismally and sighed. Behind the door the banging continued. Rob could be heard grunting in exertion. Ravyn poked her head around it.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Rob looked back startled, clearly he had been off in his own little world again. In his hand he was holding a hammer. There were pieces of broken wood all around him. He stood stooped inside a built in closet. The doors had been removed and were leaning with their hinges still attached against a nearby wall. He blushed and apologised in a murmur and stepped back to appreciate his handiwork. Though Rob wasn’t a qualified anything he was good with his hands when he was chose to be.

“Just… renovating,” he explained. He pointed to the proposed shelves he had scattered elsewhere on the other side of a few stacked boxes. “Didn’t wake you did I?”

“No,” Ravyn uttered. She almost wished he had so she could have helped him.

She watched him sweep up a small piece of wood and align to its place and tapped a nail in. Ravyn looked around the room again. She could feel the dream of parenthood slipping out the window with each sound and told herself it was a stupid notion anyway. They weren’t ready for that kind of commitment and they probably never would be, besides, she couldn’t replicate her screw ups into another helpless human being and she was crazy for even thinking it. No Rob was right, things were fine just as they were, but behind her smile and her stern façade Ravyn couldn’t help but feel like she was living a half life to her tough, independent exterior.

“Is this pay back for last night? I’m sure the neighbours appreciate it.”

“No,” Rob said frowning in concentration. “Hand me that box there. No that one. By your foot. Thanks.”

“I bet there’s some sore heads over there this morning.”

“Wouldn’t know. Saw that guy leave a few hours ago though. Must work near here or something. Was all like suited up.”

“Wow,” Ravyn uttered in surprise.

The tall Asian man she had seen just briefly back and forth early the previous evening didn’t look at all like the type who would scrub up in a suit very well. He looked, quite frankly, haggard and like some overgrown teenager. Though she hadn’t seen him last night when they had confronted the woman no doubt she had heard him in the chaotic throng. She thought she heard at some point the woman had called him Mike. Mike the thug with the bloodshot eyes and a bad hangover did not seem the type to even own a suit, let alone wear it, and that drunken chick at the party fared little better. Young people, she scoffed with a hint of disdain. They never learned.

“Maybe you should ask him what he does,” she offered eventually over the din of banging Rob felt free to make now. The sound echoed in the boxy little room exaggeratedly loud. “See if he knows of an opening there. Maybe you could get a job there or something.”

“Yeah,” Rob uttered, still banging away noncommittally. “Maybe.”

 

It was around midday by the time Ravyn had showered and changed and grabbed lunch for herself and sat on the sofa. She stared at the blank TV screen, cursing Rob’s inability to tune it in like he had promised so she could watch something that didn’t require an Xbox disc to be inserted. It was clear that Rob had been productive and had sorted out a large percentage of the boxes while she had slept yet again. She didn’t have to weave around like some epileptic belly dancer to get from one place to another, but still she was left feeling guilty for it. As she finished up what she could of the kitchen Rob emerged only to tell her he was going to lie down for a while. Ravyn nodded and watched him go feeling the same fears she had woken with surging inside of her anew. Something had to be wrong; they were sleeping in shifts now. They were interacting like some old married couple. Looking down at her hand Ravyn tried to imagine a wedding ring there. Of course there wasn’t and by Rob’s account wasn’t likely to be for a very long time. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all, she thought, casting her eyes aside to the closed door as if she could see her neighbours on the other side of it. Who needed that kind of commitment anyway right? The last thing she wanted was to be considered someone’s slave, or worse. Besides, it was just a piece of paper, wasn’t it? Was it that big a deal, really? She stood daydreaming and staring at the door for a good while, trying to envision the kind of life these new drunken fun-loving couple must have had, making up a story for them in her imgination in place of any actual facts for the moment. The girl with her blue eyes and jovial smile had looked rather sweet and innocent despite the fact she was pathetically inebriated but Ravyn really didn’t know what to make of her. She liked to think she could read people well, but as she stood rubbing at the scars gouged into her wrist she felt the reality of that statement sink like a stone. Her mind strayed to faces, to memories she didn’t want to speak again, as her eyes welled and her mouth dried up, and her heart pummelled against her ribs with an erratic rhythm. Rarely did people ever show their true colours until it was too late, she told herself, and she knew better than anyone from personal experience. It had been a costly lesson to learn, but still, in some ways it had been worth it. Still her eyes were alert now as they surveyed the room and the windows that overlooked city streets and nearby brick buildings, looking like a cat cornered in some darkened alley way. She tried to convince herself that he wasn’t out there; they weren’t out there, that she was safe here with her new life and her new start with Rob. But even the slightest noise now from the new neighbours settling in to their apartment nearby caught her attentions. Carefully and quietly so as not to make a noise Ravyn sought out the curtains and climbed atop anything high she could manage to cover the windows.

How well could you ever truly know anyone anyway? She wondered anxiously.

 

“Awesome,” Rob said, pushing his empty plate away hours later.

The apartment was infused with the scents of roast meat and jacket potatoes, a weird choice given the heat, but economical for left overs for the following day, or so she defended.

The afternoon had passed much like the one before it with little excitement or complication. Life here at Gethsemane Park was indeed quiet and easy, just as the real estate agent had told them it would be. Smiling back across the small kitchen table set up in the living area, in perfect sight of the TV set, Ravyn agreed. Her brief moments of panic now seemed almost ridiculous as she thought back on it. But with darkness falling the familiar knot in the belly came back again. She stared down at the pan of meat still yet to be eaten and considered gorging into it. Beneath his listless gaze she decided against it. As Rob settled in front of the TV Ravyn tidied up and set to doing the dishes by hand. She didn’t see the point half filling the dishwasher, and knew Mr Frugal over there wouldn’t go for that either. She didn’t mind doing the chores of her own free will, she liked the distraction, and in her own silly way it gave her that sense of purpose as if she was that stereotypical housewife still living in wedded bliss in the dark recesses of her mind. But hearing the sound of someone wrestling bags of takeaway and keys jangling outside in the hall Ravyn’s air of contentment dwindled.

“So you got yourself a warning today?” the woman asked him.

The door closed, muffling his answer. Ravyn sighed. She found herself staring at the back of Rob’s head. Were the neighbours arguing again? Ravyn rolled her eyes.

“I hope they don’t start that tonight,” she said, tossing aside the tea towel. “I don’t want to have to go over there again.”

Rob merely scoffed as Ravyn made her way over and sunk down on the sofa beside him. She fought hard to watch what was on but in the corner of her eye she kept staring at him. The sound of a slamming door somewhere nearby made her jump and flinch a fraction. Rob frowned at her before drawing her down to rest against his side. He lazily draped an arm around her. Ravyn sighed nestled into his shirt. She wondered if he would be joining her in bed tonight but found the words all but choking her. She should have been happy and pouted as she gripped the material of his shirt in his fist and closed her eyes. The sounds of yelling and screaming rang in her ears but for once they were not from her neighbours. Feeling Rob’s hand draw her head close to lean on, Ravyn cuddled closer trying to force her limbs to defrost a little.

“I love you,” she uttered, uttering the words like some haunted little girl.

Rob sighed heavily through his nose.

“Yeah,” he said, “You too.”

They watched TV for hours before Rob excused himself for a long hot shower. By the time he was out of it Ravyn had fallen asleep in bed. She didn’t hear him change or make his way out to the kitchen where he drew his cell phone from the bench and stood out on the fire escape, watching the city lights glimmering against the night sky. He thumbed a button and huffed out a heavy sigh as he held the phone against his ear.

He waited.

“Hey, what’s up,” he greeted a few moments later, his eyes locked on the window for movement.

“Great. Listen, I’ve found this place you might want to check out. Lots of room, man, you’d like it.”

He smirked as he listened to the familiar voice of his friend, his gaze pained for a moment and distant.

“Yeah, she’s still here… Yeah I know… Alright. Alright. Okay, like, I got to go. Call me, okay?”

Snapping the phone to a close Rob sighed again and cast his head up towards the stars. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. A moment later he snuck back inside again and closed the window. He sat on the sofa and lay down, folding his arms beneath his head. A few metres behind him the refrigerator motor hummed quietly. The neighbours must have been sleeping now, he thought smugly, probably worn out from their tirade last night. Good.

Silence and stillness settled now throughout the apartment again as Rob closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He didn’t stir again until morning.

Tuesday

It was a nice Tuesday morning as the sunshine of New York City shown through the bare windows. It was already ten in the morning and it was still as quiet as a mouse, the brand new apartment that Mike and Sarah had bought. Mike had gone to work on time this morning because he had set the alarm clock that sat on the floor still. The phone started to ring, as Sarah who was face down in the pillow and still in the deepest of sleeps that she had dearly missed. Her hands waved around off the bed, trying to pick up the phone as she felt like the phone was never going to stop ringing. Then finally she picked up the phone.

“What?” she mumbled into the pillow.

“Darling, it’s time to get up,”

Sarah groaned as she held the phone to her eye and rolled over onto her back. She should’ve known the only two people that tell her to get up were Mike and her mother, and yet, strangely enough they never seemed to get along with one another.

“No it’s not,”

“Oh yes it is. Haven’t you stepped outside and smelt the lovely sunshine?”

“Do I want to?”

“Sarah my dear daughter, the world is a magical and beautiful place, why not take a stroll in the park, and take in the fresh air of the American spirit?”

“Because I choose to sleep,”

“When don’t you ever sleep?”

“When I’m awake,”

“Where’s Mike?”

“At work,”

“How’s work for him?”

“Good,”

“Has he got fired yet for being lazy?”

“Ma, why do I have to answer you about what happens in Mike’s life?”

“I’m just asking,”

“No you’re not; you’re poking your nose into other people’s business, again,”

“I’m not the gossiping type,”

Sarah heard the front door open before she could say anything, as she heard someone enter her apartment. She heard Mike groan. Her eyes lit up.

“Oh no,”

“What dear? What is it?”

“Hold on for a sec,” answered Sarah, as she put the phone done on the floor, threw off the covers and walked to the door in rush in her green pyjamas. She saw Mike looking like he wanted to pull his hair out, as Sarah stopped in front of him with a frown and crossed arms. “Don’t tell me.” Mike looked at his partners with regret in his eyes. Sarah already knew what the news was going to be and she didn’t bother asking. It was true; Mike had just lost his job.

“Sorry,” apologised Mike.

“Sorry?! Is that all you can say for yourself?!” yelled Sarah, not knowing what to start ripping him into about. “Is that all you can say?!”

“Look, you don’t understand what happened,” Mike tried to explain but Sarah wouldn’t hear him out.

“You’ve got a black mark across your name now!” yelled Sarah. “Do you know what this means?! You can’t go back to your spot at your insurance agency or any other insurance agency in America! You’ve ruined your career in the insurance area!”

“Calm down,” Mike tried to tell Sarah but Sarah opened her mouth but there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get that.” Sarah stood there in her spot that she had stopped to yell at Mike. Maybe it was a neighbour telling Sarah to shut her mouth so Mike wouldn’t have to be the one that to tell her and not get yelled at, again. Mike opened the door.

“Hey man, I’m renovating and I can hear what’s going on,” complained the neighbour, as Sarah felt a bit uneasy about being so temperamental and loud. “I don’t know what’s going on and I frankly don’t want to know, but keep your issues to a decibel where I cannot hear it. Okay?” Mike and Sarah nodded quietly as their neighbour looked a bit annoyed by Sarah’s yells at Mike for losing his job. “Just, please, keep it down.” The man gave them a final glance and walked off down the corridor. Mike closed the door as Sarah had already left the scene to go back into her room and hoped straight into bed.

“Where are you going?” asked Mike. “You’re not packing your bags to squander off to your mother’s place just because I lost my job because of a stupid sexual harassment claim.”

“What?!” yelled Sarah, as Sarah got up from laying on top of the bed and came back out again. “What was that, sexual harassment claims, Mike, what the fuck were you thinking?!”

“Shh!” ordered Mike. “Don’t make him come back again. It’s all a pack of lies. Giselle thought I did some things against her which were just shit. They were all lies.”

“Your version of lies and your version of the truth can be very different at times,” replied Sarah, frowning. “You’re right. I’m going to my mother’s.”

“No, Sarah, please don’t,” begged Mike, as Sarah turned around and started to walk towards her room. But that didn’t stop Sarah from doing anything. Mike tried blocking her way to the room, but Sarah just shoved him out of the way in pure anger and confusion. She didn’t know what was happening, this couldn’t be real, and she didn’t know what to believe, the claims that Giselle made against Mike which costed Mike his job or Mike’s version of the truth, which in all truth, wasn’t very hard to be fooled by his version.

Sarah didn’t say anything to Mike she was too angry at him, as she grabbed various bags out from various corners of the room which were half empty and started to fill them up with clothes. She didn’t care if they were winter ones, she didn’t care if they were summer ones, she just didn’t want to be here with Mike where she couldn’t think properly. She needed to escape just to her mother’s place for a couple of days, but she was packing like she was actually moving there.

“I’m not listening to a word you have to say,” Sarah grumbled, as a tear slid down her face. “I don’t even know you Michael. Why would you do that to someone? Why would you want to do that to Giselle?”

“She thought I pinched her ass I didn’t Sarah and I’m telling the truth,” Mike pleaded with Sarah but Sarah just shook her head as she was being stubborn again and Mike hated when he saw this side of her. She was just like her mother. “I didn’t do it.” Mike tried telling her calmly but she wouldn’t listen.

“See, my mother was right you can’t be trusted with even being around other women!” yelled Sarah, as Mike hushed her again afraid that their neighbours might call the cops this time around.

“I didn’t cheat on you, I would never cheat on you Sarah, look at me, can you please look at me?” asked Mike, as he sat at the end of the bed that Sarah packed a suitcase full of clothes in it. Sarah avoided direct eye contact with him and shook his head. “Your mother has always been wrong about me since day one, and you’ve even admitted it yourself.” Sarah stopped packing as she realised that what Mike was saying was actually quite true. “She’s had it in for me for no reason at all since day one, hasn’t she?” Sarah nodded. Mike came over to Sarah and turned around; holding her hands, while she looked down and Mike looked in her eyes. “You need to stop getting emotional about these sorts of things. I will never ever cheat on you, you hear me?” Sarah nodded. “Why are you so touchy about it?”

“I don’t want us to be apart from one another,” answered Sarah still not looking at the ground but more or so now at the point of sobbing. “I’m afraid you’re going to find someone else and you’ll leave with a child or something.”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong,” soothed Mike, as Sarah fell into his chest and sobbed some more. “If that was ever to occur…wait…” Mike forced Sarah backwards by grabbing hold of her by the shoulders and looking her directly in the eyes. Sarah looked back at him. “Are you trying to tell me something?” Sarah shook her head. “Good. I mean, I would never ever do that to you. I thought you knew me better than to do that. Where did you get that idea from?” Sarah shrugged.

“Something that’s been in the back of my head for a while now, something that I don’t want to face right now,” answered Sarah, as she fell back into her partner’s chest. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“That’s why we’re getting married aren’t we…because we love each other to eternity that we’re going to make the ultimate commit to stay together for all eternity and death do us part, right?” asked Mike, as Sarah nodded. “Just do me a favour, don’t ever scare me like that.”

“Like what?” asked Sarah, as her speech was muffled because of Mike’s daggy white shirt and his badly tied black tie.

“Like threatening to leave so suddenly to go to your mother’s,” answered Mike. “Please Sarah; don’t give her more fuel for her to hate me. I’m trying to be nice as possible to her.” Sarah rolled her eyes at that last comment. “And packing like you’re going away for good. It really scared me for a second.” There was an odd silence. “Do you want to watch some TV? I plugged it all in this morning before I left for work.” Sarah nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

They watched television for a couple of hours, but soon they were starting to get hungry and hunger drove them to call a pizza because either party was too lazy to cook anything that survived the emptiness and blackness of the pantry, as neither of them had done any good shopping, just the basics, bread and milk and some biscuits.

It was no later than nine that evening, the house had gone silent and there was not a word to be spoken, as Sarah lied down on Mike’s chest in front of a blank television on the couch that had been placed neatly against the back wall. Mike had gotten sick of the ridiculous and pointless game shows that had raided nightly television sets across the country. Sarah had fallen asleep on Mike around the eight o’clock mark, while Mike watched the rest of the DVD that he had scrambled through three large boxes to find. He stroked her hair and he kissed it. He closed his eyes as he thought he would never want to lose such a wonderful woman and such an important figure in his life. He would do anything for her, he said to himself, as he slowly fell into a sleepy slumber with all of the house lights on.

Well time for me to do a small entry to get me started.

***

Tuesday

 

"Gethsemane Park" Justin said to himself as he read the green sign. He pulled up remembering the times when he had a 3 million dollar house. "This must be it". New York City. Justin remembered the concerts he had played in Madison Square Garden, and the one he played in the middle of Central Park. Sold out crowds. People that worshiped him but knew nothing besides the sound of the Orange Sunburst colored PRS SE Custom guitar he had always played. Everything brought him back to the memories of his 3 best friends, and the dreamed they lived, and the dream he shattered. He picked up the phone. The phone rang twice.

"Hey its Brandon, I am not able to answer the phone right now. Leave you name and I will get back to ya. Oh and leave your number two.", said the former singer's voice over the instrumental to the song "My Contradictions".

*BEEP*

There was silence at first then Justin snapped back in to what he was going to say, "...er...Hey Brandawg its me, I'm living in the Big Apple now and was wondering you want to get together. I understand if not. Just please call me back. Peace man".

Just flipped his phone shut. He had no friends after the argument that took place backstage after a show in London a year ago. "Its amazing I write a number one hit and no one knows who I am, but if Brandon Thompson comes out and sings the words 'My contradictions! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! My contradictions!', every one is like 'Hey your from Zero Life! You guys rock!', and all the females take off their clothes." Justin was jealous. He was known more in the racing scene in California than in music, and he was part of a double platinum band at one time.

He popped the trunk. And grabbed two bags from his nice, shiny red 2006 Ford Mustang GT. The last thing he had bought in all cash before everything went to hell. "Room 19", he sighed. The place seemed empty and he wondered how many residents were at these apartments. He couldn't find the key. "Fucking cunt piece of shit bitch.", he groaned and laid the bags in front of the doorway. The red and black bags were a few of his last belongings and he was scared he might lose them. "Fuck gotta walk all the way downstairs," he grumbled. Justin walked down to the Mustang and found the key in the envelope on the passenger seat and grabbed his last two bags and shut the trunk. It was the first time he moved into a place and not owned any furniture. But he had to get away. He walked back up to the apartment.

“Do you know what this means?! You can’t go back to your spot at your insurance agency or any other insurance agency in America! You’ve ruined your career in the insurance area!”, yelled a voice from room 21 as Justin passed. He shrugged and kept going as he passed a man that was looking angry heading to room 21. He opened the door asking for some peace and quiet because he was renovating. He made a good point although all Justin could hear was one side of the conversation.

Justin arrived at room 19. "I wonder if I have any psycho ass crazy neighbors." H unlocked the door and step into the empty apartment. "Hmm," he threw all his bags in one corner of the room and unraveled his blue and yellow sleeping bag. "Thank god for free stuff," he mumbled. All that was left of his former life was the free stuff he got while on promotional tours, and the few band sponsors he had. That was it and his car. He laid in the sleeping bag and put a few shirts behind his head. It was a 6 hours drive to Queens, and he was exhausted. He stared at the white ceiling.

"White Ceiling

White Ceiling

Why do you have to be so mean

Is it you?

Is it me?

why can't you just let it be"

"Wow that was shit," Justin whispered and then let out a huge yawn. The 6 hour drive was killing him. He wondered if his credit was good enough to at least get a TV and chair. Thoughts consumed Justin until he fell asleep. 3 straight days of being awake had made him fall asleep just a little after noon, unknowing of what tomorrow may bring him.

Tuesday

 

Fox lugged a box of books up the stairs to Gethsemane Park and threw it into an open door marked "Room 6". Her short red hair was in her face as a bulky guy threw another box into her room. David laughed at fox. "Babe, why here of all places?" he asked as he looked around their new appartment.

 

She smirked and tilted her head, "Because this is the only place that has sorta cheep rent and is close to my publisher's office." she said as she looked at the box full of book and notebooks. "I don't wanna be running all over creation to get a new chapter to my editor and have them tell me to change it. We'll be fine here."

 

David looked at the box and moved it out of the doorway and shrugged. "Whatever you say babe, Just don't forget you have to sing and write too. You're a singer before you're a writer hun. Don't forget that."

 

Fox growled and nodded. "Yeah yeah yeah i know. I'm just hoping nobody here has seen or heard of me before. And i'm hoping the reporters dont get wind of this...that'd just fuck everything up."

 

David laughed and went back outside and grabbed the plasma tv and lugged it inside the apartment as Fox looked around the bare walls of their new place. 'New wall color' she thought to herself as she touched the white walls.

 

 

~Couple Hours Later~

Fox sat on her black leather couch and drank some water as David dragged the last peice into the apartment. He slammed the door shut with his foot and rubbed his shoulders. He flopped onto the couch and stole fox's water. "HEY!" she said as he took a drink.

 

He looked at her and smirked. "What? You have been sitting down for like ten minutes, give a guy a break."

 

She shrugged and laid her head on him and flicked on the tv.

Tuesday

 

I woke up from a bump in the road. "Hey Taxi Driver, how much longer" He looks back at me with this dirty look "You stop asking! We are close!" I pulled back and looked outside, and saw a sign for Queens. Great. I turned my Mp3 player on, scrolled through and played some "Dope." I am finally out of that hell of a home. I really have no intent on going back, whatsoever. Good Riddance. I looked at the driver, mouth opened wide and waving his arms. I looked out the window. Oh...we're here....oops. I payed the driver, grabbed my bags, guitar, and amp, and went up to the door. This is where I moved to? Shit. Whatever, it's a start... I walked up to my apartment, #19? Hmm I walked up opened the door and walked in...shit...I forgot to buy furniture...fuck! I have the $5,000 i have from my leaving. I got around $2,000 from my family, $1,000 from my friends, and I do have $2,000 saved up... Well...whatever I can make do with the shit I brought. I got my guitar and amp, that's good for entertainment. I have my Xbox 360...but then again, I don't have a TV...Some bedding, a couple changes of clothes. I guess I have something...I make a bed out of the 2 blankets, and pillow I have. There! A bed! I put the amp and guitar in the corner. There! A Studio! I put all the clothes in a pile near my bed, there! A dresser!

 

 

Shit I should probably get all my furniture from my old bedroom at my house...I didn't think i would need it...but hey! look where I am standing now! An empty apartment. I lay down in my "bed" and just close my eyes. I hear some people with a TV, some people talking. And I can hear some scratching... rats? Great. I just block out the sound, and slowly fade out to a restless sleep.

 

 

 

*************************************************************************************************

 

 

 

If anyone at all would like to add me to their story, feel free to ask.

 

AIM= TheFRGT10Poet

 

MSN= Supelpjb@hotmail . com i believe....

uh, ok, i'll try it out...

 

Tuesday...

 

I moved all my junk in early this morning while my brother was here to help. Now I'm just sitting on the floor with my laptop in front of me, hunched over it typing as fast as I can without typos.

 

Freedom! Freedom at last. I'm happy to be away from my parents, but even though there are other people in this building I haven't seen hide nor hair of them. It's a little lonely, but my computer keeps me company, along with my cat Houdini and my little dog Prince. I'm writing a story about my life, so that when I'm a rich and famous author people will have something ELSE by me to read.

 

Hm, I'm suprised my neighbors aren't complaining. At home, when I played "One Step Closer" as loud as I could with out my speakers exploding, there were...problems. Apart from the speakers exploding.

 

I get up and go into my sparse kitchen to make some toast. I have no idea what time it is, because all the clocks in my apartment are flashing, needing to be reset, and therefore I don't have one to go by. I would check the news, but I don't have a TV. Never watched it at home, anyway.

 

Munching on my toast, I turn off my CD player (suddenly it's way to quiet) and switch to radio, hoping to hear the time announced. One of my favorite songs is playing, so I sing along, sitting down with my alarm clock in my lap so I'll be ready. I'm not very hungry, and I end up feeding the rest of my toast to Prince.

 

I have to chase my cat away from my laptop's charger cable (she likes chewing on it), so I miss the time. Scowling, I turn off the radio, put entirely black clothes, take the time to polish my fingernails black (so call me goth), and exit my apartment.

 

Nailz has arrived.

 

I listen at every door because I'm nosy and up to no good, then go out on the street and walk to McDonalds, hoping for a little human companionship. Since I brought my laptop, I type while I'm waiting for someone interesting-looking to come in. Currently I'm working on a sci-fi series written in sort of a play format, and it keeps my mind occupied. But I get bored easily, so I order some water (because I'm a cheapskate), and take it outside to people-watch.

 

This is one of my favorite passtimes. Sometimes I just watch; sometimes I follow people around, soometimes covertly, because I'm curious, sometimes not because I want to creep them out.

 

Alas, no one interesting is passing. Man, I should've stayed in the country. I think, There is nothing going on. Maybe It's too early...

 

So, I go back to my apartment and curl up in bed, fully clothed, and wait until night, my time, comes around.

Awesome, awesome, awesome! Thanks guys! Thrilled to see more tennants, this will make writing a tad easier now

Lots of musicians. There goes the neighbourhood, haha.

 

Just a note;

uh, ok, i'll try it out...

 

WEDNESDAY

 

I moved all my junk in early this morning...

It's still Tuesday. Please ammend so it doesn't throw anyone else off. Thanks

 

Not exactly sure the time differences between Australia and wherever everyone else is, but 24 hour period generally starts around midnight our (Australia) time, and ends of course 11:59pm or so our time (real time).

 

Sarah and I speculated the possibility that, like any other post at LPF, you can edit your post if you wish any time in the alotted 24 hour time period. After that of course you cannot. If this causes too many problems we can always revoke it, so should you read someone else's post and get 'inspired' but you've already posted for the day, you can fix it. Having said that keep in mind others will be reading your posts and refering to them to write from. Try not to edit too much where you can.

 

Again thanks - and enjoy your stay!

OH....but then that means my post is on Monday?

Are you in Monday in real life?

 

Hmm... then this is the first technical hurdle Sarah predicted. Damn her! *shakes fist*

For now I will just say follow her lead. She's manic posting on Midnight or thereabouts our time. Write the day she does

 

I'll look at rectifying this when I get back from work. Sorry :o

Alright, so tomorrow if she doesn't post do i post tuesday...or wednesday?

 

BAHHH

PM'd you

 

NOTE: from now on either Sarah or myself will post in here every night (Midnight, AEST) and tell you what day we are up to (one of us are always here anyway). See if that helps

 

Sorry for mix up.

 

So today is TUESDAY

 

EDIT: Check here for Time Zone resolution, post #20 -> http://www.linkinparkforums.com/showthread.php?p=578754#post578754

 

See if that clears it up for everyone Sorry for mix up.

lol nice stuff but i cant write lol

That's what I said when I first started writing but look at it now! Practice makes perfect!

First I smell something. I'm not awake just yet, my mind is still refusing to believe that it has been forced back into the real world. It tells me I am asleep and to conserve that notion. Then my chest begins to grow cold, I begin to feel my surroundings. My legs want to move, they are antsy. Something tells me that I should move them, but I figure that I must have been lying here for a while so a few more minutes of sleep shouldn't make a tremendous difference. The pieces of excess skin that fold over my eyes grow light. They want to open, but i deny them that luxury. I clench down on my eyes tighter. I smell something again. It's putrid and unbearable. And yet, despite it's outermost flaws I am attracted to it. I am curious. I am tempted to open my eyes and bare witness to this scent. To be able to attach a face to this stench that haunts me. I want to see what is right in front of me. I want my mind to be clear of any and all questions that plague it. I don't like mysteries so I open my eyes.

 

I open my eyes. Reality sets back in. I put a face to my plague. Puke. Vomit. Stomach Discharge. It's surrounds my body like water surrounding a peninsula. I struggle to push myself up slightly. I look around the bare room and find nothing. Nothing but regurgitated gruel, a cellphone, two crack pipes, a lighter, a spoon, an elastic band, and two needles. I look through my options and decide to go with the phone. I reach over the hard cold concrete basement floor for my phone. I got a deal on this cheap ass apartment. It was once an old laundry room, where teens would come down get pregnant and smoke crack...oh and wash clothes. They "converted" it into another apartment-for more revenue I assume. Wasn't much of a room. There was a tiny old sink, that used to be used to wash clothes in. Next to it was a small knee high fridge with nothing in it. On the opposite side of the sink was a small filthy toilet. Inside the bowl were stains/rings of old shit and piss that had caked on. I finally grasped my phone.

4:00 PM TUESDAY Dammit. I had blacked out the day I arrived here. Which was...one, two...Sunday. After I unpacked all the nothing I had brought with me to this shit hole I decided to celebrate by chasing the dreams I once had. This batch I had gotten was strong. Cost me two months rent, one of the main reason why I had gotten kicked out of the "Motel:Luxury." I first shot it up. Instant gratification was always guaranteed, but the affect wire thin quickly. I crawled over like a dog to my little black bag. I pulled out my pipe. I dug my hand deeper and pulled out a tiny rock. I placed it in my pipe and lit up the magic. I remember falling back thinking that at this point I am so damn high nothing could touch me. None of my problems could stack or reach this high. But that was then, that was 3 days ago. Now I was grounded back to Earth, and not only was I out of a job but I was out of food. I rested my head back on the hard ground against the flood of vomit and closed my eyes. I would deal with the hunger tomorrow.

Tuesday.

 

Ravyn frowned at him in consternation.

“You’re kidding?” She asked.

“That’s what I heard,” Rob shrugged.

He looked back at the door as if he expected someone to magically appear in front of it. His gaze distractedly wandered back towards his girlfriend. Ravyn looked like a trauma patient with her eyes wet and angry and her head shaking in denial, as if he had accused her of something. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Sexual harassment? Jesus, Rob.”

“I know, I know, just…” Rob said.

He didn’t say anything else. His usual words that would normally have been fashioned into some kind of comfort were lagging. He shrugged again. Pushing out a heavy sigh through his nose he eventually pushed himself across the rest of the living room to join her. Ravyn had not taken the news kindly. He sat leaning towards her but for a long time didn’t say or do anything. He appeared to be weighing up his options. As the seconds ticked down and only her strangled silence continued he hesitantly reached out to cup her hands knotted together in a strangle hold in her lap. He tried to smile politely. Ravyn scowled at him and shot to her feet. Rob sighed and sunk his head again in defeat.

“Jesus Christ, Rob, that’s all we need. First… that, and now this? My god, what kind of sickos are living here?”

“Rave, it’s not… like, I probably heard it wrong. I don’t know. Maybe I took it out of context or something.”

“There’s not too many ways you can use the words sexual harassment in everyday conversation, is there? How else would they mean it?”

“No, but-”

“You've heard them in there! You've heard what they're like! My god, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he isn't...” Rather than finish what she was saying ravyn huffed out a sigh and shook her head. Rob was looking at her strangely.

"What?”

"Well, I don’t think he’s like that dangerous, Rave, I mean, seriously-”

"Excuse me?"

Hearing her react, more the delivery than the words themselves, Rob slouched forward over his thighs and rubbed at the back of his head wearily. It wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation, and unfortunately for him it probably wouldn’t be the last, but after only two and a half days into what was supposed to be their fresh start Rob was starting to feel his previous elation dissolve into something a lot colder and a lot less hopeful. It was happening all over again and in that terse and ever expanding lapse into silence, both of them seemed to sense it.

“Fuck, I thought I was away from all- people like that.”

“Rave-”

“I- I need some fresh air,” Ravyn said, and promptly made her way out of the apartment.

 

The sun bore down over New York City, its rays so bright Ravyn could barely keep her eyes open as she shielded them beneath the palm of her hand. She looked out across the jagged city scape before her struggling hard not to think of anything even though her mind was racing. She had found herself on the roof of the apartment complex and had reservations about staying, quick to note despite the absence of people up here that there were few safety precautions about either. It was serene up here, figuratively above it all, with its typical New York City isore of a rusty bulbous water tower and a smattering of chairs and potted plants that had obviously been left to the mercy of the elements from the previous tenants. Obviously it was the place of apparent social gatherings, but the last thing Ravyn felt like doing at the moment was celebrating. The sharp sting of the sun gave her the impression ‘God’ was nothing more than a kid with a magnifying glass trying to set her alight like a child would a stray ant, and at this height she had nowhere to hide from it. There was nowhere on earth to hide anyway, or so it was starting to seem, and part of her was slowly, miserably starting to come to terms with the fact - as much as she didn't want to.

Below removalist trucks had been coming and going on and off all day. Catching sight of yet another pulling away up the street Ravyn pouted dubiously. She wished for solitude but even up here by herself she didn’t get it, feeling more closed in than she was inside. But inside the safe atmosphere of anonymity had been sharply pared away by the arrival of more tenants into the apartment complex. She had been crazy of course to think she and Rob would have remained safe here and all alone in a city full of practically millions, yet crazy was just the kind of impulse that had driven them here in the first place.

Teetering closer to the building’s edge, she was unable to completely peer over the edge with her palms damp and her heart racing in physical fear. She stepped back and her heart rate slowed but just a fraction. There wasn’t much save for a waist high brick barrier between her and certain death should she get too close and accidentally topple over the edge. But thinking of such prospects, and transfixed a split-second all but imagining the feel of the wind on her face before it kissed the cement, Ravyn took a careful step back again towards the door. She looked around to verify that she was indeed alone and no one was about to rush at her from behind and shove her over, but didn’t like the myriad of vacant windows she could see facing her from all the neighbouring high-rises.

An ant in one giant ant farm feels like the perfect analogy, she thought, staring up at the windows and the curtains and the slightest movement she saw pass them with her previous fears allaying little.

He could have been there, she thought, he could have been behind any one of them, watching her through a laser scope and she’d never even know it until it was too late.

Hurriedly Ravyn made her way back inside.

In the hall music was playing. A lot of music. Too much music. The walls here were so thin in places she feared one good run at them would see someone bursting through the plasterboard unwanted. Inside feeling the cool stale air and tasting sweat and mould and desperation, Ravyn’s thoughts quickly wandered back to her previous conversation with Rob only moments ago.

So this Mike guy was a sexual predator as well as a drunkard?

Wow. Lucky her to have him as her neighbour, she scoffed.

Still, Ravyn nervously peered over her shoulder. She wandered down to her floor and saw a young guy setting his bags down in front of an apartment door. He didn’t look at her as he fished out his key. He inserted it into the lock.

"I wonder if I have any psycho ass crazy neighbours," he muttered.

Ravyn pulled back against the shadows and listened, waiting for him to go. As much as she wanted to smile at that comment she couldn’t.

Nursing her scarred wrist beneath her other hand she made sure the hall was clear before she hurried off down the corridor in the opposite direction and slipped inside her sanctuary.

Thats where she remained, unseen and unheard for the rest of the day.

It's Wednesday

Wednesday.

It was only just past six in the morning, as Sarah pushed Mike off her and rolled over as she tried to get sleep, but she was starving. She threw the covers off her and sat up, with her feet nicely placed on the warm carpet. She rubbed her eyes as the snoring continued on the other side of the bed that was escaping the mouth of the sleeping corpse that had half of the covers twisted around his waist.

She convinced herself that she better go back to sleep. But she shook her head at her own thought as she remembered that she just had come out of a nice sleep and there was no way with the way that Mike was snoring his head off that she was able to go back to sleep. She may as well sleep on an airport’s runway in that case.

She got to her feet after a moment or two of hesitation, as she walked over to put a jacket over her top that she had slept in. Then she stopped and remembered. She didn’t remember anything that consisted of sleeping in a bed; she had fallen asleep on a bed, which was Mike in front of the television set last night. She shrugged as she continued to put her jacket on. She collected her wallet, her cell, and her keys from the glass bowl on the kitchen bench.

She opened the door, and closed it softly, as she realised she should’ve left a note just in case Mike woke up and realised that females don’t spend an hour in the bathroom. She didn’t bother, as she turned around to see a man with a notepad and a pen scribbling down words and mumbling them under his breath. He sat against his door.

“Are you alright?” asked Sarah, as the man got startled and looked like he was about to have a heart attack or something. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“That’s alright, I’m just here, writing some lyrics down to occupy myself,” answered the man. “So you’re the woman that screams at the top of her voice next to me at her partner?” Sarah nodded guiltily. “Uh huh.”

“What are you doing writing lyrics at this time of the morning?” asked Sarah. “Kinda odd, don’t you think?”

“I can’t get to sleep and I don’t want to be cooped up in my apartment,” answered the man. “We’re neighbours and we don’t even speak each other’s names…hey, I like that line.” The man scribbled the line down on his notepad.

“Sarah,” introduced Sarah. “The person, me, that’s going to detach herself from this conversation after she receives the man’s name who’s oddly writing lyrics down at six in the morning.” The man looked up at her. “And what’s my excuse you ask me before you do actually ask me? What am I doing up at this time of the morning? You haven’t endured my partner’s snores, I can tell you now.”

“Do I want to know?” asked the man. “Nice to meet you Sarah, the name’s Justin, bye Sarah.”

“Bye Justin,” replied Sarah, giving a faint smile as she walked down the stairs until she reached the ground floor, as she thought to herself how odd her neighbour that she had never met, nor did she even know that he existed to start with. She reached the bottom and decided to not take Mike’s car but decided to walk to the nearest coffee serving diner there was and there was only place that she could think of, Central Perk. Their waitresses seemed nice enough and she wondered if they were even going to be open at this time of the morning.

Her queries were shortly answered when she arrived at the doorstep of their diner with a big red sign saying that they were indeed open, hanging off a hook hidden above the glass. She smiled and pulled the door open. She found a seat by herself by a window as a waitress that looked like she was dead to the world, or if she wasn’t that, looked like a drug addict or maybe even intoxicated, came up to Sarah and asked her what she wanted. The way that she had presented herself worried her about the quality of her coffee and was ready to ask if she could have a better looking waitress to attend to her caffeine demands. She ordered a strong coffee and looked out the window into the city that she had always loved.

She had always loved the look of it, the smell of it (minus the pollution), and she had always been fond of it. Mike on the other hand resented most of the time living in New York City let alone living in the New York province of America. He said it was just the nature of the fans of baseball at Yankee Stadium were just creepy and he didn’t like creepy people. But yet again, the only thing that he could really think about was not his work, but baseball. Typical American man really, minus the love for pigskin football that had been characterised as America’s best sport, when Sarah thought of it. Mike had never been a fan of football since the very first days that Sarah and he were enemies.

Baseball and basketball were his main interests, along with stirring up his soon to be mother-in-law. That was a habit Sarah strongly disapproved of. One time, Mike was kidding around with Molly, her mother, and told her that her daughter was pregnant with his kid and that Sarah was already half way through her pregnancy and hid it by wearing baggy clothes. Sarah suggested playing with fire sometimes rather than to put up Mike’s antics because they were still the same thing in the long run.

Sarah smiled at a waitress as she realised that the waitress has just put her coffee down in front of her. She took a sip of the hot coffee as it started to warm up her insides and started to wake her up. She thought to herself as she hadn’t met many of the neighbours but she had heard some people moving stuff along the corridors at various times of the days that she consciously didn’t know that she remembered hearing. Probably she was too busy yelling at Mike or something.

She eventually finished her coffee as she stood up, as she walked over to the cashier to pay her three dollars for the coffee. She smiled as she handed the waitress the money and walked off back to her apartment, before Mike woke up and panicked that she wasn’t home.

It only took her a couple or so minutes to get back to her apartment as she had caught every green pedestrian man at every crossing that she came to. She walked up the stairs and over to her apartment, where Justin had disappeared from slumping against his front door in the early hours of the morning and writing lyrics as though they meant something to anyone else but him, because Sarah was convinced that Justin was just weird.

She fiddled around for a second or two with the key as she found her grip and opened the front door with her key. She opened the apartment that had been hardly touched when it came to the unpacking stage; she told herself that she was going to do something about it today. She sighed as she walked into the kitchen and she opened the fridge to see if there was something to eat.

Nothing much. Another thing to do, she told herself, do the shopping, properly this time. She closed the door as she turned around to see the sun starting to come up from behind tall skyscrapers that lined the city’s horizon. She walked over to the other side of the apartment’s walls and opened the windows. She looked the steel balcony that doubled up as a fire escape and looked over to the city that was waking up to another day. She got on her tippy toes and tried to look past the buildings that blocked her view of the distant lands to see if she could see the Statue of Liberty, but she couldn’t. She closed the window, as she decided that the coffee wasn’t really doing anything but she didn’t want to go back to bed. So she laid on the couch and closed her eyes, thinking she won’t be falling asleep soon because of the coffee must be acting slow.

It was quarter to twelve when Mike woke up. He rolled over, half-expecting to whack his partner in the face. But he didn’t, he just whacked the soft pillow instead.

“Huh?” asked Mike, as he realised that Sarah was missing from beside him. Mike sat up; thinking where the hell she had gotten to, it wasn’t like her to get up this early, as he looked to the clock radio still on the floor next to the bed. “Sarah?” No reply, all was quiet. “Sarah?” Mike started to panic. Had she left him already? Was it a sneaky tactic to forgive and then to run? There was a knock at the door. “Shit.” Mike stood up, wrapped the sheets around his waist, walked out into the living room, straight past the sleeping Sarah, and opened the door. There stood the woman that saw him the other day. “Yeah? You knocked?”

“Oh I’m sorry,” said the woman, shielding her eyes away from Mike as she realised that he wasn’t dressed. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“That’s alright I just got up,” replied Mike. “Wait…what was your name again? I saw you the other day.”

“Ravyn, I’m just right next to you,” answered Ravyn. “Just wondering if you guys knew the trash collection days, that’s all. My partner and I were arguing about it and I didn’t want to come out as the wrong one.”

“Oh, hold on for a sec, I think Sarah put that notice on the fridge,” said Mike, as his neighbour nodded. He left the door open as he turned around went into the kitchen, still with the various sheets wrapped around his waist. He picked off a small notice on the fridge that read a big fat Friday morning at six in the morning. He put it back on the fridge and walked back to tell Ravyn the real news. “Every Friday at six in the morning.”

“Thanks,” replied Ravyn, as Mike closed the door and thought of her as being a bit strange. He stood by this point of, everyone who knew Mike had basically seen him naked or half naked at any point. Mike shrugged as he told himself that the neighbours better get used to it because he wasn’t going to change either.

He turned around and saw his partner fast asleep on the couch. He couldn’t help but to smile and walk over to his sleeping beauty. He knelt down next to her sleeping soundly and kissed her on the forehead. He was still tired and he didn’t know why, maybe he didn’t know the feeling of sleeping in on a Wednesday without rushing to get to work. He stood back up and went to get something from the cupboard. He opened the cupboard doors, there was practically nothing and they had been surviving on fast food or very little. Laziness had gotten the better of them both. He yawned as he closed the cupboard doors and walked back into his bedroom as he fell back asleep on top of all the covers that hadn’t been tucked in at all since moving in to this new apartment.

It was four in the afternoon when Mike finally woke up to the sound of ripping boxes and he could smell something so good, it was sizzling food. His eyes were wide awake when he realised what Sarah was doing, she was unpacking and had done some shopping, and she was cooking a decent meal, hopefully for him as well. He leapt up from laying down, still with the sheets around his waist and ran to the living room. He looked around and Sarah was ripping boxes apart and had shopping bags everywhere with food in it still. Steam was pouring out from the kitchen.

“Already trying to burn our kitchen down?” asked Mike. “That was quick.” Sarah stopped and pouted. Mike had always made fun of Sarah’s cooking. “Only kidding, you know that. What is it that you’re cooking?”

“Just some stir fry,” answered Sarah, as she went back to ripping up boxes as Mike realised that there were some shelves put up and stuff on them, instead of just blank walls. “I’ve been busy, thanks for the appreciation.”

“You know I appreciate it, secretly,” smiled Mike, as he came over to Sarah and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then continued to walk over to the kitchen and started to pick at the sizzling stir fry. Sarah didn’t continue ripping up boxes and stashing them in a pile.

“Mike, can I tell you something about answering the door with no pants on?” asked Sarah.

“Do it more often?” asked Mike, innocently.

“Don’t do it, you freaked our neighbour out,” answered Sarah. “And don’t touch that!”

“Why not?” asked Mike, withdrawing his hand from the hot stir fry. “It’s for me ain’t it?” Sarah shook her head, as she gave him a nasty smile. “Oh no. Does this mean I have to put pants on for your mother despite the fact I can’t even be bothered putting pants on for even the neighbours. Wait, how did you know about that incident with the neighbour?”

“She told me when we ran into each other downstairs when I was putting the trash out,” answered Sarah. “Are you going to stay for dinner, or you are going to bugger off and play poker with your buddies like you usually like to do when my mother comes around for dinner?”

“What do you think?” asked Mike.

“Put your pants and a shirt on, grab your keys and just go, she’s coming in ten minutes,” answered Sarah, as Mike looked like he was about to start running for his life. “I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“You should wake me up when you bring home or lure a dragon that breathes fire and aims her breath at me half the time,” replied Mike, running for the box that had his clothes in it. He picked up his keys from the glass bowl before he left the kitchen to start running for his life. “You could’ve told me Sarah!”

“Yeah, but I chose not to, big difference,” replied Sarah, rolling her eyes, as she turned back around and started shoving a bunch of boxes into the corner. Mike grabbed any old shirt and any pair of whatever he could get his hands on and rushed out into the living room and gave Sarah a kiss, with his wallet in one hand and his keys in another.

“Bye sweetie, enjoy the silence before the beast comes,” Mike farewelled.

“You’re driving with no shoes on?” asked Sarah, looking down at Mike’s bare feet. Mike nodded. “No you’re not; you’re going to injure yourself.”

“I won’t, I promise,” replied Mike, as he smiled for the last time for the night and ran out of the room, slamming the door as well. Sarah cringed at the loudness of the slam. Then Sarah started to walk over to the shopping bags that hadn’t been emptied and started to empty them into the fridge and the cupboards so that they actually had decent food.

It was nine when Molly left and complimented her daughter on her good cooking as she kissed her daughter goodbye outside her apartment and in the doorway, so that Sarah didn’t have to go to the trouble of getting shoes on and seeing her mother drive off in her car. She was a good daughter, but not that good of a daughter to her mother. Sarah smiled as she farewelled. Sarah was hoping that Mike would be home soon because she didn’t like to sleep alone in a new place in a new part of New York that she had never lived in. She was half expecting Mike to come as soon as her mother left her sight, but he didn’t.

She sighed as she closed the door gently. She turned around and tossed some pieces of cardboard that must’ve flown off the flaps of the boxes when she was trying to rip them up so that they could go in the recycling the next day. She was still tired and she wanted Mike to come home, because she felt like he was getting drunk, and the thought of him getting wasted without her, put her down.

She stopped as she started to make her way into her bedroom, as she saw Mike’s cell phone still on the dining table. He hadn’t taken it with him and now he wasn’t contactable. Sarah ignored the thoughts that started to pour into her head about the ‘what if Mike did this and what if Mike did that to her’. She shook her head, as she yawned and crawled back into bed, ready for another long day ahead of her. She had done so much when he was asleep. She started to unpack and had done the things that she had planned to do that day. She didn’t want to think about the next day and didn’t think about it, as she closed her eyes and fell asleep. She called this waiting for Mike to come home another way.

Wednesday

 

Justin’s eyes opened. It was 6:00 AM, and he was ready to roll. He had no idea why he was wide awake. The shipment of his gear from his storage building was to arrive today. Also a check from his lawsuit he and Adriane, the former bassist of Zero Life, had won against Sony Records. The deal was that even if the band didn’t make a second CD all member were to get the bonus if the first album went at least platinum. The check for $300,000 was due in today. Adriane was the only female player of the band and the reason why the band had fallen apart. Justin could never forget the argument they had led to the end of Zero Life.

Justin got out of his sleeping bag and left his apartment. He sat down in front of his door way. The familiar smell of crack mixed with vomit was stinking up the place. The smell didn’t affect him but he knew on a weak stomach it would be hard. The life of touring had brought him many things. He learned everything about sex, drugs, and alcohol. He pulled out his black spiral notebook, and started working on lyrics for new songs.

“I am sitting here in front door

While my brain has turned to a bore

We never talk, everything is shame”

“Hmm weak,” Justin mumbled. He had writer’s block the last few weeks, nothing was good.

Justin turned. “Shit!” he said lightly.

“Are you alright?” asked the lady who was standing right behind him, “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“That’s alright, I’m just here, writing some lyrics down to occupy myself,” answered Justin. “So you’re the woman that screams at the top of her voice next to me at her partner?” he said jokingly.

The woman nodded. “Uh huh.”

“What are you doing writing lyrics at this time of the morning? Kinda odd, don’t you think?”, the lady asked.

“I can’t get to sleep and I don’t want to be cooped up in my apartment,” answered the Justin. “We’re neighbors and we don’t even speak each other’s names…hey, I like that line.” He hurried scribbled the line down on his notepad. He didn’t want to forget it. It was probably the best line of all in the last week or two. His writing and become boring and repetitive.

“Sarah,” introduced Sarah. “The person, me, that’s going to detach herself from this conversation after she receives the man’s name who’s oddly writing lyrics down at six in the morning.” Justin looked up at her. Wondering if she was joking. “And what’s my excuse you ask me before you do actually ask me? What am I doing up at this time of the morning? You haven’t endured my partner’s snores, I can tell you now.”

“Do I want to know?” asked Justin, with a smile. “Nice to meet you Sarah, the name’s Justin, bye Sarah.”

“Bye Justin,” replied Sarah. She walked away, down the stairs.

Justin thought she was attractive, but at the same time grumpy. Maybe she wasn’t a morning person he thought. He continued writing down lyrics for a time then gave up, and walked back inside. He unpacked a bag of Cheeto's and stood at the window. He was enjoying his orange crunchy treat. The cheesiness of the chips was amazing. It was like an orgasm in the mouth. After a while, he decided to go do something. He realized he didn’t have any money so decided to go wait for his guitar equipment to arrive. As he walked down the stairs, he noticed something. It was quiet

Justin sat outside, bored as he could get on the side of the curb. He turned on his iPod and watched people walk by. Some going into the apartments, some just walking by. No one noticed who he was. “My Contradictions” came up on shuffle. The intro power chords played and Justin remembered the day he sat in the SweetWater recording studio. Sweating in nervousness, strumming down, down, up. Letting his finger take control. The happiest time in his life gone. The rest of the band came in on the instrumental. Justin just looked down at the sidewalk. Then he heard Brandon Thompson’s voice come in with the first line, “I thought life was a requiem”. Next. It hurt too much to hear it. A truck pulled up.

“FedEx?”, Justin was puzzled, “no way that ass hole.”

“You happen to be Justin Chambers?” said the FedEx guy.

“Indeed,” replied Justin, although he thought that was dumb of the FedEx guy just to ask a random person on the street in front of an apartment building.

“Okay well we got a lot of sh—stuff for you, if you could just sign here and here.”

“Okay,” Justin replied kind of pissed. Calling the gear shit would have sent Justin over the edge. The gear was over five thousand dollars of equipment.

“Okay well we will unload the boxes here, and be on…”

“You can’t help me get them to my apartment?” , Justin interrupted.

“No we just deliverer,” replied the FedEx guy getting annoyed.

“Fine just leave it here,” Justin said after a huge sigh.

“Okay buddy,” said the FedEx guy very friendly.

Justin couldn’t believe his cousin Tommy sent all the gear through FedEx. Justin’ had been storing the gear at Tommy’s house till he could find a place of his own. There were four boxes. Justin opened the three guitar cases from three of the boxes and took them to the staircase first. The other huge box was the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Amp. Justin asked a person walking buy to carry the amp to the stairs. They did it was actually pretty light. When they got to the stairs it was all up hill. Three flights of stairs. Hugh Laurie, the landlord walked by.

“Can I help you?”, asked Hugh.

“Yeah, man could you carry those guitar cases?”, Justin said while struggling to hold the amp up.

“Why, certainty but I hope you know you won’t be rocking out here. We do have a noise ordinance,” Hugh said this in a way that made Justin want to punch him in the face. In his head all he could think of was the song “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” by ACDC.

Justin and the unknown man struggled climbing up the stairs with the amp. It was about as wide as the staircase and very heavy. Finally, Room 19.

“Thanks guys,” panted Justin dripping in sweat.

“No problem, I’ll see you around,” replied the equally tired unknown man.

“I want you to know Mr. Chambers, that your rock and roll music better not be too loud! I already heard your car! You better not be doing in of that ] street racing either!”, Hugh exclaimed.

“Sure thing,” Justin took the guitars cases out of his hands and put them in the empty room and proceeded to push the box in the doorway with Hugh just watching.

“Hey, your room is kinda empty,” Hugh sounded very unimpressed.

“Well don’t worry I got a big check coming. I’ll see you around,” said Justin shutting the door to get away from Hugh.

“Fuck he is a bitch,” Justin said to himself. He unboxed his amp and set it in the corner. He never imagined the $2000 purchase he made to get this would mean so much to him. He looked it over no scratches or anything. He pulled out his black Ibanez RG7321 with a custom paint job and a red biohazard logo painted on. He remembered the high school years when Brandon Thompson and him rebuilt the guitar from the ground up. It looked fine it was way out of tune though. Tommy must have tried playing the seven string guitar. Next he opened the most expensive guitar. The Alvarez PD-150, a $1,500 beauty. The acoustic guitar appeared on the MTV Unplugged show Zero Life played, and in Justin’s mind was a god. Finally, the Orange Sunburst PRS SE Custom. It was Justin’s main guitar. The guitar all fans knew him by. During touring he also had a black one for alternate tunings. The PRS SE Custom was only a $600 guitar, but in his mind gave the perfect tone. PRS even offered to send him a PRS Custom 24 guitar, but after playing it for a while he sent it back. It seemed too good. He wanted a rough guitar, but one with a nice tone at the same time.

He picked up the acoustic guitar, and started playing the riff to “Behind Blue Eyes”. Justin eventually started singing quietly. “Nobody knows what it’s like to be the bad man, to be the sad man, behind blue eyes.” He stopped, remembering what Hugh had said.

“I need a band,” muttered Justin. He decided tomorrow he would look for a band but the rest of the night he quietly played guitar until he fell asleep. He didn’t even look in his mailbox for the check.

Today was the day, the day I took my first step into the real world. Sure I have a job and all that but I’ve always had the comfort of my parents, always there to back me up. After some long and overdone goodbyes, I hopped in my car. Ready to follow the moving truck that sat in front of me, luckily I have the kind of parents that let me use most of the stuff in my room. They even let me have the computer, the good one too! Not the one we have sitting upstairs that was no use to anyone with any patience. As I drove on I took one last glance at a home that had held me for 19 years faded in the distance.

The drive was a long one, Kentucky to NYC not your typical Sunday afternoon drive. I glanced at myself in the mirror and thought randomly to myself “Why the heck did I wear Jeans? I never wear them in the summer” a thought that soon left my mind.

After what seemed like a whole day I arrived, I looked at the sign on the door, “Yeah this is the place” I muttered. I checked in at the front where a man named Hugh sat. He looked at me as if I was the strangest man he had ever seen which freaked me out even more than I already was. Once he spoke and introduced himself I already felt a sense of comfort, he seemed like a great guy after all. He gave me a key with the number 20 imprinted on the top. I thanked him and he sat down giving me a nod. I walked up the stairs thinking how much of a pain it would be to get all my supplies and stuff up here; thank god I have the movers to help me with all that! I made it to my floor I heard voices already muttering behind doors. “Sounds like a full house up here” I thought. Who knows maybe I’ll make some quick friends in this place, which would be nice after all I am new. I slid the key and turned the knob which revealed my room. I laid the backpack I was carrying on the floor and kicked it to the corner “Let’s get to moving in”.

4 hours later everything was set up; I paid the movers the shocking price that they demanded. I knew I’d live but man it was a dent in the wallet.

I looked out the window and realized how tired I was. I sat down at the computer desk and pulled out an unknown folder labeled “FBM” with random sketching covering the front. Laughing I went through reading the lyrics I worked so hard on trying to fulfill my dream of becoming a rock star, a typical dream of most people my age, but I was set. Other issues caused that to end though and I hung it up. Back to the moment though, I read each line rapping and singing everything even after a year of doing nothing I remembered every melody every sound that we did even our old jokes. “Look at what I did, Tore up a track, Went on a crash course with a flip back, Lyrics torn straight from carvings on a train track,

Taking the good away and bringing the pain back” I rapped moving my hand to a beat that wasn’t there. I slid the paper back in the folder and saw how late it was. I decided I’d make some friends tomorrow and finish unpacking. For now I needed the sleep.

Wednesday

 

I awoke cold. I didn't want to open my eyes, but knew i had to. I felt around a bit, hoping to grab a television remote, and turn on Fox. All I felt was a cold floor. This fucking sucks. I sat up, rubbed eyes, and opened hoping to see a full room. Nope still empty as hell. I wiped some drool off my cheek. Jeez I haven't drooled in at least 5 years. I looked around. I saw my Amp and two guitars. One a basic starter Behringer, I got for Christmas. I was enthusiastic as fuck, almost prepared to cry, when i got it. Yet a year prevailed. And soon I became much better, then learning what a huge piece of shit the guitar was. It never held a tuning no matter what, always hummed. And was covered in stickers, to cover all the scratches and dents. I looked then next to it. My Epiphone SG EX. I love that guitar, black with a gray fade in the middle. Two Humbuckers, not a scratch, nor a dent. Held a tuning, and sounded great with my Amp. My Line 6 Spider III 75 Watt amp. That amp is my love, other than my girl back home...I never understood, after dating her for 3 and a half years, she didn't move in with me...I sighed and blacked out the thought... I went over to my "Dresser" and put on my Dethklok Shirt. My black jeans, my spiked gauntlet, Linkin Park fingerless gloves, and aviators to finish off my look. I grabbed my Mp3 Player, not an iPod, unlike the rest of this ungrateful world. and my cell phone, which read 8:41am...shit, it's early for me. I went and sat on my amp, and looked out the window....

 

This is life? This is it? I was expecting something more extravagant, more thrill, more panic. But this is boring. I need to get shit in my life rolling, get a band, get my musical thrill out. Damnit. I grab my cellphone out of my pocket. Look through the contacts, my ex from 4 years ago is still in here. After that fight last year, I don't think we'll ever be speaking again. I look down more, my just recently ex...I gulp down the pain I feel...it hurts... I then see my old home number, and call it, it rings twice before my father picks up.

 

"Hello, Jonathan. How's the apartment." He sounded rather average, not excited, nor depressed.

"It's alright, I am actually calling about something I consider sort of important" I tried not to give out my desperation.

"Furniture" He sounded rather amused.

"Yeah definately...I am going to need my old bed, my Futon, desk, TV, and dressers." I said as fast as I could spit out.

"Totally understandable, listen I need to get to work, we will send your stuff over tomorrow." He immediately hung up. Guess he really needed to get to it. I stood up, and stretched, might as well go check out town. I stepped out my door, and hear some scratching next door, I put my ear to the door. Oh, it just sounds like a pen scratching a pad. What the hell is this person doing? I walked down the steps.

 

I took a breath of fresh air, to just immediately close my nose, I looked to the side, and there was a dog taking a shit next to the building. I heard someone open the door behind me and I immediately pretended I was just walking by. I looked back and then there was a Woman speaking with him. Meh fuck it, good thing I walked away. I kept walking, just until I could fine a deli. I found a small one on the corner, walked in, and there was not a person in it. Must be too early. A nice, cleaning man behind the desk was writing in a note pad. I saw a teenager sweeping near the back.

 

"Hello! The first customer today! You get half off on any sandwich or bagel!" He said, extremely glad/chipper.

"Oh? Nice. Alright well, could you make a bacon, egg, and cheese on an onion bagel?" I was glad i got half off, noticing the prices, a bagel cost 3 dollars, .50 cents for each extra thing. He smiled the whole time he was making it. I looked over at the teen now sitting down drink a Budwieser. I looked over to the man making the bagel. "Is he legal?"

He laughs, "No. But No one cares about legal age." I grinned, finally! I don't have to sneak my alcohol anymore "Could I get a 24 pack of Mike's? Variety?" The man nodded, and went in back and walked out with the the pack, I grinned and grabbed my bagel and alcohol. I gave him 20 dollars...but he wanted 5 dollars more, I reached into my back pocket and handed him the cash, and started to walk back to my apartment.

 

I saw a FedEx truck outside, and wondered who was getting what. I looked down at my watch, going on noon. Great! Time passes by quick in real life, I chuckled and walked into my apartment, sat the beer in the empty kitchen, and sat down on my "bed" and ate the bagel. It was terrible! Absolutely disgusting, I had to finish it though, i wasn't going to spend any more on my breakfast. I stood up and went over to my guitar, grabbed the SG and turned on the amp. I sat on top of the amp for awhile until I heard a knocking at the door. I turned it all off and walked over, and opened the door, it was the landlord, Hugh.

 

"Excuse me, we have a sound rule here, please. Either turn it off, or shut it off." He gave me this dead stare. What a dick. If he didn't stop staring at me right now, he'd have a fat lip. He looked back in my apartment. "Why's it so empty?"

"I am getting my furniture tomorrow." He looked at me with a blank stare.

 

We both saw a man walking up the stairs with his boxes. Hugh asked "Can I help you?"

The other man looked back and asked "Yeah, man could you carry those guitar cases?" Hugh walked over and grabbed them, and immediately said. "Why, certainty but I hope you know you won’t be rocking out here. We do have a noise ordinance" I saw the other man give him the exact same look I was trying to just give him. I walked over to help. I saw he had a few guitar cases, how good is he? Is he better than me? What's his playing style?

 

I looked at each case, and could tell immediately, two electric cases, one acoustic. Shit I need to call my dad to make sure he sends my acoustic. I grabbed them, and walked up the steps, to the door right next to mine! Even more interesting. I helped him carry up all the cases, amps, guitar, and such, and was dripping with sweat once I finished. He just said "Thanks guys" and stood there. Wait? No cash for helping? Jerk! You have all this money for the music stuff and no money for helping? Shit, I just ignored it and replied "No problem, I’ll see you around" I was about to walk into my room before Hugh interrupted my leaving. "I want you to know Mr. Chambers, that your rock and roll music better not be too loud! I already heard your car! You better not be doing in of that street racing either!"

 

I walked into my room, but listened out to the conversation.

"Sure thing" Said the neighbor.

"Hey, your room is kinda empty" I heard Hugh say.

My neighbor replied "Well don’t worry I got a big check coming. I’ll see you around"

I heard footsteps go down the stairs, and I heard my neighbor say something. "Fuck he is a bitch" I chuckled to myself, Amen.

 

I went and lie in my bed. Hmm, I should probably give him the heads up...I went and grabbed a pad that was stored neatly in my clothes, and a pen, and wrote.

 

"Hello Neighbor, I am the young man that lives next door. I helped you carry some shit up? Listen, I am going to have some furniture coming in tomorrow. I would really appreciate it if you would help me with my shit. I know it's early to be asking a favor, but I really need the help, Thanks. Also, I noticed you play guitar? I own a guitar myself, would you want to Jam maybe? Right after the unpacking? Just offering man. Peace."

 

I folded the paper up and went downstairs to the mailboxes...hmmm room 19...ah there's his, I notice a few pieces of mail...shit he doesn't even check his mail...he better check it tomorrow! I put the letter next to some other letter, on it, it said Justin on it. Okay, so my neighbors name is Justin, that'll help when I am speaking with him, I chuckled again, and walked upstairs, and looked at my cellphone, 5pm...whoa. Today went fast.

 

I went into my room and heard some guitar, and I knew it must've been Justin, I layed down, and immediately fell asleep, I wonder how tomorrow will go.

 

 

 

 

********************************************************

 

 

Soon I am adding links to anything I feel necessary to give people ideas of what stuff looks like

 

Links are up! Welcome to the interactive story!

 

Also remember if you want to include me, IM or PM me