Untitled(For the Moment)

[FlyIntoOblivion]

I'm working on this story. Its still in progress, so I apologize in advance if I stop working for awhile on it. Even I don't know the ending, so enjoy!



Adelle pushed the door open with her shoulder, thinking for the upteenth time that, just maybe, she should tell her landlord about the warped hinges. Inside, she threw the deadbolts and lightly threw her keys onto The Rolling Stone on the coffee table, which skittered across Jake Shears and onto the floor. “Hope it was good for you, too, Jakey boy.” She muttered, throwing her heavy coat onto her worn armchair, waltzing into the kitchen. There, Adelle’s fiancé stood in front of the sink, staring blankly in front of him and chewing, his black hair sticking out, cheekily unbrushed. She teased his hair slightly, kissing his cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m wondering if David Bowie is psychic. I mean, The Man Who Sold the World is clearly about The Man Who Fell to Earth, but he didn’t star in the movie until years after the album came out. I think he really is an alien.”

“Maybe he read the book and thought of the song.”

“It’s a book, too?”

“Yeah, by Walter Trevis.”

“Huh. Maybe.”

Adelle sniffed at his sandwich. “What are you eating?”

“Marshmellow fluff and sardines. I was craving fish and sugar, and this is actually kind of tasty.”

“I think you’re the alien sometimes.” She felt her pocket vibrate. Frowning at the unfamiliar number, she flipped the phone open. “Hello?”

“Hey there.” The voice was quiet, throaty and scratchy. Adelle knew this voice, nearly ten years younger, and stronger.

“How did you get this number?” Behind her, she felt Kade step over in concern, but she touched his elbow and shook her head.

“A friend of a friend gave it to me. You know how it goes. I want to see you again. Its been a long time.”

“Yes, yes it has. Can you give me time to think about it?”

“Of course. You can call me when you’re ready.”

“Thank you. And Rick?”

“Yes?”

“I’m glad to hear from you again.”

She could feel his smile through the phone. “I’m glad to hear you again.” And the connection closed.

“So, Rick found you.”

She sighed, running her hands through her short hair. “Yeah, he did.”

“What are you going to do? What does he want?”

“He wants to meet me.”

Kade pulled her tight against him. “I don’t want you to see him.”

“Kade…I don’t love him anymore. I haven’t loved him in a long time.”

“I still don’t want to lose you to him. I know how important he was to you.”

She twisted in his arms, burying her face in his shoulder. “I love you now.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“Nothing will come of it, I promise. I’m happy with you, and that’s all that matters.”

“Adelle…”

“He didn’t sound well, Kade.”

“Adelle, please…”

“I’ll think about it, all right?”

“Thank you.” He smiled. “Now, I’m going to go see an exorcism.”

“Really? Sounds interesting.”

“Yeah, this guy claims the ghost of Charlie Chaplin is making him dress like a hobo and won’t let him speak-like he’s in some silent film. Want to come along?”

“Not that interesting. I want to get some things done around here.”

“All right then, I’ll see you later tonight.” Kade leaned over and pecked her cheek.

“You reek of sardines!” She pulled a sour face, then laughed at his pout. “See you later, sweetheart.”

Kade smiled, kissed the tip of her nose, then wandered his way down the hall. “Adelle, where are my-”

“The wooden bowl on the bookshelf.”

“Thank you! Bye, love you!”

She heard the door shut, then leaned against the counter, pulling out her phone. Lightly, she ran her thumb across the digital display, biting her lip. Then, with a sigh of grim finality, she flipped it open and began to dial.

The scratchy voice murmured, “Hello?”

“Hi. Sorry I didn’t tell you right away.”

“Its all right.”

“When do you want to meet?”

[HY]

Great start, Fly! You've really drawn me in!

[FlyIntoOblivion]

Part II

Adelle fiddled with her coffee spoon, wincing slightly at the state of her cuticles. She spied her waiter gliding toward her, and she braced herself to grab his apron and ask where her damn coffee creamer was, thank you very much. He stopped opposite, pulling the chair opposite her out from the table, and a short man walked over slowly, leaning heavily on a hospital sterile issue cane. His hair was shorn, but it was the same white blond she remembered, even paler now with its shortness, and his eyes were the same blue, flashing mischievous and gentle at the same time. But the face was worn much longer than ten years, thinner and almost gaunt. “Hey there,” he said softly, laying his cane at his feet under the table. He turned to the waiter. “Thank you.”

“Would you like anything to drink, sir? Coffee?”

Rick shook his head. “Just water, please.”

The waiter nodded, placing a menu in front of the blond, and began to walk away. “Wait,” Adelle said, “I wanted…oh, forget it,” as the waiter disappeared into the kitchen. She turned to her companion to find him staring at her hands, frowning.

“He’s a lucky man,” Rick nodded at her ring.

She glanced down, twisted the diamond solitaire a little. “He’s very sweet to me.”

The other smiled. “You deserve him.” She blushed, and Rick took her hands in his heavy ones. They were deathly cold, and she shivered involuntarily. “I’m sorry. I forgot.” He took his hands away, but she snatched them back.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all.” She nodded at his hair. “So you did get into the military, like you wanted.”

He ran a hand through the buzz cut. “They discharged me a couple weeks ago. Honorably, of course, but before my tour was over.” He coughed, tilting his head to the side.

“Medical reasons?”

He nodded slowly, then glanced up at the expectant waiter. “Are you ready to order, sir?”

“Oh. I’m not eating." He handed the menu back. “But I think the lady would like some coffee creamer.” The waiter nodded and strode away.

“Rick, you should eat. You don’t look well.”

He smiled softly. “I couldn’t keep anything down, anyway. I went through chemotherapy yesterday, and I don’t even want to try eating right now.”

She bit her lip and turned away as the waiter brought his glass and her creamer. “Adelle.” She glanced back, and shook her head.

“How bad is it?”

“Bad enough. They tell me I have a better chance than most of surviving, but…I live in this body. I know that its too tired to keep this up long enough for the chemotherapy treatments.”

“Its not fair.” Her hand shook pouring creamer into the cup, and Rick touched her hand to steady it.

“Nothing is fair, and even less is right. But this is the way it is, Adelle.”

She sniffled, wiping her eyes on the napkin. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No. I just wanted you to know.”

“Why?” Adelle gazed into his eyes. “Why? God damn it, why me?”

“Because…I wanted to know you were all right. You were a piece of work when I knew you, you know. You had so much potential to be someone special, someone everyone looks up to, or to be the world‘s most notorious serial killer. I wanted to know you ended up all right.”

“You’re selfish,” she snapped, then immediately regretted it.

“Yes, I suppose I am. I’m dying, Adelle. I don’t have much time left. I want to have some closure before I go.”

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me.” She smiled, taking his hand again. “I’m glad you’re here. Really, I am. I wanted to know you were all right.”

“There was ever a doubt that I wasn’t?”

She giggled. “No, I suppose there wasn’t.” The waiter returned, and she shuffled her hands to let him set her plate down. “Do you mind?”

“No, go ahead. It doesn’t even appeal to me.” He grinned indulgently at her as she ate greedily. “I do have a favor to ask.”

“Yes?” She covered her mouth, hiding her poor manners of talking while chewing.

“I’d like you to come with me during my chemotherapy sessions.” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he blushed. “My family can’t afford to come and see me. I want a friendly face among all those tubes and needles.”

She nodded. “Of course. I can’t promise to be there every time-”

“Of course not.”

“But I will try. It’s the least I can do for you.”

“Thank you.” He stood then, handing her a few bills. “Here, this should cover the tab. I need to go.”

“No, you shouldn’t pay for me, Rick.”

“What do I need money for?” He tossed them onto the table, leaning on his cane. “Indulge me. I know how stubborn you are, but just this once.”

Adelle watched him walk away, taking the check absently from the waiter. As soon as he returned with it, she stood to leave, and the waiter grabbed her arm. “Ma’am, your money.”

“That’s your tip. Keep it.” And she strode out of the restaurant as the waiter called, “But, miss, that’s three times what your check was!”

[rachael]

brb, son came in...real good..

[rachael]

WOW, Fly, that is a great story!

[FlyIntoOblivion]

Thank you, HY, Isa!

[nlt]

Oooooo....lovin' this Fly!

[FlyIntoOblivion]

Thank you, Nlt.

[Cheza]

Nice start, Fly!

[bostongirl]

Fly - Shaping up to be a great story. Really good writing. I am hooked !!!

[FlyIntoOblivion]

Thanks Cheza, Boston. I appreciate it.

[Ayesa86]

You know I like it Flyster.

[FlyIntoOblivion]

Thanks Ayesa. Part III, sorry its short.

“I see it didn’t go well.” Kade’s voice said from above Adelle, slumped over on the sofa, clutching her hair in her hands.

“He’s dying.” Her voice was muffled, and stuffy from tears.

Kade stood over her for a moment, then shuffled off.

Adelle’s head snapped up, and she lunged off the couch and grabbed Kade’s shoulder roughly, forcing him to face her. “You’re not going to say anything?” She shouted. “He’s dying! He’s not even thirty, and he’s going to die!”

“What am I supposed to do, Adelle?” Kade shouted back, uncharacteristically angry. “I’m not a doctor, for Christ’s sake!”

“I don’t know!” She stumbled back, touching her lips. “I…don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” Then she fell onto the couch, weeping. “He saved my life back then. And now…I can’t save him.”

Kade settled gingerly next to her, placing his slender hand on his knee. “You still love him, don’t you?”

“Kade…”

“Its all right if you do.”

“No, no its not! Don’t you lie to me!” She sniffled. “I really do love you. But…”

Kade touched her face. “You never really stopped caring about him. I know.”

“I’m sorry.”

He took her hand and raised it to her lips. “Hey, this weekend a theater downtown is playing that Almodovar film you want to see. Do you want to go?”

“Depends on when its playing. I promised Rick I’d go to the hospital with him during some of his chemotherapy sessions.”

“We can go early. No one will be there. Black licorice and popcorn for breakfast.” He nudged her lightly, and she turned and collapsed into him.

“You’re not going to die, are you?”

“Of course not. At least, not right this second. I’m sure I could fake it if you wanted me to, though.”

Adelle slugged him in the arm. “Not funny, Kade.”

“Sorry. Hey, I want Indian tonight. You wanna?”

“Tandoori chicken and basmati rice?”

“And mango ice cream for dessert. Let me find my keys and we can go.”

“You threw them in the African violets in the kitchen.”

[rachael]

Really good fly!

[Cheza]

Mhmmm...very good.

[bostongirl]

Very good. Love a good story.
Thanks, Fly

[nlt]

[FlyIntoOblivion]

Thank you all for your kind words.

Part IV

Adelle was holding Rick’s hand. Rick’s hand was attached to a needle and a long, thin tube feeding into an IV. Her eyes roamed over the thick, vine-like cords snaking over his bed, watching his heart rate and a million other things Adelle couldn’t figure out. Feeling a squeeze on her hand, she looked down on the bed where Rick lay, paler and weaker looking than last week. “Its not that bad, really,” he whispered, his voice so faint that the usual roughness had been sanded out of it.

“Its so intimidating, though. How do they know which cord goes where?”

“They’re very good at what they do, Addie.”

Not good enough to save you. “Are you sure you’ll be all right overnight? I could take you home if you wanted.”

“I don’t like going home right after. If something goes wrong, I’d rather be here instead of someplace I can’t get immediate help.”

She reached over with her free hand and touched his face lightly. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you, at least?”

He shook his head. “No, you should go home. I don’t think Kade would want you to stay overnight with me.”

“I wish you wouldn’t worry what Kade thinks. Let me worry about that.”

Rick chuckled, shaking his head. “Hey, did you bring a picture of him?”

“Oh yeah…” She began to dig through her purse and Rick propped himself up slightly in the bed. Adelle pulled out a few photos, handing them over to the other. Rick gazed through them slowly, a hungry look in his eyes that made Adelle feel almost ashamed.

“He’s very handsome.”

“Thank you.”

Rick stopped at one of the photos, then handed it to Adelle. “When was this taken?”

Adelle glanced down at it, a wistful grin growing. “Its our first date. We went on a double date with a friend of mine and her boyfriend, and Kade had just moved here, so her boyfriend invited him along, as they worked in the same office building, and Jen forced me to come with. We spent the entire night arguing if Eastwood really did justice to Kurosawa with Fistful of Dollars. I thought he hated me until Jen told me he begged John for my number.”

Rick smiled. “He already adored you back then. You can tell from that photo.”

Adelle looked at him and rolled her eyes. “You’re crazy.”

Rick only smiled, then glanced at the clock. “You really should get going. I should sleep, anyway.”

“If you really want me to leave, then I will.” She stuck her tongue out petulantly, then leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Of course. Have a good night with your prince.”

“Hardly a prince. Sleep well.” Adelle stood and walked out, waving at him from the doorway before shutting off the lights for him.

[FlyIntoOblivion]

Part V

Kade bounced into the kitchen, glowing and throwing his arms around Adelle’s neck, kissing her warmly. “Guess what I scored? Hmmm, guess, guess!”

“Umm, I don’t know. What did you get?” She met his sparkling eyes with dead, tired looking ones.

“Oh, you silly, can’t you even guess? Please?”

“Kade, come on. I’m tired. I don’t know, just tell me.”

Kade pouted momentarily, then, grinning, pulled out a pair of tickets. “A guy at work decided he couldn’t go to that lecture by Banana Yoshimoto tonight, so he gave me his tickets. I know how much you love her.” Kade frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m so tired. I don’t know if I want to go.” She looked down at her clothes. “I don’t have anything clean, anyway.”

Kade watched her face for a moment, then turned his face to the floor. “Why don’t you marry him instead?”

“Who? Kade, what do you…Kade!” She shouted when he turned and began to walk toward the door. Furious, Adelle followed him. “Kade! Kade! That wasn’t fair!” She shouted from the doorway.

He turned around, glaring at her from the street. “No, it wasn’t. But it was true, isn’t it?” He opened the door of their car, then paused and looked up at her. “We haven’t done anything together in three weeks. I don’t want to wait for you to get over him a second time, Adelle.”

She stood in the doorway for a long time, staring at the spot where the car had been, then slowly walked into the kitchen, where smoke curled out of the frying pan. “Oh shit!” Adelle gasped, flipping her charred grilled cheese out onto the plate. Dinner ruined and Kade gone, Adelle felt her knees weaken in defeat, and she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.

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

Kade turned the key, letting the engine die. Fearfully, he bit his lip and glanced up at the dark apartment. The last time they had fought, a few years ago, Adelle had thrown all of Kade’s clothes out the window and onto the lawn below, something that Kade was grateful that incident had not repeated.

The inside of the apartment was dark, and Kade frowned at the human-sized lump on the couch, but yawned instead and walked to the bedroom. His frown only deepened when the handle wouldn’t turn. He sighed, reached up to knock when he spotted a note taped to the door. Ripping it off, Kade wandered into the kitchen and flipped on the stove light.

I don’t think either of us deserve to sleep in here.

Adelle

Kade closed his fist around the paper, then spotted a business card with Adelle’s handwriting scribbled on it. It was for the hospital, with a room number scrawled in the corner. He picked it up, furrowing his brow, then slipped it in his back pocket, walking fluidly through the apartment and out the door again.

[FlyIntoOblivion]

Part VI

There was a man in the doorway, looking uncertain and almost ashamed to be there, his hands on either side of the frame. “Hello, Kade,” Rick said.

“Hello, Rick.” Kade glanced out the open window. “I didn’t realize how late it was. Did I wake you up?”

Rick shook his head. “No. I take sleeping pills now, but I can’t take them until this other drug wears off in a couple hours. Please, come in.” Rick waved a pale hand at the chair next to him.

“Is this where she sits when she comes to visit?” Kade settled on the chair, looking over the other. Rick was very, very thin, his head shaven completely, and the veins near his temples almost bulging out of his scalp.

“Sometimes. Sometimes she helps me out of the bed and helps me walk to the window. The city is very pretty at dusk.”

“Does she love you?” Kade nearly spat out, glaring at the other.

“No, no she doesn’t. She loves you.”

“How would you know? Why am I even here?” Kade groaned, leaning over and running narrow hands through his unkempt hair.

“I…I remember what its like to look at her and know she loved me. She doesn’t stop talking about you when she’s here, you know.”

Kade turned his head. “Then why does she spend so much time with you right now?”

“Because I need her. Because she’s compassionate enough to take care of a dying man.”

Kade stood up, walked over to the window. He pressed his forehead against the smooth glass, then turned around and met the dying man’s eyes. “Why did you ask her to do this for you?”

Rick struggled to position himself to a sitting position. “I wanted to give her that final piece of closure. If I hadn’t found her, and wasn’t doing this, she would have married you, but you know as well as I do she never really stopped worrying about me. That’s the kind of person she is; once she loves someone, she follows them to the ends of the earth. She’s loyal to a fault.” Rick glanced at the other. “You know she loves you more than she ever loved me.”

Kade stood still in the middle of the room, staring at the wall opposite the bed, and swallowed hard. “If she still cared for you all these years, then why did she agree to marry me?”

“Because she wants to spend the rest of her life with you. She may care for me, but she wants to be with you.” Rick sighed. “I never had a chance at a life. I went from college to the military to my deathbed, and never really had a steady relationship with anyone. I’m glad she’s with you and not with me.”

Kade watched the other man for a time, then settled down in the chair. “You never stopped loving her. Its not her, it was you.”

Rick nodded, staring off into the hall. “Please don’t tell her. It would break her heart.” Rick bowed his head, wiping his eyes. “I’m so selfish to take her from you for so much time. I’m sorry.”

Kade shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“What you thought was understandable. Believe me, it was. I never asked Adelle to date me because I thought she was seeing someone else. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the man I thought was Adelle’s boyfriend is gay.”

Kade stared at Rick, wide eyed, then began to laugh, and Rick began to chuckle along with him. Once Kade wiped his eyes of tears, he looked over at the blonde in the bed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you. I haven’t laughed for quite some time.”

Kade gazed down at Rick, his face twisting in pain. He whispered “You’re welcome” hoarsely before running out of the room, trying not to burst into sobs.