incendiarystory (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} incendiarystory) wrote,@ 2004-12-07 19:14:00 |
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Why Sleep When I'll Only Dream - CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Breaking Bread Or Breaking Hearts
The Australians came into the room with a cacophony of noise. Scott looked up and away from his cell phone that he had sitting on his bed. He had kept trying to use this device that obviously didn't work here in Europe but he didn't want to face the faces of those in the lobby. Those pool players and internet users had been treated to quite a scene at his expense. They had all witnessed him walk to the pay phone multiple times, deposit his coins (thank goodness Germany had a non-phone card option), and hang up when Emily's cell phone hadn't worked.
At least he had gotten through once to leave her a message. It looked as though she had now turned it off. She would only do that for one reason, to ignore any calls he might make to her.
He looked back down at the phone.
"Scott, mate," Ian called out from across the room as if he had seen him for the first time, "I'm surprised to see you this arvo."
"Afternoon," Nigel said before Scott could ask.
"Afternoon," Scott said back as he realized that it was just a translation.
"Where's your stella?" Nigel asked.
"You mean you didn't see her down in the lobby? I'm supposed to meet her there at 2:00 p.m. She's usually pretty early?"
"Sorry mate. I didn't see her," Nigel said, "but if she's supposed to be in the lobby, why are you up here?"
"Things aren't going so well?"
"What did you do, bloke, to cause the blue?" Nigel asked.
"Nothing, she just freaked out on me. My cousin, her friend, Sandra has been spreading all sorts of lies about me to her."
"Z-grade, mate. What a ball buster anyhow," Shamus said. Scott wasn't sure if he meant Sandra or the situation. He looked blankly up at the Australian.
"Oi," Ian screamed at Shamus and threw a pair of boxers at his head. "Bloody yobbo! Why don't you cark off? Kick you in the freckle I will!"
Scott laughed at the interchange briefly and then stuck his head back down.
"That's a bloke," Ian said, "you need to get your arse off that bed and down to the lobby. Stella's don't like being kept waiting, even ones that are spewin'...especially ones that are spewin'. Right blokes?"
Nigel and Shamus nodded.
Even if he didn't entirely have time to translate for himself, Scott had picked up enough to know that the idea was that he would just make her more angry if he wasn't there when she got there. He stood up.
"Thanks. You're right," Scott looked at his watch and saw it was 1:50 p.m. He picked the worthless phone off the cot and put it in his pocket. He decided he would be waiting for Emily when she got downstairs. He felt as though he should have found a way to be waiting for her in Zoo Station that morning. Had he been there, none of this probably would have happened. Sandra would have still sent the e-mail and Emily still would have reacted similarly, he guessed. But, he would have been there to diffuse the lie before it reached the epic level where Emily turned off her phone.
He slapped Shamus on the shoulder as he walked out the door. As the door squeaked shut, Scott could vaguely hear Shamus say, "I told you blokes, he's a bloody poofer." Then he heard a thud through the door. He laughed a little since he was surprised he hadn't heard the window breaking as Ian threw Shamus out of it.
The fall that Shamus took would have seemed a lot quicker to Scott than his descent down the stairs. Things seemed to switch into slow motion the second he saw Emily waiting on the bench by the door. He looked over at the reception desk and saw the clerk recoil. The clerk probably thought, "here we ago again, more fireworks." Scott could almost imagine him reaching his hand to the phone to call the police if violence broke out. Scott was starting to believe himself that Emily was capable of doing something drastic.
As he got closer, however, Scott realized there was a change in Emily's demeanor since this morning. Her face's reflection had a little of its brightness back. She actually smiled at him, although it looked like it was a little uncomfortably, as he took the final few stairs.
He walked across the lobby with his hands in his pockets and his head down trying to show Emily that he was ready to get yelled at again.
"Hi," was all she said with a little glimmer of shyness in her voice.
"Hi," Scott said back, "I'm so glad you showed up. I was really worried that you wouldn't with how you left this morning."
"I'm in a better place now," Emily said. She had a peaceful look on her face that showed Scott that she wasn't just speaking a claim, she actually meant it. He still didn't see the fire in her eyes, however. She still looked sad.
"I'm glad to hear it," Scott said, "can we go somewhere and talk?"
"Yeah," Emily said, "do you want to go across the street to the Zoo? I really like it over there. It's so tranquil having the Zoo right in the middle of the city. And it's not small like the Lincoln Park Zoo either, it's huge."
"I'd like that," Scott said.
"You have a lot of explaining to do Scott," Emily said.
Scott flinched. Emily obviously hadn't forgiven him for whatever she thought he had done. Or maybe even what he had done.
The walked away from Zoo Station and to the crosswalk on the corner. Emily walked in silence and seemed to Scott to be reflecting on something. Tension seemed to fill the air, but at least it wasn't outright rage that was now hanging like the humidity.
To break the mood, Scott told Emily to stay on the corner for a second. He walked over to a small stand where a vendor was selling bagel-like objects covered in poppy seed. The sign read that they were one Euro a piece. He held up two fingers and dropped a two Euro coin on the counter. The blond man handed him two of the pastries in cellophane paper. He walked back to Emily holding them up.
He took his own out, holding it in his hand as he handed Emily the other still wrapped in the paper. "They say that food is the way to a man's heart," Scott joked with Emily, "but hopefully it will work with yours too."
Emily remained stone faced. "You'll be lucky if I don't feed this to the pigeons unless you give me some really good answers to what exactly Sandra meant in her e-mail," she said. Scott expected a sly grin to emerge across Emily's face but none emerged.
Scott's heart dropped.
"I'll tell you the whole truth," Scott said, "and I guess if that's not good enough than you can feed me to the vultures instead of that oversized bagel to the pigeons."
Scott wished that Emily seemed angry at him anymore but she was too calm for that. He knew she had internalized whatever feelings that she had this morning under a layer of time and thought. He knew he'd have an uphill battle on a scale with what the Poles had faced against the forefathers of the Germans around him.
Chapter Word Count: 1221
Daily Word Count: 1221
Total Word Count: 79,292
The Australians came into the room with a cacophony of noise. Scott looked up and away from his cell phone that he had sitting on his bed. He had kept trying to use this device that obviously didn't work here in Europe but he didn't want to face the faces of those in the lobby. Those pool players and internet users had been treated to quite a scene at his expense. They had all witnessed him walk to the pay phone multiple times, deposit his coins (thank goodness Germany had a non-phone card option), and hang up when Emily's cell phone hadn't worked.
At least he had gotten through once to leave her a message. It looked as though she had now turned it off. She would only do that for one reason, to ignore any calls he might make to her.
He looked back down at the phone.
"Scott, mate," Ian called out from across the room as if he had seen him for the first time, "I'm surprised to see you this arvo."
"Afternoon," Nigel said before Scott could ask.
"Afternoon," Scott said back as he realized that it was just a translation.
"Where's your stella?" Nigel asked.
"You mean you didn't see her down in the lobby? I'm supposed to meet her there at 2:00 p.m. She's usually pretty early?"
"Sorry mate. I didn't see her," Nigel said, "but if she's supposed to be in the lobby, why are you up here?"
"Things aren't going so well?"
"What did you do, bloke, to cause the blue?" Nigel asked.
"Nothing, she just freaked out on me. My cousin, her friend, Sandra has been spreading all sorts of lies about me to her."
"Z-grade, mate. What a ball buster anyhow," Shamus said. Scott wasn't sure if he meant Sandra or the situation. He looked blankly up at the Australian.
"Oi," Ian screamed at Shamus and threw a pair of boxers at his head. "Bloody yobbo! Why don't you cark off? Kick you in the freckle I will!"
Scott laughed at the interchange briefly and then stuck his head back down.
"That's a bloke," Ian said, "you need to get your arse off that bed and down to the lobby. Stella's don't like being kept waiting, even ones that are spewin'...especially ones that are spewin'. Right blokes?"
Nigel and Shamus nodded.
Even if he didn't entirely have time to translate for himself, Scott had picked up enough to know that the idea was that he would just make her more angry if he wasn't there when she got there. He stood up.
"Thanks. You're right," Scott looked at his watch and saw it was 1:50 p.m. He picked the worthless phone off the cot and put it in his pocket. He decided he would be waiting for Emily when she got downstairs. He felt as though he should have found a way to be waiting for her in Zoo Station that morning. Had he been there, none of this probably would have happened. Sandra would have still sent the e-mail and Emily still would have reacted similarly, he guessed. But, he would have been there to diffuse the lie before it reached the epic level where Emily turned off her phone.
He slapped Shamus on the shoulder as he walked out the door. As the door squeaked shut, Scott could vaguely hear Shamus say, "I told you blokes, he's a bloody poofer." Then he heard a thud through the door. He laughed a little since he was surprised he hadn't heard the window breaking as Ian threw Shamus out of it.
The fall that Shamus took would have seemed a lot quicker to Scott than his descent down the stairs. Things seemed to switch into slow motion the second he saw Emily waiting on the bench by the door. He looked over at the reception desk and saw the clerk recoil. The clerk probably thought, "here we ago again, more fireworks." Scott could almost imagine him reaching his hand to the phone to call the police if violence broke out. Scott was starting to believe himself that Emily was capable of doing something drastic.
As he got closer, however, Scott realized there was a change in Emily's demeanor since this morning. Her face's reflection had a little of its brightness back. She actually smiled at him, although it looked like it was a little uncomfortably, as he took the final few stairs.
He walked across the lobby with his hands in his pockets and his head down trying to show Emily that he was ready to get yelled at again.
"Hi," was all she said with a little glimmer of shyness in her voice.
"Hi," Scott said back, "I'm so glad you showed up. I was really worried that you wouldn't with how you left this morning."
"I'm in a better place now," Emily said. She had a peaceful look on her face that showed Scott that she wasn't just speaking a claim, she actually meant it. He still didn't see the fire in her eyes, however. She still looked sad.
"I'm glad to hear it," Scott said, "can we go somewhere and talk?"
"Yeah," Emily said, "do you want to go across the street to the Zoo? I really like it over there. It's so tranquil having the Zoo right in the middle of the city. And it's not small like the Lincoln Park Zoo either, it's huge."
"I'd like that," Scott said.
"You have a lot of explaining to do Scott," Emily said.
Scott flinched. Emily obviously hadn't forgiven him for whatever she thought he had done. Or maybe even what he had done.
The walked away from Zoo Station and to the crosswalk on the corner. Emily walked in silence and seemed to Scott to be reflecting on something. Tension seemed to fill the air, but at least it wasn't outright rage that was now hanging like the humidity.
To break the mood, Scott told Emily to stay on the corner for a second. He walked over to a small stand where a vendor was selling bagel-like objects covered in poppy seed. The sign read that they were one Euro a piece. He held up two fingers and dropped a two Euro coin on the counter. The blond man handed him two of the pastries in cellophane paper. He walked back to Emily holding them up.
He took his own out, holding it in his hand as he handed Emily the other still wrapped in the paper. "They say that food is the way to a man's heart," Scott joked with Emily, "but hopefully it will work with yours too."
Emily remained stone faced. "You'll be lucky if I don't feed this to the pigeons unless you give me some really good answers to what exactly Sandra meant in her e-mail," she said. Scott expected a sly grin to emerge across Emily's face but none emerged.
Scott's heart dropped.
"I'll tell you the whole truth," Scott said, "and I guess if that's not good enough than you can feed me to the vultures instead of that oversized bagel to the pigeons."
Scott wished that Emily seemed angry at him anymore but she was too calm for that. He knew she had internalized whatever feelings that she had this morning under a layer of time and thought. He knew he'd have an uphill battle on a scale with what the Poles had faced against the forefathers of the Germans around him.
Chapter Word Count: 1221
Daily Word Count: 1221
Total Word Count: 79,292
