Part VII
In the end, the decision was easy. If I had seen Joel at this stage, there was a fair chance I would defile his genitals with a meat cleaver. He had a very uncanny ability to get under my skin without even trying and last night was an all time record, even for him. Sometimes, I doubted he even knew what it was to respect another person but I guess that was just the way he was.
On the other hand, my saving grace April, seemed what u would nearly consider to be suspiciously keen to see me. I'd only met her last night and I'd hardly given her much incentive to pursue any kind of relationship with me, with my immasculine display and all.
On the other hand, my saving grace April, seemed what u would nearly consider to be suspiciously keen to see me. I'd only met her last night and I'd hardly given her much incentive to pursue any kind of relationship with me, with my immasculine display and all.
I replied to her 'Hmmmm... Depends on who this is? :P'. Hopefully she got that as a joke and didn't interpret me as being completely retarded. I'd already instructed the taxi driver to drive me back to my house on Simmer Lane and we were now approaching the driveway.
"$14.30 thanks mate," he requested as we stopped. I really needed to get myself a car soon, this taxi business was consuming a considerable amount of my weekly pay. Having a car in Scottsdale was definitely practical as public transport was terrible and the town was scattered out over a large area. Maybe I'd get one with my next tax return if it was enough, though i doubted it. Getting my tax done was often celebrated in much the same fashion as any other event in my world was celebrated. Drinking. Except this time, Joel and I might drive to a bigger city like Bundaberg and blow my money on casino suites and other frivolous things neither of us needed.
I got out of the car and felt the light kiss of an early evening drizzle on the back of my neck. The sun had long since set and the house was dark, making it difficult for me to navigate my way to the back door. I'd lost my front door key in a drunken haze some time ago so the back was the only way I could get in. After a while stumbling around by the screen light on my phone, i entered my house and started to get changed. I noticed April had replied saying 'If you haven't figured it out by now you don't deserve to know :P'. I was in the process of changing my trousers so she was going to have to wait for my reply. If she wanted to see me, I needed to spend considerable time selecting my attire. I realized at this stage that I actually had no idea what it was we were going to do. I didn't really want her to come over to my house as I hadn't gotten anywhere near finishing the work around the place that I needed to. I decided on meeting her down at the town park where we could be mostly alone, aside from my fellow alcoholics stumbling around looking for a safe place to booze it up. I sat down on my spill stained couch to text her and realized how exhausted I was. Nursing both a hangover and no sleep as well as the throbbing sensation in my head (no doubt brought about by the punch), I wasn't even sure i was going to be able to function. But I had to, chances like this didn't come my way often. 'Alright, I'll take a guess. Meet me at the park in half an hour satan :P.' I replied. Getting off the couch, I proceeded to search the house for any remaining alcohol to help me cope with the fatigue and of course, that ever present shyness I had around people I barely knew, especially girls I was interested in. I found an eighth of a bottle of cheap vodka lying underneath my bed. I had no idea how it got there, but that was irrelevant. I found the two shots i got out of it to be more than sufficient to putting my mind in the necessary state.
I arrived at the park five minutes before I had told her to be there. For a change, it was completely empty. The only sign of movement i could see was one of the old rusty swings rocking slightly backward and forward in the light breeze. By now it was 9pm and the drizzle had stopped, though the clouds looming in the distance gave the impression of an imminent downpour. As if to answer my thoughts, i heard the rumble of thunder somewhere in the expanse of the horizon. Perhaps meeting outside was not a good idea, i had to live with it now though. My phone gave off a shrill, annoying swipe noise; kind of like the sound of a sword being unsheathed. I really needed to change my message tone but hadn't got round to it. I read the message, it was from Joel again saying 'Bro....?'. I replied telling him i was busy and tonight was not going to happen.
A white Hyundai Excel pulled up behind me in the parking lot and April emerged with a smile. She was wearing a long, black trench coat type jacket, a purple scarf and a dark beanie. A wise choice considering how incredibly cold it now was.
"Hey stranger!" she said as she walked over, looking slightly down and placing her feet over the curb.
"Hey, whats happening? And more importantly, why are you luring me to ominous places after dark?" I joked, somewhat confidently which surprised me.
"Well, I didn't wanna be seen with you wearing anything like that abomination of a jacket you had on last night. Besides, you chose this place! Also i needed to give you this," she smiled, handing over a card. Puzzled, i took it and read it: 'Dear Jason, you are formally invited to a fancy dress party in aide of April Winters 23rd birthday this weekend. Super hero theme and BYO drinks, hope you can make it!'. It was written in calligraphy and the card smelt slightly of strawberries. I smiled at her.
"Thank you, I'll be there with bells on. But can I ask you something?"
"Sure,"
"Do you think this jacket is lame to because this is one of my favorites and i put a lot of time into selecting it for this rendezvous," I said, lifting the front flaps of my jacket for her to give her opinion. It was pleather, but i did love it. She laughed.
"Well, it certainly does match your hair,"
"That's exactly what i was aiming to do, you're to kind," i bowed slightly. In the sweet, cool air of the autumn evening, we stopped momentarily and looked at each other. I knew we were both anticipating what was going to happen now and she was waiting for me to be the man and take the lead. Thankfully, i realized this before the moment got awkward and i held my elbow toward her for her to hold. She took it and we walked down towards the riverside and proceeded to follow it in the direction of the coast.
"So April, I have to know something."
"Whats that?"
"You said you had to deliver me that invitation and I'm certainly happy to be here with you right now, but why in god's name would you even want to see me after my unfortunate first impression?" She took a breath and closed her eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink.
"The truth is you intrigue me. I see something in you. On the surface, you're shy and confused and frankly if you don't mind me saying, a bit of a mess. But in the brief ramblings i heard from you when you were in and out of;consciousness, I witnessed something... Beautiful inside of you. Maybe the world has been cruel or maybe you have some shit in your past you won't let go of. I don't know. But what i do know is that I want to know you." I was speechless. No one had ever measured me like that before, especially in such an up front manner when they had known me less than a day. What she was saying made sense but i was incapable of understanding my own demons so i could neither prove nor disprove it.
"Wow... That's one hell of a reason," I laughed slightly awkwardly as she ran her eyes over my face to see if she had upset me in anyway. I felt myself blushing, partly because i was embarrassed and exposed, partly because she was so god damned beautiful in the way her eyes moved.
"It's all I've got," she replied returning her focus to where we were heading. We walked in silence for a while and then the conversation started to pick up again. Time slipped away and we were in our own world in which we were the only two occupants. I felt myself becoming extremely comfortable around her as i revealed more and more about myself which was quite unusual for me. I learned that she was studying at university to become a journalist and she was also a keen pianist/singer. She had a lot of ambition and seemed very comfortable in being herself which was refreshing considering the crowds i usually hang out in.
My phone rang in my pocket so i pardoned myself and looked at the screen. It was a local number i didn't have stored so intrigued, i answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mr. Jason Springstein?" a woman questioned
"Yes." I replied, confused.
"This is Nancy calling from the Scottsdale regional hospital. You're friend Joel Watkins has been admitted here and you are the only contact he requested," I was shocked.
"What happened? Is he OK?" I asked in a concerned and surprised tone.
"He's alright at the moment. It seems to be a drug overdose of some kind but we aren't sure at this stage, he isn't able to tell us as he is still very hazy." I didn't know what to say. I knew Joel had had problems with methamphetamine in the past and this was surely some kind of relapse. Was this my fault? A sick feeling in my stomach set in and all the anger I had built up towards him over the course of the day subsided.
"I'll be there as soon as i can," I said, ending the call. April was looking at me, concerned.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"No... Joel is in hospital... I don't know why yet. I'm sorry, i'm going to have to go."
"Shit... That's terrible, do you need a lift?" I didn't have a car and not a lot of money to catch another taxi so I accepted the offer. Plus, somewhere in the very back of my mind i still wanted to be around her. Perhaps she could help me deal with the guilt i was now feeling with her presence. I obviously cared for Joel's welfare, no matter how much he pissed me off at times.
The rain began to set in and we witnessed flashes in the sky, as if nature was setting a mood for the turmoil I now felt inside. We ran back to Aprils car and drove in the direction of the hospital.
I arrived at the park five minutes before I had told her to be there. For a change, it was completely empty. The only sign of movement i could see was one of the old rusty swings rocking slightly backward and forward in the light breeze. By now it was 9pm and the drizzle had stopped, though the clouds looming in the distance gave the impression of an imminent downpour. As if to answer my thoughts, i heard the rumble of thunder somewhere in the expanse of the horizon. Perhaps meeting outside was not a good idea, i had to live with it now though. My phone gave off a shrill, annoying swipe noise; kind of like the sound of a sword being unsheathed. I really needed to change my message tone but hadn't got round to it. I read the message, it was from Joel again saying 'Bro....?'. I replied telling him i was busy and tonight was not going to happen.
A white Hyundai Excel pulled up behind me in the parking lot and April emerged with a smile. She was wearing a long, black trench coat type jacket, a purple scarf and a dark beanie. A wise choice considering how incredibly cold it now was.
"Hey stranger!" she said as she walked over, looking slightly down and placing her feet over the curb.
"Hey, whats happening? And more importantly, why are you luring me to ominous places after dark?" I joked, somewhat confidently which surprised me.
"Well, I didn't wanna be seen with you wearing anything like that abomination of a jacket you had on last night. Besides, you chose this place! Also i needed to give you this," she smiled, handing over a card. Puzzled, i took it and read it: 'Dear Jason, you are formally invited to a fancy dress party in aide of April Winters 23rd birthday this weekend. Super hero theme and BYO drinks, hope you can make it!'. It was written in calligraphy and the card smelt slightly of strawberries. I smiled at her.
"Thank you, I'll be there with bells on. But can I ask you something?"
"Sure,"
"Do you think this jacket is lame to because this is one of my favorites and i put a lot of time into selecting it for this rendezvous," I said, lifting the front flaps of my jacket for her to give her opinion. It was pleather, but i did love it. She laughed.
"Well, it certainly does match your hair,"
"That's exactly what i was aiming to do, you're to kind," i bowed slightly. In the sweet, cool air of the autumn evening, we stopped momentarily and looked at each other. I knew we were both anticipating what was going to happen now and she was waiting for me to be the man and take the lead. Thankfully, i realized this before the moment got awkward and i held my elbow toward her for her to hold. She took it and we walked down towards the riverside and proceeded to follow it in the direction of the coast.
"So April, I have to know something."
"Whats that?"
"You said you had to deliver me that invitation and I'm certainly happy to be here with you right now, but why in god's name would you even want to see me after my unfortunate first impression?" She took a breath and closed her eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink.
"The truth is you intrigue me. I see something in you. On the surface, you're shy and confused and frankly if you don't mind me saying, a bit of a mess. But in the brief ramblings i heard from you when you were in and out of;consciousness, I witnessed something... Beautiful inside of you. Maybe the world has been cruel or maybe you have some shit in your past you won't let go of. I don't know. But what i do know is that I want to know you." I was speechless. No one had ever measured me like that before, especially in such an up front manner when they had known me less than a day. What she was saying made sense but i was incapable of understanding my own demons so i could neither prove nor disprove it.
"Wow... That's one hell of a reason," I laughed slightly awkwardly as she ran her eyes over my face to see if she had upset me in anyway. I felt myself blushing, partly because i was embarrassed and exposed, partly because she was so god damned beautiful in the way her eyes moved.
"It's all I've got," she replied returning her focus to where we were heading. We walked in silence for a while and then the conversation started to pick up again. Time slipped away and we were in our own world in which we were the only two occupants. I felt myself becoming extremely comfortable around her as i revealed more and more about myself which was quite unusual for me. I learned that she was studying at university to become a journalist and she was also a keen pianist/singer. She had a lot of ambition and seemed very comfortable in being herself which was refreshing considering the crowds i usually hang out in.
My phone rang in my pocket so i pardoned myself and looked at the screen. It was a local number i didn't have stored so intrigued, i answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mr. Jason Springstein?" a woman questioned
"Yes." I replied, confused.
"This is Nancy calling from the Scottsdale regional hospital. You're friend Joel Watkins has been admitted here and you are the only contact he requested," I was shocked.
"What happened? Is he OK?" I asked in a concerned and surprised tone.
"He's alright at the moment. It seems to be a drug overdose of some kind but we aren't sure at this stage, he isn't able to tell us as he is still very hazy." I didn't know what to say. I knew Joel had had problems with methamphetamine in the past and this was surely some kind of relapse. Was this my fault? A sick feeling in my stomach set in and all the anger I had built up towards him over the course of the day subsided.
"I'll be there as soon as i can," I said, ending the call. April was looking at me, concerned.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"No... Joel is in hospital... I don't know why yet. I'm sorry, i'm going to have to go."
"Shit... That's terrible, do you need a lift?" I didn't have a car and not a lot of money to catch another taxi so I accepted the offer. Plus, somewhere in the very back of my mind i still wanted to be around her. Perhaps she could help me deal with the guilt i was now feeling with her presence. I obviously cared for Joel's welfare, no matter how much he pissed me off at times.
The rain began to set in and we witnessed flashes in the sky, as if nature was setting a mood for the turmoil I now felt inside. We ran back to Aprils car and drove in the direction of the hospital.
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