by David Dada
Emily laughed and walked into the living room. “Why are you still in your pyjamas?”
“Because it is 10:30 a.m. and I have nothing planned for this time.” Taylor shut the door and went to get his cup of tea. “You are early. Why?”
“I don’t know.” Emily shrugged. “Just thought I should drop in earlier, you know, see if you need any help with anything at home.”
Taylor sighed. “You were worried I would have the dream again and the clinic situation would repeat itself, except there would be no one here to help.”
Emily nodded. “Something like that.”
“Well, I did not have the dream again because I could not sleep. Plus, I told you not to worry because I am fine.” Taylor drained the contents of his cup, rinsed it in the sink and put it in the overhead cupboard. “Make yourself at home while I go and get myself ready. Have you picked a place?”
“It’s a surprise.” Emily grinned. “Now chop chop. Go and get yourself cleaned up.”
Taylor grunted and went upstairs to his room. He had his bath, dressed up and went back downstairs.
“You really need to work on dressing up faster. It’s 12:07 p.m. already.”
“You really need to work on not complaining so much.”
Emily rolled her eyes and joined Taylor at the door. “What about your crutches?”
“As you can see, I can walk perfectly fine without them, so I left them upstairs.” Taylor opened the door and they got out. He locked the door and they walked into Emily’s car. “Can you try going a day without picking on me?”
“Where is the fun in that?” Emily mimicked Taylor’s false accent and laughed when Taylor mimicked her rolling her eyes. She revved up the engines and pulled out of the driveway. “Seatbelt on, please.”
“You are annoying.” Taylor sighed and pulled on his seatbelt.
“And I love you too.” Emily pinched his cheek and sped off down the road.
***
At the other side of town, Mike was on his Vespa, riding down the lonely road that led into the city. There were faster routes to get him to where he was going, but this route was his favourite to take. The cool, salty sea breeze was always calming as he rode his bike or went on a stroll. It was one of his many escapes and also the one he wish he got to do more often. He had video games and a pool at home, but he hardly ever got to ride on his Vespa. His dad was all about safety and Mike had crashed on seven different occasions, making him the least trusted person on a bike.
Mike did not care about any of that. He never listened to anyone and right now, he had a meet up with May. He wished he did not have to leave the comforts of his bed today, but he had no choice since he had to discuss something really important with her. Today was his only free day because tomorrow was set aside for preparations towards his first victory in a week. He was going to tear Emily apart in court and then proceed to kick Taylor’s ass. He must have gotten too excited because he had accelerated more than necessary and passed a red light, almost crashing into an incoming vehicle. He was glad he heard the honking or else he would have been another statistic in the papers on death tolls and road accidents.
Mike kept on going for a few minutes and then pulled over in front of a bar. He took off his helmet and looked at the building. He checked his phone and confirmed the name matched the one May had sent him.
“What kind of person names their bar “Le bar”?. Isn’t that just French for “The Bar?”.” Mike got off his bike and walked in. The name might have been disappointing, but the bar itself was nice: pool tables, a live band and a cute girl behind the counter, what more could you ask for?
“When you’re done staring at the girl, take your sit or get yourself a stick.”
Mike turned to see May playing pool. He did not really excel at games, so he decided to just order a drink and go sit. When May saw he sat, she grabbed her drink and sat opposite him.
“You’ve been avoiding me.” Mike said.
“You’ve been over demanding.”
“Fair enough.” Mike took a large chug of his drink. “There’s been a question that I’ve been tossing about in my head for quite some time now, but I didn’t get the answer until I was on my way here.”
“What question?”
“Who told Chloe about our one-night stand?”
May winced and Mike smiled. “What answer did you get to that?”
“Well Maya, I figured there was only one person that stood to gain from this whole debacle.”
“You called me Maya.” May smiled. “You only call me that when you’re mad at me.”
“That’s funny because I am mad at you.”
“How did you figure it out?” May sipped her drink.
“Like I said, only one person stood to gain from all this. It affected everyone. My friendship with Taylor, our being best friends, Emily, Chloe. Everyone in our circle.” Mike stared at May for a long time.
“Just ask me the question you have so I can give you an answer.”
“Why did you tell Chloe?”
“Guilty conscience.” May sighed. She had been avoiding Mike because she could not keep up the charade of pretending not to know.
“That’s not it or at least that’s not all there is to it.” Mike snapped. “I know you Maya. What exactly did you have to gain from this?”
“I was bored and I needed something fun to do. I was also feeling left out these past couple of weeks and this seemed like a great way to get me back in the discussion.” May slowly let her smile widen. “Plus, I was serious about the guilty conscience. It was really killing me.”
“You were bored?”
“Yup”
“And you thought pitting Taylor and I against each other was a good idea?”
“Yup”
Mike was getting really tired of how casual May was about this.
“You want to know why I keep losing to Taylor? Because you don’t tell me shit Maya.” Mike said. “I could have avoided doing most of the things I did if you had just let me in on your plan.”
“I guess I didn’t think of that.”
“That’s it?” Mike was shocked. “You’re not going to apologize?”
“What good will that do?” May scoffed. “It’s not going to change anything that has happened or will it?”
“I guess not.”
“Well there you have it.” May set her drink on the table and folded her hands. “Can we just enjoy this afternoon out?”
Mike stood. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay. I have a mini trial to prepare for.”
“You’ve got this one Mike.”
“Can’t be too sure. She has Taylor on her side.”
“Fair enough. See you on Monday then.” May said as Mike walked out of the bar.
Mike got on his bike and started the engine. He never liked May’s plans and he hated how she always kept him out of the loop. He got onto the road and headed home. He could feel something was not right when May told him he had this one and so he decided to get to preparations starting today.
“What are you up to May?”
***
“Are you intentionally trying to get me to flip out or are you just so stupid that you managed to get us lost?” Taylor asked a grinning Emily.
“The former.”
They had been driving for close to forty-five minutes and Taylor had noticed similar signs and buildings and he realized they had actually passed them before. He figured it was either Emily was lost or she wanted him to be pissed by going in circles.
“You really should stop that E.”
“No fair.” Emily sulked. “When do I ever get to do anything fun with you?”
“I would list these moments out for you, but I am way too drained to bother.” Taylor sighed. “Just get us to where we are to be because I am starving.”
Emily smiled and drove to the restaurant she had picked. Taylor lightened up as they neared and he could not hide his excitement.
“I love you for this.”
“You had better.” Emily said.
Taylor could not stop smiling. He had no idea Emily had picked this restaurant. It held so many memories for the both of them and they had an agreement never to come here unless they had a good reason to and they were coming together.
They got out of the car after Emily got a parking spot and walked into the restaurant. Emily walked over to the seat at the far right corner of the restaurant, opposite the door, and sat.
“You are the greatest.” Taylor said as he joined her and sat.
“I know that. Why do you feel the need to tell me this?”
“You made a reservation at “Le Blanc Maison” and got my favourite spot. I know that is not easy to do especially when it is on short notice, but you still managed to pull it off.”
“You looked like you needed it.” Emily smiled coyly. “I didn’t like seeing you all sad.”
“I should really consider looking sad more often.”
“You wouldn’t be able to manage it.” Emily laughed.
“True.” Taylor chuckled and thanked the waiter who handed him the menu. “What are you getting?”
“A fruit salad and a slice of the red velvet cake.”
“Is that all?”
“I might get ice cream too.” Emily shrugged. “What are you getting?”
“Five drumsticks, a bowl of ice cream and some of that red velvet cake.”
“I wonder how you don’t get fat. Why don’t you place the order?” Emily grabbed her phone that had started ringing and stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“Are you sure you are ok?” Taylor looked concerned. “You look distracted.”
“I’m fine. Really.” Emily managed a reassuring smile that he did not really buy.
“Alright.”
Emily went outside and answered her phone. Meanwhile, Taylor had placed the order and was now playing Candy Crush on his phone. He found it therapeutic and it was the only game he really enjoyed playing alone. He looked outside the window and saw Emily arguing with someone over the phone. The argument looked really heated. Emily saw him looking and waved at him. He simply smiled at her and went back to the game.
Not too long after, Emily walked back in and sat at the table. The waiter brought over the things they ordered and they got to eating. Taylor stabbed at his cake a few times and Emily set down her cutlery.
“Now what?”
“Nothing E.”
“Don’t be silly.” Emily wiped her mouth with the napkin. “You have been playing with your food and you never play with cake.”
“I am just worried. You looked really angry when you were on the phone.” Taylor said and finally put a spoon of the cake in his mouth.
“It’s nothing serious. My mum cut back on my allowance for the month and we argued. That’s it.” Emily shrugged.
“I wonder why you are telling me. I did not ask.”
“Well you didn’t ask very loudly”
Taylor cocked his head to the left. “Is that not a line from Castle?”
“You got me.”
They both laughed.
“Why did she cut back on your allowance?”
“You really are nosy.” Emily chuckled. “Just eat your food.”
“Fine, fine.”
As soon as they finished eating, Taylor started giving Emily a crash course on the various aspects of a trial, along with the dos and don’ts. They then went on to talk and joke for a long time before finally deciding to leave. They got in the car and Emily drove Taylor down to his place.
“Try not to miss me a lot tomorrow. I will be unreachable the whole day.” Taylor said when he got out of the car.
“You think way too highly of yourself.” Emily chuckled. “I’ll see you on Monday bestie. I love you.”
“I love me too.” Taylor laughed as Emily rolled her eyes and drove off. He went into the house and found his sister waiting for him.
“Hello brother.”
“Really? Your Damon impression sucks.”
“You are one big hater.”
Taylor chuckled. “Hello Fish. What are you doing here?” He kissed her on the forehead.
“I have told you to stop calling me Fish.” Malia said. “I thought I should stop by for a few minutes on my way home.”
“Well, I am glad you did because I need some advice.” Taylor sat beside her.
“What did you do now?”
“As surprising as it may sound, I did not do anything this time. I just feel like Emily is up to something and she is hiding it from me.”
“Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones Taylor.”
“I hate when you start getting all proverbial with me.”
“You asked for my advice.”
“And I am starting to regret doing that. Now what are you getting at?”
“I am just saying that you have not even told Emily about your sister and you are worried she is hiding something from you. Is that not selfish?”
“I guess it is a little selfish.” Taylor nodded.
“Well, there you have it. She is not stupid and I am sure she feels you are hiding things too so you should start letting her in on your secrets and maybe she will let you in on hers.”
“Thanks Fish.”
Malia took a pillow and slammed it in Taylor’s face. “Stop calling me that.”
“Never going to happen.”
“You are a pain.” Malia smiled. “Talking about pains, how is Mike?”
“He is fine. I guess. We have not really been on good terms these past few days.”
“That is good news then.”
“Yeah.” Taylor stood and walked over to the fridge. “Want something to drink?”
“Nah. I have got to be on my way.” Malia got her things and walked to the door. “Can I ask you to do something for me?”
“What might that be?” Taylor took out a drink from the fridge and walked back to the parlour.
“Go visit mum and dad tomorrow. Please.”
Taylor sighed and hugged her. “I will sis. Take care.”
“Take care of yourself too. See you next Saturday.” Malia kissed his forehead and walked out.
Taylor closed the door after her and collapsed into the chair, letting his tears fall. Tomorrow was supposed to be their parents wedding anniversary and he had planned to just stay home the whole day, far from reality, but Malia had specially asked him to go visit them and now he had no choice. He just sat there and cried himself to sleep on the couch.
NINE
Taylor had woken up on the floor. The sound of the thunderclaps startled him and it had woken him up from his first decent sleep in three days. For some reason, he had not seen the replay of the accident this night, but he was not complaining. He rubbed his eyes and used the chair to lift himself up. The house was dark and the TV was the only source of light, so he walked over to the wall on his right side and flipped the switch. He immediately covered his eyes once the lights came on and searched for his glasses, finding it on the table along with the bottle of beer he had opened before he slept.
He picked up the remote and switched off the TV. The couch was not looking comfortable so he sat back down on the floor, took a deep breath in and let it out. Damn. His watch beeped twice and he checked it. 5:00 a.m. He had slept for thirteen hours, a feat he was going to boast about when he got the chance to, but now, he had to get ready for church that was in four hours. He stretched and yawned, but still did not get up from the floor; there seemed to be something holding him back. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back unto the couch. Today is the day. His phone rang and he looked at the caller I.D., letting it ring. Taylor hoped the caller would just give up, but the phone kept ringing, so he used his pillow to cover his ears. The phone stopped ringing and the house was drowned in silence once again.
“Taylor Rhodes, I swear on everything I own, which we both know is a lot, the next time you do not pick my call, I will strangle you with your freaking shoe laces.”
Taylor laughed and took the pillow off.
“Your threats keep getting more and more mundane the more you try to switch them up, dear Malia.” Taylor got off the floor and grabbed the beer bottle from the table. “I also keep forgetting you installed an intercom in my house. Why not just use that?”
“I keep checking to see if you have grown up and sadly, you have not.”
“I heard you roll your eyes.”
“Glad you did. You are finally picking up on these things.”
Taylor walked over to the fridge and put the bottle back in the fridge. “Why did you call me? You never call me this early in the morning.”
There was no response.
“You there, Fish?”
“Yes.” Malia said softly.
“Are you alright?”
“I guess. I just could not sleep. Tried listening to music, reading a book, literally everything I could to try to get myself to sleep, but nothing worked.”
Taylor went back to the parlour and sat. “Did you try sleeping pills?”
“Overdosed on them but I still cannot seem to sleep.”
Taylor understood what she was going through. He went through the same thing most of the time. “It happens every year. One would expect to be used to it by now.”
“I know right?” Malia sighed.
“Yeah.” Taylor sighed too. “I really miss dad and mum.”
“Same here. I cannot believe that by next year, it will be seven years since they passed.”
Taylor winced. He had tried so hard not to get caught up in counting the years he had spent without his parents. “It sure has been a long time.”
“Oh well, I guess that is it. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Thanks sis. We will be fine by tomorrow, I promise.”
“Sure.”
There was a long pause.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“I love you, Fish.”
“I love you too, Cuddles.” Malia said and hung up.
Taylor sighed and relaxed into the couch. He really needed today to fly by. It had so many memories that he wanted so badly not to remember and it was messing with his sister too.
“Why does life have to be so complicated?” Taylor murmured. He forced himself to stand and went upstairs to get ready for church.