Duly Noted

by H. M. Shander

  His head leaned closer and the sweet lips she’d just studied, brushed across hers. Hungry for him, she brushed back, parting them, daring him to seek her out. Unclasping her hands, she ran one through his short hair, the bristly ends tickling her palm. She pushed into the kiss, unaware he had moved, until the cool metal touched the back of her thighs, and the sensation of his hands moved up along the small of her back.

  “Oh my god,” she said barely breathing when she realised what had happened and what she now sat on. “Oh my god.” She clenched onto his arms again, trying to pull herself up and off. Her eyes widened, and her breathing hitched as she held her breath.

  “Breathe, Aurora. It’s not going to bite you.”

  “Yes it will.” Her voice pitched higher. His arms wrapped tighter around her, not in an attempt to keep her there, but in a way that made her feel safe.

  “The car’s not alive, I promise.”

  “Please,” she begged, tears threatening to erupt. “Get me off.” Air swept underneath her as she lifted towards the sky. Like a delicate piece of china, he set her on the ground. Taking a step away, she folded right back into his arms.

  He pulled her close, and together huddled on the curb, her back towards the red car.

  “I want to be mad at you for that.” She beat lightly against his chest with her fists. “But I don’t have the energy.” The worn soft cotton of his t-shirt nuzzled against her cheek as she breathed rapidly.

  A firm hand wrapped around her waist, landing on her thigh. “Don’t be mad, I’m trying to help.”

  “I know you are.” She closed her eyes. “But I can’t be helped. It’s so obvious.”

  “Tell me something, when you moved from the dorm to your apartment, how’d you do it?”

  “Drugs. Great drugs.”

  “What kind?”

  The buckle on his coveralls became a play toy for her fingers as she tried expelling the nervous energy. “They’re special, and I only get them for the immediate trip. Since it’s usually my dad that I travel with, he keeps them.”

  “And what do they do?” His hand stroked her back. Could he feel the dampness of her shirt? She certainly thought it was wet as she’d become a little sweat-making factory during his little experiment.

  “Block it out, basically.” Returning her gaze up to him, he took in every word she said. “Essentially, the doctor says it’s like the date-rape drug. I don’t remember anything that happens. Before I moved, I took one, while he loaded up his truck. By time he was done, I was ready to go – or so he says. I don’t remember. Then we unloaded here, and it started wearing off. I think I get a couple of hours of darkness in that tiny little pill.”

  “Wow.”

  “Tell me, why is it so important to you that I can get into a car? And I don’t want to hear the answer you’ve previously given.”

  He tightened up to her questioning. “It’s important because it’s my livelihood. I work on cars, I get them running and I drive them hard. I don’t want the girl I’m dating to be terrified of them.”

  “The girl you’re dating?”

  “I did kiss you.”

  “Presumptuously.”

  “Oh yeah, because you didn’t beg me to come back to your apartment earlier?”

  “Duly noted.” She stood, pushing up from his shoulder. “So we’re officially dating now?”

  He stood beside her and smiled. “Sure, if you’re okay with it.”

  “Yeah, I think that’s fine.” She brushed off her pants. “So, a date tomorrow night? I can’t tonight.”

  “Tomorrow night I’m busy at the–” He stopped himself. “I’m not going to be in town.”

  She shot him a quizzical look. “Okay then. Sunday?”

  “Sure. I’ll meet you where?”

  “There’s a park to the south of those towers over there. I’ll meet you at one, and I’ll bring a picnic lunch for us.”

  “Deal.” He leaned closer to her. “May I kiss you again?”

  “No need to ask, we’re dating now,” she said with a playful tone in her voice.

  A big bowl of popcorn sat in Aurora’s lap later that night, as Kaitlyn and her new friend, Jessica, were over. It was girls’ night, and they watched a chick flick, one of Aurora’s personal favourites – The Notebook.

  Passing around a box of Kleenex, Kaitlyn grabbed one and dabbed her eyes. “Noah is so dreamy. The perfect guy. Everyone needs to find someone like him.”

  Aurora raised her eyebrow. “Really?”

  “You know what I mean.” Kaitlyn glanced quickly at Jessica who seemed oblivious to the comment. She was too busy sobbing into her tissue. “What about you, Aurora? We need to find you a man.”

  She laughed. “Too late.”

  “What?” Kaitlyn turned in full and sat facing her. “When? And with who?”

  Jessica sidled up closer. “What? Aurora has a man?” Her blond ringlets hung in her face.

  Pulling the blanket up over her legs, Aurora whispered, “We met at work.”

  “Ooh, another librarian? Your kids will be so smart.” Jessica smiled.

  “It better not be that asshole I met at the restaurant.”

  Aurora shook her head. “No, not him. But I do need to do some research on him. He gave me a name to search.”

  “What. Ever. For?” Kaitlyn clenched up her fists.

  “Just because. He said it would all make sense.” She shrugged off the two pair of eyes staring at her.

  “What would?” Kaitlyn asked. “I’m so confused, Aurora. You’re not making any sense.”

  She filled in her friends about the phone call she’d had with Matthew James. By the end of it, she was more than a little curious. “Let me grab my laptop.” The computer on her lap, she Googled his name, but nothing juicy came up. Only the bits about his MJ Association and reading awards. Boring.

  “Type in his name, the plus sign, and her name, and see what you get,” Jessica said, sliding closer to Kaitlyn to see the screen. Kaitlyn put her arm around her friend’s waist and pulled her tight.

  So Aurora did what Jessica suggested. “Oh my god,” she said as she scrolled through the link that listed both Rebecca Gordon’s name and Matthew James.

  “What? Is that an obit?” Jessica asked.

  “Shh,” Kaitlyn whispered.

  Rebecca Meredith Gordon, of Edmonton AB, left the bounds of earth when she died unexpectedly on May 25, 2014. She leaves behind her devoted husband of 14 years, Matthew James.

  “What? That’s it?” Kaitlyn asked. “That’s like the shittiest obit.”

  Aurora typed frantically, Googling the date and names. Her eyes scoured the links, stopping on one. She clicked on it. First she saw the pictures of the crumpled cars, before the headline: CAR CRASH KILLS THREE, INJURES TWO

  “No, no, no,” she whispered, but couldn’t remove her eyes from the screen.

  The Police Service Collision Unit is investigating a collision that occurred over the weekend which resulted in multiple fatalities.

  On Saturday, May 24, 2014 at approximately 10:30 p.m. police responded to a report of a two car collision on 100 Ave and 117 St. It was reported that the car travelling southbound failed to stop at a stop sign before proceeding through the intersection and collided with the westbound car. Firetrucks and ambulances attended the scene to assist.

  The 29-year-old male driver of the southbound car, Mr. Thomas Anderson of Edmonton, sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries and remains in hospital. His passenger, a 35-year-old woman, Mrs. Rebecca Gordon of Calgary, succumbed to her injuries that night in hospital.

  The 17-year-old driver of the westbound car, Miss Aurora MacIntyre of Fort MacMurray, sustained serious, life-threatening injuries and remains in hospital in critical condition. Her passengers, both from Fort MacMurray, 47-year-old Mrs. Angelica MacIntyre, and 20-year-old Miss Carmen MacIntyre, both died on scene.

  Speed and alcohol are believed to have been factors in this collision. The investigation continues.
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  A gasp came beside her as Aurora slammed the lid of her laptop shut and threw it on the floor. “Oh my god,” she repeated over and over, as she paced around the living room. “No, it can’t be.”

  “Are you telling me that his wife was involved in your accident?” Kaitlyn asked after picking up the laptop and reading the screen again.

  Aurora shook, rubbing her arms to generate heat. She grabbed the blanket from the couch to wrap around her body and slipped into the nearby chair. “I never knew the names of the people who ran into us. Never knew. Didn’t want to know the name of the murderer, the one who took my mother and sister. How could there be this link between Matthew James and me? And why this connection? Does he know it’s me? Or did he want me to know that he was married? Not that it means anything if he was married because people cheat all the time.”

  “Ah, might not necessarily be him that did the cheating. His wife was in a vehicle with another man,” Kaitlyn pointed out.

  “Are you sure it’s his wife? I mean there could be another Rebecca Gordon?”

  “I’m pretty sure, Jessica, that that’s his Rebecca.” A violent shiver racked her body, and she pulled the blanket tighter.

  Jessica turned to Kaitlyn. “But the dates are off by a day.”

  “No, silly,” Kaitlyn said, “it stated she died later that night. So technically she died on the twenty-fifth, but the accident was a few hours earlier on the twenty-fourth.”

  Jessica said nothing further and slumped deeper into the couch.

  Aurora rocked from side to side in her seat, whispering, “I can’t believe I’m connected to him. What does it mean?”

  Kaitlyn walked over and put her arm around her. “It means nothing aside from the fact that he’s found a way to weasel into your head. Don’t worry too much about it. In fact, stop thinking about him and tell us about this new man in your life.”

  Nate. What am I going to tell him? Or should I tell him? Does he have a right to know that the guy he hates is connected to my past? “Auugg. I don’t know what to think anymore.” She stood, but her legs were weak and unsteady, so she fell onto the couch. “Fuck me,” she screamed into the pillow and pounded her fists into the seat. Another scream wailed from her, and she sat up. Kaitlyn wore sympathy, Jessica seemed afraid. “Sorry, girls, but you’re going to have to go home. I need time alone.”

  Kaitlyn shook her head. “Actually, I think you being alone isn’t a good idea.”

  “Yeah it is. I’m going to my room, so if you want to stay, stay. But I need–”

  She walked down the hall to her room and slammed the door. She didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t help herself. Visions of the accident rolled in her head as if an old film projector was on repeat. She didn’t remember much about the car that hit them, just the blinding of the headlights. Her days after the accident were hazy at best, and she didn’t attend the funerals. Pinned to the bed and trying to hold on as the frailty of her life threatened to have her join her mother and sister.

  Life wasn’t fucking fair. She’d heard whisperings that someone in the other car had died, but never heard anything further. Never looked into it. Never cared. All she’d learned was that the driver was beyond intoxicated and speeding excessively down the road.

  Staring at her medicine cabinet, she debated taking something. Just wasn’t sure what something to take. What to take? The Xanax seemed the best option and after popping a couple, she curled into her bed.

  A soft knock on her door, roused her from her sleep. Kaitlyn. Her clock indicated it was morning.

  “Aurora, I’m coming in. You’d better be decent.”

  She rolled over and pulled the blankets up. Not that it mattered, she was still in the clothes she wore last night. “Come in,” she said, clearing her throat.

  “Hey, brought you a cup of coffee.” She sat on the bed and put the mug on the bedside table. “How are you doing?”

  Aurora brushed the hair off her eyes. “I’m okay, I guess.”

  “Sorry that the night didn’t end well for you.”

  “Yeah.” She reached for the mug and took a quick sip. A little strong, but drinkable. “Thanks.”

  “Come on. We’re going to get up and face the day. You’ve had your night of sorrow or grief or anger or whatever you want to call it. Time to get up and live your life.”

  “And it’s quite the life, isn’t it?” Aurora rolled her eyes.

  Kaitlyn jumped off the bed. “Stop it! Right now!” She stormed over to the window and threw open the curtains, blinding her with the bright light. Turning, Kaitlyn placed her hands on her hips and stood over her. “Don’t make me drag you out of bed. You’ll lose.”

  She nodded, knowing she would lose. Not only mentally, but physically as well. “Fine, I’ll get up. But you better have breakfast cooking.” The blanket hit the floor.

  “Already in the oven,” she said, smiling before she left the room.

  Splashing cold water on her face and changing into fresher clothes, she limped down the hall. The kitchen beckoned her. The aroma of bacon assaulted her nose, along with the smell of fresh baking bread. “What did you create?”

  “Nothing much. Bread’s nearly done. Might not be too good, though, as I’m not familiar with the bread maker.”

  “I have a break maker?”

  “Yeah, tucked into the corner of your cupboard.”

  “Who knew?” The apartment came fully furnished as it had been Carmen’s and a couple of roommates. However, she never really searched through the cupboards as a pot and frying pan were pretty much all she needed. “When did I get bacon?”

  “You didn’t. I ran and picked up a few groceries this morning while you were snoring. The bill’s on the fridge.”

  The table was set for two in the dining room. “Thanks,” she waved around, “for all this. And I don’t snore.”

  “Like hell you don’t. What did you take last night?” Aurora stared blankly at her friend. “Oh come on, I know you took something.” Kaitlyn’s hand was firmly on her hip again, disbelief on her face. Someday, she’ll terrify her children with that look.

  “Fine, a couple of Xanax. That’s all.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Geezus, what are you my father?”

  “Haha, you wish.”

  “No, not really. But maybe you do?”

  “He could be the man to turn me straight, but I guess we’ll never know.”

  The thought made her want to toss her cookies, but instead she grabbed the plate of food Kaitlyn pushed at her. “So what’s the scoop with Jessica, anyway?”

  “I’m working on it.” She sat and placed a few slices of fresh bread between them. “She’s totally into girls, but I think she’s never been with a girl. Still a virgin and still waiting to come out of the closet I think.”

  She giggled. “And you’ll help her either announce it or never come out from it?”

  “Something like that.” Kaitlyn shrugged and nudged the butter in her direction.

  “She’s pretty sweet,” Aurora said, taking a bite of bread and letting it melt against her tongue. “This is damn good, Kait.”

  After a few minutes of silence, Kaitlyn suggested, “Let’s go to the mall today and do some shopping.”

  “For what?”

  “For what? For anything. For candles. For sexy lingerie. You do have a new man now, which by the way, you haven’t told me about it.”

  “Well, his name is Nate, and he’s pretty cool.” She smiled as she pictured him in his overalls and t-shirt, his dark eyes staring into her. The mental image made her damp.

  “Pretty cool, my ass. He’s warming you up just talking about him.”

  Indeed he was. She was more than a little warm. “He’s very nice in a gentlemanly way. Holds the door open for me, pulls my chair out, you know, old school charm.”

  “You mentioned you worked with him? How does that work?”

  “Well, he works at the library, but as one of the construction t
eam. Not as part of the library.”

  Kaitlyn smiled a smug little smile. “Construction worker eh? That’s hot.”

  “Do you think about sex all the time?”

  “Just when I’m horny.”

  “So all the time then?” Both girls laughed. “Seriously though, there’s something about him. He’s big into cars and we’ve been taking baby steps with the PTSD and all.” She swallowed a drink of coffee as her throat suddenly dried out thinking about what they’ve done.

  “How’s that?”

  “Well, first, he had me touch the car. That’s it.”

  “That’s kind of weird.”

  Aurora leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment. “Not really, no. He doesn’t want me to be afraid of them.”

  “Because?”

  “It’s his hobby, cars. And he wants to be able to drive me places without me freaking out.”

  “So he has you touch his car?”

  “Yeah,” she said, looking over at her best friend. “I even sat on it yesterday. When he kissed me.”

  “No shit! You’ve kissed him?” Kaitlyn playfully pushed into her arm. “You move fast.” She winked.

  “Kait, you’re missing the big picture here. I SAT on his car.”

  Kaitlyn fiddled with her fork, moving it around her plate. “And?”

  “And what? I survived.” She shrugged and pinched her nose. “It was scary as hell, but I did it.”

  Her friend tapped her fingers. “Was he kissing you before or after you sat on it?”

  “Before and during.”

  Kaitlyn smirked and then reached for her hand. “I like him.”