Destination Beautiful
I - Tomorrow
“Yes, yes I know and I will.” I said to my sister, as we approached the school’s playground.
“And I want sprinkles too, Morgan!”
I smiled a bit. “I’ll see what I can do,” I said. “Now go and hurry up or you’ll be late!”
The girl smiled and tightened the straps of her schoolbag a bit. “Okay, bye Morgan!” she said, as she turned around.
“Byebye Cathy, have fun!” I said.
She turned her head. “I will,” she said, quickly stepping towards me and planting a firm kiss on my cheek, which left me smiling as she turned around again and walked towards the school building. I watched her as she met up with her friends and entered the school. I sighed. It’s been a long time since I was as happy and careless as Cathy was.
I turned around, heading towards the town centre as I had some shopping to do. Tomorrow was Cathy’s tenth birthday. She’d been talking about it all week. ‘It’s almost my birthday, Morgan!’ I’d hear, every morning at breakfast, every afternoon when she got back from school, and every night as I put her to bed. ‘In a few days I’ll be ten!’
Yes, she was going to be ten years old. I couldn’t believe how soon time could fly by. They say time flies when having fun. If you ask me, time flies by anyhow. I tried to be as excited about it as she was, but I just couldn’t. Every smile I gave her when she mentioned her birthday, every little spark of excitement I seemed to have, it was all fake. And I felt bad. I loved her to pieces, but I couldn’t even be excited about my little sister’s birthday. It’s not like she didn’t deserve my excitement or anything. Her birthday just reminded me too much of that day.
Everything changed that day. I’d never have thought it would end up like it did. I mean, of course it was going to be rough, we were devastated. But we were told by nearly everybody around us that it was going to be okay. And it did become okay. To a certain extend. For me it didn’t. And Cathy’s birthday reminded me oh so much of that.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice the boy walking out of the Starbucks I was just passing. Until, of course, I clashed into him.
“Ah damn, Fuck!!” He swore, as half of the contain of the cup he was holding poured over his shirt, which was plain white just a few moments ago. I looked at the guy, who was muttering something under his breath that sounded to me as ‘coffee’, ‘shirt’ and some more swearing.
“I.. I’m so sorry.” I said, looking at him for a moment.
He opened his mouth to say something and I was expecting some rant, but instead, he paused for a moment before asking: “Are you okay?” Him saying that left me confused, and I didn’t know what to say.
“Really, it’s no big deal or anything..” the guy said, looking at me with concern.
It was only then that I noticed I’d been silently crying. Great. Just great. I wiped the tears away from my cheek with the back of my hand.
“I.. I gotta go,” I stumbled. “s-sorry,” I said, and I left, quickly walking away. Tomorrow was her birthday.
***
It was only after she got out of sight Billie Joe turned around. Why was she crying? Did he make her cry? He didn’t know, but just looking at her brought a sense of pity to him. In a state of confusion, he found his way back to the studio.
“Finally!” his drummer yelled as he entered the room.
“That took you long enough.”
Billie Joe didn’t pay any attention to his comment and sat down somewhere.
His bass playing, blonde haired blue eyed friend looked at him for a moment, before saying: “Dude, youknow I prefer to drink my coffee from a cup, not from your shirt.”
“What?” Billie Joe answered absent-mindedly.
“Coffee..” Mike said, pointing at Billie Joe’s shirt.
“Oh. Yeah I know. Well I have more shirts,” he replied.
“So where’s my coffee?” Mike asked.
“Duh! It’s on his shirt!” Tré replied from behind his drumkit.
“I can see that,” Mike said, “I mean, where is the part I can actually drink?”
Billie Joe snapped out of his trance. “Oh. Right. Coffee,” he said. “I’ll um, go and get some,” he said, getting up again.
As Billie Joe left the studio once again, Mike and Tré looked at each other.
“Duude what happened to him?” Tré asked.
“I have no idea, but he better be a bit quicker this time, I want to continue.”
Tré drummed a little riff. “Ya me too,” he said.
“And I need my coffee,” Mike added with a serious face.
“Uhu, your holy water,” Tré said understandingly, “can’t live without a cup of that every hour.”
“You know it,” Mike grinned, before both of them started to chuckle.
“And I want sprinkles too, Morgan!”
I smiled a bit. “I’ll see what I can do,” I said. “Now go and hurry up or you’ll be late!”
The girl smiled and tightened the straps of her schoolbag a bit. “Okay, bye Morgan!” she said, as she turned around.
“Byebye Cathy, have fun!” I said.
She turned her head. “I will,” she said, quickly stepping towards me and planting a firm kiss on my cheek, which left me smiling as she turned around again and walked towards the school building. I watched her as she met up with her friends and entered the school. I sighed. It’s been a long time since I was as happy and careless as Cathy was.
I turned around, heading towards the town centre as I had some shopping to do. Tomorrow was Cathy’s tenth birthday. She’d been talking about it all week. ‘It’s almost my birthday, Morgan!’ I’d hear, every morning at breakfast, every afternoon when she got back from school, and every night as I put her to bed. ‘In a few days I’ll be ten!’
Yes, she was going to be ten years old. I couldn’t believe how soon time could fly by. They say time flies when having fun. If you ask me, time flies by anyhow. I tried to be as excited about it as she was, but I just couldn’t. Every smile I gave her when she mentioned her birthday, every little spark of excitement I seemed to have, it was all fake. And I felt bad. I loved her to pieces, but I couldn’t even be excited about my little sister’s birthday. It’s not like she didn’t deserve my excitement or anything. Her birthday just reminded me too much of that day.
Everything changed that day. I’d never have thought it would end up like it did. I mean, of course it was going to be rough, we were devastated. But we were told by nearly everybody around us that it was going to be okay. And it did become okay. To a certain extend. For me it didn’t. And Cathy’s birthday reminded me oh so much of that.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice the boy walking out of the Starbucks I was just passing. Until, of course, I clashed into him.
“Ah damn, Fuck!!” He swore, as half of the contain of the cup he was holding poured over his shirt, which was plain white just a few moments ago. I looked at the guy, who was muttering something under his breath that sounded to me as ‘coffee’, ‘shirt’ and some more swearing.
“I.. I’m so sorry.” I said, looking at him for a moment.
He opened his mouth to say something and I was expecting some rant, but instead, he paused for a moment before asking: “Are you okay?” Him saying that left me confused, and I didn’t know what to say.
“Really, it’s no big deal or anything..” the guy said, looking at me with concern.
It was only then that I noticed I’d been silently crying. Great. Just great. I wiped the tears away from my cheek with the back of my hand.
“I.. I gotta go,” I stumbled. “s-sorry,” I said, and I left, quickly walking away. Tomorrow was her birthday.
***
It was only after she got out of sight Billie Joe turned around. Why was she crying? Did he make her cry? He didn’t know, but just looking at her brought a sense of pity to him. In a state of confusion, he found his way back to the studio.
“Finally!” his drummer yelled as he entered the room.
“That took you long enough.”
Billie Joe didn’t pay any attention to his comment and sat down somewhere.
His bass playing, blonde haired blue eyed friend looked at him for a moment, before saying: “Dude, youknow I prefer to drink my coffee from a cup, not from your shirt.”
“What?” Billie Joe answered absent-mindedly.
“Coffee..” Mike said, pointing at Billie Joe’s shirt.
“Oh. Yeah I know. Well I have more shirts,” he replied.
“So where’s my coffee?” Mike asked.
“Duh! It’s on his shirt!” Tré replied from behind his drumkit.
“I can see that,” Mike said, “I mean, where is the part I can actually drink?”
Billie Joe snapped out of his trance. “Oh. Right. Coffee,” he said. “I’ll um, go and get some,” he said, getting up again.
As Billie Joe left the studio once again, Mike and Tré looked at each other.
“Duude what happened to him?” Tré asked.
“I have no idea, but he better be a bit quicker this time, I want to continue.”
Tré drummed a little riff. “Ya me too,” he said.
“And I need my coffee,” Mike added with a serious face.
“Uhu, your holy water,” Tré said understandingly, “can’t live without a cup of that every hour.”
“You know it,” Mike grinned, before both of them started to chuckle.