Crystal Vision

It was December; late evening, it had gotten colder and snow began to lightly fall, powdering the streets. I knew what I had said and done was wrong, and I needed to fix this. Fix everything; starting with Lyle.
When I had entered the pub, it was next to empty. Only the drunkest had kept on trucking.

Where is he...

I began making my way up the stairs, “Hey, you!” The bar tender called, “That’s not your room,”

“I’m a guest,” I explained, “I know who lives up there.”

Giving me a fast glance, I continued up the wooden stairs to the archway that held... nothing?

“Hello?” I called out; but the room was 4 walls and the bare wooden floor, nothing. He was gone. I plummeted down the staircase and began asking anyone and everyone where Lyle Rachita had gone. No one knew who he was; never mind knew where he went. It was hopeless.

“I remember him paying his last month’s rent, and left not soon after,” the bartender explained, but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t listen.

I remember muttering ‘thanks’ before exiting the pub, sweeping my eyes up and down the protruding sidewalk.

How could he do this to me?

But the real question was, How could I leave him for so long after I left?

It began getting darker, but I wasn’t even close to caring. When I had reached my destination, It was twilight. The moon shone its light with no hold, in a clear diamond sky that was jet black.
Here, in my car I cried. Nothing made a sound, and no one drove by. The gravestones lined themselves one by one up and down into rows of 24; the family cemetery. I knew I could think well here; and the aftermath of the shock had come quickly after I had arrived, releasing 2 hours worth of frustration, anger and grief. I still couldn’t believe it.

Our time together was so limited; I never even got to tell him how I felt.

***

My body flinched awake; where was I? Oh yeah; Did I fall asleep? I must’ve. I looked at the clock, forcing my eyes to adjust to the pitch of darkness.

4.23 am.

“Jesus Christ,” I croaked, pulling myself out of the fetal position I had fallen asleep in. After stretching, I turned the key in the ignition, bracing myself for the roar of the engine to come alive. Nothing.

“Come on,” I urged, turning the key again and again. But no matter how long I held it down, or re-tried, I got the same answer from my car. (And I quote,) ’Splutter’. I did it again, and again, and slamming my hands on the steering wheel, I tried again, and Son of a Bitch; It worked.

“There we go,” I mentally praised my car and drove out of the cemetery, out back to the highway leading out of Tofield.

I heard ringing coming from my pocket, “Yeah?”

“K-AH!” a female voice shouted on the other end, “Y- …EED TO C- …ACK H-ME, -OW!”

“J-Janice? I can’t understand you, you’re breaking up,” I frantically tried to hear her words, but every syllable was blocked with silence.

“-ah can’t you h- ..ear m-…” And the line went dead.

“Janice? JANICE?” I cursed aloud and tried recalling her number.

“The number you are trying to reach is out of service-” and I hung up.

What is happening?