Luck & Intuition

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran

OUR LIFE IS planned out before we set foot on the luscious green grass of Earth. Our fate is set in stone and it is our journey to fulfill it. It is like an ongoing book filled with our first breath, our first step, first word, first friend, first relationship, first love, and our last words with death to follow. We can’t change our life story, no matter how much we want to. You cannot change fate.

With hands shaking and lips quivering, Autumn stood there in a completely flabbergasted. Storm wrapped her arms around Autry, however, Autumn stood stiff and immobilized. The words of the officer where printed clearly hanging in her mind. It was a clear as day.

“How?” Autumn’s voice was loose and shallow.

“It was an accident at work. The forklift... there was oil on the floor and the tires got out of control and it crashed into the shelves stacked with metal car parts and...” The officer trailed off with everyone knowing the ending of the lovely story. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Miss.”

“You’re sorry?” Autumn questioned and pulled away from Storm. “Tell me Officer Carmichael, how many times have you walked into a broken family’s life and told them that their family was going to be officially destroyed?”

“Autumn.” Storm looked at Autumn, eyeing her to stop.

“I bet you don’t even care. You don’t give a shit, actually because you’re too busy checking your cell phone to look me in the eye to feel my pain.” Autumn stepped closer to the officer. “Have you had someone close to you die, Officer Carmichael? Hm, tell me. Have you had someone who was there with your through the struggles?”

“Autumn.” Nick cut in, and pushed her back slightly. “Stop.”

Autumn started to laughed at the silent response from the officer. “I knew you didn’t give a shit. Just get the fuck out. No, actually I’ll leave.” She picked up her purse and slid back on her shoes and swung open the door.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Nick grabbed the keys out of her hand. Autumn spun around. “Don’t be stupid, Autry.”

She laughed bitterly. “Oh Nicholas, Nicky Nick-Nick. You can try to stop me, but in the end you will always lose. Keep that in mind.” Autumn stepped outside the door and pulled out an extra set of keys. “Nice try, Dog.”

Autumn’s legs moved in a rapid pace down the halls and he pushed opened the door to the stairwell. Her feet quickly hit each step as her ran down them to the back door. She sprinted to her car and got into the drivers’ side and immediately started the engine. Her tired spun as she reversed out of her parking space and sped down the road.

The bright lights were vague from the pellets of rain which were beating down hard on the road making it hard for a visible view. Autumn turned up the radio to try to drown out her thoughts and the fact that her brother was dead.

Her tires screeched as she turned the corner. It felt like a rush, like you were in Need For Speed and drifting throughout the street, aiming for the cash winnings and opening locked streets. Autumn hit the brake pedal and cut the engine.

The removed her seat belt and stepped out of her car, running up the stone steps and banging on the front door over a million times. She could hear the door unlock then the door opened.

“Autumn?”

“Hi. Um, I need to talk to you.”

“Joe? Who’s at the door?” Autumn peered past Joe to see Arianna standing with a bottle of wine in her hand and in Joe’s sweater. “Oh, hello Autumn.”

“You have company.” Autumn blinked. “Right. I’ll go. Sorry for interrupting your evening.” Autumn turned on her heel and bolted down the stairs and towards her car.

“Autumn! Autumn, stop! Wait!” Joe ran after her and grabbed her arm. “What’s going on?!”

“What’s Arianna doing here?!”

“I don’t know! She invited herself over.”

“Oh, I’m sure she did!” Autumn rolled her eyes and fought to get her arm back. No success.

“She did! Why do you even care anyways? You don’t like me remember, so I don’t understand why it would be any of your fucking concern!”

“I never said I cared, Joe! It was just a fucking question!”

They were both shouting over the hard rain falling all around them.

“Then what did you need to talk about?” His grip didn’t ease from her arm; in fact it remained tight so she couldn’t escape.

“Nothing.” Her head turned away. “It’s not... important.”

“Autumn, look at me.” Joe said. She didn’t listen. “Look at me!” Autumn turned and faced Joe. Her tears were mixed with the rain on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s gone, Joe. Aiden’s gone!”

“Gone? What are you talking about?”

“My brother’s dead!”

Joe’s eyes widened with his mouth agape and his grip of Autumn letting go and dropping to his side. He was speechless, shocked and slightly frightened.

“You know what, nevermind.” Autumn shook her head and turn away.

“Stop running from me.” Joe stepped in front of her and placed the palms of his hands on her wet cheeks and pressed his cold lips to hers. The urge of fighting back didn’t occur to Autumn, she didn’t feel the need to do so. “Please.”

Autumn collapsed into Joe’s arms as she buried her head into his chest. Her hands clenched onto his biceps as she began to weep.

“Come on.” Joe led her back towards his house. Joe pushed open the door and walked inside after Autumn.

“Joe? Finally, you’re back! I’ve been waiting for...you...” Arianna appeared in the front foyer. She appeared in only her matching red laced panties and bra. Nothing else.

“Oh my God.” Autumn whispered hoarsely and wiped her tears away.

“Uh.” Joe blinked a few times. “Arianna you need to leave. Now.”

“Leave? Now, baby why would I leave?” Her voice was oozing with a sexy tone as she took steps closer to Joe. Her heels clicked against the hardwood flooring. Her fingers traced along his jaw line and down towards this collarbone. “The evening is just beginning for us.”

Joe watched Arianna’s hand. “You need to leave, Ari.”

She pouted and placed a kiss to the corner of his lips. “But I don’t want to.”

Joe pushed her back. He walked into the living room and grabbed her clothes that were lying on the couch and came back into the foyer. He pulled open the door and threw her clothes outside.

“Get the fuck out. Now.” His voice was stern and hard. He was beyond angry.

“Joey, you don’t mean that. Come on.” Arianna pressed her body against his, wrapping her leg around his waist.

“Get. The. Fuck. Out.” Joe pulled on her arm and literally almost tossed her out of his house.

“Joe!” She screamed. Joe slammed the door on her face and sighed deeply. Autumn couldn’t help but start to laugh at what had just happened.

“I have no idea what I saw in her for a split second.” Joe laughed shallowly. “I’m sorry. Well, do you want some wine?”

“And maybe some dry clothes?” Autumn added.

“Right, stay here.” Joe jogged up the stairs towards his bedroom. Autumn wandered into the living room and saw all the candles that Arianna had light, along with the ridiculous sexual music in the background. Autumn turned off the stereo and shook her head. She studied the photographs that were lined upon along the fireplace mantel.

Each of the photos was personally taken by Joe, due to the fact that his Canon Camera was sitting on the ledge of the counter in the kitchen that she could see. Autumn smiled to herself, picking up a framed picture of Joe, Kevin and Nick from a few years back. Joe’s hair was extremely long and he was wearing a gold jacket with a white Fedora. They must have been on tour.

“Look Me in the Eyes Tour, 2008.”

“Your hair was so long.” She laughed and set down the picture.

“I know. We didn’t really have time to go get a haircut when travelling from city to city and going overseas.” Joe stood beside her. I got you some pyjama pants, a shirt and a towel. The bathroom is down the hall and your first door on the right.”

Autumn took the items from him and walked down the hallway into the bathroom. She flicked on the light and locked the door. The wet clothes peeled off her skin and she dried herself off with the towel. She tugged over the medium Stillwater band t-shirt and stepped into the white and black plaid pants. Her fingers ran through her tangled hair and wrapped it up into a bun. Autumn sighed and wiped the black streaks off of her cheeks and threw the balls of tissue into the garbage.

She exited the washroom and managed to find the laundry room. Autumn tossed her clothes into the dryer and set the timer. Making her way back to the living room, the door to the left of her was cracked open with a light shining through the small space. Autumn looked around and then pushed the door open the palm of her hand.

Inside was filled with pieces of sheet music scattered everywhere. Guitars were hung up against the wall along with posters of famous musicians: Elvis Costello, Freddie Mercury, James Brown, and even Ozzy Osbourne. The lamp over the piano was the piano was the source of the light. Autumn walked deeper into the room and slid her fingers over the sheets of paper laid out across the table in the middle of the room. She figured this is where they would work on their songs.

“Autumn?” Joe called out. Autumn jumped and crept out of the room left the door as it was before she entered. She walked into the living room and took a seat on the leather couch, picking up the wine glass that had been full for her.

“Oh, you’re in here.” Joe appeared from the kitchen entrance. “Thought you might have gotten lost.”

Autumn laughed softly, taking a sip of the red wine. “No.”

“Um,” Joe took a seat on the couch. He too had changed out of his wet clothing. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Oh, Arianna was just trying to get your attention. It’s okay.”

“No. Not about Arianna. I’m talking about Aiden...” He looked at her. Autumn’s eyes dropped from his into the red liquid in her glass.

“Oh, right.”

“What happened? I mean, it’s kind of out of the blue.”

Autumn nodded and turned her body to face him. She crossed his legs and traced the edge of the rim with her finger. “He was driving a forklift and he crashed into a shelf that was stacked with metal car parts. It came crashing down on him and that was the end of that.”

“Shit. Autumn, I’m sorry.”

Autumn breathed in deeply and let out a deep sigh. “It’s life you know. I’m just going to have to deal with it. No matter how much pain it’ll cause me.”

Joe looked down and nodded. “What about Ella Mae? What’s going to happen to her?”

“Um.” Autumn wiped away a small tear forming at the corner of her eye. “I signed these papers when Aiden was getting financial help one time. It for is something happens that I will get sole consent to be Ella’s legal guardian. So that’s what will happen.”

“She’ll be in good hands.” Joe commented.

“I don’t know, Joe. I mean, my job is my life pretty much and so is Ella. I don’t know how I’m going to balance the two.”

“Let me help.”

“I can’t ask you to do that Joe.”

“Why not? I want to help you, Autry.” Joe laced his fingers with hers. Autumn stared down at their intertwined hands and bit down on her lower lip.

First the kiss and now holding hand? Everything was a blur.

“Okay.” She whispered.

[&&]

The night dragged on of ignoring phone calls and text messages from Storm, Nick, Kevin and Taylor. The night was subsided the tragic events of the earlier hours. The night only consisted now of three empty bottles of wine between the two and the fireplace nearly burning out.

Autumn’s head laid on Joe’s chest as she was in a slumber. Joe shifted and picked up Autumn, carefully carrying her up the stairs at three o’clock in the morning. Joe pushed opened the door to the spare bedroom and gently lay Autumn on the bed. This whole scene was too familiar to him, but he didn’t mind. He covered Autumn’s body with the blanket and took a step back, sighing at the broken girl. He turned away and opened the door to leave.

“Joe.” Autumn’s voice was scratchy and barely audible. “Stay with me.”

Joe shut the door and climbed into the free spot beside Autumn. His arms automatically wrapped around her body and held her tightly. Autumn leaned her forehead against Joe's chest and her eyes fell shut.

The night was over. They'd sleep away the tears and fears.