Grace
Visiting Hour
Victoria was lying upside-down on her bed, staring at the monotonous ceiling, her mind racing and old tears drying on her sculpted face.
Nathan, her Nathan, was gone.
She whimpered and whispered his name into the empty air, hearing her own weak voice in her ears.
Her darling, her love, her angel. Victoria wanted to cry some more, but no tears came to rescue her. Her room was so lonely without him, the whole world was so lonely without him.
The afternoon sun tried to pierce through the clouds in the gray sky, to no avail.
She checked her watch.
3:41. Victoria released a gusty sigh.
A rapping knock sounded at her door.
“Victoria!” called a voice. “Listen, it’s me. I came in to check on you.”
“Leave me alone.” she said in a strangled voice.
“What was that?” he called again. “Look, just let me come in-”
Tyler opened the door and looked in on her.
Something broke in his gray eyes, though she couldn’t begin to guess at what. She was too absorbed in her own misery.
“You okay Vicky?” he whispered in a hushed voice. Victoria shook her head and rolled over, rubbing her face into the sheets and sobbing without tears. Tyler stood there awkwardly.
She heard something him sit down near her, the bed creaking under both their weight. She felt a clammy hand on her back and shivered. Tyler drew back.
“Listen,” he started slowly.
Victoria looked up, sniffling and blinking up at him with her long eyelashes.
Tyler stopped for a second, then turned his head away.
“Visiting hours are almost over.” he continued. “So if you want to go see him, you should now.” Victoria’s face lit up.
“But I don’t recommend it. He’s probably really tired and-”
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.” Tyler sighed in a defeated voice. “I’ll give you some time to clean up, then drive you over there myself.” Victoria frowned at him.
“I’m perfectly capable of getting myself there, thank you very much.”
Tyler shot her an agonised look, which melted into a cold grimace as he got up and left, closing the door behind him without another word. She felt a little guilty, but he had no right to treat her like a baby all the time.
Victoria sat up, dried her tears and got changed into a slim and sexy outfit, Nathan would appreciate that.
She rushed into the bathroom to fix things up. Her reflection was frightening.
Her skin-tight leather-clad body contrasted to her miserable brown eyes and wet lashes.
She quickly flicked on some mascara, fluttered her eyelashes at herself, and then walked outside.
“Gotta go, Mum, Dad,” she said carelessly. They gawked at her outfit.
“Young lady, what are you wea-”
“No time to talk, be back soon, bye.”
And with a harsh slam of the door, she was gone.
~
The detention centre was a chilling place. The roads got quieter and quieter as she drove her father’s car up to Smithville. A sign outside announced that visiting hours were from 1pm-4pm.
Victoria checked her watch.
4:20pm. Shit.
She stepped on the gas, parked the car diagonally across two other spaces, and jumped out, forgetting the keys and racing to the door.
An ugly old woman sat behind the counter, with beady eyes and glasses. She looked up at her arrival, shaking her head.
“Did one of the men call a hooker again?” she sighed. “They know better than to do that.”
Victoria bristled.
“I’m no hooker.” she hissed at the woman. The woman merely laughed.
“Well, you don’t look like someone who’s gonna stay here, and visiting hours are over, so best to pack up and leave sister.”
“Just let me in for fifteen minutes!” Victoria exclaimed, taking purposeful steps to the counter, her boots clip-clopping on the tiles.
The woman sighed. “I’ll give you ten.” she said lazily. “Who you looking’ for?”
“Nathan Ignatius.”
The woman raised her unplucked eyebrows in surprise. “Ah yes, he was just in this morning.”
Victoria tried to hide her smile, her excitement. She knew that he was here now, in this very building, soon to be with her again…if only for ten fucking minutes.
As the woman typed more and more into her computer, Victoria began thinking.
Was this right? Was she right about him? Was he really just a rotten scoundrel..?
No. Never. She could never doubt him.
She belonged to him.
Nathan, her Nathan, was gone.
She whimpered and whispered his name into the empty air, hearing her own weak voice in her ears.
Her darling, her love, her angel. Victoria wanted to cry some more, but no tears came to rescue her. Her room was so lonely without him, the whole world was so lonely without him.
The afternoon sun tried to pierce through the clouds in the gray sky, to no avail.
She checked her watch.
3:41. Victoria released a gusty sigh.
A rapping knock sounded at her door.
“Victoria!” called a voice. “Listen, it’s me. I came in to check on you.”
“Leave me alone.” she said in a strangled voice.
“What was that?” he called again. “Look, just let me come in-”
Tyler opened the door and looked in on her.
Something broke in his gray eyes, though she couldn’t begin to guess at what. She was too absorbed in her own misery.
“You okay Vicky?” he whispered in a hushed voice. Victoria shook her head and rolled over, rubbing her face into the sheets and sobbing without tears. Tyler stood there awkwardly.
She heard something him sit down near her, the bed creaking under both their weight. She felt a clammy hand on her back and shivered. Tyler drew back.
“Listen,” he started slowly.
Victoria looked up, sniffling and blinking up at him with her long eyelashes.
Tyler stopped for a second, then turned his head away.
“Visiting hours are almost over.” he continued. “So if you want to go see him, you should now.” Victoria’s face lit up.
“But I don’t recommend it. He’s probably really tired and-”
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.” Tyler sighed in a defeated voice. “I’ll give you some time to clean up, then drive you over there myself.” Victoria frowned at him.
“I’m perfectly capable of getting myself there, thank you very much.”
Tyler shot her an agonised look, which melted into a cold grimace as he got up and left, closing the door behind him without another word. She felt a little guilty, but he had no right to treat her like a baby all the time.
Victoria sat up, dried her tears and got changed into a slim and sexy outfit, Nathan would appreciate that.
She rushed into the bathroom to fix things up. Her reflection was frightening.
Her skin-tight leather-clad body contrasted to her miserable brown eyes and wet lashes.
She quickly flicked on some mascara, fluttered her eyelashes at herself, and then walked outside.
“Gotta go, Mum, Dad,” she said carelessly. They gawked at her outfit.
“Young lady, what are you wea-”
“No time to talk, be back soon, bye.”
And with a harsh slam of the door, she was gone.
~
The detention centre was a chilling place. The roads got quieter and quieter as she drove her father’s car up to Smithville. A sign outside announced that visiting hours were from 1pm-4pm.
Victoria checked her watch.
4:20pm. Shit.
She stepped on the gas, parked the car diagonally across two other spaces, and jumped out, forgetting the keys and racing to the door.
An ugly old woman sat behind the counter, with beady eyes and glasses. She looked up at her arrival, shaking her head.
“Did one of the men call a hooker again?” she sighed. “They know better than to do that.”
Victoria bristled.
“I’m no hooker.” she hissed at the woman. The woman merely laughed.
“Well, you don’t look like someone who’s gonna stay here, and visiting hours are over, so best to pack up and leave sister.”
“Just let me in for fifteen minutes!” Victoria exclaimed, taking purposeful steps to the counter, her boots clip-clopping on the tiles.
The woman sighed. “I’ll give you ten.” she said lazily. “Who you looking’ for?”
“Nathan Ignatius.”
The woman raised her unplucked eyebrows in surprise. “Ah yes, he was just in this morning.”
Victoria tried to hide her smile, her excitement. She knew that he was here now, in this very building, soon to be with her again…if only for ten fucking minutes.
As the woman typed more and more into her computer, Victoria began thinking.
Was this right? Was she right about him? Was he really just a rotten scoundrel..?
No. Never. She could never doubt him.
She belonged to him.