This Distance Can't Haunt Us
1.
He wasn’t going to call and Morgan was sure of it. It was already nearing 8 o’clock at night; he always called by five, at the latest. She wasn’t quite sure why it mattered so much to her. She never answered when he called. She just wanted to hear him talk to her again. He called every month on the 2nd. It had been almost two years, and he hadn’t missed a single one of those days. He called even when he was still a bit hazy from New Year’s parties. He never forgot.
Morgan was laying on the couch of her small apartment, talking to her friend, Carmen. Carmen Roberts took care of Morgan when she needed it, which was majority of the time. With Morgan’s eyesight being taken away, down to where she only saw blurs of color, it was nearly impossible for her to manage her life without someone to read things or take her places. She was legally blind; Carmen was her caregiver, of sorts.
“Jason’s just been worried that we haven’t got the chance to see each other recently, you know?” Carmen said, cleaning the large, glass door in the living room. Morgan nodded. She wasn’t really listening to her. Carmen was notorious for rambling about her boyfriend for longer than most people could handle. Honestly, Jason was someone who Morgan wasn’t worried at about that that particular moment.
“Do you think he’s going to call?” Morgan asked. Carmen stopped and turned to look at her.
“Jason?”
“No, not Jason. James.” She said, picking at her fingernail.
“Honey, he always calls. I don’t see why you’re getting so worked up about it,” She was right. She didn’t need to get worked up over it. He was bound to call, right? He’s called for almost two years, why stop now? James was known for doing things like that, however. He would be persistant with something, until one day, he decided he needed a change. He needed to go and do something better. That was the reason he had left her like he did.
”Morgan, we’re not going to get our table, let’s go!” James yelled, carrying his case of beer as he rushed ahead of Morgan. They were at the local park in their hometown of Yorkshire. It was the only park that was close to both of their houses. They were in Secondary school at this point and time, both only 17. The best of friends any person would ever see. They went out to this park every week, just to sit at the same old table and drink beers.
It was a small table, only two chairs that sat right across one another. It was short and round, almost like it was made for younger kids. The metal was bent into fancy, flowered shapes. The white paint had started to wear off from the rain. It was their spot; it was their favorite.
Morgan could remember everything about James, down to a T. At 17, he was one of the better looking boys around town. He was tall, but not too muscular. He had a nice body though, for someone his age. His face was still round, like when he was a boy, but as he had grown into a teenager, the small areas of baby fat had long gone. His ears were stretched, something he had done without his parents knowing, and you could see right through his lobes. He had a sliver septum ring and big, brown eyes. They were beautiful. But, if there was something that Morgan could never forget no matter how long she lived, it was his smile. When he grinned, it was lovely, but when he truly smiled, it was something that stuck to you. It was almost contagious. When he’d smile, the corners of his mouth would stretch as far as possible and it almost seemed like they would reach his ears. His teeth were lovely and straight. There wasn’t a flaw on James Cassells. He was perfect.
The phone ringing caught Morgan from her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. She sat up quickly so she’d be closer to the phone. She waited to hear him speak.
Carmen had stepped outside the apartment while he talked. She didn’t need to know everything that was going on in Morgan’s life. She was only there to take care of her, not to invade her privacy.
The phone rang a few more times before the voicemail picked up.
’Hi, this is Morgan DeLacey, I obviously didn’t pick up. So just leave me a message, I’ll get back to you!’
The phone beeped again and this time, her small, dainty voice was replaced with one that was deep, thick with a British accent.
”Hey, Morgan, it’s James. I know you’re not going to pick up, so I’ll just say what I have to say this time. The guys and I are going to be back in town tomorrow. We should be there soon, actually. I really want to meet up and catch up on anything. I know we haven’t had a decent conversation in years, since you never answer your phone, but I’m hoping that if only once you call me, it’s now. Just call me back, please. I just want to see you one last time, if that’s how this is for you. Sleep well, Morgan.”
With that, he hung up.
Carmen had come back into the living room as Morgan was sitting quietly, contemplating her options. She could call James back and see him again, after years of being apart. She’d have to face telling him everything that’s happened, which was something she was terrified of doing. What if he didn’t want to be around her, now that she was blind?
Her other option would be to simply go about the phone call like she’s done the past two years; she would just simply ignore it. She’d listen to the recording as long as the voicemail kept it there, every night, but she’d never call him herself. She felt like she had done him wrong. It hurt too much to face the fact that she had hurt him.
“What’s on your mind, darling?” Carmen said, walking over to where Morgan sat.
“James is going to be back in town tomorrow. He wants me to call him so we could meet up,” Carmen nodded.
“Are you going to call him?” Morgan slowly shook her head.
“I can’t, Carmen, I just can’t,”
“Oh nonsense,” she said, picking up the phone from the receiver. She sat down beside Morgan, holding onto her hand. Morgan turned in her direction. “You have to call him, Morg. You know you want to see him. He obviously wants to see you. Besides, I think he has every right to know,” Carmen didn’t have to explain what she was talking about. Morgan understood just fine.
“What if he thinks of me differently? What if he wants nothing to do with me?” She asked. Carmen shook her head.
“No, no, he won’t, I promise. I haven’t met James, but I’m sure that he won’t. He’s called you every month for the past two years, Morgan. I don’t know anyone who would do that for someone they didn’t care about and if he cares about you, he’s not going to let this situation change how he thinks of you,” Morgan nodded, thinking about what Carmen had said.
“Yeah, I suppose. I can’t call him right now, though,”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to have an actual conversation with him,”
“Morgan,” she dialed in his number and sat the phone in her hand. “Just do it. You don’t have to talk long. Just tell him to meet you somewhere tomorrow. I’ll take you and you can see him. Just do it,” Morgan held the phone in her hand tightly; shakily hitting the call button she had grown to known by feel. She held the phone up to her ear slowly, listening to it ring softly. It rang once, twice, three times before someone picked up the phone.
“Hello?” The deep voice said, almost out of breath.
“J-James?” She recognized his voice straight off. She could hear his breath catch in his throat before he spoke.
“I-um, yeah. It’s me,”
“Tomorrow, our usual spot by two o’clock – be there,” She didn’t wait for him to say anything. Nerves got the best of her and she hung up the phone quickly and tossed it away.
“See? That wasn’t so hard,” Carmen said.
“Right, let’s just see how tomorrow goes,”
Morgan was laying on the couch of her small apartment, talking to her friend, Carmen. Carmen Roberts took care of Morgan when she needed it, which was majority of the time. With Morgan’s eyesight being taken away, down to where she only saw blurs of color, it was nearly impossible for her to manage her life without someone to read things or take her places. She was legally blind; Carmen was her caregiver, of sorts.
“Jason’s just been worried that we haven’t got the chance to see each other recently, you know?” Carmen said, cleaning the large, glass door in the living room. Morgan nodded. She wasn’t really listening to her. Carmen was notorious for rambling about her boyfriend for longer than most people could handle. Honestly, Jason was someone who Morgan wasn’t worried at about that that particular moment.
“Do you think he’s going to call?” Morgan asked. Carmen stopped and turned to look at her.
“Jason?”
“No, not Jason. James.” She said, picking at her fingernail.
“Honey, he always calls. I don’t see why you’re getting so worked up about it,” She was right. She didn’t need to get worked up over it. He was bound to call, right? He’s called for almost two years, why stop now? James was known for doing things like that, however. He would be persistant with something, until one day, he decided he needed a change. He needed to go and do something better. That was the reason he had left her like he did.
”Morgan, we’re not going to get our table, let’s go!” James yelled, carrying his case of beer as he rushed ahead of Morgan. They were at the local park in their hometown of Yorkshire. It was the only park that was close to both of their houses. They were in Secondary school at this point and time, both only 17. The best of friends any person would ever see. They went out to this park every week, just to sit at the same old table and drink beers.
It was a small table, only two chairs that sat right across one another. It was short and round, almost like it was made for younger kids. The metal was bent into fancy, flowered shapes. The white paint had started to wear off from the rain. It was their spot; it was their favorite.
Morgan could remember everything about James, down to a T. At 17, he was one of the better looking boys around town. He was tall, but not too muscular. He had a nice body though, for someone his age. His face was still round, like when he was a boy, but as he had grown into a teenager, the small areas of baby fat had long gone. His ears were stretched, something he had done without his parents knowing, and you could see right through his lobes. He had a sliver septum ring and big, brown eyes. They were beautiful. But, if there was something that Morgan could never forget no matter how long she lived, it was his smile. When he grinned, it was lovely, but when he truly smiled, it was something that stuck to you. It was almost contagious. When he’d smile, the corners of his mouth would stretch as far as possible and it almost seemed like they would reach his ears. His teeth were lovely and straight. There wasn’t a flaw on James Cassells. He was perfect.
The phone ringing caught Morgan from her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. She sat up quickly so she’d be closer to the phone. She waited to hear him speak.
Carmen had stepped outside the apartment while he talked. She didn’t need to know everything that was going on in Morgan’s life. She was only there to take care of her, not to invade her privacy.
The phone rang a few more times before the voicemail picked up.
’Hi, this is Morgan DeLacey, I obviously didn’t pick up. So just leave me a message, I’ll get back to you!’
The phone beeped again and this time, her small, dainty voice was replaced with one that was deep, thick with a British accent.
”Hey, Morgan, it’s James. I know you’re not going to pick up, so I’ll just say what I have to say this time. The guys and I are going to be back in town tomorrow. We should be there soon, actually. I really want to meet up and catch up on anything. I know we haven’t had a decent conversation in years, since you never answer your phone, but I’m hoping that if only once you call me, it’s now. Just call me back, please. I just want to see you one last time, if that’s how this is for you. Sleep well, Morgan.”
With that, he hung up.
Carmen had come back into the living room as Morgan was sitting quietly, contemplating her options. She could call James back and see him again, after years of being apart. She’d have to face telling him everything that’s happened, which was something she was terrified of doing. What if he didn’t want to be around her, now that she was blind?
Her other option would be to simply go about the phone call like she’s done the past two years; she would just simply ignore it. She’d listen to the recording as long as the voicemail kept it there, every night, but she’d never call him herself. She felt like she had done him wrong. It hurt too much to face the fact that she had hurt him.
“What’s on your mind, darling?” Carmen said, walking over to where Morgan sat.
“James is going to be back in town tomorrow. He wants me to call him so we could meet up,” Carmen nodded.
“Are you going to call him?” Morgan slowly shook her head.
“I can’t, Carmen, I just can’t,”
“Oh nonsense,” she said, picking up the phone from the receiver. She sat down beside Morgan, holding onto her hand. Morgan turned in her direction. “You have to call him, Morg. You know you want to see him. He obviously wants to see you. Besides, I think he has every right to know,” Carmen didn’t have to explain what she was talking about. Morgan understood just fine.
“What if he thinks of me differently? What if he wants nothing to do with me?” She asked. Carmen shook her head.
“No, no, he won’t, I promise. I haven’t met James, but I’m sure that he won’t. He’s called you every month for the past two years, Morgan. I don’t know anyone who would do that for someone they didn’t care about and if he cares about you, he’s not going to let this situation change how he thinks of you,” Morgan nodded, thinking about what Carmen had said.
“Yeah, I suppose. I can’t call him right now, though,”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to have an actual conversation with him,”
“Morgan,” she dialed in his number and sat the phone in her hand. “Just do it. You don’t have to talk long. Just tell him to meet you somewhere tomorrow. I’ll take you and you can see him. Just do it,” Morgan held the phone in her hand tightly; shakily hitting the call button she had grown to known by feel. She held the phone up to her ear slowly, listening to it ring softly. It rang once, twice, three times before someone picked up the phone.
“Hello?” The deep voice said, almost out of breath.
“J-James?” She recognized his voice straight off. She could hear his breath catch in his throat before he spoke.
“I-um, yeah. It’s me,”
“Tomorrow, our usual spot by two o’clock – be there,” She didn’t wait for him to say anything. Nerves got the best of her and she hung up the phone quickly and tossed it away.
“See? That wasn’t so hard,” Carmen said.
“Right, let’s just see how tomorrow goes,”