Status: COMPLETED
Our Memories Blanket Us With Friends We Know
Let Me Break This Awkward Silence
Gerard trudges down the rainy street towards his building. A clap of thunder booms and rain begins to come down in sheets. He sighs.
He's only a few meters away that he notices that the rain was coming down harder. Every inch of Gerard as getting wet. He yelps and starts running for his door.
He struggles to grab his keys out of his pocket, dropping them, growing more and more frustrated as the rain absolutely pounds down on him, when suddenly-
He's baffled, as thunder and lighting continues to crack across the sky, and indeed the rain is still falling around him, but not ON him.
He looks up.
Above him are branches of a young tree, leaves grown thick and high enough to form a canopy swaying in the rain. It wasn't there a second ago but now it's sheltering him, and he gapes at it. It's big and wide and it's sitting perfectly near the apartments.
Gerard's face breaks out into wide smile.
" Thank you. " He whispers. as he spins slowly beneath the tree.
*~~~~*
" You bastard. . ." Ray says to Frank.
Their both outside the Lake House staring at it. Frank gestures for Ray to follow him inside. Ray is too flabbergasted by the house.
" This is where you've been hiding out? This is yours? "
" Yep " Frank says smugly.
Ray does nothing but appraise the place
" Probably the seventies. You want a beer? "
" Yeah. "
" It's perfect! " Ray says as he catches Frank's beer.
" Actually it's not. "
Ray looks at him questioning. " Follow me. " Frank smiles
They make their way to the attic and climb up into it. Frank holds Ray's beer and they both move their way through another set of stairs that lead to the top of the flat roof.
Frank hand's the beer back and looks down at the fifteen or so drop to the water.
" I feel like there should be a stairway down to the water. Maybe a porch, a deck. Then where we're standing there should be a glass box, where you can see everything around you. But you can't touch it. No connection but sight. " Frank smiles widely at his plans.
" What? It would ruin the line. Total aesthetic catastrophe, Frank. "
" I want this house about ownership, not connection. I mean. . . It's beautiful. . . Seductive even. But. . . It's incomplete. "
" Oh yeah. . . So you're saying the maker made it about him. Look's like he knew how to build a house but not a home. "
" Exactly, Ray. "
*~~~~*
The both men are now sitting at the jetty, listening to the water lapping, drinking beer.
" Cool. " Say's Ray.
" Yeah. " Say's Frank. He feel a little beat.
" Well Frank, I didn't just come here to escape my pathetic existence in the city. "
" You didn't. "
" No. There's an agenda. "
" Go on. "
" If you drop this Lake House- I mean you could always come back to it- we could graduate together in a year. Start the Firm. "
" Toro Visionary and Associates. "
" Toro and Iero. I can't do it alone. "
Frank shakes his head " Sorry, Ray. "
Ray treads carefully. " I'm sure if you talked to him. . ."
" Forget it. "
" Frankie. . ."
" He doesn't want me back. I don't want to be back. Everybody's happier now. "
" What about your work? Your work was great. Even he amitted that. Look, I know it's hard, but if you suck it up and put all the personal shit aside for a few months you'll have your degree and everything. And- "
" I said forget it. " Frank's tone was sharp. It made Ray quiet.
" Sorry. I just. . . Like it here. "
" Are you involved with someone? "
Frank pauses.
" No. "
" Why did you hesitate? "
" I didn't! "
" Yes you did! "
" I-. . .I'm not involved with anybody, okay? "
" Okay. . . All I'm saying is maybe you should think about the future. "
Frank starts to laugh. He can't stop. Ray just looks at him.
" What, Frank?. . .What? "
*~~~~~*
Gerard goes through this bedside table, still not finding what he was supposed to.
He goes to his living room, searches there and still can't find it.
He goes back to his room and searches his cupboards.
Under old receipts and old art books he finally finds what he's been looking for. It only took him half an hour.
He brings his old calender to his bad and searches for a date.
" 5:46 to Manhattan " He picks up a pen and writes.
He's only a few meters away that he notices that the rain was coming down harder. Every inch of Gerard as getting wet. He yelps and starts running for his door.
He struggles to grab his keys out of his pocket, dropping them, growing more and more frustrated as the rain absolutely pounds down on him, when suddenly-
He's baffled, as thunder and lighting continues to crack across the sky, and indeed the rain is still falling around him, but not ON him.
He looks up.
Above him are branches of a young tree, leaves grown thick and high enough to form a canopy swaying in the rain. It wasn't there a second ago but now it's sheltering him, and he gapes at it. It's big and wide and it's sitting perfectly near the apartments.
Gerard's face breaks out into wide smile.
" Thank you. " He whispers. as he spins slowly beneath the tree.
*~~~~*
" You bastard. . ." Ray says to Frank.
Their both outside the Lake House staring at it. Frank gestures for Ray to follow him inside. Ray is too flabbergasted by the house.
" This is where you've been hiding out? This is yours? "
" Yep " Frank says smugly.
Ray does nothing but appraise the place
" Probably the seventies. You want a beer? "
" Yeah. "
" It's perfect! " Ray says as he catches Frank's beer.
" Actually it's not. "
Ray looks at him questioning. " Follow me. " Frank smiles
They make their way to the attic and climb up into it. Frank holds Ray's beer and they both move their way through another set of stairs that lead to the top of the flat roof.
Frank hand's the beer back and looks down at the fifteen or so drop to the water.
" I feel like there should be a stairway down to the water. Maybe a porch, a deck. Then where we're standing there should be a glass box, where you can see everything around you. But you can't touch it. No connection but sight. " Frank smiles widely at his plans.
" What? It would ruin the line. Total aesthetic catastrophe, Frank. "
" I want this house about ownership, not connection. I mean. . . It's beautiful. . . Seductive even. But. . . It's incomplete. "
" Oh yeah. . . So you're saying the maker made it about him. Look's like he knew how to build a house but not a home. "
" Exactly, Ray. "
*~~~~*
The both men are now sitting at the jetty, listening to the water lapping, drinking beer.
" Cool. " Say's Ray.
" Yeah. " Say's Frank. He feel a little beat.
" Well Frank, I didn't just come here to escape my pathetic existence in the city. "
" You didn't. "
" No. There's an agenda. "
" Go on. "
" If you drop this Lake House- I mean you could always come back to it- we could graduate together in a year. Start the Firm. "
" Toro Visionary and Associates. "
" Toro and Iero. I can't do it alone. "
Frank shakes his head " Sorry, Ray. "
Ray treads carefully. " I'm sure if you talked to him. . ."
" Forget it. "
" Frankie. . ."
" He doesn't want me back. I don't want to be back. Everybody's happier now. "
" What about your work? Your work was great. Even he amitted that. Look, I know it's hard, but if you suck it up and put all the personal shit aside for a few months you'll have your degree and everything. And- "
" I said forget it. " Frank's tone was sharp. It made Ray quiet.
" Sorry. I just. . . Like it here. "
" Are you involved with someone? "
Frank pauses.
" No. "
" Why did you hesitate? "
" I didn't! "
" Yes you did! "
" I-. . .I'm not involved with anybody, okay? "
" Okay. . . All I'm saying is maybe you should think about the future. "
Frank starts to laugh. He can't stop. Ray just looks at him.
" What, Frank?. . .What? "
*~~~~~*
Gerard goes through this bedside table, still not finding what he was supposed to.
He goes to his living room, searches there and still can't find it.
He goes back to his room and searches his cupboards.
Under old receipts and old art books he finally finds what he's been looking for. It only took him half an hour.
He brings his old calender to his bad and searches for a date.
" 5:46 to Manhattan " He picks up a pen and writes.