Fork and Knife
So Steady As She Goes
It was another boring day in the gas station. It was pretty deserted, we got about 5 people that came in on a daily basis. I was standing around waiting for a customer to come in. I was starring off into space, the slow hum of the overhead fan going round, the buzz of the freezer with all the cool drinks. Dean was on his lunch break it was only he and I working today. I was looking boredly at my nails, examining how dirty and blunt they had gotten. After I stopped playing guitar I started bitting my nails which had turned into bad habit, but I supposed it was worth it as nearly everyone wanted to buy Ryan Ross’s guitar which earned us quite a lot of money. Yet selling my guitar was one of the hardest thing’s I had ever had to do.
I was suddenly startled by the phone ringing on the counter. We never used our phone at home and neither of us could afford mobiles so it took me a while to realize what the ringing sound was. I picked up the receiver “hello?” I asked a bit confused and unsure of what to say, no one ever calls that phone. It pretty much had cobwebs growing off it. “Ryan? Ryan Ross?” A man said on the other end “…yes” I said. There was a pause and then a laugh and a sigh of relief “no fucking way! Ryan, it’s Brendon!”
“Wow, who would have guessed we’d end up like this” Brendon said on the other end. He and I had been speaking for almost two hours. In that time we had had a total of zero customers and Dean was out the back fixing some of the cars. He had been filling me in on everyone’s lives I had been missing out on. Brendon and Billy were doing very well, they had two daughters Peaches and Ava and at this moment Billy was pregnant and they were still so happy. Brendon was working as a music producer for unsigned bands and Billy was a primary school teacher at their local private school. Spencer had a new girlfriend, Meredith and they were about to get married and had just bought a house together. Jon was a single father with his and Cassie’s son Jacob. It was a tradition that Jon had declared, Jacob Daniel Walker. He was also running his own business.
“We should get together some time Ryan, like old times. I’m sorry for the way everything did. How’s Danhiel doing?” Brendon asked. “She’s uh, she’s good. Thanks for asking.” I replied. It was silent for a while “you have no idea how hard it was to track you down man, it has taken me nearly two months to find your number.” He said I chuckled uneasily before it was silent again. There was some background noise on the other side “listen man, I have to go…It was really good to speak to you again. Abbey says hi, she’s not here right now though but wanted me to give her regards. We’ve missed you a lot.” He said with regret and sadness in his voice “yeah, it was great speaking to you to man.” I said rubbing the back of my neck and sighing. The dial tone went dead and I held the phone against my ear for a while before I snapped out of my visions and put the phone back on the receiver.
I rubbed my hands over my face feeling tired. It had been a long day and now I was just waiting to get home. I said goodbye to Dean as the clock struck eight o’clock and hopped into my beat up Dustan, hoping it would make it all the way home without breaking down. I thankfully arrived home and unlocked the trailer door to come in and find Danhiel packing her bags. I froze standing dead in my tracks dropping the keys in my hand and letting them fall to the ground. This startled Danhiel as she jumped and turned around to face my stunned and horrified face “W-whatt are you doing??” I panicked. A small smile spread over her face as she came up to me taking my face in her hands “relax Ryan, I’m not leaving you. My aunt just passed and I have to go to home for a day to pay my respects.”
I breathed a sigh of relief kissing her hard just to make she couldn’t change her mind. “Aren’t you sad about your aunt?” I called heading straight to the fridge so see if there was anything to eat “nah, I didn’t even know her. She was a friend of my fathers and well I don’t know really care about anyone on his side, but I’m expected to go, besides their paying for my flight and all. I shut the fridge door not finding anything again I walked in after her and plonked down on the bed watching her pack what little belongings she had. She finished and went to clean her teeth. I was lying on the bed reading the newspaper I stole from the neighbours coming home from work today. “Fuck me!” Danhiel yelled running out of the bathroom in a top and a pair of my boxers jumping on top of me. I smiled and held her waist as she kissed me taking off my work top
“Will you miss me when I’m gone?” She asked as we lay in bed listening to the wind blow against the open window as she traced small circles over my chest, a habit she had began. My arm was around her waist holding her close to me while my other hand held a cigarette. Yes, another habit I had. It was bad, but living with Danhiel it was hard to not to be a smoker. Not that she was so stressful, but the fact that she was a smoker and as much as it killed me to watch her kill herself like that, I accidentally got myself involved. “Of corse.” I said kissing her forehead. “Good.”
I was suddenly startled by the phone ringing on the counter. We never used our phone at home and neither of us could afford mobiles so it took me a while to realize what the ringing sound was. I picked up the receiver “hello?” I asked a bit confused and unsure of what to say, no one ever calls that phone. It pretty much had cobwebs growing off it. “Ryan? Ryan Ross?” A man said on the other end “…yes” I said. There was a pause and then a laugh and a sigh of relief “no fucking way! Ryan, it’s Brendon!”
“Wow, who would have guessed we’d end up like this” Brendon said on the other end. He and I had been speaking for almost two hours. In that time we had had a total of zero customers and Dean was out the back fixing some of the cars. He had been filling me in on everyone’s lives I had been missing out on. Brendon and Billy were doing very well, they had two daughters Peaches and Ava and at this moment Billy was pregnant and they were still so happy. Brendon was working as a music producer for unsigned bands and Billy was a primary school teacher at their local private school. Spencer had a new girlfriend, Meredith and they were about to get married and had just bought a house together. Jon was a single father with his and Cassie’s son Jacob. It was a tradition that Jon had declared, Jacob Daniel Walker. He was also running his own business.
“We should get together some time Ryan, like old times. I’m sorry for the way everything did. How’s Danhiel doing?” Brendon asked. “She’s uh, she’s good. Thanks for asking.” I replied. It was silent for a while “you have no idea how hard it was to track you down man, it has taken me nearly two months to find your number.” He said I chuckled uneasily before it was silent again. There was some background noise on the other side “listen man, I have to go…It was really good to speak to you again. Abbey says hi, she’s not here right now though but wanted me to give her regards. We’ve missed you a lot.” He said with regret and sadness in his voice “yeah, it was great speaking to you to man.” I said rubbing the back of my neck and sighing. The dial tone went dead and I held the phone against my ear for a while before I snapped out of my visions and put the phone back on the receiver.
I rubbed my hands over my face feeling tired. It had been a long day and now I was just waiting to get home. I said goodbye to Dean as the clock struck eight o’clock and hopped into my beat up Dustan, hoping it would make it all the way home without breaking down. I thankfully arrived home and unlocked the trailer door to come in and find Danhiel packing her bags. I froze standing dead in my tracks dropping the keys in my hand and letting them fall to the ground. This startled Danhiel as she jumped and turned around to face my stunned and horrified face “W-whatt are you doing??” I panicked. A small smile spread over her face as she came up to me taking my face in her hands “relax Ryan, I’m not leaving you. My aunt just passed and I have to go to home for a day to pay my respects.”
I breathed a sigh of relief kissing her hard just to make she couldn’t change her mind. “Aren’t you sad about your aunt?” I called heading straight to the fridge so see if there was anything to eat “nah, I didn’t even know her. She was a friend of my fathers and well I don’t know really care about anyone on his side, but I’m expected to go, besides their paying for my flight and all. I shut the fridge door not finding anything again I walked in after her and plonked down on the bed watching her pack what little belongings she had. She finished and went to clean her teeth. I was lying on the bed reading the newspaper I stole from the neighbours coming home from work today. “Fuck me!” Danhiel yelled running out of the bathroom in a top and a pair of my boxers jumping on top of me. I smiled and held her waist as she kissed me taking off my work top
“Will you miss me when I’m gone?” She asked as we lay in bed listening to the wind blow against the open window as she traced small circles over my chest, a habit she had began. My arm was around her waist holding her close to me while my other hand held a cigarette. Yes, another habit I had. It was bad, but living with Danhiel it was hard to not to be a smoker. Not that she was so stressful, but the fact that she was a smoker and as much as it killed me to watch her kill herself like that, I accidentally got myself involved. “Of corse.” I said kissing her forehead. “Good.”