Drunken Lullabies
She won't let go...
The rain fell in fat, heavy drops on the windshield in an attempt to wash the years of dirt and grime off the old, beat-up Pontiac. One wiper wailed a squeak of resistence as Isabelle turned the windshield wipers on, cursing the pregnant, black rain clouds. The ominous weather just didn't go well with her plans for the day, and she was having a hard time not seeing this as a bad sign.
Her entire life had been reduced to two brown boxes and a trashbag of shoes thrown in the trunk of her car. Determined they were not going to have to resort to returning to their old apartment, she and Maddison had packed everything up the night before and left the keys to the apartment at the landlord's door, sans the month's rent. Shoes, clothes, makeup, blankets, a guitar, and a few books and CDs were all shoved haphazardly into boxes and bags, and thrown into the trunk.
Austin had generously provided Isabelle with enough cash for gas and food to get to and from the concert, should she need it all. Maddison, however, was granted the privilege of a travel buddy in Austin, and wouldn't be needing the emergency cash.
"Lucky bitch," Isabelle whispered to herself. She hated traveling alone, and was halfway tempted to pull over and pick up the old hitch-hiker she had seen a few miles back. Even if he was crazy, at least he would make for some interesting company.
Flipping through the radio stations, a country song caught her attention and her hand froze on the search button.
He tells me he'll be back to see me every time he has to go. And I keep wondering just when that'll be, 'cause with him you never know. His love's like...
A vision of the two of them running wildly from the banks of the pond as the storm clouds rolled in, bringing with it a torrent of summer rain and lightening, grabbing cast-away clothes on their way to the shelter of his truck flashed in front of her. She heard the creak of the door as he swung it open and pushed her inside, and she could feel his callused farm hands on her cold, wet skin as he pulled her close in the safety of the old Dodge, the rain beating heavily on the roof. A flock of butterflies made their way through her belly as she heard him whisper in her ear and felt his lips trace their way down her neck, making her moan.
Her low moan turned to a sudden scream, however, as a bolt of lightening struck a tree just a few yards ahead with a loud crack, jolting her out of her reminiscent state of mind. Swerving sharply to the left, she struggled to steer clear of a falling limb. A few branches of the limb whipped mercilessly on the roof and right side of her windshield, but she missed the heavy weight of the falling limb by mere inches.
Taking a deep breath, she slowed to a halt on the shoulder of the interstate. She lay her head down on the steering wheel and a single tear made its way down her cheek, leaving a clean trail through her meticulously applied makeup.
Go away, she thought, the torrent of emotions subsiding and leaving her feeling aching and cold once again. Just let me be.
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"I never wanted to say this, you never wanted to stay. I put my faith in you, so much faith, and then you just threw it awaayyyy!!" Maddison belted out the final lyrics to the last song of the rehearsal before the show, and the guitars rang their final chords.
"Perfect!" Austin shouted with a huge smile spreading across his face. "So much better than Kristin ever did!" He had no problem throwing insults at his sister when it came to her singing voice. She may be an excellent song writer, but that gave her no reason to stand in front of a crowd with a microphone and guitar. In fact, it was pretty insulting.
Maddison, on the other hand...
"You really think it was okay?" Maddison asked, a little unsure. "The last few notes sounded a little flat."
"It was fine," Austin replied, exasperated at her knack for perfection when it came to singing.
"I don't know. Maybe I should run through it a couple more times..."
"No! Honey, you sang the entire six hour drive out here, and you've been rehearsing with the band for the past two hours. Any more practice and you'll ruin that perfectly tuned voice of yours."
"Fine, whatever." Maddison grabbed a bottle of water as she made her way out the back door for a few breaths of fresh air. She had been singing all day, and her throat was getting a little scratchy. The New York air did nothing for her, though, and her nerves were no less shaky than they had been since she stepped foot through the back doors of the club. The wind blew through her hair and she thought seriously about running. But her thoughts were shattered when Austin pulled open the door and grabbed hold of her arm.
"Come on, love. You've got about two minutes."
A deep sigh escaped her lips and she threw her head back to peer up at the night sky for emphasis, rolling her head back around and turning the face Austin.
This is it she thought as she took a step through the door and toward her dream.
Her entire life had been reduced to two brown boxes and a trashbag of shoes thrown in the trunk of her car. Determined they were not going to have to resort to returning to their old apartment, she and Maddison had packed everything up the night before and left the keys to the apartment at the landlord's door, sans the month's rent. Shoes, clothes, makeup, blankets, a guitar, and a few books and CDs were all shoved haphazardly into boxes and bags, and thrown into the trunk.
Austin had generously provided Isabelle with enough cash for gas and food to get to and from the concert, should she need it all. Maddison, however, was granted the privilege of a travel buddy in Austin, and wouldn't be needing the emergency cash.
"Lucky bitch," Isabelle whispered to herself. She hated traveling alone, and was halfway tempted to pull over and pick up the old hitch-hiker she had seen a few miles back. Even if he was crazy, at least he would make for some interesting company.
Flipping through the radio stations, a country song caught her attention and her hand froze on the search button.
He tells me he'll be back to see me every time he has to go. And I keep wondering just when that'll be, 'cause with him you never know. His love's like...
A vision of the two of them running wildly from the banks of the pond as the storm clouds rolled in, bringing with it a torrent of summer rain and lightening, grabbing cast-away clothes on their way to the shelter of his truck flashed in front of her. She heard the creak of the door as he swung it open and pushed her inside, and she could feel his callused farm hands on her cold, wet skin as he pulled her close in the safety of the old Dodge, the rain beating heavily on the roof. A flock of butterflies made their way through her belly as she heard him whisper in her ear and felt his lips trace their way down her neck, making her moan.
Her low moan turned to a sudden scream, however, as a bolt of lightening struck a tree just a few yards ahead with a loud crack, jolting her out of her reminiscent state of mind. Swerving sharply to the left, she struggled to steer clear of a falling limb. A few branches of the limb whipped mercilessly on the roof and right side of her windshield, but she missed the heavy weight of the falling limb by mere inches.
Taking a deep breath, she slowed to a halt on the shoulder of the interstate. She lay her head down on the steering wheel and a single tear made its way down her cheek, leaving a clean trail through her meticulously applied makeup.
Go away, she thought, the torrent of emotions subsiding and leaving her feeling aching and cold once again. Just let me be.
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"I never wanted to say this, you never wanted to stay. I put my faith in you, so much faith, and then you just threw it awaayyyy!!" Maddison belted out the final lyrics to the last song of the rehearsal before the show, and the guitars rang their final chords.
"Perfect!" Austin shouted with a huge smile spreading across his face. "So much better than Kristin ever did!" He had no problem throwing insults at his sister when it came to her singing voice. She may be an excellent song writer, but that gave her no reason to stand in front of a crowd with a microphone and guitar. In fact, it was pretty insulting.
Maddison, on the other hand...
"You really think it was okay?" Maddison asked, a little unsure. "The last few notes sounded a little flat."
"It was fine," Austin replied, exasperated at her knack for perfection when it came to singing.
"I don't know. Maybe I should run through it a couple more times..."
"No! Honey, you sang the entire six hour drive out here, and you've been rehearsing with the band for the past two hours. Any more practice and you'll ruin that perfectly tuned voice of yours."
"Fine, whatever." Maddison grabbed a bottle of water as she made her way out the back door for a few breaths of fresh air. She had been singing all day, and her throat was getting a little scratchy. The New York air did nothing for her, though, and her nerves were no less shaky than they had been since she stepped foot through the back doors of the club. The wind blew through her hair and she thought seriously about running. But her thoughts were shattered when Austin pulled open the door and grabbed hold of her arm.
"Come on, love. You've got about two minutes."
A deep sigh escaped her lips and she threw her head back to peer up at the night sky for emphasis, rolling her head back around and turning the face Austin.
This is it she thought as she took a step through the door and toward her dream.