All We Know Is Falling
Day Five: Blast From The Past.
The next day, Ian went searching for a job. He couldn’t though, his mind wasn’t on it. He just wanted to crawl into bed with Sean at the moment, and be held. His life was falling apart, in a matter of days, and yet he didn’t really care. It was all material. It was all just, not needed: he had Sean. His ray of sunshine who could bring out the best of him, and make him smile no matter what.
He eventually went home to find three messages on Sean’s answer phone. He played them:
Hey, gorgeous, it’s Seanie! I’ve just gone out with Snoz, he wanted me to go with him and watch the shitty football… anyway, I’ll be back around nine, see you later!
A beep told Ian the message was over. He smiled at Sean’s voice, and his laughter and the nickname he’d picked up so quickly. It was his Sean.
Oh, and I forgot: Sean told Ian again, There’s some food in the fridge… and… he paused and went quiet I love you…. Ian could hear Snoz in the background laughing and saying to not be embarrassed by loving someone. He laughed, and Sean then got more confident, saying very loudly, I Love You Ian Fucking Watkins!. Ian laughed at Sean, smiling and, without even realising, stroking the phone as if it was his boyfriend.
He kind of went a bit dreamy before another been told him the new message was playing.
Hey, Ian, son. Err… its Chris. I don’t know if this is your number but you’re ma gave me it to contact you, I wondered if you were free this afternoon? Come over sometime. See you.
Ian frowned. Chris was his Mum’s old boyfriend. He was a few years older than his mum, and she had soon kicked him out when she realised he was a lazy shit. She had also caught him with his hand in her savings. So he was out of there quick.
He thought that maybe Chris needed money or something. He decided to go, he was bored and he wanted the time to go as quick as possible. Besides, Chris was the closest thing Ian had to his dad, and even if he wasn’t right for his mum as a boyfriend, they were still good friends and Ian felt some sort of fatherly love towards him.
Half an hour later, Ian pulled up outside Chris’s house. It was a dingy old shack, and Ian hated going there. He knocked on the door, to find no answer. The door was slightly ajar, and he heard a cough. He pushed the door open, to see Chris sitting down on the small moth-eaten sofa, coughing violently. He walked up to him, smiling, and grabbing the glass of water that Chris was pointing at. Chris grabbed the glass and choked down the water, eventually settling his cough.
“What’s up, Chris?” Ian asked, smiling. The now old looking man smiled feebly, and Ian noticed how thin he was looking.
“I don’t know if I should tell you this. I just needed someone to tell.” Chris paused, getting straight to the point, “I’ve… err… I’m dying. I’ve got Cancer.”
Ian felt his whole mind shake. This man, the closest thing he had to a father, was dying.
“I can’t take it Ian. I don’t know what to do. I’ve got poisoning from work and they made us all unknowingly sign a contract that says we’re liable. It’s all shit but there’s nothing we can do. I just got the worst of it, I guess.”
Suddenly, Ian felt a warmth in his stomach. He felt a lump in his throat, and tears forming in his eyes. What the hell had he done to deserve all of this?
“I don’t know what to say, son, I really don’t. Just- tell your ma I died because I was lazy; she’ll love that!” He laughed, suddenly coughing again. Ian grabbed another glass of water from the side, and watched as Chris chugged it down again. Chris had about five glasses all lined up, and every time he finished one, he put the glass on the other side. There were 17 glasses empty, and five full, so Ian started filling some up again.
“Listen, Ian, I know this must really suck for you-“
Before either of them could get any further in their activities, they felt the whole ground rumble. The glasses on the side shook, and Ian looked at Chris, who had a blank expression on his face. They started to go back to talking and filling glasses when the shack house shook again; this time violently. Ian walked over to the window with the glass of water in his hands but he couldn’t see the street. Smoke was rising, just in front of the window, and unexpectedly, the house collapsed. Quickly, and out of the blue, it collapsed above their heads, falling onto them with great force. Ian tried to push his way over to Chris, but when he shifted, something snapped and he was pushed under more rubble and metal. He could hear something smash, and the pain that shot up his arm and through his hand told him that the glass of water he’d been carrying had been crushes, splintering into his hand and arm. He cried out with pain, because he had never felt anything like it before.
He heard a loud cough from Chris, and a shout saying, “I’m sorry Ian. Tell your ma I’m sorry.” A final cough, a then he heard nothing. Ian cried out to Chris over and over again, but he couldn’t hear a reply. His voice was getting weaker, and when he saw the small start of flames he knew he was going to be lucky to get out alive. He watched the flames grow before his eyes. He heard people shouting, and tried to shout back, but couldn’t. He felt the glass sinking into his skin, deeper and deeper into his muscles, and tried to cry out in pain again, just to release something. But he couldn’t. He was trapped. His voice just wasn’t working. And his eyes were transfixed on the flames growing before him.
As he felt himself grow weaker, and he felt his mind shutting down, and he felt his vision go black, he heard a loud explosion. He felt the floor shake, and he was still stuck. More weight came down on top of him, pushing more glass into his left leg. He cried out, finally, and blacked out.
Five miles away, Sean walked in, whistling. He looked at the note from Ian, scrawled in his neat block letters. He smiled at the I love you too at the bottom, and the kisses, and flicked on the TV. His eyes widened as he saw a fire being put out, and two people being pulled out. One was pronounced dead, the other just unconscious. Sean squinted as he tried to figure out who it was, and when he noticed it was his boyfriend, he ran down to his car, and drove ten miles over the speed limit to the local A&E.
He eventually went home to find three messages on Sean’s answer phone. He played them:
Hey, gorgeous, it’s Seanie! I’ve just gone out with Snoz, he wanted me to go with him and watch the shitty football… anyway, I’ll be back around nine, see you later!
A beep told Ian the message was over. He smiled at Sean’s voice, and his laughter and the nickname he’d picked up so quickly. It was his Sean.
Oh, and I forgot: Sean told Ian again, There’s some food in the fridge… and… he paused and went quiet I love you…. Ian could hear Snoz in the background laughing and saying to not be embarrassed by loving someone. He laughed, and Sean then got more confident, saying very loudly, I Love You Ian Fucking Watkins!. Ian laughed at Sean, smiling and, without even realising, stroking the phone as if it was his boyfriend.
He kind of went a bit dreamy before another been told him the new message was playing.
Hey, Ian, son. Err… its Chris. I don’t know if this is your number but you’re ma gave me it to contact you, I wondered if you were free this afternoon? Come over sometime. See you.
Ian frowned. Chris was his Mum’s old boyfriend. He was a few years older than his mum, and she had soon kicked him out when she realised he was a lazy shit. She had also caught him with his hand in her savings. So he was out of there quick.
He thought that maybe Chris needed money or something. He decided to go, he was bored and he wanted the time to go as quick as possible. Besides, Chris was the closest thing Ian had to his dad, and even if he wasn’t right for his mum as a boyfriend, they were still good friends and Ian felt some sort of fatherly love towards him.
Half an hour later, Ian pulled up outside Chris’s house. It was a dingy old shack, and Ian hated going there. He knocked on the door, to find no answer. The door was slightly ajar, and he heard a cough. He pushed the door open, to see Chris sitting down on the small moth-eaten sofa, coughing violently. He walked up to him, smiling, and grabbing the glass of water that Chris was pointing at. Chris grabbed the glass and choked down the water, eventually settling his cough.
“What’s up, Chris?” Ian asked, smiling. The now old looking man smiled feebly, and Ian noticed how thin he was looking.
“I don’t know if I should tell you this. I just needed someone to tell.” Chris paused, getting straight to the point, “I’ve… err… I’m dying. I’ve got Cancer.”
Ian felt his whole mind shake. This man, the closest thing he had to a father, was dying.
“I can’t take it Ian. I don’t know what to do. I’ve got poisoning from work and they made us all unknowingly sign a contract that says we’re liable. It’s all shit but there’s nothing we can do. I just got the worst of it, I guess.”
Suddenly, Ian felt a warmth in his stomach. He felt a lump in his throat, and tears forming in his eyes. What the hell had he done to deserve all of this?
“I don’t know what to say, son, I really don’t. Just- tell your ma I died because I was lazy; she’ll love that!” He laughed, suddenly coughing again. Ian grabbed another glass of water from the side, and watched as Chris chugged it down again. Chris had about five glasses all lined up, and every time he finished one, he put the glass on the other side. There were 17 glasses empty, and five full, so Ian started filling some up again.
“Listen, Ian, I know this must really suck for you-“
Before either of them could get any further in their activities, they felt the whole ground rumble. The glasses on the side shook, and Ian looked at Chris, who had a blank expression on his face. They started to go back to talking and filling glasses when the shack house shook again; this time violently. Ian walked over to the window with the glass of water in his hands but he couldn’t see the street. Smoke was rising, just in front of the window, and unexpectedly, the house collapsed. Quickly, and out of the blue, it collapsed above their heads, falling onto them with great force. Ian tried to push his way over to Chris, but when he shifted, something snapped and he was pushed under more rubble and metal. He could hear something smash, and the pain that shot up his arm and through his hand told him that the glass of water he’d been carrying had been crushes, splintering into his hand and arm. He cried out with pain, because he had never felt anything like it before.
He heard a loud cough from Chris, and a shout saying, “I’m sorry Ian. Tell your ma I’m sorry.” A final cough, a then he heard nothing. Ian cried out to Chris over and over again, but he couldn’t hear a reply. His voice was getting weaker, and when he saw the small start of flames he knew he was going to be lucky to get out alive. He watched the flames grow before his eyes. He heard people shouting, and tried to shout back, but couldn’t. He felt the glass sinking into his skin, deeper and deeper into his muscles, and tried to cry out in pain again, just to release something. But he couldn’t. He was trapped. His voice just wasn’t working. And his eyes were transfixed on the flames growing before him.
As he felt himself grow weaker, and he felt his mind shutting down, and he felt his vision go black, he heard a loud explosion. He felt the floor shake, and he was still stuck. More weight came down on top of him, pushing more glass into his left leg. He cried out, finally, and blacked out.
Five miles away, Sean walked in, whistling. He looked at the note from Ian, scrawled in his neat block letters. He smiled at the I love you too at the bottom, and the kisses, and flicked on the TV. His eyes widened as he saw a fire being put out, and two people being pulled out. One was pronounced dead, the other just unconscious. Sean squinted as he tried to figure out who it was, and when he noticed it was his boyfriend, he ran down to his car, and drove ten miles over the speed limit to the local A&E.