Put Away Your Dreams-Chapter 1
Nov. 13th, 2004 11:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
axesladefinished this a few days ago and forgot to post it right away. eeek.
1
A Silver Lining?
Amy Cale woke up at five to the sound of her phone ringing. Strange, the only people who called her were drunks or bill collectors, and they rarely called before seven, and anyway, she hadn’t performed last night so she doubted the boozers would be thinking of her. Groaning, she turned over and let the answering machine get it. It wasn't that she was tired, she slept like a log last night. But mornings and nights were the hardest. The idea of spending another day without James to help her through it, then going to bed and thinking that somewhere out there a beautiful boy or girl had him in their arms to chase away nightmares.
Just as she was falling asleep again, a loud meowing sounded from the kitchen. Sighing, Amy got up and shuffled out, stroking her Siamese cat on the head as she passed,
"Yes, yes your Majesty, I heard you", she grumbled, turning on the can opener and dumping the disgusting smelling meat onto a small plate. After Janis licked her fingers clean, Amy went into the living room and pressed a button on the answering machine to see who the hell had wanted to talk to her so early in the morning.
Her heart jumped into her throat when she heard James' voice. Of course it was markedly older, a little dry and tired, but she would still know it anywhere.
"Hey Am'. Umm, I've known you were in New York for awhile now, I've actually been living here for ten years, but I was too much of a coward to...well anyway, the doctors have pretty much decided there's nothing more they can do for me, and I was wondering if we could...if we could get together, maybe tie up some loose ends so there's not all this anger when it's over. My number's 2021-5678, call me so we can set up a time to meet."
That was it. Not even a goodbye. That didn't really matter, though. Amy wanted to tell herself it mattered, that she wouldn't call back because he'd been so rude just so she wouldn't have to see him and face the fact that her James...her beautiful, smart, funny, caring James, was dying. But it didn't matter, he hadn't been rude, so she would have to call back. Tonight, so she could have a few drinks to give herself some courage and maybe some nice poetic words. In the meantime, she had to get ready for work.
"Amy? Helloo? Anybody home?"
Amy blinked rapidly, shoving the picture of James she'd been dreamily staring at into her purse and turning to Angela,
"Hey Ang, what's up?"
"It's five, me and the girls are going to Roxie’s. You wanna come?"
Amy sighed. She really shouldn't, she always drank too much and if she was going to call James tonight...
"Oh what the hell", she picked up her purse and followed Angela out to her car. After they'd been driving for a few minutes, Angela turned down the radio,
"So...you and James meet again?"
"What are you talking about?"
“I saw you looking at that picture you have of him He finally forgive you?”
Amy sighed, tapping her cigarette out in the ashtray,
“He called me this morning. Apparently he’s gotten worse and he wants to clear everything up before he dies.”
“Jesus...I’m so s-”
“Don’t be. I’ve known I was going to get the call that he’d died sooner or later, I’m glad that I’ve got a chance to make amends before it happens.”
Angela nodded and turned in to the bar. Amy got out quickly, making a beeline for the counter while Anglea flirted with every single guy in the joint.
“What’ll it be?”
“Beer.”
The bartender nodded and handed her a glass bottle. Amy twisted the top off and took a few dainty lady-like sips; trying to give the pretense of being an occasional drinker instead of a binging drunk. But then James entered her mind again. The idea that he might be dying right now, that she wouldn’t have the chance to tell him how sorry she was, beg for a second chance. The horrible thought of what her last words to him might be.
‘You want to know what's wrong with me? The fact that I'm stuck between two equally wonderful men, one of whom refuses to give me any time to get over the other.’ Well, she’d had her time now. She was over Tom, and she needed to let James know before it was too late.
Chugging the rest of the beer and tossing a few bills on the counter, she stumbled to the payphone in the back. She shoved a few coins in and dialed his number.
“Hello?”
“Oh James, thank God....”
“Amy? You’re drunk, aren’t you?”
“Just a little. Listen...I’ve got the day off tomorrow, what’s your address?”
so what does my public think?
1
A Silver Lining?
Amy Cale woke up at five to the sound of her phone ringing. Strange, the only people who called her were drunks or bill collectors, and they rarely called before seven, and anyway, she hadn’t performed last night so she doubted the boozers would be thinking of her. Groaning, she turned over and let the answering machine get it. It wasn't that she was tired, she slept like a log last night. But mornings and nights were the hardest. The idea of spending another day without James to help her through it, then going to bed and thinking that somewhere out there a beautiful boy or girl had him in their arms to chase away nightmares.
Just as she was falling asleep again, a loud meowing sounded from the kitchen. Sighing, Amy got up and shuffled out, stroking her Siamese cat on the head as she passed,
"Yes, yes your Majesty, I heard you", she grumbled, turning on the can opener and dumping the disgusting smelling meat onto a small plate. After Janis licked her fingers clean, Amy went into the living room and pressed a button on the answering machine to see who the hell had wanted to talk to her so early in the morning.
Her heart jumped into her throat when she heard James' voice. Of course it was markedly older, a little dry and tired, but she would still know it anywhere.
"Hey Am'. Umm, I've known you were in New York for awhile now, I've actually been living here for ten years, but I was too much of a coward to...well anyway, the doctors have pretty much decided there's nothing more they can do for me, and I was wondering if we could...if we could get together, maybe tie up some loose ends so there's not all this anger when it's over. My number's 2021-5678, call me so we can set up a time to meet."
That was it. Not even a goodbye. That didn't really matter, though. Amy wanted to tell herself it mattered, that she wouldn't call back because he'd been so rude just so she wouldn't have to see him and face the fact that her James...her beautiful, smart, funny, caring James, was dying. But it didn't matter, he hadn't been rude, so she would have to call back. Tonight, so she could have a few drinks to give herself some courage and maybe some nice poetic words. In the meantime, she had to get ready for work.
"Amy? Helloo? Anybody home?"
Amy blinked rapidly, shoving the picture of James she'd been dreamily staring at into her purse and turning to Angela,
"Hey Ang, what's up?"
"It's five, me and the girls are going to Roxie’s. You wanna come?"
Amy sighed. She really shouldn't, she always drank too much and if she was going to call James tonight...
"Oh what the hell", she picked up her purse and followed Angela out to her car. After they'd been driving for a few minutes, Angela turned down the radio,
"So...you and James meet again?"
"What are you talking about?"
“I saw you looking at that picture you have of him He finally forgive you?”
Amy sighed, tapping her cigarette out in the ashtray,
“He called me this morning. Apparently he’s gotten worse and he wants to clear everything up before he dies.”
“Jesus...I’m so s-”
“Don’t be. I’ve known I was going to get the call that he’d died sooner or later, I’m glad that I’ve got a chance to make amends before it happens.”
Angela nodded and turned in to the bar. Amy got out quickly, making a beeline for the counter while Anglea flirted with every single guy in the joint.
“What’ll it be?”
“Beer.”
The bartender nodded and handed her a glass bottle. Amy twisted the top off and took a few dainty lady-like sips; trying to give the pretense of being an occasional drinker instead of a binging drunk. But then James entered her mind again. The idea that he might be dying right now, that she wouldn’t have the chance to tell him how sorry she was, beg for a second chance. The horrible thought of what her last words to him might be.
‘You want to know what's wrong with me? The fact that I'm stuck between two equally wonderful men, one of whom refuses to give me any time to get over the other.’ Well, she’d had her time now. She was over Tom, and she needed to let James know before it was too late.
Chugging the rest of the beer and tossing a few bills on the counter, she stumbled to the payphone in the back. She shoved a few coins in and dialed his number.
“Hello?”
“Oh James, thank God....”
“Amy? You’re drunk, aren’t you?”
“Just a little. Listen...I’ve got the day off tomorrow, what’s your address?”
so what does my public think?
