Angel's Tears - 3. Hopes and Nightmares

The 'perfect place' turned out to be The Broken Line. Apparently the whole theme of the place was unfinished poetry or song lines. The drinks were all named after a piece of literature and so was most of the food. The tables, walls, chairs, and even coasters were stamped with incomplete phrases; some common and some not.

I suspect that the ones on the coasters were written by the townsfolk. None were named and none sounded familiar or even refined. I ordered a Hamlet (ham sandwich on rye) and a Raven (black coffee, to which I added cream and sugar).

Aiden acted as if he came here everyday. He even kissed the lady behind the counter on the cheek as if she were his sister. Well, for all I know she could be. He didn't even have to order. She just gave him a total and he payed it without batting an eyelash.

"What did you get? I didn't even hear you order,"

"I don't have to order anymore, they know my order so well. This place is right down the road from the studio. I come in here a lot. Let's find a chair or two."

Or two? OR two? He said it as if sharing a chair were a possibility! Then I noticed benches and couch type seating along the walls. That made more sense and I started to blush out of embarrassment.

Thankfully, if Aiden noticed me blush, he didn't say anything about it. That would have been a disastrous conversation. We found an empty table over in a corner. "So what all is there to do around other than coffee and tattoos? That's about all I've seen so far." I almost added, 'Can you tell I don't get out much?' but I caught myself.

"Not much really. We have a few family owned shops and restaurants but that's about it. If you drive about fifteen minuets you'll have a better chance. A few theaters, some chain stores, a mall, and lots of places to eat."

"I might just have to check that out sometime. If you'll come and give me directions that is." I would swear I wasn't coming on to him, but that would land me in hell.

"Sure. We can make a day of it sometime." Well at least he didn't freak out. He actually seemed pleased? Or maybe I'm just doing a bit of wishful thinking. Who knows.

"Alright, sounds good. But what about the people here? No one else is remotely friendly to me like you are. Sure they are polite, but none have even asked me my name." I tried not to sound sulky.

"It might be your face."

"Oh thanks. Jerk." Of course I laughed a bit to let him know the last comment was a joke.

"No, what I meant was that you have a gorgeous face. It may be hard to approach you. Especially since your new in town and no one knows anything about you really."

Well to say I wasn't expecting that would be an understatement. I know I'm not bad looking, but to be told I'm gorgeous and hard to approach because of it, is hard to believe. I know he noticed me blush this time because he smiled about it. Though I was saved the embarrassment of answering by the arrival of our order.

The food was good, the coffee was good, and the company was amazing. It was a very scrumptious outing. I was tempted with seconds.

"Let's head out, stop at a bar or something. Maybe I could just show you the town?"

"Whatever there is to see."

"Hey, we may be small, but that just means we haven't been polluted with city life and styles. We still have some natural splendor."

"Natural splendor huh? Like a park or something? Or maybe a monument?"

"You'll only find out if you let me take you."

"Take me to the natural splendor of your bed," is what I wanted to say. What I really said was, "sure. Not like I have anything else to do."

We were walking toward the door when a scream erupted from Aiden's pocket. It was so sudden we both jumped!

"Be right back," he said checking his phone screen, " I have to take this."

He walked away a bit and I was left alone by the door. Not going to say I didn't watch him walk away. Its a nice view.

I turned around real quick when he turned to walk back towards me. I tried to act like I was watching out the window the whole time. Not sure how convincing I was.

"We may have to reschedule our little trip. That was John. He got called over to New York for some shoot tomorrow. If I want to finish the mold anytime soon, its going to have to be now."

"Can I come with you? Would be cool to see some of the process. If it wouldn't be against the big bosses rules or anything I mean."

"Well the boss wouldn't care, but John would. He's kind of a private person. Probably why he left so quick the other day. He tries to stay professional but too many people and he freaks out."

"Especially since he doesn't know me. Ya I can understand that." I was a little down about it but there wasn't anything either of us could do about it.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow then, right?"

"Definitely." We walked out together but that's where we split. He went toward the studio and I went home to a movie in my underwear.

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It was a rough night for me. It took me a long time to get to sleep and when I finally did, I dreamed of my childhood. Such a happy thing to dream of. Not.

I'm laying on the ground with my sister and that bastard of a priest kneeling over me, their eyes are shining with fear and fury. I'm not sure which scared me more. My sister, normally as unshakable as a mountain, rarely shows fear. I think she used to put on a strong face for me. That day, her strength was nowhere to be found.

I'd seen the priest angry before, sure. I was a young boy, I got in trouble, and he was the one to discipline me. This was something altogether different. His eyes were slits, his teeth were grinding, and his knuckles were white with his grip on the knife.

"Wait! Please don't do this, Father! It was an accident! He didn't know what he was doing! Maybe I imagined them altogether!"

I don't know what she was talking about. What had she imagined? What did I even do wrong? I was too scared to open my mouth and ask. The words didn't even affect him anyways. His eyes kept getting darker and darker and his teeth would crumple if he clenched them any tighter.

"By the power of God, I return this DEMON to his master!" Wait, what? "He has proven himself to be a user of evil and I shall strike him down before he uses it against us!" User of what?

I didn't have time to think it over. A flash of light hit the blade and it started flying down toward my chest. My sister tried to scream at him, to push him away, to get in the way, but it was over too quickly. In a few seconds, there was a knife sticking out of my chest and I was bleeding.

I was dying, my sister was crying, and the priest was beaming from ear to ear. He believed he had done the world a great favor and expected a few pats on the back. Instead my sister punched him in the face. He fell back, got up, and walked away taking the rest of the children with him. His last move was to spit over his shoulder at us, casting us out as trash and filth.

My vision was starting to go. Everything was tinged red and was getting darker as I watched my sisters tears. She was trying to pull out the knife without really touching it. My last sight was her leaning down to kiss my forehead as the last of the blade pulled out. There was one last surge of pain and then I was gone. My body felt on fire and it was getting hotter.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

I woke up a few moments later sweating a storm and crying from the pain. My scar was radiating heat and pain across my chest. It was unbelievable.

I sat up, peeling the sheet off of me as I went, and looked down at the red line over my heart. It looked like it was new! Though I knew it was just my head playing tricks on me, I still had a moment of panic before I calmed back down.

"Only a dream. Again." Hearing it out loud helped me straighten out the image and see the faint pink line as it is. Old, and flat.

After that great wake up call at ... I looked at the clock and realized it was only five am! ... I had no chance at falling asleep again.

Time to get a shower, wash the dishes; or should I say dish; clean the apartment, work on the painting, and start a new sculpture, all before I started getting ready to leave.

To say I had a slow morning was a stretch. I swear it was like watching an hourglass in slow motion. If you've never done that, then I don't recommend it.

If I had know what I was going to walk into that day, I don't know if I would have even walked out my front door. But to reach the future, you have to take the first step.