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Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

With your suggestion in mind, Yrolg, I'll go ahead and take ten reserves on this page. Should certainly be plenty.
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Rain, endless rain. It poured from flat gray clouds, as it had for the past day. Gavin watched his windshield wipers slide up and down, down and up, clearing away the fresh fallen drops. It was one of those dreary days, he figured, when it’s best to sit at home, cuddled up with someone special to watch a movie. But here he was, stuck driving to work, where there’d be nothing to do. The restaurant was always slow when the weather was bad. No one else wanted to go out any more than he did. The only difference was that they got their wish.
A minute later, the light he was waiting on switched to green. The raindrops fell harder as he sped up, his wipers -- struggling to keep pace -- barely kept the drops from turning to rivulets. He gazed forward, mesmerized by the swishing blades. Back and forth they went, never tiring and always striving. Sometimes Gavin wished he could be like that, all mechanical and programmed. Sometimes, he wished he couldn’t feel.
His life had a lot of rain in it lately, it seemed. Classes weren’t going well, mainly because he had trouble with responsibility. Worse, he valued his education, and responsibility played a leading role in the values of his life. It was a torment, watching himself fall off the path he wanted to be on, and unable to find the way to fix it, to find where he’d gone wrong. On top of all that, he’d been unable to find friends at university. The terms seemed too short for him to get to know anyone, and the people he met outside class never seemed to get back in touch when he thought they would. It was a terrible mixture, few friends to lend support and him hating the person he was becoming.

18-Jul-2012 10:22:34 - Last edited on 18-Jul-2012 10:52:06 by Chuk

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

But it hadn’t all been terrible, at least not until quite recently. Before that, there’d been his girlfriend -- Sari, his shining light, his sun to drive away the rain. He loved her more than he would’ve believed was possible before he met her. And he thought she loved him the same way, thought he was her favorite being, the person she always wanted around. Then she’d said that it wasn’t working, that something was missing. She couldn’t say what it was. That bugged him.
Lost in his brooding, Gavin did*’t notice the next light change to red in front of him, did*’t notice the three young women in the crosswalk until he was almost on top of them. His eyes found their faces while his foot searched for the brakes. Two of them saw him coming, had time to run clear. The third was turned, her face facing away from his car. Her friends tried to pull her away, but it wasn’t enough, and neither was all his weight pressing on that brake pedal.
Her head turned at the last instant, that last tenth of a second before he hit her, and he saw the terror bloom in her eyes. Her mouth opened to scream, but she never got the chance. As much as he had managed to slow down, her fragile frame was no match for the steel of his car. She flew forward and rolled, limbs as limp and lifeless as a doll’s. As soon as the car came to a stop, thankfully before it ran her over completely, he was out the door, rushing to her side, there before her friends.
Taking her hand in his, he pressed his fingers against her wrist, hoping. Praying. And there it was, a pulse, strong and steady. He laid her arm back down beside her and rocked back on his heels with a sigh of relief.
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First writing of the week, and pretty it's pretty raw. Didn't edit at all as I wrote, which I normally do at least a little. So my apologies if some of it is pretty ugly writing.

625 words.

18-Jul-2012 10:22:43 - Last edited on 18-Jul-2012 10:55:41 by Chuk

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He rested like that, elbows resting on knees and face buried in his hands. He was only vaguely aware of the rain soaking his shirt, of the girl’s two friends coming up. The realization that one was on the phone to 911 was distant, though he did wonder why he had not thought to make the call himself. The rain had matted his hair, and he could feel it dripping from his bangs, down onto his shoes.
After a time, when there were sirens in the distance, he managed to raise his head, to look around. There was a cut across her forehead, and the skin around it was already blackening into an ugly bruise. But his eyes slid away from that, focused on the rest of her face, and he found himself startled by her beauty. Her nose seemed to be just the right size, seemed to meld seamlessly with cheekbones of just the right size, neither prominent nor too flat. And her lips, parted just slightly, were full and soft. Without thinking, he reached out, brushing her bangs back into place.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, but he thought her friends heard him. He felt their eyes on his back as he stood and trudged to the curb where he sat, watching as a police cruiser rolled into the intersection. The officer got out, talked to the girl who had placed the call for a moment, then checked on the girl Gavin had hit. Another police cruiser arrived a short minute later, and the ambulance followed close behind.
Leaving the care of the girl to the paramedics, the two officers went back to the girl’s two friends. They talked for a moment, and one of the girls pointed towards Gavin. It was not long before one of the officers strode over. His face was hard. Not cruel, but stern, and with eyes that had seen too many people hurting. Gavin sighed, started to stand, but the officer motioned to him to remain seated and then sat beside him.

18-Jul-2012 10:22:49 - Last edited on 21-Jul-2012 09:54:40 by Chuk

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Gavin opened his mouth to say something, to apologize, but he found the words getting caught in his throat. Instead, he stared at the wet pavement between his legs, waiting for the officer to speak. Finally, he did.
“What’s your name son?”
Gavin told him without looking up.
“I’m Officer Steele. I’m going to need your license and registration.”
Gavin only nodded. He pulled his wallet from his pocket, pulled out the license. He was younger in the picture, and smiling. He did*’t feel like he’d ever smile again. He handed the card to the officer, then said, “Registration and insurance are in my car.”
It took some time, but after giving all his information and a statement to the officer, he was released. That sort of surprised him. Part of him had thought he’d be arrested on the spot and charged with manslaughter. But all the officer said was that he needed to watch his mail and try to stay close to his phone, that he’d be getting a court summons. It was pretty clear he was at fault, and there would certainly be consequences.
Gavin had known that from the beginning, and he also knew that whatever consequences the state administered would pale next to the punishment he would be giving himself. He got back in his car just long enough to move it off the road, then got out and walked home. He couldn’t bear to sit behind the steering wheel, not then. Not ever, he thought.
Part way home, he checked his phone, saw three missed calls from work and three messages. He did*’t listen to them, did*’t call in. He would have to later, he supposed, but there was no way he was ready to tell anyone what happened, and certainly not his boss.
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Another 638 words managed tonight. That makes 1263 for the week, and 900 to write in the next 36 hours or so. I hope I manage it.

18-Jul-2012 10:22:53 - Last edited on 21-Jul-2012 09:56:57 by Chuk