Clara Kate slowly walked down the hall and out into the street. For once she did not have to rush to be somewhere. She had requested the day off and her boss had gladly given her the day all to herself. She glanced back at the door and her mind conjured up that fateful moment so long ago. Those doors were a constant reminder of that moment. A moment when a five year olds world comes crashing down. Those doors, her only anchor in an ever changing world, reminded her of that day in September when her parents left and never came back. She was told that they went to a better place, that they were finally happy. All she knew was that they had abandoned her, they did not want her and she must live with her maiden aunt. Why did her parents leave for this happier, better place without her? They just told her they were leaving for the Opera in the big city nearby. The sense of sheer depression and abandonment still stung Clara Kate and made the hairs on the back of her neck tingle with agitation. Why did she always have to carry that memory around? Yes, it had shaped the rest of her life and molded her into the person she is today, as cheesy as that sounds even to herself. Why could she not remember all those happy moments in her life when she had felt loved and needed? For example, when her uncle had tried to claim Clara Kate and bring her home, just because he wanted to receive a slice of Clara Kate’s supposed fortune and Clara Kate’s maiden aunt rightly put him in his place and took her as her own child. Clara Kate’s aunt became a doting mother. Why could Clara Kate not remember that? Instead, when she had the day off to be happy and find peace she and all she could think about was the doom those ornate doors symbolized for her.
I approached Clara Kate (maybe a little creepily, I'll admit), and once we got past the you-were-just-at-the-clinic-where-I-work phase, I thought it'd be smooth sailing.
ReplyDeleteSpencer dialed the number of the free clinic and listened to three uninterrupted rings, then a man picked up.
ReplyDelete"Is Clara Kate Holloway there?" Spencer asked.
"She's unavailable at the moment, can I-- Oh, here she is." Spencer heard the receiver exchange hands.
"Hello?" Clara Kate said into the phone.
"It's Spencer. Daey. I've run out of pain medication."
"Already? How are you feeling?"
"Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night," Spencer said, "From the pain. I've been trying to limit myself to how many I take, but... Well, some moments are worse than others."
"I'm getting off work in about an hour. I'll drop them by your apartment on my way home," Clara Kate said, and hung up.
***
A knock sounded on the door. Spencer straightened up and rolled himself to the door. Clara Kate was waiting on the other side.
"Good morning, Mr. Daey," she said. She began to extend a hand which carried a white pharmacy bag in it when she noticed the smell. She sniffed.
"What is that? Is that beer?" Clara Kate's hand retreated. "Have you been mixing your medication with beer?"
Spencer began to explain, but his reaction didn't come fast enough. He was still in a stupor from his earlier revelation. Clara Kate gave Spencer a dirty look, then turned on her heel and quickly exited the apartment building.
As planned, we headed straight for the clinic. I let Nova do most of the talking, and she quickly located the woman she needed to talk to, whose name was Clara Kate. After they chatted for a bit and I once again felt awkward, Nova reassured me that she was fine and that I could go home.
ReplyDelete(My high school ex came to see me, and she's a doctor who needed a job)
Just a small mention:
ReplyDeleteA distressed looking woman still wearing clothes stained with blood from a probably freshly treated wound passed into my field of vision. She slowly made her way out of the clinic looking much too dazed and preoccupied to be completely healed.
Hey. You and I bumped into each other at the park and then we bumped into eachother in my seventh blog. Whenever my character sees you, he feels like something is missing. I am hoping to write that your character reminds me of a childhood friend who died. Let me know if that is okay
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure who your character is but I would be happy to interact with you and it is perfectly fine if I remind you of a childhood friend...I just kinda need to know your character.
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