Through the Valley: Part 6
Animal impulses
Welcome to my little corner of the internet! I’m so glad you’re here. Below you’ll find part 6 of my short story about death (and Death). It’s a riot.
Want to start at the beginning? Here you go:
Victoria was beautiful, of course. I stared slightly longer than was proper when she walked into the restaurant. She didn’t seem to notice, but instead stopped for a minute to chat casually with the hostess. I’d let her pick where we ate, so it didn’t surprise me that we’d ended up someplace she frequented regularly. It was some sort of organic crepe restaurant tucked away between a shoe store and an abandoned warehouse on 6th St.
I buried my nose in my menu as she walked to the table.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said.
“Oh, no problem,” I replied. “I was just enjoying this nice cucumber… water.” She smiled, and the weight of what I had come here to do settled on me. I tried to distract myself. “So, do you come here often?” She nodded.
“At least once a week.”
“What would you recommend?” I asked, even though I didn’t have an appetite. She put the menu down and looked at me.
“Let’s cut the small talk,” she said. “I know I hurt you.”
“Excuse me?”
“It seems like a lifetime ago,” she continued. “I didn’t remember when I first saw you at the park. Ancient history, right?”
I made a placating gesture with my hands. “Right. Of course. We were kids… it’s fine…”
“Only it isn’t,” she interrupted. “I can see that now. You aren’t comfortable around me. Like… like I might bite you.” I felt my mask fall a bit. It was all the confirmation she needed.
“You’re right to feel that way,” she said, eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry. Do you think you could forgive me? Try to start over?”
This was not going the way I expected it to. “I…well… I think so? I mean, I’m here, right?” I smiled weakly. She sniffled but returned my smile.
“Look at me,” she said, taking a tissue out of her purse. “Ten seconds into dinner and I’m crying like a little girl! Will you excuse me?” I nodded, eager to get some space to think.
“Should I order for you?” I called as she walked away.
“Sure. Just tell them I want my usual,” she said, then disappeared into the bathroom. I stared out the window, wondering how I had gotten myself into this predicament, when the waiter walked up.
“Are ve ready su ordur, Monsieur?” she said. Her French accent was so thick that I could barely understand what she was saying. I hurriedly picked up the menu and started thumbing through it.
“Um, I think I need a minute…” I looked up at the waitress. It was Death. “Oh, right, it’s you,” I said dryly. “Very nice look…”
“What are you waiting for?” he prodded. “Just get in there and finish it!”
“Get in there?” I asked incredulously. “I can’t just follow her into the women’s restroom! What if someone else is in there?”
He shrugged. “Wing it.”
“Go away, she’s coming back,” I said. He glided toward the kitchen as Victoria sat down again.
“Did you order?”
“Um, no,” I said. “I think she was new. Let’s track down another waitress.”
I’d like to say that the next hour was awful. I’d like to tell you how there was no chemistry between us, how I stayed reserved and she became standoffish.
Unfortunately, I can’t say any of those things.
We had a great time. The longer we sat there, the easier it was to fall into old roles. I felt my confidence level rising, and I was remembering why I’d fallen so hard for her in high school. Very dangerous territory, I know, but what could I do? She was mesmerizing.
Thankfully, I am horrible at small talk, so once we had finished eating and the conversation lulled, I asked her about that fateful night.
“So,” I said, “what ever happened to you and Mr. Prom King?”
She looked surprised that I had brought it up, then gave me a small smile.
“I think his name was… Tony, right?” she said. “Let’s just say that neither one of us were exactly who we said we were. It didn’t last long.” She looked off into the distance, then turned back to me. “What about you? How many lucky ladies have there been since high school?”
I laughed, but there was no joy in it. “Hmm, let’s see. Divide zero by zero, multiply by zero, and you get… well, you know.
“C’mon,” she said. “You must have at least gone on a date or two!”
“Oh sure,” I said. “But honestly, the only consistent relationship I’ve had lately has been with my niece.” That made her look at me strangely. I ran the sentence back through my head. “Not like that! My sister works a lot so I keep an eye on Cindy for her. Like a big brother…”
“Well I think that’s very sweet,” she said.
“Yep,” I replied. “That’s me. Sweet and safe. And alone…” I don’t know what made me say that. I came to this date with the explicit goal of ending someone’s life. Now I was pouring out my deepest, darkest secrets. C’est la vie.
Victoria stared at me for a few seconds, her eyes looking deep into my soul, like she was searching for something.
“You could walk me home…” she said quietly.
“Yeah…” I said. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”
The walk back to her place was uneventful in the best way possible. Not boring, but rather full of space. A pleasant stroll through a quiet city. At least, that’s how it felt externally. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, so there wasn’t much in the way of conversation. Inside, I was waging an internal battle against myself. One moment I could see poor Cindy’s face, and I’d feel resolute in my duty. Then I’d turn and glance at Victoria, and the world became anything but clear.
About ten minutes in, she slipped her arm through mine. I tensed up slightly, then relaxed. What did she think was happening here? I tried to look at it from her point of view. We’d met randomly after a decade apart; we’d just had a fun dinner together during which she’d apologized for hurting me. Now we were walking back to her apartment for, well, whatever happened. I’d gone along explicitly the entire time, so obviously I was onboard, right?
The universe is a screwed up place, sometimes.
By the time we reached her apartment, I was a walking contradiction, confused and scared and even a little excited. So when Victoria invited me inside, I said yes. What else could I have said?
The inside of her apartment was not what I expected. I remember that she’d been interested in Eastern philosophy when we were in high school; it looked like she had jumped in all the way since then. The room was sparsely furnished, and little statues of elephants and many-limbed creatures sat on shelves. There was even a curtain of beads separating the living room from the bedroom.
“You really got into this stuff, huh?” I asked.
“Oh, yes,” she said as she put her purse down on a small table. “You could say that it got into me, actually.”
I picked up one of the elephants and examined it. It was surprisingly heavy. “Have you lived here long?”
“Just a few weeks,” she said. “I’ve been out of town for a while.”
“Business?” I asked.
“Discovery,” she countered. “I came back here for business. Which reminds me… do you mind if I send a quick email? It’ll only take me a second.”
I nodded. “Where’s your restroom?”
She pointed to a hallway. “Second door on the right,” she said, then disappeared behind the beads.
I closed the door once I was in the bathroom and turned on the faucet. The cold water felt good as it splashed against my face. I needed a few minutes to think. What should my next move be? Follow her into her room and end it quickly? Try to get her drunk and wait until she fell asleep? Was this how serial killers thought? Maybe I wasn’t so different after all…
I grabbed a hand towel to dry my face, then looked into the mirror. I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that I wasn’t alone. I was totally out of sorts, however, so I yelled when I saw Death standing behind me.
“Would you stop doing that!” I said. He ignored me.
“So let me get this straight,” he said. “Are you planning to sleep with her before or after you kill her?”
I glared at his reflection. “Get out of here. It isn’t like that.”
“Prove it, Romeo.”
I brushed past him and marched confidently towards Victoria’s bedroom. I slowed as I reached the beads, carefully moving them aside and pulling the scythe from my back pocket. My feet left the ground as I let the scythe extend to its full height, and I silently made my way toward my prey. She faced away from me, typing rapidly on her keyboard. I had just started to pull my weapon back, preparing for my killing stroke, when she spoke.
“I know what you’re doing…” she said in a sing-songy voice. I froze, then fumbled with the scythe, furiously trying to get it back into my pocket. Me feet landed back on the ground an instant before she turned around.
“You naughty boy,” she said. “Trying to sneak up and scare me! I have ears like a cat, remember?”
I was literally shaking in my vans. Adrenaline surged through my body, and I felt like I was close to having a heart attack. Victoria noticed.
“What’s wrong? You look so nervous.”
“I… uh… this is all… uh… happening so fast…” I said, not meeting her eyes. She moved closer to me.
“Shhh…” she whispered. “Don’t try to explain it.” Another step and her lips met mine. I stopped shaking, and my fear was replaced by something… else. An intense heat, a fireball of emotion.
Before you judge, before you call me a creep, or a jerk, or a fool, remember that above all else, I am a lonely, confused thirty year old man who is being stretched to his emotional limit. Also, she kissed me first…
I felt myself begin to kiss her back. I observed my arms moving to embrace her, to bring her ever closer to me.
That’s when the cat hit the window.
The loud thunk was preceded by an angry screech. I pulled my face away from Victoria’s, feeling as though I had just been rudely awakened from the most pleasant dream I’d ever had.
“What was…” I started. Then I noticed that my arms were still around her. I let go and took a step back. “I… I should go.”
“It was just a cat,” Victoria said. She did not look amused. “Where are you going?”
“I just… I’ll call you. Thanks for dinner!” I yelled as I bolted for the front door. Once I was back on the sidewalk I paused, putting my hands on my knees and taking a few deep breaths. I saw Death move out of the shadows between Victoria’s apartment building and the next one. He stopped to throw the dead cat into an open trash can, then continued in my direction. It’s funny how you can tell someone’s mood by the way they carry themselves. Even though his feet didn’t touch the ground, Death still seemed to stomp toward me. Here we go, I thought.
“What the HELL was that?” he demanded. I was in no mood for his questions, however.
“I don’t want to talk about it, ok?” I said, still looking at the ground.
“No, it’s not ‘ok’. Who do you…”
“What are you going to do?” I interrupted. I stood up tall and looked into his shadowed face. “Kill me? Go ahead, and do us both a favor.” He was silent, so I pushed on. “Otherwise, just give me one goddamn minute by myself for once.”
I started walking away. Maybe it was time to pay another visit to Dr. Cuervo. Death looked for a second like he might follow me, but then decided against it. When I turned back again a few moments later he was gone.
Suggested music for Part 6: Gun by Chvrches:
Keep reading! Part 7 is ready, for you!
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