By Tyler Sherman
The sun slanting through the Venetians, (that cost almost a thousand pounds all told, and were staying! Because of some legal real estate thing) was warm, orange, and fell on Carrion as she skittered across the hardwood in the living room, toward the front door, and a dull slapping echo reported from the walls and the stairwell. Nancy let herself in before either Carrion, or Chloris got there, and the orange light flooded in the west facing door. When she shut it behind her and the room darkened again Chloris was overcome, but swooped Carrion, who then turned into a small warm pile of giggles, up, and lifted her high above her head.
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“Point me toward the boxes,” Nancy said. Chloris sighed, bringing Carrion back down. Close into her chest, it was surprising how warm she was. She left the way into the kitchen where all the cleaning things were piled, more or less, by the sink, and held out her finger and pointed, listlessly at the pile, or the nearby box, still folded flat, and a roll of tape. Nancy chuckled, brightly and started putting the box together.
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Chloris brought Carrion with her into the bathroom. Most of the things under the vanity were already packed, and gone, so she wasn’t worried about her getting into anything. There wasn’t, as a matter of fact, much to get into anywhere. Since the movers came, Chloris had taken to letting Carrion wander. She knew to stay away from electrical outlets. The empty house was like a completely new place to her. Her eyes were wide, almost shocked as she explored.
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Nancy kept calling across the house to Chloris trying to start a conversation but Chloris could rarely hear her. When she could she replied in short, (one or two) word answers, (she wasn’t in the mood for a conversation), and when she couldn’t it didn’t matter, Nancy just needed to reassure herself that things were in fact fine, everything was okay.
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It only took Chloris a few minutes to put her shampoo and tweezers, and makeup in her travel bag, and her contacts, and contact lens solution. Carrion ambled her way into the bedroom, and into the living room. Nancy was talking to Chloris who wasn’t paying attention, and packing soap, scouring pads, and dusty, old, hand towels that smelled like Old English and though, (like with most hand towels) you wanted to, were drawn to wiping your hands off on them, they were just saturated enough to be disinclined to take anything else.
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“Where’s the Bed?” Chloris heard Nancy shout when she got within earshot.
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“Oh,” she said, “I just had them take it.” She walked into the kitchen as Nancy turned around and frowned at her.
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“Where are you going to sleep tonight?” Nancy asked
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“In the bedroom.”
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“Where in the bedroom?”
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Carrion’s arm slipped out from underneath her, behind the wall in the family room, and she made a soft sound, but no one was there to show concern, and she assumed everything was fine.
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“I was going to go get some pizza.” Chloris said.
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“Let me,” Nancy said, “You play with Carrion, she must be so bored.”
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“She’s fine.” said Chloris.
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“Should we call?”
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“Gosh,” Chloris said, “I don’t even think I have the thing anymore.”
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“That’s okay. I’ll just go there and wait.”
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“Thanks Nancy,” Chloris said.
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* * *
As soon as Nancy left Chloris came crawling out of the bedroom, standing up, walking, unbalanced. She remembered being in the family room. It was almost as if Richard was still there, in a way. Everything in the whole house seemed to be dripping with him, every corner she turned, there he was, laying on the floor, or leaning up against the toilet.
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Carrion rolled over and over and over again. She was working out all of her extra energy, which was good. If they were going to wake up early tomorrow, she wanted to keep Carrion up as long as she could, so she would sleep the rest of the way in her carseat in the back. She really just had to get herself, and her and Carrions overnight bags, and they’d be ready to go. They’d take a leisurely drive the next day, stop for breakfast and lunch, and then keep going till they were too tired. They could make the rest of the drive the next day, easily.
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When Nancy got back to Chloris and Carrion’s place, Carrion was already asleep. Chloris had put her in the playpen, and covered her with a blanket. She was sitting on the floor in the kitchen reading a Hello magazine. Nancy walked in, without attracting attention for Chloris, until she set down the pizza box, and a six pack of beer.
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“Oh,” Chloris sighed. “Thanks Nancy.”
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“Don’t mention it, Chloris.” She said. “How was Carrion?
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“Oh great.” She said, “She’s been crawling around all day, she should be tired.”
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There was some subtle, but very real tension between the two of them, which was broken by Chloris opening the pizza box, and sighing with tired delight again.
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“Mushrooms.” Chloris said.
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“Who knows you?” Nancy said.
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By the time they opened the final beers they were warm. They both sat on the floor in Chloris’ bedroom, with the door closed so as to not bother Carrion.
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Chloris picked up a half eaten piece of pizza from the box and took one more bite of it. She was about to call it a night. If Nancy didn’t have anything else to say.
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Nancy was tired too, and responded quickly to Chloris’ insinuations that she wasn’t welcome any more. She left the house, and got into her car, and as she pulled out of the driveway, she began to cry, hot tears streaking down her face. The hardest part, Nancy thought was keeping herself awake. There wasn’t anything else to do but focus on the road the whole way to her house. Nothing made a sound.
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* * *
Nancy offered to look through the boxes in the kitchen, but Chloris didn't hear her. Nancy turned to leave and thought she caught a glimpse of Samson out of the corner of her eye. She left, frightened, and fumbled with they keys, trying to open the door.
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The drive to the pizza place was short enough but Nancy felt herself drifting. She opened the windows a little bit to get some air on her face, but she still had trouble keeping her eyes open.
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She got the the pizza place in one piece and went inside to order something. She waited for a mew minutes, on the lowly orange vinyl bench before she couldn't take it anymore. She left the pizza place and went further down the stripmall to the supermarket which looked like it was closed, but the doors opened by themselves when she got close enough to see the sign that had the store hours on it, in the window.
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The beer was practically hidden, it took almost ten minutes and three trips down the back aisle to find them. She bought some and went back to the pizza place where she still had to wait twenty minutes for the pizza to be done.
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The drive back to Chloris' seemed longer. At one point Nancy found herself in the wrong lane. As the sun was setting she turned on the radio, and pulled into the driveway at dusk.
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-Leaving and Leaving
copyright 2006