NaNoWriMo 2015 Day 3
Chapter 2 Read Day 1 here
The next few days seemed a blur of warmth and color for Carolyn. She and Geoffrey lunched together every day, each time at a new restaurant chosen by Geoffrey based on whatever cuisine Carolyn fancied at the time. Turns out he was quite the restaurant connoisseur.
When the weekend came, they spent the first day hiking through one of the nearby national parks, taking in the last few days of late summer sunshine. Together, they hiked to the top of Mount Audrea, Geoffrey pointing out the various flora and fauna unique to the area. Carolyn wasn’t much of an outdoorsman normally, more from lack of experience than lack of desire. Being out in nature with Geoffrey seemed a magical experience unto itself. By the time they returned to civilization, the sun had all but left the horizon.
“I had a lovely time,” Carolyn said, knowing that didn’t begin to cover how she felt.
“As did I,” Geoffrey responded.
“I can’t believe, having lived here all my adult life, I had never taken the time to do that. All that beauty in my own backyard, and I hadn’t even known it was there.”
“It’s one of the few things that keeps me going in life,” said Geoffrey. “Exploring nature’s wonders reminds me that there’s still magic in the world. It keeps me grounded.”
“I can see how that is,” Carolyn agreed. They now stood in front of the train station. The last train to Carolyn’s town would leave in the next ten minutes. Looking around the station, it appeared Carolyn would be its only occupant.
“May I wait with you?” Geoffrey asked.
“If you like,” Carolyn said, blushing. She sat down on a bench in front of the tracks. He followed, his thigh up against hers. At the moment of contact, Carolyn’s heart went into overdrive. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears. Her cheeks flushed. She hoped he couldn’t tell in the warm incandescent light. Neither said a word nor looked at each other for what seemed like ages, yet all too soon, Carolyn heard the familiar whistle of the train as it pulled in. They jumped up to their feet in unison.
“Good night,” Carolyn said, turning to board the train. She felt a hand on her shoulder before she was spun around and embraced in a passionate kiss. Her eyes widened like moons as his lips connected with hers. Just as she started to feel comfortable in it, he released. “Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked.
“I can’t,” Carolyn said, flustered. She turned again taking a few steps towards the train before stopping. “But I’m free the following day, that is, if you’re able.”
“Eighteen thirty?” he asked. “There’s a show in town that I think you might enjoy. We can get dinner before.”
“Eighteen thirty,” she repeated. “Good night!”
“Sleep well, Carolyn.”
Carolyn burst through her front door, slammed it shut and, after bolting it, sank down to the floor, sobbing. Her soaked dress dripped on the tile floor, her back braced against the door with her knees at her chest. Her tears melded with the moisture dripping off her waterlogged fringe. She had just walked four blocks in pouring down rain. Geoffrey had insisted on driving her home, but she wasn’t about to trust him. Not after the move he had tried to pull.
Amazing how different things looked now. Less than 52 hours ago she was kissing him on the train platform. Things seemed so perfect. Now, she shuddered thinking about it. At first,when he made the proposition, whispering in her ear, Carolyn just froze. Her brain couldn’t accept that anyone would be so brazen, would assume so much. Quickly, it dawned on her what he actually meant by it, and she gave him the full force of her hand across his face. Let’s see him explain away that bruise tomorrow morning when he comes to work, she thought almost smirking at the idea.
It wasn’t so much that he tried to make a move that upset Carolyn. It’s that he had been so interesting. They had talked for hours, covering all sorts of topics, from airships to computation, medicine, various flora and fauna found in the most remote parts of the world. There seemed to be no end to this man’s knowledge. It was so refreshing to have someone who shared her interests. But then to pull something like this. And his reasoning too. ‘I’ll be leaving at the end of the week…’ Like it was now or never, or something. She didn’t want any part of that. Was that all this was for him? A tryst? A whirlwind affair while he was away on business? Here one day, gone the next. Carolyn was not interested. Then, slowly, it started to dawn on her, more than his presumptuousness, it was that he would be gone so soon that angered her most.
For the first time, something new had been added to her life, and now it was about to be gone. The thought sent her heart into her stomach. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, (it did little good as it was still soaking wet) took a deep, shaky breath and forced herself slowly on to her feet. She needed a cup of tea. She needed to get out of these wet clothes.
Walking through the kitchen, she turned on the radio. Nothing would be transmitting this late, but the static filled the house with a calming, consistent drone she found comforting. The empty house was just too quiet otherwise, and Carolyn never got around to picking up a Sonograph and some cylinders to play music of her own. Best to leave the music selection to those whose job it was to keep them spinning at the broadcast station.
She turned the knob, with a brief whine, the familiar hush of static filled the house. Breathing a sigh of relief, Carolyn moved into the kitchen and filled a pot with water for tea. she went over to light the stove when suddenly, the muffled sound of music filled the room. The static melted away, and the sweet sad reverberations of some instrument Carolyn had never heard before came through the hush and fuzz of the static. A woman’s voice floated in, following the tones and adding a new layer of intricacy to the accompaniment, which, Carolyn now noticed, included the plucking sound of some strings, like a harp, and the steady rhythm of some sort of percussion instrument.
The woman was singing in a language Carolyn had never heard before, yet, even without comprehending the lyrics, the sounds resonated with her. The bittersweet melancholy of the instruments, the pained, powerful tenor of the woman’s voice seemed to echo her current emotions. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. She stood transfixed, then, putting the kettle on the unlit stove, drifted back into the living room to better listen.
She sat gazing out the window, lost in the images the sweet music evoked in her mind. Too soon, the singing stopped. The instrumentation continued for a few more beats, then it too came to an end. Carolyn let her trance fade, figuring the station host would come on and announce what it was she just heard. An announcer did come on, but the voice was so muffled she couldn’t make out what he was saying. She jumped up from the sofa and rushed over to the radio to see if she couldn’t tune it in better. The instant she touched it, however, the voice cut out only leaving static to once again fill the room.
