"You're Late."
I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance.
She sat alone and silent in the orange glow of the Stork Club her still red finger nail running along the rim of the glass of scotch she'd ordered, still waiting to be drunken. People walked around her joyously chatting up a storm as they joked and bantered. A few of the couples danced without a care in the world to the fast victory song the band played.
We'll have the band play something slow…
She didn't join the festivities of the newly won war tonight, in fact she never would. Instead she continued to sit there, dressed in black, the rest of the world only a blur as she stared at the ice in her glass listening to the clock tick. It was 7:50.
A week next Saturday at the Stork Club, 8 o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?
Her bright red lips pressed together as she pushed an auburn curl behind her ear. She hadn't known him long, but she was grateful for the time she'd had with him, the small skinny soldier by the name of Steve Rodgers, the boy from Brooklyn who didn't like bullies, the brave man who had sacrificed his life for his country.
There are men laying down their lives! I've got no right to do any less than them.
The clocks ticking seemed to get louder and faster the more time passed. She found herself praying that the clock would stop, that time would stop. Tears welled in her eyes as she clutched the glass. She didn't want to have to face the reality he wouldn't be there. She would never see him again. She would never get that dance. He was-
I'd hate to step on your-
The clock began to chime to mark the hour and she shut her eyes tight holding back a sob that threatened to escape as she listened, praying she would feel his hand on her shoulder, hear his voice, receive a telegram, anything, but all that greeted her was the eighth chime of the clock. It was eight o'clock a week after last Saturday. She opened her eyes, letting a tear fall down her cheek, her voice shaky as she whispered, "You're late," before downing her scotch and leaving the Stork Club, alone.
Alright…
