I blame this completely on Mars over at 731 St. Louis who put some plot bunnies in my head that wouldn't leave me alone. The title comes from the Adele song 'Daydreamer'. I hope you all enjoy!
Daydreamer
Thump. Squeak. Thump.
The red haired woman rolls over underneath the soft duvet sprinkled with printed flowers that roam across her form, nightgown wrinkling and stretching to accommodate her movements. Her mind protests the noises, hands grabbing at the pillow that smells like her lavender shampoo. The cool side of the pillow, a treasure in the simple, quiet hours of the morning does nothing to block out the noises coming from somewhere in the house. She feels the morning sun on her back, warming her shoulders where light freckles dot her skin.
It's this that finally pulls her out of her sleepy stupor. She pulls herself to the edge of the bed, bare feet planted on the fuzzy carpet they had just paid a contractor from his work to put in. She'd been so happy, overjoyed really to hide the old, stained creaky floorboards she loathed.
Thump. Squeak. Thump.
Her hand rubs at her eyes as if trying to knock the sleep from her droopy eyelids. Not paying attention, she nearly trips over the large bundle of fur that had taken to sleeping right in front of the bathroom door next to the heating duct. She struggles not to curse and nudges Petey over. The old lab raises his head barely in question before flopping down again and falling asleep. She relieves herself, staring at the plastic curtain of the shower, getting lost in her sleep riddled mind and the repetitive pattern of stripes before wandering out the door again. She doesn't wake her husband who is face first in his own pillow, arms and legs splayed out like a dead fish.
Thump. Squeak. Thump.
She smiles a little and runs her eyes over his form. He's a handsome one, sure with a little bit of a beer gut but he hides it with tailored suits and a charming smile. She tugs on her housecoat, tying the lace string before wandering down the hall. The noises get louder as she approaches the twins' room. Her hands pull at the old crystal doorknob and open the old wooden door with a creek.
The two five year old girls, blonde hair tied into braids that lay perfectly against their backs despite the stray hairs that fly every which way, stop and grin at their mother.
"Hi, Momma," they smile, mischievous guilt laced in their voices.
She rolls her eyes, wanders in and picks one up with a groan. She can't believe how big they're getting.
"What are you two doing up?" she sighs, hitching the little girl up on her hip a bit more with a groan. "You've been eating too many cookies," she teases, still looking sternly down at her daughter.
She smiles at her mother a little bit wider, as if begging her not to punish them for jumping on their beds when they're not supposed to. The grin is riddled with missing teeth and Cherry can't help but smile, rolling her eyes once again and putting her down. The other little girl slides off the bed with some difficulty and they rush down the stairs, hitting a creaky board every couple thumps that makes Cherry sigh and push her hair out of her face. It would be a long day as always.
Her days were riddled with monotony. She got up, woke the girls for school, headed down to make breakfast, wrangled the girls to the table, broke up any fighting about who got the prettier glass filled with orange juice, go wake Greg up, get the girls ready for school-Her thought process was interrupted by the phone rang, her hands busy pouring eggs into the pan while the girls ran around the house noisily.
"Girls, get in your seats," she snaps, wiping her hands on her nightgown and wandering over to the phone. She presses the plastic to her ear. "Shae Household. May I ask who's speaking?"
"Cherry! It's Bonnie!" the woman's voice on the other end of the line screeches. Her eyebrows shoot up past her red bangs. She hadn't expected a call from her old college friend. She hadn't expected anything out of the ordinary today actually. She leans against the wall, shoulder resting on the striped wallpaper.
"Bonnie? It's nice to hear from you," she answers with a slight smile, wandering over to mix up the eggs and slide toast into her new toaster. She was excited about that to. There's a man in the background of the other line and she thinks that Bonnie is fighting with him but she can't tell because of the sudden muffling of her voice. Maybe she's holding her hand over the receiver. Finally, she returns with an answer.
"I'm in town! Let's meet for lunch," Bonnie eagerly offers and Cherry's heart skips a beat with a little bit of excitement. Something that she hasn't felt in awhile from anything other than new kitchen appliances, her husband getting a raise at work or getting rid of creaky floorboards in her bedroom. She's still a little confused though. Cherry had dropped out of college when Greg had proposed to her and that last time she had seen Bonnie it person she informed Cherry that she'd be going to Washington for a protest against Vietnam, effectively switching her Art degree credits over to some college near where she'd be working.
"Wait? You're back in Oklahoma?" she ponders, picking absentmindedly at the notepad pinned to the wall next to the phone with the words 'Doctor Martin, Monday 8:30' scribbled in her husband's sloppy hand writing.
"For a bit," Bonnie answers. Cherry needs no more reassurance and she soon agrees to meet her old friend. She hangs up the phone, smiling a little and lost in her thoughts before she feels a tug on her nightgown. She looks down.
"Momma," the little girl whimpers. She's got orange juice running down her own nightgown and tears in her eyes. Her twin is sitting at the table acting as if she's completely innocent. Cherry sighs. It's going to be a long time till two, she sighs to herself.
The cafe in Downtown Oklahoma City smells distinctly of strong coffee beans and pastries. It makes Cherry smile and when she pushes open the glass door plastered with advertisements for bands, rallies and clubs she scans the room. There's a man on a small stage in the corner strumming his guitar and it feels so very...Bonnie. It warms her heart to be reminded of her. She's excited and she can't seem to wipe the grin off her face as she looks around for the brown-haired woman.
Her eyes finally find her, sitting at a table near the large windows that stare into the street. She's wearing her thick-rimmed glasses, hair tied up into a neat ponytail while her bangs hand just over her eyebrows. Her cat-like blue eyes look over her glasses at the paper laying on the table, scanning quickly over what Cherry knows to be something about the war.
"Bonnie," she grins, approaching the table as she lets her purse hang on her shoulder without her clutching it. This isn't the greatest part of town but she'd do anything to see her old friend again. Her eyes look up at she beams and Cherry can't help her heart dropping a little. She looks so different despite the details she remembers so well. Her eyes have changed and it almost sends a chill up her spine. The sweater she's wearing-now that Cherry can see it up close-is ratty and has a stain above her left breast.
But Bonnie beams up at Cherry and gets up quickly to hug her, chair accidentally smacking into the one behind her, causing an older man to glare at them. She shoots him an apologetic glance while Bonnie pulls her into a tight hug, not seeming to care. She smells like cigarettes, cheap soap and something else.
"Cherry, it's so good to see you. Sit!" she grins and motions towards the free seat across from her, slipping back into her own. Cherry looks around, obviously a bit awkward. She likes the music though and she soon soothes herself mentally as Bonnie motions a barista over. Bonnie orders her something that she assumes (and hopes) is coffee and then folds up the newspaper, slipping it into her large bag that hangs on her chair.
Bonnie either ignores Cherry's discomfort or doesn't seem to recognize it from not seeing her for so long. But she starts to babble on like she always does. As they talk and drink their coffee (or mostly Bonnie talking about politics and the war while Cherry listens dumbly, just happy to see her friend) she notices Bonnie itching her sweater covered arm uncomfortable. Despite Bonnie always being a talker she talks quickly, almost nervously, eyes darting out the window. She's still incredibly intelligent, blathering on about things Cherry only experienced briefly during her one and a half years of college but there's something different about her that she still can't seem to put her finger on.
"A lot of us think the war will end soon," Bonnie tells her, "I just wish that the shooting in Kent, Ohio would have at least woken more people up to what is happening in this country."
Cherry doesn't think that a tragedy like that should be used as a pawn for politics but she nods and sips her coffee quietly, letting Bonnie continue to speak. Years ago she might have at least put a couple words in but she didn't know what to say. She's been so out of the loop. It makes her feel embarrassed, stupid.
When it comes to the time when the barista drops off a check at their table, covered in a tiny little black book she notices Bonnie itching her arm again before reaching for her purse. It doesn't take even a second before Bonnie sighs.
"I am so sorry. I must have forgotten my wallet," she explains and Cherry thinks nothing of it and smiles, brushing her off with a simple hand gesture.
"It's fine. I've got it."
She reaches inside her purse and grabs a ten dollar bill from her wallet, slipping it into the black book before pulling herself up, following Bonnie's lead outside, the little bell above the door announcing their exit. They stand on the curb, both trying to catch a cab, Bonnie still babbling more and more about the war. Cherry doesn't even catch her question.
"Cherry?"
"Huh? Oh I'm sorry I was-" she tries to explain but Bonnie holds a hand up. She seems even more anxious than she did inside the cafe.
"Listen, this is really hard for me to do but...I might need some money...I'm in between jobs since I just moved back here and-" Bonnie begins and Cherry's heart drops. Was this the only reason Bonnie invited her out? She's heartbroken but she nods, eager to help in anyway to possibly get her friend back despite feeling foolish. She swallows and reaches inside her wallet for her check book. Before Bonnie can even get a thank you in a man's voice comes from behind her.
"Excuse me. Ma'am?"
Cherry turns on her heel and freezes, staring into those green-grey eyes she thought she'd never see again. Her heart, previously in her stomach flops around and jumps into her throat that constricts. The man freezes too, looking at her through his glasses. His obviously dyed blonde hair hangs a bit in his face and his outstretched hand holding her checkbook she obviously knocked out of her back stops and hangs at his side.
"Pony?"
I hope you all enjoyed! I'm hoping this will be a multi-chapter fic. Also, I apologize for any mistakes. I was really eager to post this.
-nuseble