Author note:
Driver, Irene, Benicio and the other characters you recognise from the film don't belong to me obviously; I just took the liberty to shape some of their thoughts and some parts of their lives. Vera, on the other hand, does.
I'd also like to warn that I have never been to Soda Springs and that I'm not familiar with police protocol apart from what I see in films, so I must ask you to forgive any inaccuracies.
The tile of the chapter was taken from the song by Riz Ortolani featuring Katyna Ranie that is part of the soundtrack of the film.
I hope you enjoy it. Reviews will be highly appreciated.
The police department of Soda Springs, Idaho, only had 6 officers, who were more used to bar brawls, occasional scams and drunk drivers.
Tim Gordon was the officer who had taken that call, but he really wish he hadn't. He knew the people involved too well, as it almost always happened in that town.
Doug McKay wouldn't have wanted it either but he was more open to accept things as they were than his colleague, something life had thought him and that he was sure that Timmy would learn later on too.
They rode the car in silence, as they had been when they got the news, put their hats on and headed out.
« I still can't believe it», Tim said before letting his colleague knock on the white front door of the one storey house with a well-kept lawn and canopies over the windows.
«If you can't take it, imagine them.»
He knocked in that mild and yet firm manner he had unconsciously saved for these situations.
The women that opened the door was in her late 50s, had her blonde hair hold by a banana clip and had blue eyes. She had been very pretty when she was younger and age had been kind to her. The practical clothes she was wearing were different from the twin-set/skirt combo they used to see her in.
She was smiling but her gaze hardened when she saw them.
«Vera. How are you?»
She remained silent, something completely opposite from the friendly way she devoted to the costumers and even the employees of the diner she owned.
«May we come in?», he asked. Doug was sure Tim wouldn't say a word. Maybe it would have been better if he had stayed at the station, because he doubted he would be of any help.
She swallowed dryly and made room for them to enter, closing the door after the officers, who had taken their hats off meanwhile - Doug had to elbow Tim for him to do it. The woman led them to the living room, through halls with photographs of happy times on the walls, the smiling faces overlooking them from their wooden frames.
«Sit down...There's no need for you to stand up...Would you like some coffee?», her voice was so low they could barely hear her. Vera's thoughts were running fast through her mind, every scenario more catastrophic than the one her brain had come up just a couple of seconds before.
«There's no need, Vera.»
Silence took over the room, as she sat down.
«I'm afraid we have bad news.»
Tim looked like he was being swallowed by the deep green couch and Vera tightened her grip around the trim of the armchair she was sat on.
«It's about Michael…he died.
» I'm so sorry.»
It seemed like Vera had been struck by lightning. Her body was shook from the top of her head to her feet and a primal scream left her mouth but after this first reaction she didn't do or say a thing.
The younger officer had finally broken down and had tears rolling down his face, despite his efforts to wipe them away with his fingers.
Doug kept still, his eyes glued to the floor. There wasn't much he could do.
«How?» Vera said after many minutes of silence.
«In a car accident …», Doug wasn't sure if he should tell her the entire story , « … he was also stabbed in the abdomen… nobody knows how he got it yet» – she would know eventually.
She took the hardest breath she had ever taken in her entire life.
Michael.
Her Michael.
How could he be dead?
And what had he been up to that had gotten him stabbed?
She loved Johnny, of course, but Michael was her darling little boy.
He was her darling little boy, even though he was 27 years old.
Her older son was all loud and brash ways like his father as were his dark hair and eyes while Michael had inherited her quiet manner, her thoughtfulness and the need of his own space like he had gotten her blonde hair and the blue eyes.
«When will you return, dear?», she had asked him during Thanksgiving dinner, the last time he had come home.
«I don't know, Mom. I'm okay, don't worry.», her son had assured her, with a hand on her shoulder.
Michael hadn't left home because he had big dreams of stardom. He had no big dreams, period. He hadn't left home to escape abuse or a shady reputation either. He just wanted to leave. And so he left, taking with him a suitcase, the unique way with cars he had and the 1973 Chevy Malibu he had restored during high school.
«Why don't you want to go to college? We have some money saved for it. It's not enough to send you to a famous school but I've done some research and I've found out the Boise State engineering program is very good. You don't need to work with you father after it, Michael. Don't mind what he says… he already has your brother, it's enough.»
«I really don't want it, Mom. I'm sorry, if I'm disappointing you. I truly am. See you soon», he said kissing her on the cheek before entering his car and driving off.
She didn't want him to go to college, if he didn't want to. No. No matter how much she would have loved telling her costumers and friends that he was her engineer son and go on about the great things he would do, she put her sons' happiness over anything else.
Michael had called her from Odgen,ID, Salt Lake City, St. George and Las Vegas before calling her from Los Angeles. She had even visited him once and it had been interesting but she'd rather live in Idaho. She needed the quiet piece of her city, the familiar memories and faces around the corner.
«Has any girl caught your eye yet?», she asked him often. He had always said «no, not really» until that Thanksgiving.
Michael had kept mum but his earnest smile spoke louder than anything he could have said.
«What's her name?»
«Oh, no. I'm not going down that road.»
She knew he would eventually but even if he wouldn't, she had never seen that look on his eyes.
«Irene», he muttered under his breath.
«What?» - Almost an hour had passed after her question and she was caught so off guard she had to put her fork down and stop eating her pie.
«Where did you meet her?»
«At my building.»
«Is she your girlfriend?»
«Stop it, Mom. She's a friend.»
«Oh, I see. That's why you started talking about her…»
He had never mentioned her again during any of his rare phone calls but Vera wondered about what had become of her. She would have liked to meet her very much. It was a very motherly thing to say but she was certain this girl would have to be special somehow or she wouldn't have caught Michael's eye otherwise.
«I'm so sorry, Mrs. Smith. So sorry.», Tim managed to say at last. «He was one of the best people I've ever met and I'll never forget what we went through… good or bad. We drifted apart after highschool, but I ran into him during Thanksgiving and it seemed like he hadn't changed him much.
»I'm so sorry, Mrs. Smith. I know it's not much and I can't even imagine what you're going through, but I'm really sorry.»
Vera took his hand between hers.
«It's okay, Tim.»
«Is John at the garage?» , as Tim had gone to school with Michael, Doug had been his parents' colleague.
«Yes… He is and so is Johnny, I guess.», she paused for a moment, «Oh, God. How can I tell him? He hasn't been well. His heart…»
«We will help you, don't worry.», Doug tried to assure her, «Do you want me to call him?»
«No. I'll do it….», Vera cleaned her eyes with her hands and went to fetch the phone from the hall.
«John?», they heard her say. It was something too personal to be said with an audience, so both of the officers stayed in the living room, «John… I need you to come home.»
AN: I hope you enjoyed it and that you tell me you thought of it. :)