Chapter 6: When We Meet Again
It was one of those days in October, when the wind was so cruel. It was also, however, one of those beautiful days when the wonders of autumn were so clearly shown in the colorful leaves brightening the trees. In a small shack, some miles down some winding rustic road, a feisty brunette and two hardcore criminals argued.
"What do you mean I can't come?" Fran questioned, throwing a temper tantrum.
The scruffy, dark-haired man tried to bandage her wounds.
"Lady, there is no way you are participating in this bank robbery. It's dangerous business! You—well, you are on missing person alert all over the city! What would it look like with you all showing up at a bank and all?" Mike replied.
"Oh, and you with your 'Oh, my brother did all the crimes, but I gotta lay low, but I'm gonna go rob some banks' bumbo jumbo! What's up with that?" Fran said, changing her voice and trying to imitate his heavy Brooklyn accent.
"You know you're a loud one! With a hell of an attitude! Damn, if only I knew that before I kidnapped you... No, you were so drunk and quiet, I didn't get any complainin' outta you! You were out the second you got in my car," said Mike, annoyed.
"I don't know why I can't go!" she said, sounding like Maggie when she would try to go to some crazy college party.
"We only rob the banks every once in a while, because of the action of it all. The suspense and the rush is why we do it. Our poor, boring lives gasp for bank robberies like a suffocating person for air! All the security guards and the violence and the police chases—" Mike said, but was interrupted by Fran.
"So you do kill then?" Fran questioned.
"Not if I don't need to and if I do use a gun, I usually shoot in a spot that would only injure them. I have been shot at before and Jack here used to be a registered nurse, so he was able help me," Mike explained.
Jack finishes tending to her wounds and walks off.
"Where is he going?" Fran asked.
"To get you some food. You didn't think we weren't going to feed you did you?"
"I don't know. Just... something that, uh, happened when I was very young... kinda made me wonder..." her voice cracked off, in horrifying memory.
She shifted her eyes down and tried not to look at him.
"Really... Tell me about it," said a curious Mike.
"I'd, um, I'd rather not... It's... it's rather painful. Or, at least it was... I got over it pretty quick, but sometimes I still remember what happened..." said Fran.
"We will treat you good here, trust me. I know that's hard, but please just try to trust me," he said.
"I'll try," Fran responded.
Jack comes back with some food and drinks.
"Today's special: yellow rice!" said Jack, handing them some paper plates filled with a little bit of food and some plastic cups filled with some kind of beverage.
"Oh, how appetizing!" Fran said, sarcastically. "You expect me to eat just that little bit of nothing?"
They all took bites of the food.
"What about us? We are men and all we get is this much to eat! We get hungry all the time. At least you don't have to get used to this!" argued Mike.
"You know, it's not such a good idea to leave me here all alone..." Fran warned, looking around.
"And why might that be?" Jack questioned, stirring his food around with his fork.
"How do you know that I'm not gonna go all Houdini on you and get out of those ropes? I mean I could have escaped if I hadn't of fallen. Maybe next time I'll find something sturdier and less slippery," said Fran.
"She's got a point Mike..." said Jack, gulping down his soda.
"Fine... ok fine... but you better not mess this up!" agreed Mike.
"I won't," she promised after taking her last bite of rice and taking a sip from her drink.
"I always wondered what it felt like to be on the side with the gun and the mask," said Fran.
"It's something you never hope to experience. I can tell you that, because once you do—there's no turning back! Life doesn't always turn out all cozy and comfortable—with white picket fences and happy families and love that's like some damn fairy tale. It's the troubled people like us that rob the banks and kill and hurt and deceive," Mike said, coldly with dark eyes.
"I know. I definitely know," related Fran.
There was an awkward silence.
"Well I'd still like to see how you are going to rob the bank... and by the way, I'd really love a bath. Do you have some kind of bathroom in this joint?" said Fran.
"Down the hall, to the left," Mike answered.
"There are some clothes in bedroom next to the bathroom too. I guess maybe it was the man who lived here's. You can put those on if you'd like. Pick out something black, because that's best for a robbery," added Jack.
"What man?" Fran questioned.
"Some old man that lives here. He went on vacation or something. That's why we have to leave here soon and go somewhere else," he explained.
"So we are leaving and I have to wear some old guy's clothes?" Fran asked, annoyed.
"Pretty much," said Mike.
"Just lovely," Fran mumbled.
Fran walked down the hall and entered the bathroom. She scanned the room. It was so empty and dirty like the other ones in the house. Soap scum lined the shower doors and the tile was filthy dirty. She went over to the bathtub and turned on the water. Fran grimaced as she felt the stream of lukewarm water flowing into the old porcelain tub. She was expecting nice, hot, steaming water to soak in and was terribly disappointed. Fran was already shivering as it was.
As she started to take off her clothes she noticed something was in her inside jacket pocket. She reached back and grabbed whatever it was out. It was her wallet! No wonder she couldn't find it! She left it in her jacket! She checked it and it still had everything in there, including some money. Fran was happy that she had it with her, because she didn't want to go back to the Sheffield home anytime soon.
Fran bathed in the tub and washed her hair. After wiping the soap out her eyes, she rinsed out her hair and got out of the tub to dry off. Fran walked out of the bathroom in a towel and went into one of the bedrooms. This bedroom had ivy green walls and an old, beige Persian rug on the floor. Fran went over to the other side of the iron bed and sat on it. Since the dresser was right next to it, she sat down and rummaged through the drawers. She found a black t-shirt and some black sweatpants and put those on. Fran walked out and met in the living room where Mike and Jack were.
"Are you ready to go?" asked Mike, slipping a gun in his jacket.
"Yes, but do you really have to bring that?" said Fran, pointing to his gun.
"Do you really think people take Mike seriously if he doesn't have a gun?" asked Jake.
"I suppose your right. Just, don't hurt anyone if you don't have to," requested Fran as she put on her jacket.
"Look, I won't," agreed Mike.
"Who's the getaway driver? Me?" questioned Fran.
"Guess again. Do you think I'd let you be the getaway driver? You'd be the getaway getaway driver! Jack is going to be. You get to come inside the bank and watch," clarified Mike.
"All right," said Fran.
"Ok, let's go!" said Jack, grabbing a blindfold and covering it over Fran's eyes.
"What? What are you doing?" asked an anxious Fran.
"You have to be blindfolded so that you don't know the location of this place and when we get far enough away I'll take it off," explained Jack.
"Whatever," answered Fran.
Mike grabbed a bag and Jack led Fran out the door. They got in the car and went off towards the bank. It was a long ride, so Fran took a short nap on the back seat.
Fran awoke to someone shaking her. Her blindfold was off and she could see now. Mike and Fran got out of the car while Jack waited inside. It had stopped raining outside, but the ground was still wet and it was starting to get dark.
"You know, I could have just given you some money..." offered Fran. "Instead of going to all this trouble."
"Like I said, I do this for the excitement not the green," declared Mike. "C'mon let's go! You stay near the door and make sure no one leaves."
"Fair enough," said Fran.
Mike put on his mask and Fran and him went into the Manhattan Bank. Mike did the whole 'This is a holdup!' stuff and the people got on the floor in terror. Fran stayed close to the door and looked around and who did she see? None other than Maxwell Sheffield—his self! There he was on the floor like all the other people. He looked pretty stressed out. His nice dark hair was all disheveled and his emerald green tie was hanging loosely off his neck atop his black pinstriped suit. He looked so... sad.
'Damn it! Out of all the banks in New York! It had to be where Mr. Sheffield is at!' Fran thought.
She leaned up against the pillar in the big bank and hoped to God that he didn't see her.
Maxwell turned towards the entrance of the bank and he couldn't believe his eyes, it was Fran! She was with her kidnapper and they were robbing the bank. She looked over at him, but didn't say anything. She just leaned up against column in the big bank and waited while Mike got the money from up front.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw him get up off the floor and walk over to her. He was only a few inches away from her, but she kept her eyes straight. He was so close that she could feel his hot breath. Quickly, he grabbed her face and collided his lips with hers, consuming her mouth. She tried to move her head away, but his grip was too strong. When, she was finally free, she spoke to him.
"What the heck are you doing? Do you want to get shot? He will shoot you! And don't you dare kiss me after all that you have done!" Fran complained.
"Fran! It's... it's really you! I can't believe it!" he said, unbelievingly.
You're not a stranger to me
And you are something to see
You don't even know how to please
You say a lot but you're unaware how to leave
He gave her a loving hug, but she didn't really except it.
"Oh, how I've missed you so," said Maxwell, gently.
My darling lives in a world that is not mine
An old child misunderstood out of time
Timeless is the creature who is wise
And timeless is the prisoner in disguise
He held his hand on her cheek and gazed into her mystifying brown eyes. She abruptly pushed his hand off.
"I haven't even been gone barely a day," Fran said, looking towards the big window in the bank.
Anywhere, but at him.
"But it seemed like forever," said Maxwell.
Oh who is the beauty who is the beast
Would you die of grieving when I leave
Two children too blind to see
I would fall in your shadow I believe
He saw the deep sadness in her eyes.
"I'm sorry Fran, for everything... I never meant to hurt you," he whispered into her ear, compassionately.
When he retreated his head back, his moist lips grazed her neck.
"That's not what you said. Stop lying to yourself and to me. It all just leads to a dead end and we both know that!" Fran argued, still in a bit of a daze from his touch.
My love is a man who's not been tamed
Oh my love lives in a world of false pleasure and pain
We come from different worlds we are the same my love
I never doubted your beauty I've changed
I never doubted your beauty I've changed
"I... I'm not..." Maxwell protested.
"Right. Then tell me how you really feel about me Mr. Sheffield," ordered Fran, firmly.
"I... I...," he stuttered.
"Exactly!" Fran concluded and started to walk off.
Changed who is the beauty
Where is my beast (my love)
There is no beauty
Without my beast (my love)
Who is the beauty
Who my love
Ahhh
Oh la bete la bete
Where is my beast
My beauty my beauty
My beautiful beautiful beautiful
Beautiful beast
'I will always love you even if you never love me,' thought Fran, staring at him deeply as if she could telepathically tell him that.
He grabbed her arm, but she pulled it off. Mike was waiting by the entrance with the money and was waiting for her so that they could go.
"Hurry up, we gotta get out of here!" warned Mike, running out the front door and dragging Fran along with him.
"Wait—" yelled Maxwell, but Fran had already been pulled out the door, her curls blowing in the wind behind her.
He looked out the bank window and watched as the car sped away. Once again, he regretted not telling her that he loved her. People were scattered out on the floor, the alarm was ringing loudly and some money had fallen on the ground. The police soon rushed in, but all Maxwell did was stand there motionless at the window with his hand on the glass. Wondering if he would ever see her again.
My apologies that this was late and all—well, later than I wanted it to be anyways. I was in New York City for the weekend and this chapter wasn't finished so I didn't get to work on it and then I had night school and regular school and wow it was overwhelming... But I finally got it done! : )
-The italics are a song from Stevie Nicks and the song is called "Beauty and the Beast"-