Visions of April
As Tom waited in a coffee shop, as he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the entrance while wondering to himself constantly whether April was actually going to show, he began to realize just how nervous he really was over this little date. He shouldn't have been so nervous. Why was he? It probably had to do with that he hadn't seen April in a good while and he was wallowing in self doubt as to whether he would be able to successfully captivate her precocious nature for an entire evening. Would he be able to come up with enough material to keep the conversation from being awkward or too personal? He seemed to be under a lot of pressure, while at the same time, he was greatly looking forward to seeing April again.
His heart fluttered in his chest when she finally walked through those doors of the coffee shop. She was wearing her wintery wool coat, mitts, and paused to pull off her pink wool toque before she came to Tom's table. Tom jumped up to give her a hug. Why did holding her feel so right? As she sat down she pulled her flattened hair out, and then looked up at Tom with her big, brown doe eyes. She still was as devastatingly cute as ever.
"What?" she asked, smiling.
Tom blushed. "Nothing," he stammered. "Just remarking on your bad hair day, that's all."
"Okay, whatever, jerk."
"What can I get you? T'is the season for pumpkin spice lattes."
"Sounds great," she said, running her hands down her cold legs.
When he returned to the table with the coffees, he said, "I have to say it's incredibly good to see you. It feels like it's been so-"
"It's been so long-" she started to say at the same time, then they looked at each other and laughed. "I have missed you, Tom. You may not believe me, but I've often wondered when I'd see you again. It seemed like you just left without a goodbye. I needed something like this, y'know, a conversation and a farewell kiss."
"I didn't call you up to say fare thee well."
"I know, I know. But without actually talking to you, I was just left with the ghosts in my head. And I know that I have a fickle heart, and a heaviness in my mind, and a wandering eye, and a bitterness that you left me with. So I may not have realized how much I needed to see you again. Even though it was you that left me."
"I don't want to talk about who said what or texted any stupid thing-"
"That was you."
"I said I didn't want to talk about that, if you don't mind. Let's talk about what's going on now. Because I'd like to think I'm a little wiser than that guy you knew before."
"There were many times that I actually liked that guy. His stupidity could be charming."
Tom looked down at the table. "Thanks. Well then, let's talk about some of the things we used to do. You getting any culture out there in Boston? You're looking a little piqued."
"Thanks. You're looking pallid yourself."
Tom grinned. ""And that Raven still is sitting on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door.'"
"To 'clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore?'"
"Rare and radiant indeed. But honestly, McIntyre, you're seriously look like you've been studying too hard and need some exercise. Luckily for you, I have just the thing."
"What? Exercise?"
"Precisely."
"I don't know what you have in mind, but I don't have any gym clothes."
"I know. I took the liberty of buying you some stuff. I have it in my backpack. Now grab your coffee and let's go. Trust me, you're going to love it."
As they rode the subway, April looked content and nostalgic. "I can't believe you bought me workout clothes," she said.
"You're going to hate them," Tom grinned. "But they'll serve the purpose."
"So tell me, how is that you have a place in New York?"
"Oh, it's because I have an internship with Oscorp Labs. Because of my understudies and responsibilities there, they also gave me a dorm room."
April looked impressed. "Cool."
They rode the subway up until the Union St. station, and exiting out into the bracing cold air, walked a few minutes to Brooklyn Boulders, a rock climbing gym. "Ta-da! Tonight we're gonna smack the Boston softness outta ya while we climb some rocks! Whattya think?"
April's eyes hardened and her mouth showed the hint of a smile. "Bring it!"
Soon they were changed and putting on their gear while staring up at a climbing wall. "Pretty cool, huh?" Tom asked. "Are you intimidated?"
April glared at him. "I am never intimidated."
Tom smiled to himself. April's competitive nature was such a big, red button to him that he couldn't resist pushing it. "Well then, let's do this. I'll just give you a bit of a crash course." Tom showed her how to connect her harness and how to belay your partner. Then he effortlessly climbed up part of the wall, while trying not to show off too much. Wall climbing was of course a breeze compared to being a human spider and scaling the side of a skyscraper, but he didn't want her to know that.
Unfortunately she was already suspicious. "Wow, university has really been good for you." Tom shrugged and dropped back to the ground beside her. She reached out and squeezed his bicep, causing her already big eyes to visibly widen even further. "You were never that strong when we were together. What's your secret?"
Tom grinned sheepishly. "I've been converted to see the value in regular exercise, believe it or not. Perhaps it was my medical studies of the human body."
"Perhaps."
April leaped onto the wall and was soon scaling it at a rate that was already beyond novice. April and Tom had met each other as snowboarders on the slopes of Whistler, so they had a history of doing sports together. Tom acted as belayer, while he barked out suggestions from below. He knew that April hated to be coached, but he was really trying to get under her skin. Soon her combative approach to life was driving her to climb at a break-neck pace.
April was impressing even herself as she began to fall into a rhythm; step, reach, step, reach. "This will shut up Tom's stupid face," she grunted. "I'm almost achieving perfect economy." She was doing so good, she couldn't resist yelling a taunt to interject into Tom's coaching. "I'm almost there," she panted. "Boston softness my tight white ass."
Her victory would have been complete, if almost at that very moment she hadn't lost her concentration and missed her footing, causing her to slip and fall backwards. Tom had the tension of the belay on, so she only fell a little bit, but the panic that seized her caused her other foot to slip down and get caught between two footholds. She involuntarily shrieked in pain.
"It's okay! I got you!" Tom yelled.
"No, I need to be lifted up, but I can't do it!" she yelled back. April was hanging from her right foot, and if Tom tried to lift her with the climbing rope, he risked twisting her ankle or worse; breaking her foot.
But Tom was no ordinary climber. In a flash he had anchored the rope and cut the distance between him and April by a third, jumping about three meters into the air. Landing on the wall, he rapidly scaled the remaining nine or so meters to reach April. He came up from below her and placed his arm under her harness, all in a matter of seconds.
"It's okay. I'm just going to take your weight so that we can loosen your foot. Don't worry. I totally got you," he said soothingly. He comfortably eased her up so that her foot slipped out and soon she was dangling, right side up from the climbing rope. He guided her to hold onto the wall again as he quickly descended back to the ground to grab the belay.
"Okay, I got the belayer. If you want to just let go, I'll ease you back to the ground."
"Nice try! I'm not going down until you're looking up at my sweet tush from the top."
Tom broke into an irrepressible smile. "Telling me to look at your sweet behind was how you got into that little difficulty in the first place, princess." He knew he shouldn't goad her, but he couldn't resist.
"If you think I'm going to leave here with you without finishing this, then you really have lost touch with reality," she said, her tone harder than steel.
Tom knew better than to argue with her, so he shut up. She took a more cautious approach, slow and steady, but soon she reached the top. "Okay, you can lower me down now."
"I don't know. I kind of like the look of your sweet tush from down here."
"I'm getting down one way or another, but how long you live afterwards depends on how quickly you let me down."
"Understood. Lowering you, right now."
When she was back on the ground and getting out of her harness, Tom immediately noticed that she was favouring her right foot, unable to put weight on the ankle. He instantly felt bad. "I'm sorry, that was my fault. I should never have pressured you."
April looked at him sweetly. "Forget it. I was pressuring myself. And it's not hurt that bad. I think I can walk it off. Besides, it could have been a lot worse. How did you get up there so quickly, anyway?"
Tom pretended to be concentrating very closely as he examined her ankle. "Oh, you know," he said absently. "I've been working out. Practicing."
"Well, whatever you've been doing, you got me out of a bad situation rather painlessly. Thanks. And I really did have fun doing this. Thank you."
They changed back into their street clothes and met out by the entrance of the gym. "How goes the walking if off? Do you want to me to take you home?"
"I don't know. The night is young." April's eyes danced playfully. "Is there anything you could show me of your work at Oscorp?"
Shortly thereafter, Tom was showing April around the deserted offices and laboratories where he worked.
"I remember when you first started here. You were so passionate about what you were learning."
Tom nodded. "I guess I've probably come out of the honeymoon phase somewhat. Some of the work I was doing has been put on hold pending an internal investigation, and it doesn't look like it will be re-approved anytime soon. So lately, I've mostly been working on stuff that's pretty routine, or coordinating other people's projects."
Once the tour was finished, they made their way to Tom's dorm room. "My roommate's away for a couple of weeks. Can I mix you a drink? Maybe a gin martini, cold and dry?"
"Just like old times," April smiled.
"And how have you been doing lately, with school and everything?" Tom asked, as he shook the cocktail with the ice.
April sat back in the one comfortable arm chair in the room. "I don't know. Good, I guess. Obviously I love what I'm studying and I'm excited at the prospect of being a lawyer; serving the law, winning cases."
"But?"
"But part of me misses our old bohemian lifestyle, you know?"
Tom served themselves their martinis. "Oh, believe me, I know."
"I still think I learned my most important lessons in life on the open road. Sometimes I wish we could just buy a Harley, and drive across America. Try and discover how this country used to be. I find that the more I get to see the inner workings of the system, the less I believe in the kindness of strangers. But I think belief is important. I believe in the person that I want to become. I know, I'm freaking crazy. But I long for freedom."
Tom smiled warmly. "True freedom is not dependent on your circumstances, but comes from within."
"Who said that?"
"I did. Like five seconds ago."
April practically snorted into her drink, which left them both laughing affably. "So you fancy yourself some kind of wise sage now? Are you going to give me advice on what I should do?"
"Well right now I'm going to tell you to sit back and relax." He raised her foot and took off her shoe and sock, then proceeded to apply some Blue Ice balm to her sore ankle. April closed her eyes and rested her head, while tightly gripping her drink. "Just like old times. How does that feel?"
April sighed. "Better, thank you."
As he rubbed the sore ligaments in her foot, ankle and leg, he continued their conversation. "Now as much as the idea of me being your life-coach must appeal to you," April interjected with a scoff, "I don't want to give you advice. I just want to love you. I always have."
April looked down. "Damn you," she said smiling. "I know, but damn you."
"I know, I'm sorry. I've complicated things. It's just that I've been feeling restless lately, and you were expressing these feelings that were exactly the same as mine…"
"And you just can't stand being alone."
"Yeah, exactly. And since we both felt this restlessness in our bones, then honey, I can't take the blame if I said that you're still my best friend."
"If that's true," she said slowly, "then why haven't you invited me to spend the night?"
Tom slowly put down April's leg and pulled up a stool so that his face was level with hers. He rested his head on the armchair and stared into her big brown eyes. "Dunno. Just an idiot I guess."
April smiled contentedly. "And yet here I am anyway."
Tom moved forward and they kissed. Old feelings of fireworks and sparks flowed through them; the home fires were rekindled. April polished off her martini and put down the glass, standing up. Tom moved slowly over to her and helped her pull off her sweater. In a tank-top, she started unbuttoning Tom's shirt. He started kissing her neck and worked his way down to her shoulder, where she had a celtic rose knot tattoo. It was complemented by the words 'Love never fails,' that were written down her shoulder blade; a tribute to her great grandmother who had loved that scripture. Oh, how he had missed the feeling of that tattoo on his tongue! And as he licked her salty skin, he remarked to himself that he still really enjoyed the feeling of the knot pattern when his lips brushed across it.
He pulled down the straps of her top, and they made love in his little twin bed, while reminiscing of simpler times.
