Fly Away
The Past Will Catch Up With You
Satine peered up and down the corridor, she drummed her fingers on her lap and then looked up and down the corridor again. Christian, who was sitting next to her, looked up from his newspaper.
'Relax, honey.'
'I can't. Why isn't he here yet?'
'I'm not sure why. He's probably still looking at the results.' He patted her knee reassuringly. Satine thought it was strange him being this calm. He appeared to be calm on the outside but on the inside he was terrified by what the doctor may find. He knew he must stay calm for Satine's sake.
'Sorry I'm late.' Dr Hamlet came running up. He was a short, stout man with glasses and an extremely wide parting. The couple stood up and followed the doctor into his office. 'Please, have a seat.' He said, indicating two chairs. They sat down uneasily. Dr Hamlet walked round to his side of the desk and sat down whilst looking at a set of results. 'Now, Satine?'
'Yep.'
'I'm Dr Hamlet, your specialist. Now what were you told in France?'
'That I had consumption and that I'm going to die.'
'They were right.' He said casually.
'What?' Satine yelped. Christian gripped her hand.
'Well, unless you're God, which I very much doubt, you are going to die eventually.'
'Will I die from the consumption?'
'What happens with consumption is blood manages to get into lungs and there is no way for it to get out. Slowly, your lungs get filled with blood and then your throat until all your breathing apparatus is submerged in blood. Then you begin to choke, coughing up blood...'
'Thank you. You can stop now.' Satine quickly interrupted him. Christian had turned a funny shade of green. 'So, will I die?'
'If you stay well wrapped up and try and not to strain your voice you should be fine. Also take one of these every day. And I'll see you in three months.'
'Bye.' Christian and Satine got up and headed out of the door.
'Nice man.' Christian said.
'Nice but crazy.'
'Totally.'
The walk home passed the church graveyard. Satine turned to Christian.
'Wait here.' She instructed and walked through the heavy iron gates. Christian walked in behind her and sat down a bench situated just inside. Satine slowly walked through graves until she reached a new one. On it was written, 'Naomi Kara Thesolini 1860 - 1899. She was tragically take from us.' Satine knelt down in front of it.
'Hi Mother. Sorry for not visiting before. I suppose I thought that if I didn't visit I could believe it wasn't true. I've decided it is now time to face up to it. I can't believe you're dead. It seems so unfair. I'm dying apparently. I've got consumption. Don't worry, I'm going to fight it. I also have a fiance. His name's Christian. You'd really like him. I met him at the Moulin Rouge....'
'I thought I heard you.' Satine looked up, shielding her face from the sun.
'Father.'
Christian stood up and stretched. He peered round the graves in the direction of where Satine was. He could see her sitting on the ground stroking a dog. Standing in front of her was a man. Curious, he decided to go over.
'What are you doing here?' Satine asked as she stroke the black and white collie that her father had with him.
'I've been waiting for a month to see you. I would come here every day.'
'How did you know I was here?'
'I heard.'
'Well, now you've seen me you can leave. I have nothing to say to you.'
'Please, Satine.' He reached down but she pulled away.
'What? Do you really think I want to be anywhere near you. You tried to kill me but when that failed you killed my mother.'
'I suppose you heard the rumours then.'
'They aren't rumours.'
'I'm afraid they are. Your mother didn't die because I killed her.'
'And I'm supposed to believe you am I?' Satine looked up at him. Her father sighed and sat down next to her.
'I loved you and your mother very much.'
'Funny way of showing it.' Satine said, bitterly.
'I did it for you. I wanted the best for you.'
'How is pushing me off a log the best for me?'
'I heard what you said earlier, about the consumption. That's what your mother had.'
'Mother had consumption?'
'Because of the blood everyone thought it was me but it weren't. The doctor can confirm it for you.' Her father looked at her and Satine looked back. There was such sincerity in his eyes that she believed him.
'That doesn't explain the log.'
'Satine, when you were younger, do you remember all those headaches you used to get?'
'Yes.'
'Well, we took you to the doctor and he said you had a brain tumour. He said there was nothing we could do. I had a friend who had a brain tumour. I saw the pain that he went through. I sat with him and I watched him die. I didn't want that for you. So, when I saw you on the log I just....'
'You wanted to kill me to save me.'
'Exactly.'
'Hi darling.' Christian walked over to them. 'You were taking a long time.'
'Sorry.' She looked at her father. 'This is Christian, my fiance.'
'Hello.' Her father said shaking his hand.'
'Hello.' Christian looked at Satine. 'Who is this?'
'My father.'
'Are you alright?'
'I'm fine.' She stood up and dusted off her dress. The dog whined. Satine laughed and stroked its head.
'You'll be wanting this.' Her father handed over the lead.
'Father, he's your dog.'
'He was your mother's. She wanted you to have him.'
'Really?' Satine asked excitedly. She attached the lead to his red collar. 'What's his name?' She asked him.
'Kep.'
The Past Will Catch Up With You
Satine peered up and down the corridor, she drummed her fingers on her lap and then looked up and down the corridor again. Christian, who was sitting next to her, looked up from his newspaper.
'Relax, honey.'
'I can't. Why isn't he here yet?'
'I'm not sure why. He's probably still looking at the results.' He patted her knee reassuringly. Satine thought it was strange him being this calm. He appeared to be calm on the outside but on the inside he was terrified by what the doctor may find. He knew he must stay calm for Satine's sake.
'Sorry I'm late.' Dr Hamlet came running up. He was a short, stout man with glasses and an extremely wide parting. The couple stood up and followed the doctor into his office. 'Please, have a seat.' He said, indicating two chairs. They sat down uneasily. Dr Hamlet walked round to his side of the desk and sat down whilst looking at a set of results. 'Now, Satine?'
'Yep.'
'I'm Dr Hamlet, your specialist. Now what were you told in France?'
'That I had consumption and that I'm going to die.'
'They were right.' He said casually.
'What?' Satine yelped. Christian gripped her hand.
'Well, unless you're God, which I very much doubt, you are going to die eventually.'
'Will I die from the consumption?'
'What happens with consumption is blood manages to get into lungs and there is no way for it to get out. Slowly, your lungs get filled with blood and then your throat until all your breathing apparatus is submerged in blood. Then you begin to choke, coughing up blood...'
'Thank you. You can stop now.' Satine quickly interrupted him. Christian had turned a funny shade of green. 'So, will I die?'
'If you stay well wrapped up and try and not to strain your voice you should be fine. Also take one of these every day. And I'll see you in three months.'
'Bye.' Christian and Satine got up and headed out of the door.
'Nice man.' Christian said.
'Nice but crazy.'
'Totally.'
The walk home passed the church graveyard. Satine turned to Christian.
'Wait here.' She instructed and walked through the heavy iron gates. Christian walked in behind her and sat down a bench situated just inside. Satine slowly walked through graves until she reached a new one. On it was written, 'Naomi Kara Thesolini 1860 - 1899. She was tragically take from us.' Satine knelt down in front of it.
'Hi Mother. Sorry for not visiting before. I suppose I thought that if I didn't visit I could believe it wasn't true. I've decided it is now time to face up to it. I can't believe you're dead. It seems so unfair. I'm dying apparently. I've got consumption. Don't worry, I'm going to fight it. I also have a fiance. His name's Christian. You'd really like him. I met him at the Moulin Rouge....'
'I thought I heard you.' Satine looked up, shielding her face from the sun.
'Father.'
Christian stood up and stretched. He peered round the graves in the direction of where Satine was. He could see her sitting on the ground stroking a dog. Standing in front of her was a man. Curious, he decided to go over.
'What are you doing here?' Satine asked as she stroke the black and white collie that her father had with him.
'I've been waiting for a month to see you. I would come here every day.'
'How did you know I was here?'
'I heard.'
'Well, now you've seen me you can leave. I have nothing to say to you.'
'Please, Satine.' He reached down but she pulled away.
'What? Do you really think I want to be anywhere near you. You tried to kill me but when that failed you killed my mother.'
'I suppose you heard the rumours then.'
'They aren't rumours.'
'I'm afraid they are. Your mother didn't die because I killed her.'
'And I'm supposed to believe you am I?' Satine looked up at him. Her father sighed and sat down next to her.
'I loved you and your mother very much.'
'Funny way of showing it.' Satine said, bitterly.
'I did it for you. I wanted the best for you.'
'How is pushing me off a log the best for me?'
'I heard what you said earlier, about the consumption. That's what your mother had.'
'Mother had consumption?'
'Because of the blood everyone thought it was me but it weren't. The doctor can confirm it for you.' Her father looked at her and Satine looked back. There was such sincerity in his eyes that she believed him.
'That doesn't explain the log.'
'Satine, when you were younger, do you remember all those headaches you used to get?'
'Yes.'
'Well, we took you to the doctor and he said you had a brain tumour. He said there was nothing we could do. I had a friend who had a brain tumour. I saw the pain that he went through. I sat with him and I watched him die. I didn't want that for you. So, when I saw you on the log I just....'
'You wanted to kill me to save me.'
'Exactly.'
'Hi darling.' Christian walked over to them. 'You were taking a long time.'
'Sorry.' She looked at her father. 'This is Christian, my fiance.'
'Hello.' Her father said shaking his hand.'
'Hello.' Christian looked at Satine. 'Who is this?'
'My father.'
'Are you alright?'
'I'm fine.' She stood up and dusted off her dress. The dog whined. Satine laughed and stroked its head.
'You'll be wanting this.' Her father handed over the lead.
'Father, he's your dog.'
'He was your mother's. She wanted you to have him.'
'Really?' Satine asked excitedly. She attached the lead to his red collar. 'What's his name?' She asked him.
'Kep.'
