"Wait, wait, Luka!" she called. Carter's eyes burned into her back,
Abby's hair running down her shoulders."Luka!"
The hospital had fallen silent, the only sound the soft patting of her
shoes chasing him out the door."Luka!"
The dark shadow stood at the corner, arms at his side.
"Luka?"
A taxi pulled along the curb, and the door opened.
***************************
***************************
You were always the mysterious one
with dark eyes and careless hair,
You were fashionably sensitive, but too cool to care
Then you stood in my doorway, with nothing to say
besides some comment on the weather
****************************
****************************
He had poured himself into the corner, arms across his chest.
Abby sat with hands at her side, legs squeezed together. Trying hard
to take up as little space as possible. Luka seemed so large right then.
Like there was alot of him, long, endless legs. Maybe it was his shadow
along the top of the car.
Shaking, she reached out slowly, moved a piece of hair out of his
eyes."Where are you going?"
There was an akward silence. Then the taxi driver answered. "31st and
Prime Street."
Her hand had stopped on his cheek."You're going home?"
"Just to get my things" his fingers rested against hers. Her hand fell limp
into his."Then I'm going to the airport."
Their hands lay inbetween the wide space between them. Luka's eyes looked
out the window into the dark sky. Abby studied his profile.
******************************
******************************
Well in case you failed to notice,
In case you failed to see,
This is my heart bleeding before you,
This is me down on my knees
********************************
********************************
By the time the car stopped, rain had started to drizzle.
The door swung open, Abby folding her arms over her chest, watching.
He slipped out of his coat, searching for his keys.
"Right hand pocket" Abby said quietly. His hands shook, rattling
filling their ears. Anything was welcome to the silence. "You always
put them there".
He nodded, walking away.
The taxi driver turned around to look at her, and Abby slipped out of the
car, placing her feet in his muddy footsteps.
************************************
************************************
You were always brilliant in the morning
Smoking your cigarettes, talking over coffee
You philosophies on art, Baroque moved you,
You loved Mozart and you'd speak of your loved ones
As I clumsily strummed my guitar
**************************************
**************************************
It was too familliar. The dark gray walls. Lights here, lamps there.
She brushed her hand over the burgundy couch, her other hand smoothing
over the maple countertop of his kitchen.
His footsteps echoed up stairs, and into rooms. Slamming doors. His raspy
breathes trying to catch up with his heart, that raced frantically in his
chest.
Abby held a small couch pillow to her face. She smelled his cologne.His
hair gel. The incense she bought him a few Christmases ago. It smelled
like his kitchen, coffee. Her face blushed as she threw the pillow down.
Ashamed of her outwardly intimate gesture.
From up top of the stairs, Luka looked away.
***************************************
***************************************
These foolish games are tearing me apart
You thoughtless words are breaking my heart
You're breaking my heart
***************************************
***************************************
His shoes sounded louder on the stairs. "My coat? My coat..."
Abby pursed her lips,fingers shaking for a cigarette. "You left it in
the cab".
He seemed startled by her voice."You're still here?"
"Do you want me...to go?" It felt too familliar, her heart racing deep in
her throat, their eyes dodging each other. Abby took a deep breath, and
opened the apartment door, waiting for him in the hall."What, Luka?'
He shook his head."Nothing". Dodging her, her awaiting hand, he locked the
door behind him, marching ahead of her.
Abby watched as he turned into another giant charcoal colored shadow.
A dark shadow phantom that still haunted her sometimes.
The honking of the cab's horn caught her attenion.
********************************************
********************************************
You'd teach me of honest things
Things that were daring, things that were clean
Things that knew what an honest dollar did mean
So I hid my soiled hands behind my back
Somewhere along the line I must've gone off track with you
Excuse me, think I've mistaken you for somebody else
Somebody who gave a damn,
Somebody more like myself
********************************************
********************************************
"You should go back to work." Luka said quietly, looking into his hands.
"Isn't Carter waiting for you, or something?"
She cleared her throat. "Luka?"
"We can't...you said..." words started to tumble out of his mouth, his eyes
and cheeks lighting up to a bright, almost firery red."I can't do this."
"Do what?" with Luka, Abby mouthed the words she was quite certain were going
to come next.
"Be your friend right now."
"Why?" she said softly.
Luka turned his head towards the window, watching the lights of the sky scrapers
blend into one long tunnel of lights."Because this time I'm scared."
Her sweaty palm rested on the pleather, his long hand shadowing hers.
Abby closed her eyes.
**************************************************
**************************************************
These foolish games are tearing me apart
You thoughtless words are breaking my heart
You're breaking my heart
**************************************************
**************************************************
She hated the sound of planes. They always echoed in her head for days
after. They reminded her of nausea, of motion sickness, of worry.
Luka handed the woman at the desk his papers,nodded, and walked ahead of
Abby, marching almost, like a lost solider going to be reunited with his
unit.
"Flight 304 to South Africa" rasped over the intercom.
He turned around slowly, facing her like an akward boy. Abby smiled softly
to herself.She could almost see him on his first day of kindergarten. Excitement
and worry all mixed into one ansy ball of boy.
"Abby?"
Tears sprung to her eyes then. He had a tone of voice that broke your heart.
That shook up your insides and made you wish you had stability. Somewhere was
safety. She walked to him slowly, whole body shaking.
She fit perfectly in his arms. Her head rested against his chest, the sounds
of the planes being washed away by the drumming where his heart was.
"Take care of yourself" Luka kissed the top of her head, mumbling the words
into her hair.
****************************************
****************************************
You took off your coat and stood in the rain
you were always like that
*****************************************
*****************************************
"Flight 304 now boarding"
Abby pressed herself against the glass, her heated cheek against the cool
window. Rain kept falling, sky a thick gray carpet.
She pressed her lips, looking around her. Children held onto the ankles of
their mothers, crying for fathers who were shadows now, disappearing into
the belly of the plane.
Women hugging their stomachs, arms wrapped around themselves, tears racing
down their cheeks. Mothers and fathers keeping brave faces. It seemed like
among them, she was alone.
Luka disappeared down into the plane, a tall, strecthed out shadow.
Turning to head back to the cab, she saw his coat thrown haphazardly
over a chair. Abby threw it over her arm and walked away from the window,
in time to miss the plane taking off into the sky.
Abby's hair running down her shoulders."Luka!"
The hospital had fallen silent, the only sound the soft patting of her
shoes chasing him out the door."Luka!"
The dark shadow stood at the corner, arms at his side.
"Luka?"
A taxi pulled along the curb, and the door opened.
***************************
***************************
You were always the mysterious one
with dark eyes and careless hair,
You were fashionably sensitive, but too cool to care
Then you stood in my doorway, with nothing to say
besides some comment on the weather
****************************
****************************
He had poured himself into the corner, arms across his chest.
Abby sat with hands at her side, legs squeezed together. Trying hard
to take up as little space as possible. Luka seemed so large right then.
Like there was alot of him, long, endless legs. Maybe it was his shadow
along the top of the car.
Shaking, she reached out slowly, moved a piece of hair out of his
eyes."Where are you going?"
There was an akward silence. Then the taxi driver answered. "31st and
Prime Street."
Her hand had stopped on his cheek."You're going home?"
"Just to get my things" his fingers rested against hers. Her hand fell limp
into his."Then I'm going to the airport."
Their hands lay inbetween the wide space between them. Luka's eyes looked
out the window into the dark sky. Abby studied his profile.
******************************
******************************
Well in case you failed to notice,
In case you failed to see,
This is my heart bleeding before you,
This is me down on my knees
********************************
********************************
By the time the car stopped, rain had started to drizzle.
The door swung open, Abby folding her arms over her chest, watching.
He slipped out of his coat, searching for his keys.
"Right hand pocket" Abby said quietly. His hands shook, rattling
filling their ears. Anything was welcome to the silence. "You always
put them there".
He nodded, walking away.
The taxi driver turned around to look at her, and Abby slipped out of the
car, placing her feet in his muddy footsteps.
************************************
************************************
You were always brilliant in the morning
Smoking your cigarettes, talking over coffee
You philosophies on art, Baroque moved you,
You loved Mozart and you'd speak of your loved ones
As I clumsily strummed my guitar
**************************************
**************************************
It was too familliar. The dark gray walls. Lights here, lamps there.
She brushed her hand over the burgundy couch, her other hand smoothing
over the maple countertop of his kitchen.
His footsteps echoed up stairs, and into rooms. Slamming doors. His raspy
breathes trying to catch up with his heart, that raced frantically in his
chest.
Abby held a small couch pillow to her face. She smelled his cologne.His
hair gel. The incense she bought him a few Christmases ago. It smelled
like his kitchen, coffee. Her face blushed as she threw the pillow down.
Ashamed of her outwardly intimate gesture.
From up top of the stairs, Luka looked away.
***************************************
***************************************
These foolish games are tearing me apart
You thoughtless words are breaking my heart
You're breaking my heart
***************************************
***************************************
His shoes sounded louder on the stairs. "My coat? My coat..."
Abby pursed her lips,fingers shaking for a cigarette. "You left it in
the cab".
He seemed startled by her voice."You're still here?"
"Do you want me...to go?" It felt too familliar, her heart racing deep in
her throat, their eyes dodging each other. Abby took a deep breath, and
opened the apartment door, waiting for him in the hall."What, Luka?'
He shook his head."Nothing". Dodging her, her awaiting hand, he locked the
door behind him, marching ahead of her.
Abby watched as he turned into another giant charcoal colored shadow.
A dark shadow phantom that still haunted her sometimes.
The honking of the cab's horn caught her attenion.
********************************************
********************************************
You'd teach me of honest things
Things that were daring, things that were clean
Things that knew what an honest dollar did mean
So I hid my soiled hands behind my back
Somewhere along the line I must've gone off track with you
Excuse me, think I've mistaken you for somebody else
Somebody who gave a damn,
Somebody more like myself
********************************************
********************************************
"You should go back to work." Luka said quietly, looking into his hands.
"Isn't Carter waiting for you, or something?"
She cleared her throat. "Luka?"
"We can't...you said..." words started to tumble out of his mouth, his eyes
and cheeks lighting up to a bright, almost firery red."I can't do this."
"Do what?" with Luka, Abby mouthed the words she was quite certain were going
to come next.
"Be your friend right now."
"Why?" she said softly.
Luka turned his head towards the window, watching the lights of the sky scrapers
blend into one long tunnel of lights."Because this time I'm scared."
Her sweaty palm rested on the pleather, his long hand shadowing hers.
Abby closed her eyes.
**************************************************
**************************************************
These foolish games are tearing me apart
You thoughtless words are breaking my heart
You're breaking my heart
**************************************************
**************************************************
She hated the sound of planes. They always echoed in her head for days
after. They reminded her of nausea, of motion sickness, of worry.
Luka handed the woman at the desk his papers,nodded, and walked ahead of
Abby, marching almost, like a lost solider going to be reunited with his
unit.
"Flight 304 to South Africa" rasped over the intercom.
He turned around slowly, facing her like an akward boy. Abby smiled softly
to herself.She could almost see him on his first day of kindergarten. Excitement
and worry all mixed into one ansy ball of boy.
"Abby?"
Tears sprung to her eyes then. He had a tone of voice that broke your heart.
That shook up your insides and made you wish you had stability. Somewhere was
safety. She walked to him slowly, whole body shaking.
She fit perfectly in his arms. Her head rested against his chest, the sounds
of the planes being washed away by the drumming where his heart was.
"Take care of yourself" Luka kissed the top of her head, mumbling the words
into her hair.
****************************************
****************************************
You took off your coat and stood in the rain
you were always like that
*****************************************
*****************************************
"Flight 304 now boarding"
Abby pressed herself against the glass, her heated cheek against the cool
window. Rain kept falling, sky a thick gray carpet.
She pressed her lips, looking around her. Children held onto the ankles of
their mothers, crying for fathers who were shadows now, disappearing into
the belly of the plane.
Women hugging their stomachs, arms wrapped around themselves, tears racing
down their cheeks. Mothers and fathers keeping brave faces. It seemed like
among them, she was alone.
Luka disappeared down into the plane, a tall, strecthed out shadow.
Turning to head back to the cab, she saw his coat thrown haphazardly
over a chair. Abby threw it over her arm and walked away from the window,
in time to miss the plane taking off into the sky.