Chapter 9.
Rachel flicked absentmindedly through the TV channels, swigging a beer as she did so. This was the problem with always being awake at this time, you could have the best channels that money could buy, but still there was never anything on past 2am. Rachel had been diagnosed with insomnia a few years earlier; she was given medication but never took it. She had always felt that she didn't need it, a couple of hours sleep a day kept her sane. This time, between about 1 and 5am, was her resting time; she would just sit in a conscious sate of sleep that served her fine before she dozed off for her daily, 2-hour fix.
A knocking at her door pulled her more physically awake. She glanced over at the clock 4:48. Who the hell else would be awake at this time, she wondered as she padded across the room. She drew back the lock and pulled open the door to reveal a disheveled looking Sway standing behind it. Her hair was tousled all over her face, her eyes bloodshot, stricken panic drawn all over her features. Basically, she looked like hell.
"You have to help me Rach. I think I'm cracking up."
***
"Remind me again what we're doing here." Commented Sway as Rachel pulled her 911 up to the door of Otto's garage.
"We're fixing you hun!"
Sway laughed and climbed out of the car, she pulled her keys out of her pocket and threw them to Rachel who unlocked the door and flicked on the lights.
"I've already been here today Rach, it didn't make me feel any better then and sorry to burst your bubble but it aint doin now either."
"Shut the hell up and get your ass over here will you!"
Sway walked over to where Rachel sat on the edge of the desk, her eyebrows raised.
"What?"
"Sit!" Commanded Rachel.
Sway sat down cynically.
"Now," Said Rachel "look ahead of you and tell me what you see."
Sway looked up at the blackboard that she had been writing on not 12 hours ago.
"I see a blackboard containing the names of a whole bunch of expensive pieces of tin that are ruining my life!"
"Slap your wrist girl!" Gasped Rachel with mock shock "That's sacrilege, there's a Porsche up on there!"
Sway laughed and shook her head "Seriously Rach, their nothing special really, aint worth shit in the real world-"
"Oh dear God," Moaned Rachel her head in her hands "Its worse than I thought, you really are cracking up, you've lost your faith in cars!"
Sway glanced back up at the board "And the funny thing is I don't care either."
"Are you trying to make me cry!?" Rachel jumped up and stabbed the chalkboard with her finger. "Look at it Sway!"
Sway shrugged indifferently.
"Okay that's it! Who are you and what have you done with my Sway?"
Sway laughed, Rachel was one of the funniest people she had ever met. She was so laid back, nothing fazed her. She sat and watched her lighting up a cigarette absentmindedly scanning the car names a look of hunger behind her eyes. She stood with the confidence of a person who really knew how to look after themselves, and wore a permanent "Don't give me any shit look". As she watched her taking a long drag on her cigarette Sway realized something. This was her! If the tables were turned and she was second party in somebody else's nightmare, this would be exactly like her. It was who Sway was, get on with it, get it sorted.
Rachel sat back down next to her and offered her a smoke. She took one and as she lit it Rachel gestured at the board again.
"I know that this is hard for you Sway, but this is so unlike you. Look at what we have here. Its great!"
Sway smiled her trademark wicked little grin. "I know."
"Think of it this way," Said Rachel "You're like a nun right?"
"What!? Yeah right!"
"You are, you're like a nun, a nun who is just going to have one wild night of passion! And if you're going to break the rules you might as well do it properly! No drunken old men, what you have here my friend is a bunch of gorgeous hotties!"
"That is a good metaphor!" laughed Sway.
"If you're gonna do it wrong babe," Rachel winked at her and then looked back at the board "Do it right!"
Sway laughed and threw her cigarette butt to the floor.
"Seriously Sway," Rachel put a hand on her friends shoulder "What's happened to you? This is not Sway. That," She pointed at the board "is Sway. You need to let go. Have you seen how many Italians there are up there?! We are going to do this, we're gonna steal some cars, have some fun and make some money. What's to be depressed about?!"
Sway grinned a slow sultry smile as she took in what was written before her, it was as if the names were finally coming into focus and some started to jump out at her, the familiar feeling of passion welling up inside her.
Rachel continued to talk "You just have to close your eye's Sway, forget all that this stands for and think of the here and now. Have your fling! The adrenaline as you creep up to her, the feel of the cool metal, the smell as you pop the hood, the noise as you rev her up, the-"
"Alright, alright!" Sway jumped up laughing "Jesus girl what are you trying to do to me."
"Woo!" Cheered Rachel "Ladies and gentleman it appears that Sway has entered the building!"
The two women sat back down and lit up another cigarette each, not once taking their eyes of the board.
"I can't believe you called them 'expensive pieces of tin'" Mumbled Rachel breaking a long silence.
"If you ever tell anyone that, I will take a big sharp rock, and drag it along the right wing of pretty little Maria out there!"
"Now that would be sacrilege!" Grinned Rachel.
***
Memphis heard the door to the apartment click open at about 5:30am. It was followed by the familiar swish of Sway jacket against the back of the chair.
She crept into the bedroom, undressed and climbed into bed next to him. He snaked a gentle arm around her waist and she sighed and snuggled in to him.
"How you feelin' baby?" He asked kissing the top of her head.
She looked up at him and grinned. "I'm feeling," she said huskily "like we still have some unfinished business to attend to from earlier."
"Is that so?" He teased.
"Oh yeah." She said as she lent in and kissed him passionately.
Memphis wasn't sure what Rachel had said to her, but what ever it was it had worked. Sway was back, no doubt about it.
*** End chapter 9 ***
Rachel flicked absentmindedly through the TV channels, swigging a beer as she did so. This was the problem with always being awake at this time, you could have the best channels that money could buy, but still there was never anything on past 2am. Rachel had been diagnosed with insomnia a few years earlier; she was given medication but never took it. She had always felt that she didn't need it, a couple of hours sleep a day kept her sane. This time, between about 1 and 5am, was her resting time; she would just sit in a conscious sate of sleep that served her fine before she dozed off for her daily, 2-hour fix.
A knocking at her door pulled her more physically awake. She glanced over at the clock 4:48. Who the hell else would be awake at this time, she wondered as she padded across the room. She drew back the lock and pulled open the door to reveal a disheveled looking Sway standing behind it. Her hair was tousled all over her face, her eyes bloodshot, stricken panic drawn all over her features. Basically, she looked like hell.
"You have to help me Rach. I think I'm cracking up."
***
"Remind me again what we're doing here." Commented Sway as Rachel pulled her 911 up to the door of Otto's garage.
"We're fixing you hun!"
Sway laughed and climbed out of the car, she pulled her keys out of her pocket and threw them to Rachel who unlocked the door and flicked on the lights.
"I've already been here today Rach, it didn't make me feel any better then and sorry to burst your bubble but it aint doin now either."
"Shut the hell up and get your ass over here will you!"
Sway walked over to where Rachel sat on the edge of the desk, her eyebrows raised.
"What?"
"Sit!" Commanded Rachel.
Sway sat down cynically.
"Now," Said Rachel "look ahead of you and tell me what you see."
Sway looked up at the blackboard that she had been writing on not 12 hours ago.
"I see a blackboard containing the names of a whole bunch of expensive pieces of tin that are ruining my life!"
"Slap your wrist girl!" Gasped Rachel with mock shock "That's sacrilege, there's a Porsche up on there!"
Sway laughed and shook her head "Seriously Rach, their nothing special really, aint worth shit in the real world-"
"Oh dear God," Moaned Rachel her head in her hands "Its worse than I thought, you really are cracking up, you've lost your faith in cars!"
Sway glanced back up at the board "And the funny thing is I don't care either."
"Are you trying to make me cry!?" Rachel jumped up and stabbed the chalkboard with her finger. "Look at it Sway!"
Sway shrugged indifferently.
"Okay that's it! Who are you and what have you done with my Sway?"
Sway laughed, Rachel was one of the funniest people she had ever met. She was so laid back, nothing fazed her. She sat and watched her lighting up a cigarette absentmindedly scanning the car names a look of hunger behind her eyes. She stood with the confidence of a person who really knew how to look after themselves, and wore a permanent "Don't give me any shit look". As she watched her taking a long drag on her cigarette Sway realized something. This was her! If the tables were turned and she was second party in somebody else's nightmare, this would be exactly like her. It was who Sway was, get on with it, get it sorted.
Rachel sat back down next to her and offered her a smoke. She took one and as she lit it Rachel gestured at the board again.
"I know that this is hard for you Sway, but this is so unlike you. Look at what we have here. Its great!"
Sway smiled her trademark wicked little grin. "I know."
"Think of it this way," Said Rachel "You're like a nun right?"
"What!? Yeah right!"
"You are, you're like a nun, a nun who is just going to have one wild night of passion! And if you're going to break the rules you might as well do it properly! No drunken old men, what you have here my friend is a bunch of gorgeous hotties!"
"That is a good metaphor!" laughed Sway.
"If you're gonna do it wrong babe," Rachel winked at her and then looked back at the board "Do it right!"
Sway laughed and threw her cigarette butt to the floor.
"Seriously Sway," Rachel put a hand on her friends shoulder "What's happened to you? This is not Sway. That," She pointed at the board "is Sway. You need to let go. Have you seen how many Italians there are up there?! We are going to do this, we're gonna steal some cars, have some fun and make some money. What's to be depressed about?!"
Sway grinned a slow sultry smile as she took in what was written before her, it was as if the names were finally coming into focus and some started to jump out at her, the familiar feeling of passion welling up inside her.
Rachel continued to talk "You just have to close your eye's Sway, forget all that this stands for and think of the here and now. Have your fling! The adrenaline as you creep up to her, the feel of the cool metal, the smell as you pop the hood, the noise as you rev her up, the-"
"Alright, alright!" Sway jumped up laughing "Jesus girl what are you trying to do to me."
"Woo!" Cheered Rachel "Ladies and gentleman it appears that Sway has entered the building!"
The two women sat back down and lit up another cigarette each, not once taking their eyes of the board.
"I can't believe you called them 'expensive pieces of tin'" Mumbled Rachel breaking a long silence.
"If you ever tell anyone that, I will take a big sharp rock, and drag it along the right wing of pretty little Maria out there!"
"Now that would be sacrilege!" Grinned Rachel.
***
Memphis heard the door to the apartment click open at about 5:30am. It was followed by the familiar swish of Sway jacket against the back of the chair.
She crept into the bedroom, undressed and climbed into bed next to him. He snaked a gentle arm around her waist and she sighed and snuggled in to him.
"How you feelin' baby?" He asked kissing the top of her head.
She looked up at him and grinned. "I'm feeling," she said huskily "like we still have some unfinished business to attend to from earlier."
"Is that so?" He teased.
"Oh yeah." She said as she lent in and kissed him passionately.
Memphis wasn't sure what Rachel had said to her, but what ever it was it had worked. Sway was back, no doubt about it.
*** End chapter 9 ***