Thanks to my reviewers: night-star-93 and JustMeForNow
As always, dedicated to Courtney, possibly the biggest Greg fan this side of the sun.
FYI, this chapter was so hard to write, but what the hey, I've posted it.
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Speed examined the jewellery that Delko had found in the ocean carefully. 'So these diamonds were hanging off the boat?'
Delko looked up. 'Yeah. Why? What's up?'
Speed handed a necklace over, picking another up.
'Nothing. They're fake.'
'You sure?'
Speed looked at him, raising an eyebrow. 'You may be the fish expert, but I know gems. This is the latest thing, laboratory grown diamonds.'
Delko looked closer at the necklace he was holding. 'Like zirconium?'
Speed shook his head. 'No, they're real diamonds, just man made. Fraction of the price of diamonds from a mine. Take a piece of pure graphite and put it in a ceramic box with some chemicals. Then slide the whole thing in a pressure cooker. It simulates the pressure and heat fifteen miles below the Earth's surface. Graphite vaporises. After three days, they pull out the ceramic box, break it open, then you got yourself a diamond crystal. Just like nature, only a million times faster.
--
Eric looked in the mirror. He looked the same as he had yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. He had dark bags under his eyes, which were completely devoid of any emotion.
H knew that Speed's death had hit them all hard, and they all had a week of bereavement leave, but no one had taken more than four days.
The letterbox clacked, and he spun around in surprise. Lying on the mat was a white envelope, hand addressed. He picked it up and despite himself, his eyes filled with tears seeing his dead best friend's handwriting. He ripped it open; wanting to know was in this envelope, seemingly from beyond the grave. He pulled out a CD, folded letter coming out with it. He dropped the CD and unfolded the letter, tears trickling slowly down his face.
Hey Delko,
Well, I'm dead. You win, but I bet that it seems like a hollow victory now. Do you even remember why we made this stupid bet? We were sitting in Russell's after Ray's funeral, having a drink in his honour, and you bet that you would outlive me, cos even by then I'd been shot once and stabbed in the foot by a crazy junkie.
While you're thinking about Russell's, you wanna know why you always get such a dirty look from the owner? We were celebrating your twenty-eighth birthday, and you got so trashed you started dancing on the tables and smashed at least three dozen glasses, not to mention one of the older tables collapsed under your weight. I had to grab you and run, the guy looked like he was having a stroke. I would apologize next time your in, might sweeten him up a bit.
I guess you're wondering why I'm writing a letter to you. Well, if I got shot like last time, then I won't have a chance to say goodbye. So I'm saying goodbye now. I've known you nearly ten years, ever since you were a scared little kid holding a gun with hands shaking so bas you could barely fire it. There's been some good times and bad times, but I wouldn't change a thing about the past decade. You're as close to me as my brother, and you're a hell of a lot nicer than he ever was. Goodbye Eric, I love you man.
I'm gonna miss you
Speed
P.S. I'm leaving the Ducati to you. Do what you want with it, drive it, keep it in storage, whatever, just look after it. That thing was my baby, and I'd hate to think of it rotting in a corner somewhere. Thank you.
P.P.S Listen to the CD, and understand.
The tears falling think and fast now, Delko threw the letter aside, curled up in a ball and cried. He hadn't shed a single tear for Speed, and now he let it all out. He cried until there were no more tears, just empty sobs.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the CD, laying on the ground where he had dropped it. He slid it into the ancient CD player he had in the sitting room and hit play.
Slip inside the
eye of your mind
Don't you know you might find
A better place
to play
You said that you've never been
But all the things
that you've seen
They slowly fade away
So I'll start a
revolution from my bed
'Cuz you said the brains I had went to my
head
Step outside, summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside the
fireplace
Take that look from off your face
You ain't ever
gonna burn my heart out
And so, Sally can wait
She knows it's
too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away
But
don't look back in anger
I heard you say
Take me to the place
where you go
Where nobody knows
Where nobody knows if it's
night or day
Please don't put your life in the hands
Of a
rock and roll band
Who'll throw it all away
I'm gonna start a
revolution from my bed
'Cuz you said the brains I had went to my
head
Step outside, 'cuz summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside
the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
'Cuz you
ain't ever gonna burn my heart out
And so, Sally can wait
She
knows it's too late as she's walking on by
My soul slides away
But don't look back in anger
I heard you say
So, Sally
can wait
She knows it's too late as we're walking on by
Her
soul slides away
But don't look back in anger
I heard you say
So, Sally can wait
She knows it's too late as she's walking
on by
My soul slides away
But don't look back in anger
Don't
look back in anger
I heard you say
At least not today.
Delko smiled sadly. It was his favourite non Spanish song, and Speed had mocked him mercilessly for it when he found out.
Just because he listened to indie music didn't mean everyone had to walk around listening to Coldplay all the time.
He ejected the CD and took it to work with him, listening to it on the way there and back.
And when he caught sight of himself in a mirror, his eyes didn't look quite so dead.
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ANNOUNCEMENT!
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