Dents

[+] Hip Albatross

The dampened ramblings of a voice on the radio resonated quietly throughout the room. The host spoke with a midwestern accent that I was accustomed to hearing only through the television. The floorboards emanated a wave of heat that travelled up to my knees. Ultimately, it disappeared, leaving goosebumps to blossom on the surface of my skin.

There were boxes everywhere. The vinyl records ranging from classical to reggae that once adorned each open space of the walls were now neatly stowed away in layers of bubble wrap and clothing. The bed was made. The desk was empty.

The silence in the room was palpable, divided up equally amongst the three of us. I gathered the courage to break it.

"What's all this?"

"Y'all want to sit down? This might take a while."

"S'alrigh'," 2D responded, kneeling down. He carefully wrapped a loose record in a clean hoodie.

"We can help yew out."

I was confused. Nonetheless, I nodded and started packing Russel's belongings into one of the tattered cardboard boxes in the middle of the room.

"Yew goin' to tell us wha's goin' on, then?"

"I'm getting there."

Russel sighed. He'd never been adept when it came to difficult discussions. His discomfort was written all over his face. His towering stature seemed rather small, all of a sudden.

"It's Del's mom. She's sick. From what I hear, it's real bad."

2D froze. His eyes bled compassion.

"I'm sorry, Russ."

"Thanks. I have to see her."

Realizing that I had no idea who the two of them were talking about, he continued.

"Saoirse, you know how I told you I was possessed by a friend?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"That friend was Del."

"I... I see." 

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't begin to grasp the complexity of his feelings on the subject. Russel always gave the impression that his possession wasn't all bad. It was wholly unlike 2D's experience.

Russel had to survive the loss of the same friend twice. Once when he died, and again when he was exorcised from his body.

"I'm sorry."

"Jeez, you guys. Ain't like she's dead. You can take it easy."

It was obvious that Russel was trying to clear the tension in the air. It was a pointless effort. The mood was gloomy. As if the Earth could sense our melancholy, a merciful rain pattered sweet-tempered melodies upon the window shutters.

The forecast hadn't called for rain.

"It's still so vivid," Russel said, his tone foreboding.

"The sound of a car coming around the back of us."

2D appeared to be painfully aware of the turn that Russel's story would inevitably take. I focused my gaze on the array of patiently folded laundry and layered it mindfully in the box, conserving as much space as possible. It was all I could do to prevent my discomposure from shining through.

"Me and my friends were parked outside a 7-Eleven. It was raining real hard. We were minding our own business, you know. The Humvee... A big, black Humvee kinda crawled around the back of our vehicle, and we just knew it was trouble. And the next thing I know," he swallowed.

Phantom glimmers of tears formed in the corners of his eyes. They did not fall.

"And the next thing I know, I was bleeding and Del... And everyone, they were dead."

l had wondered at times what happened to Russel's old friend. l never envisioned something so horrific. It was an incident that surely shaped the rest of his life.

"Anyway," he digressed, "I got to see her, you know?"

There was an unspoken agreement between us that regardless of anything Gorillaz may have planned, this was a more pressing commitment. A prolonged quietude permeated the atmosphere.

2D mustered the strength to ask when he'd be leaving. Russel said tomorrow. He glanced at a clean circular shadow on the wall where a clock used to be. Recalling that it was no longer there, he checked the time on his cell phone.

"Actually, I'll be outta here today, technically. My flight for Brooklyn leaves in about six hours. I'll be gone before you all wake up, probably."

"Not if we don't sleep."

2D grinned at me from his place on the floor. I could tell that he'd been thinking the same thing.

Considering that the room was already barren, I decided that now was as good a time as any to make some drinks. I put the kettle on for the strongest black tea we had. When I brought the mugs back upstairs, 2D and Russel thanked me and proceeded with their conversation. 

I was surprised that in my periodic absence, the discussion shifted dramatically. Russel elaborated where he had left off. While he acknowledged my presence, it was clear that the point he was making was intended for 2D.

"The truth is we're all connected, like data chains in an infinite matrix. Every action has a consequence. There are a million possible futures out there. Question is, which one do you wanna pick?"

2D nodded firmly. His eyes glinted with determination.

The rest of the early morning hours passed in a similar fashion. The three of us talked about everything and nothing until dawn was upon us. The airport shuttle car honked impatiently from the roadside. I made Russel promise to give a call once he landed.

We helped him load the trunk. Confirming that we'd gotten everything, 2D slammed the lid closed and backed away from the car.

He slipped his clammy hand into mine, grasping it tightly. We waved at Russel from the other side of the tinted window. He waved back.

Then, he was gone.