Too Far Gone (Urban)

36| Decisions

The absence of light perturbed her.

     The only source came from a veteran lamp post that continuously flickered on and off whilst white sparks fell from a few short circuits. Chenelle glimpsed around the empty theater before focusing her eyes on the old flick ahead. The speaker next to her window maundered on, it's words empty and meaningless. A glow of light appeared in the corner of her eye, and she looked down to see her screen brightly lit and vibrating avidly. Time was approaching close to midnight. She ignored the call.

     The boss's miniature philosophy replayed itself in her mind as she watched the romantic comedy play out on the rugged theater screen: All of this, all that has happened in the past month, has a deeper meaning to it; you just have to find out what all of this means in your life from your perspective. She couldn't decipher what it meant from her perspective, she hardly surmised what was going on.

     A flash of white reflecting in her rearview mirror caught her attention. Three low riders pulled up behind her, two on either side and one directly in back of her. The headlights dimmed and the engines were shut off. Out stepped a tall figure dressed in a heavy coat and fedora. She could hear the click of the metal cane in his hand strike the asphalt which each consecutive step. The figure came to the passenger side of her bug and tapped on the window. Chenelle unlocked the door and allowed him to enter. Once he seated himself inside the cramped car, he thrust his hips upwards to lift his coat out underneath him for better comfort.

     "Hey sugar bee, it's been a while," her father greeted her prior to planting a kiss on her forehead. She smiled briefly and greeted him back.

     "Hey, daddy."

     The two were silent for a moment as they watched a battle occur on screen, a fight between husband and wife including swords, their child watching from the balcony of the staircase. Her father glimpsed at her, "Out of all movies, you chose this one?"

Chenelle peeled her eyes away from the film to look at him, then shrugged her shoulders. "I told the man to play whatever."

He changed the subject. "You shouldn't be out here by yourself."

     "I'm fine here by myself," she contradicted. He shook his head at her.

     "What'chu call for anyway, what's wrong?"

     "A lot of things, some things you and mom wouldn't like."

     "Speak."

     Chenelle took a breath and rolled up her window to block most of the sound of the film. Then, she adjusted herself in her seat until her entire body faced him, one leg folded into the seat while the other leaned into it. She pressed her head into the headrest and gazed at him nervously. She started off telling him about Trinity and how she stopped talking to her because of Pierce. Then she moved on to Rascal, explaining to him about his odd behavior and how he upholds a continuous disappearing act. She talked about Pierce last since they had the most complex relationship out of the three, surprisingly.

     She felt like she talked about him the longest, starting with their first encounter to their current state weeks later. It was deviant she felt more hurt from Pierce's actions than Trinity's; their relationship was more deeply rooted, stemming from early childhood versus one beginning just a month ago.

     Her father hadn't changed his facial expressions since she began pouring her heart out and she was starting to get worried. She glimpsed at the film overhead, anxiety building up in her body. Things like this usually didn't bother her, it wasn't the first time people have come and gone in her life, but the feelings she had towards Pierce were unlike anything she'd had before. What if the boss was right? What if she did develop feelings that are stronger than she'd like to admit?