「ABSENCE」 TMNT 2012

7; Coffee Conversation

"Elly! Over here!" April waved to the brunette from a round table centered in a small coffee shop in downtown Manhattan. It was a popular hangout for college kids and small business dealings.

    Elly grinned widely. Ever since her rescue she'd been aching to see April. She hadn't had time to contact her old friends since she'd gotten home, and witnessing April's kindness, she felt a special connection to the redhead.

"Sorry if I'm stealing you away from anything," she said quickly, slipping into the chair across from April. She was grateful, but she also felt like a bother.

April waved off her apology. "I was just going to be sitting at home all day. I've been waiting to hear back from the college I applied to." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "How have you been?"

Elly breathed in deeply and exhaled. "Amazing. I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I just . . . have so much freedom and I don't feel trapped."

April nodded approvingly. "I'm glad. I can't imagine going through what you've had to over the past half year."

"But something happened yesterday, and that's why I wanted to meet."

April studied Elly momentarily, then nodded for her to proceed. She'd wondered what this get together was all about, and now she was going to find out. Something about it made her anxious.

Remembering back to the previous morning, Elly began to recount the events. At first, it all seemed like a simple case of breaking and entering to April. But as Elly continued on and Jeff's name came up, she became very alert and listened attentively.

"He then said he'd come to deliver a message for me to give to you." At that point, Elly paused. She replayed the conversation in her mind multiple times, making certain she remembered it clearly. She didn't want to accidentally say something wrong and get the message wrong.

"For me . . ." April tried desperately to figure out why on earth Jeff hadn't just come straight to her. Why would he use an innocent girl his master had enslaved?

Elly leaned across the table, keeping her voice low. She'd spent enough time in the place she had to know certain information was not to be shared, whether purposely or accidentally, except with the right person. "He said to tell you that Bonehead's back."

    Elly let a silence settle between the two of them so the message could sink in. It did. April sat back in her chair, a dazed look in her eyes. She seemed to be contemplating this very carefully. At first she acted like she didn't believe it, and then she was mumbling to herself.

    Eventually she looked up. "Did he say anything else?" She asked hopefully.

    Elly shook her head. "He left after that." She looked down at her hands, rough and scratched from all of the times she'd tried to claw her way through the concrete walls holding her captive. "Do you mind me asking what you know about this? Don't feel pressured to tell me. I'm just curious now."

April's mind had wandered, and she seemed mentally absent as she spoke. "Bonehead is a nickname for an old friend of mine." The glazed over look in her eyes portrayed reminiscence. "He disappeared about two years ago." Her face darkened slightly, enough for Elly to see the pain buried behind her outward show of confident control.

"I'm so sorry." Elly glanced down again, embarrassed she had asked. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"No, it's okay. I've been needing to talk about him with someone. My friends keep trying to forget him, like he never existed." April sighed sadly.