crescendo

Leaving

OLIVIA

I didn't have a perfect life. I lived in Brooklyn. The streets were cold. I had a partner who I lived with. He was a teacher. I was an accountant.  He died. As I said, my life wasn't perfect.

I don't know who I am anymore. The grief is overwhelming. Everyone asking me if I'm ok, checking in, telling me to stay positive. Don't you think I've tried? I don't even have the strength to plaster on a smile for his family. Maybe this is God's way of telling me I don't deserve love. Maybe he's right.

I'm going to disappear. Erase myself from New York, from his family, from my life here. Living this way is just too much of a burden. I only moved to this city for him.
I'm going to start packing now. I dial a number.

The moving trucks will be here in a few hours. I clean out my apartment, throwing out things that remind me of him. Looking at everything is tearing me apart. In the midst of the chaos in my apartment, I break down. I clutch his shirt in my hands. It still smells like him.
"John... John why did you have to die," I whisper.
"Why did you leave me here to do this alone?"

As I sob on the floor, someone knocks on the door. I try to gather my bearings as I get up. I undo the locks on the door and open it. My best friend Julian stands there.

"I was wondering where you were last night," he says. He smiles sadly as I rush into his arms.

"There, there Olivia. Don't cry." He looks at me.

"But really, don't cry. I just ironed this shirt." I look at him and I kind of laugh. Almost.

DEAN

"Dean, Dean wake up!"

"Hmm? Five more minutes.."

"Dean we gotta go, man. We're gonna miss Jack's bachelor party!"

"Oh crap! That's today?"

"Yeah, that's today. Hurry up and get ready!"

I tear my blanket off and stretch. I yawn and look at the clock.
It's 12:00 and our plane is at 2:00.
NOW I'm awake.
I rummage through my closet to find my tux. I stuff it into my backpack and start rush-packing. I throw just about a drawer of my stuff into my bag and run to the bathroom. It's time to do my hair. The brown mop on my head flops pathetically onto my forehead. I slick it back quickly and throw on some clothes. I find my roommate Tom outside anxiously waiting for me. He unlocks his car and we shove our bags in the back.

We make it to the airport at 1:00 with just enough time to get through baggage and into the waiting area for the plane. I'm eating a pretzel when I see a tall girl with strawberry blonde hair walk by. She looks at me for a second and then walks away.

ISABELLE

I'm walking through the airport and I look around half-sad and half-happy. I can't believe that I'm leaving. This is my dream job. Everything is going perfectly. I roll my suitcase along and keep moving.

As I'm walking to Gate 37, I see a guy with brown slicked back hair. He looks at me. I glance at him and look away. I can feel my face turning red as I sit down at my gate.
I hear them announce my flight. I grab my things and pull my phone out of my purse. I pull up the tickets and walk to the entrance. A man scans them and I walk through the air-blasted tunnel to the plane. I find my seat in first class and sit down.

"This is everything I've ever wanted," I tell myself.

"Don't mess this up."