Monday, September 14, 2009

just for a bit

"You're sure, you, are OK, with this?" Nick asked.

Heath studied his clean finger nails.

"Go. Just go. I'll be fine." He shrugged. "Have fun with Ravi at the arcade." Heath nursed his upper lip then as he fell back on the bed and found a paperback to read. He wasn't exactly a video playing kind of guy.

"I promise I'll be back in a hour or so. Two hours tops." Nick said holding up two fingers.

"Yeah, I bet." Heath wasn't counting on it.

Nick left then. Heath sighed counting the minutes he saw him again. It was only thirty seconds and Heath heard Nick unlock the door.

"I forgot something," Nick said.

"Really?"

Nick reached for him then and gave him a very slow kiss that only made Heath want him to stay. They were a bit breathy, afterwards.

"Just- just hurry it up, will you." Heath thought he might go crazy, meanwhile. He snuggled Nick's pillow then. It smelled sweet and of cinnamon. He was like a sweet roll of some sort. Heath was still trying to grasp this was really happening. He hadn't gone back to Andrew, and he didn't feel lost. Andrew had always made him feel that he could never go back now. His parents didn't want him. No one really did.

Suddenly, he got the urge to call home. He dialed the number without even thinking, but wondering if he'd get a voice saying this number has been disconnected, but it didn't to his surprise. How long had it been since he'd called home?

"Hullo." It was his little sister. Of course, she wasn't so little, anymore. She was in high school now.

"Amber?"

"Who is this?" She sounded as if she should hang up.

"Its me, Heath."

There was a silence.

"Some one's been calling here for you," she said.

"If he calls back tell him you haven't heard a thing from me." Heath cringed then.

"OK."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Once that was settled he asked about everyone. It felt like a Christmas package that he never got around to opening up. He couldn't stop smiling as he listened to her talk about their old black labrador, Digs, and if Mom still made her cherry brownies anymore. When was the last time their Uncle Ray had came to visit with the old records everyone danced too? And was Dad as forgetful as he ever was? He talked as much as his battery would let him.

"Are you in some sort of trouble, Heath?" Amber wanted to know.

"No, I'm in no trouble....no, you tell them I've gone to New York City, if anyone asks, all right. You tell them its a lot harder than I ever imagined. But I'm OK. I'm really OK." His battery went dead then, and he couldn't tell her good-bye. He couldn't help but have a flood of tears, afterwards. Really, he was happy. He really was.

8 comments:

  1. This was so bitter sweet. Such a 'real' ending. I do hope he'll try to see his parents.

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  2. hey..

    i've changed my url so i'm just commenting here, so that you can just go to my blog through my profile!

    lotsoflove!

    xx
    S

    PS: i love it. i love everything about heath :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks for the note. I do feel bad for Heath. I hope things will get better.

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  4. Heath I think will make it with some help from Nick.

    ReplyDelete