AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cassie
Luke sat in the front seat of the Subaru, his cane propped on the door. I reached between his legs to clear out the empty water bottles and granola bar wrappers that had accumulated near his feet. And by ‘clear out,’ I mean put in the backseat. “Sorry,” I said, stifling a yawn.
“It’s cool,” he replied, laughing a little, eyeing the empty Queen, Natalie Cole, David Bowie, and Patsy Cline CD cases piled on the dashboard.
He’d wanted to go to the river, so he could keep working on his PT outside. Of course I’d said yes, and offered to pick him up later, but I was nervous, for some reason. He’d been inside for so long, sheltered from the chaos of the outside world, vulnerable and defenseless. I felt like I was releasing an injured lion back into the savanna.
When I turned on the ignition, Portishead blasted at high volume. I turned it down, giving him a whoops look as I reversed. “Not used to having anyone else in my car.”
Except for Toby, and unless I kept the volume up high, he would talk about the music instead of just listening to it. That’s why, I’d discovered, going to loud concerts with him was fun.
Luke rolled down the window. “You can keep it turned up,” he said, content with his face in the breeze.
Okay, Cassie, chill.He wasn’t an infant with sensitive eardrums. I turned it up, and, yeah, fine, I sang along with Beth Gibbons, because that’s what I would have done otherwise. Luke nodded along, lost in his own thoughts.
When we reached the river, he guided me to a spot in the park as if he knew it.
“You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah,” he said, not elaborating. I resisted the urge to ask him more. I didn’t know why I wanted to know, anyway.
“Thanks, Cassie.” He lifted his injured leg out, put the cane on the pavement, and pushed himself up, reaching a hand in to wave good-bye.
“Oh, Luke, your phone!” I said. He’d left it on the seat.
It was vibrating. He grabbed it, looked at the number, his mouth twisting for a moment in disgust.
“Eh,” he said. “I don’t need it. You can pick me up here, thanks.” He tossed it on the car floor, out of sight.
“Okay, bye,” I called through the open window.
I watched him limp away, solo against the endless wall of trees. Suddenly, I remembered: I had forgotten to get him a plant.
