Spades: Part Two

Spades Part Two

As I went to get changed I thought back a few years. For as long as I can remember I’ve always found solace in cards. They’ve always been a kind of therapy, from "Go Fish" when I was younger, to "Hearts", and now full fledged poker. I can’t count cards, but I’ll make you think that’s what I’m doing. I developed a feel for them back in Junior High. No matter how many times I heard the jeers of "Hey Sharky" and the like, I kept it up. And look at me now, hah.

I headed back out to the floor and found my table. It didn’t take long until I had some company, and elderly couple who I later found out was celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss. They won some and lost some, but in the end came out ahead. "Hah! So much for the house always winning Ellen," He said, giving his wife a little poke in the arm. "Now now Frank, don’t get cocky."

The night went on, there were winners..and there were losers. Nothing much exciting happened though. It was fine by me, I got lost in the cards. It was all so automatic. King of spades, two of hearts, Jack of diamonds. "Shape of My Heart" by Sting cycled through my head and everything just became a blur. Even when my table emptied I didn’t care.

"Hey Brandon, what’s up?"

"Oh, hi Bonnie, not much. What are you still doing here?"

"Working late to pick up some extra cash. Not enough nice guys out there like you to pick up the slack."

I gave her a puzzled look as if I didn’t know what she meant.

"Oh you know what I’m talking about."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Never mind Bran. So you got any plans this weekend?"

"Not really, just going to take it easy. How about yourself?"

"Josh is planning on taking me to that new Italian place, Il Miracolo. It’s been getting rave reviews ever since it opened up a couple months ago."

"Ahh cool. I should go there sometime. I’d feel weird though, sitting there and eating all by my onesy."

Her eyes betrayed her shock.

"What?"

"It’s, I don’t know. Just weird thinking that such a sweet, dashing guy as yourself doesn’t have a pretty lass hanging on his arm."

I’d gotten over my surprise at statements like that years ago. ‘You’re so nice and charming Brandon, any girl would be lucky to have you." And ‘I’m surprised you don’t have girls just flocking around you Brandon, you’re such a genuine guy.’ Truth be told, there was someone I used to hold in my heart who saw all that in me. She was still there, but that was it. She had been my world, meu milagre. She saved me from myself in my darkest hour, and I owed her everything. But two years ago, all that changed. The official police report stated that she had been run off the road by someone high off their a*s. Even though I wasn’t there, her screams echoed in my ears for months. Sometimes I still wake up in the middle of the night and reach for her-

"I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?"

I took a deep breath, startled back into reality, "No, no of course not."

"If you insist. Anyway, I’d better get back to things. If I don’t see you before I leave, have a good weekend."

She stepped up to me and gave me a little hug. As she walked away I felt a lone tear trail down my cheek. "Damn," I muttered to myself as I wiped it away. My thoughts went back to that night two years ago. Of sitting in the hospital chair, holding her hand. Her eyes beckoning me, ‘stay...don’t leave me Brandon’. Seeing the pain flow through her every movement until all she could do was just lay there. Watching as the life drained from her..seeing her mouth the words ‘I love you’ before she closed her eyes forever, and her hand relaxed, revealing a note with five letters on it.

And a promise to deaf ears escaped my lips ", I love you forever, my dear Lily."

Author's Note

Once again, please focus on content when reviewing.

Reviews

[GoodIntentiionz]

When I see this kind of stuff, I'm looking for some kind of plotline. I know, it's a short story, but (to me) there doesn't seem to be any kind of plot to this. I see background and character, which is cool, but I'm waiting to see when the plot is going to show. I'll make sure to take a look at part 3 later. For now it's 11:30 p.m. and I'm headin' on vacation tomorrow (today?). :D