It was a beautiful night and everything was movie scene perfect - the serendipitous meeting, the soft glow of the street lamps, the clear and starry sky, the ambiance of the fountain diving for the sky and falling back around itself. And the kiss was lovely, soft and slow and with an odd familiarity like it had happened between them a million times before.
And it was the sad kiss of something that could never be. Elle's life, or at least her desire to keep going, had been dying for quite some time. She floated through relationship to relationship with no breath in between. Every time she thought the next one would be different, and every time, she found him to be exactly the same.
They were all serendipitous meetings, and the first kiss was always a scene from a movie. Elle was oddly comfortable with people she had no business developing such a deep level of comfort with so quickly. So, she had promised herself to stay single, to not give in to her usual impulses, to not look at every chance meeting and perfect kiss as fate. And this perfect kiss told her all she needed to know about John.
He gently released his grasp of her and smiled the smile of the conquerer. He knew that with that one kiss he had sealed the deal and that Elle was smitten with him. She returned a different kind of smile, one laced with sadness in her eyes, and she saw his eyes change at some sort of realization that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"It was wonderful running into you, John."
And before he could say anything, Elle turned, clutched her bag close to her chest, and ran as fast as she could to her car. Since she knew the area well, she took a couple of longer ways in hopes that John wouldn't be able to follow her easily. She hoped she hadn't mentioned what kind of car she drove, not that he'd be able to find it anyhow amongst all the others, she thought.
The drive home was a melancholy laced with an earnest sense of satisfaction. She didn't know his last name or his phone number, and Elle was pretty sure that stuff didn't come up in conversation. If it had, she must have been daydreaming her way through the banter.
Elle's apartment was small. She flipped on the TV and headed for the fridge. After contemplating a few different options - orange juice, ginger ale, Cherry Dr. Pepper - she decided to open the bottle of Chardonnay that had been chilling for at least a month now. She poured the golden liquid into an amber wine glass and took in the aroma. Wine always smelled so good.
From beside the fridge, Elle grabbed a prescription bottle. She didn't hurt anywhere, at least not physically, but she needed to feel numb for a while. After a few moments of contemplation, she decided 3 Percocets would do the trick and downed them quickly with a swig of Chardonnay before she could change her mind.
It wasn't the perfect end to a nearly perfect day, but it was probably the best ending to a movie scene day she'd ever had, she thought. She'd gone against her nature. It hurt terribly. She wanted to be in John's arms right now, blissfully unaware of what would inevitably become another emotional horror show. Elle smiled bitterly as she opened the fridge again, grabbed a cup of butterscotch pudding and decided it had been a good day to run.
I'll just be a minute
Close the door
It's all been a game to you
I don’t want you no more
You’re all play, no fair
Fireflies glow at night
It’ll just be a minute
Til I say goodnight
It's time for Percocet and pudding
And a little wine to pass the time
It’s time for Percocet and pudding
And a little wine to pass the time
Don’t wanna scream or shout
I’m laying it out
Cause you won’t never play fair
Don't wait for me here
I'm not coming home
Flypaper won't stick me here
I’m just too far gone
Sing your lulla-lies down the street
I'm floating on air
Don't wait for me here
I’ll lay your shit bare
Chorus
Leave me for now
Your honey don’t attract me
I know you’re sour inside
And you won’t let me be
I’m not your queen bee baby
I’m tired of being the fool
Leave me here for now
You never play by the rules
Chorus
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You DID it, there were doubters (I shall not name name) you'd manage all the muses but you did. Loved all of this, you're a fine lyricist as well and I know I'll be clocked but it's something I think most women can relate to. The desire to flee vs desire to stay. Awesome. Loved it. Still would have loved some music with the songs and a couple were a little 'samey' but just fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I know the nameless one! :)
ReplyDeleteI almost had to post the last few muses without music because of my scheduling and access to computer/video time, so the ending is not precisely what I wanted but the overall feeling is there. Exact verbiage can be further edited at a later date.
I wish I could put the music I hear in my head to accompany these songs was something I could output myself... One day...
Ah... hmm...
ReplyDeleteThat's all I got. I'll have to think about this one.
"Percocet and pudding" works as a lyric better than "faint trace of ambergris," though. Like the "Sway" feel.
I actually just read the last couple of lines, and that's not how I ended it. I erased that and had another ending, but I was in a hurry and it saved funny. This has happened to me twice now, but I found it the first time. Blogger saved two of the same blog. I don't even know how that happens. The correct ending is:
ReplyDeleteShe wished to be in John's arms right now, blissfully unaware of what would inevitably end with all the predictable Lifetime movie love affair gone wrong cliches. Elle smiled bitterly, despite feeling a bit of pride in herself because for once, she wasn't blinded by the happy ending fairy. It wasn't time yet; she still needed to heal. It had only been a few days since she and Mike had split. She opened the fridge again, grabbed a cup of butterscotch pudding and decided it had been a good day to see the jellyfish.
yeah, that makes more sense. Well, this was a great accomplishment, and well done getting all 9 muses in. Last song may have been the best, well the catchiest tune at least. Good ending!
ReplyDeleteAll nine(!!!), and a great meander though the mind in a day. -J
ReplyDeleteNoooooooo!
ReplyDeleteShe's sabotaging herself. Why? No! :)
ReplyDelete"sing your lulla-lies down the street" GREAT line. You've totally amazed me with this project.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually a happy ending for Elle's character, in my opinion. I think I could have written the ending out a little better, and I had a great idea for the ending after I had already posted it - to make it a more obviously happy ending for my readers. Darn that pesky hindsight.
ReplyDelete