Eclectic Lesson

Abigail’s Skeletons

(Fragment from Life In Reverse)

-Thanks for coming. I’ve been needing someone to talk to someone for a very long time.

-Yeah, it looks like you’ve been holding something inside for too long. I can tell for the way you talk and the words you speak.

-Right. And the only person I could think about was you. I know there’s catching-up to do, and stuff…

-Nevermind that. Just tell me what’s bothering you.

It was easier than I thought to let my brain rest for a while and just uncork my mouth to let these words flow by themselves, words that have been tormenting me far too long; far too many nights, far too many journeys, way more fingers than I could possibly use to count.

-It’s Abigail.

Corey’s eyes show no change. He knew, but wouldn’t make the first move, not until I spoke. He’s always been respectful in that matter. A silent agreement knew by both.

-I see.

-Everybody tells me the same thing: ‘get rid of her, if it’s just too much for you’. But it’s not that easy. I’m sure you can understand, you’ve been through something like this too. I know you’re the only one that can give me a real useful advice.

Moment of silence. Four-second thoughts.

-Ok. First thing’s first. Tell me about Abigail. What’s the matter with her? ‘Cause I know she’s not the usual type of girl you like. I can tell she’s different, but how?

-(Sigh) Abigail.. you know, it’s kinda hard to talk about her.

-You can keep the intimacy issues to yourself; just tell me what bothers you.

-It’s not that. She’s just.. hard to describe.

-That’s funny. You know… anyone could think you knew Abigail well enough by now. You hang out with her almost daily, don’t you?

-That’s exactly the point. I don’t feel like I know her anymore. The more I’m with her, the less I understand her psyche. I had a better idea of her world when I just met her.

-So it’s a matter of “Life in Reverse”?

-Exactly.

A two-second breath, some cigarette smoke into the lungs. Then words find a way like a combination of numbers for a vault.

-Abigail is. Abigail is Pandora’s Box. She holds a hundred terrible moments inside. She’s a repertoire of these spiky little fucked-up things in life. Every malady the human soul can hold, she’s been through it. And those things have shattered her inner structure.

Pause again. Coffee.

-She’s this glass armor.. this eroded, crackled statue, re-painted gold.

Corey thinks. He looks amused by the description of this girl he’s never seen before, but has heard a lot about.

-I think I get your point. She’s more than you bargained for. You’ve been grave-digging, and now you found skeletons.

-It’s more than just skeletons. We all have our skeletons buried deep. These are solid, really disturbing skeletons.

-I never thought skeletons could damage a relationship so much.

-You know… they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. And they say that ‘cause, even if the cover looks thorn and dusty, the book might hold a great story inside. Abigail’s book is backwards. The cover is beautiful, but when you read her story, you just don’t know what to do with it. If you get to the bottom, you kinda want to help. You’d like this sad story to have a nice ending. But you just don’t know if you’d be able to handle the overwhelming literary flow.

-It looks to me like you’re focusing too much on the cracks. Sure, Abigail’s had some bumps along the ride. We all have. One doesn’t choose to carry these cracks, but you get along. Just… relax, man.

- I can’t just ignore them either. Imagine you buy a cake, and the one you want is completely battered and smashed. Sure, it will taste the same, but we all want a nice cake, don’t we?

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