Young Writers Society

That day dragged on. When I woke up I wasn’t hungry and there wasn’t much in my pantry but I was able to nibble on a piece of toast. Still in my pajamas, I sat back down on the couch. I didn’t want to lay in bed; I’d done so much of that at the hospital. What would I do? Where would I go? I didn’t feel like doing any of it. I went to go refill my coffee, and I dropped the cup. It shattered on the floor. Shit.

Liz and Rick stopped by at lunchtime to bring food and flowers, and the pieces of the shattered cup were still on the floor. She immediately got my broom and started sweeping while Rick stood awkwardly off the side.

“What happened?”

“Nothing, I just dropped my cup.”

The way she looked at me was too much for me in that moment. “I’m not a child, Liz. I can take care of myself.” I took the broom from her, and she sighed.

“Monty, it’s not that you can’t take care of yourself--”

“What is it then?” She stared at me like a deer in headlights as I finished sweeping.

“Nevermind. Um.” She looked over at Rick, who was still standing there, still holding the food.

“We got takeout from that Italian place you like,” he interjected as he took out three plates. Fettuccine Alfredo for Liz. Chicken Parmesan for him. Spaghetti Bolognese for me. We ate and towards the end Liz had to excuse herself to the bathroom.

I was alone with RIck. We sat in awkward silence until he spoke. “How long have you known Liz?”

“Since we were eighteen.”

He nodded.  “I wish she loved me the way she loves you.”

That caught me off guard. Liz and I were often mistaken for a couple, but I just didn’t feel that way about her. I sat there, not knowing what to say. “We’re just friends,” I finally managed.

“I know,” he responded. 

I said nothing. Liz had returned at that point. We finished lunch, they left and I was alone again. 

Shortly thereafter, the phone rang. It was Joe; Liz had reminded me he said he’d call. After some chatter about how I was doing, he got right into the business of the movie. 

“So, as you know, we’re almost wrapped,” he began. “I know you’ve worked really hard, but we won’t be needing you on set going forward. The movie’s still going to be released, you’re going to be credited and paid as you should be.”

It took a moment to sink in. I had a feeling this was going to happen, but I still had some hope that somehow, I’d be able to finish this movie, because I didn’t know what was going to come after, if anything.

“Joe…”

“I’m really sorry to have to do this, but we have to do what we have to do to make it work. It’s not personal. I really mean that. We’re going to rewrite some scenes and shoot the rest with doubles. Like I said, you’ll still be in the movie.”

“I understand.” There was so much I wanted to say, but I was choked up. It hurt. I couldn’t deny that. But maybe it would be better to have to face everyone again.

“I hope everything looks up for you. Take care.”

“Bye.” I hung up the phone, and I lost it. I wondered if I would ever act on another set.

The rest of the day inched by. I was starting to feel sore from not really getting up off of my couch all day. But if I went out, where would I go? There was nothing I felt like doing. At best, people would stare, at worst, reporters would hound me. Day became night, and it was clear and starry. It looked beautiful, and the air outside was probably still sweet from the rain. I felt the urge to take a walk.

I walked over to my front door and opened it. I was met with a perfect night breeze, and as I looked out at the street, it was peaceful and quiet. Maybe I would just go for a short walk. That wouldn’t be too bad. I hadn’t really been outside in a while. Suddenly, there was a rustling of the bushes. Startled, I slammed the door shut. As I stood against my wall, I realized it was probably only an animal. Still, I put the chain on and closed my blinds.

After making a pot of tea, I called Liz to tell her about my phone call with Joe. She was furious. “I mean, he could just shoot the right side of your face, he could do more angles, there’s so many ways around it.”“Yeah, but then in between takes they would have to look at me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” 

“Hey, uh,” she paused. “About earlier today...I didn’t mean to make you think you couldn’t take care of yourself. I just… ” She hesitated.

“What?”

“If I hadn’t make you come that night none of this would have happened.”

I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. Finally, words came. “Maybe. None of us could have known. It could have still happened anyway. You don’t know.” I trailed on and none of my words were making sense, so I was thankful when she cut me off.

“Hey. Call Rod. He wants to talk to you.”

“Sure. Talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

I hung up. I didn’t want to call Rod. Not because I didn’t want to see him, but because I didn’t want him to see me like this. There was another reason too. A few weeks before the accident, I had resigned that I still had feelings for him, but I had done nothing. He was with Jean and had been for a while. He seemed happy, and I wasn’t going to ruin a good thing. But dealing with it now would just make everything more complicated.

I turned on the TV, tuning out for a few hours. At a certain point, I kept staring at the phone. My heart was racing, and something possessed me to dial his number.

“Hello?” I’d recognize the voice anywhere. Still intoxicating even when he wasn't singing. 

“Hey, um, it’s me. It’s Monty,” I said. I noticed my hands were shaking. “Liz said you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yeah. I mean, how are you? I’m sorry I couldn’t spend more time in the hospital.” 

“It’s alright. Liz is taking really good care of me.”

“That’s what she does,” he said with a laugh. “Um, do you want to meet? I mean, can you go out? We’ll meet for drinks or I can come there, whatever works.”

“Why don’t we get out of the city?”

“Sure.”

We made plans to drive into the mountains that weekend. After everything I’d been through, I needed fresh air and a good dose of nature. There was a little cafe about an a hour and a half away that served really good grilled cheeses and hot chocolate. We’d go there, spend up a little time in this public park, and not be in any hurry to go back. Jean told us to have fun and sent her love. It was strange. Before, I’d been so nervous about even setting outside my front door. Now, I couldn’t wait for the weekend.