Page 14 of Lady Sings the Blues

“Seems you and Mark are the only ones who don’t.” For a woman who used to show such a strong spirit, she hangs her head low, so fuckin’ defeated.

And it guts me. I’m lettin’ her down again.

Tommy shoots me a confused glance, ‘Mark?’ I shake my head slightly. Just enough to keep him from asking the question I see he wants to ask and at the same time telling him without words, ‘We’ll talk later.’

“You know,” Elise continues. “They want me out of town so badly, how am I supposed to leave when they’ve trashed my car? I can’t drive home with a smashed windshield or…or…” She takes in a gulping breath and the tears I’ve been waiting on finally show. “Slashed tires.” She actually finishes her thought.

“Wasn’t very smart.” I offer. Not much else to say.

“Vandalism’s never smart,” says Tommy. And he pats her shoulder this time. He stands then. “Well, I think I got everything I need. Anymore trouble girl, you call me. Got it? You still got friends here. I’m one of ‘em. Which.” He pauses. “Call Maryanne. She’s worried sick about you.”

“Maryanne?” Elise murmurs.

“Maryanne. Buckley. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your best girlfriend already?”

“No, no. I haven’t forgotten Maryanne. I just…howisshe?”

“Good, I hope.” A smile plays across his face. “And she’s a Doyle now.”

“You married Maryanne?”

“Almost three years now. I’ll tell her to stop by as you wouldn’t have her number, come to think of it.”

“Tommy, do you think it’s safe for her to be seen with me? Mark’s already taking such a risk.”

“Sweetheart, let me tell you somethin’. I love bein’ married. I love goin’ to bed at night and wakin’ up in the mornin’ next to her. So if I plan on stayin’ married, which I do, there’s no way on God’s green earth that I’m keepin’ Maryanne Buckley Doyle from comin’ to see her long lost best friend.”

Tommy pushes up but bends to kiss Elise’s forehead and walks toward me. “Mark,” he says. “You and me. Beers at Blues while those two catch up.”

He wasn’t asking. And proving himself today, he’s owed an explanation. So I nod.

“I’m off by six,” he says. “We’ll be there by eight.” And then he leaves out the door.

“Maryanne married Tommy Doyle,” she says. “I never saw it coming. She always wanted Beau. Always.”

“But Beau never wanted her, darlin’. Tommy, however, did. And he’s a good man.”

She blinks at me as if registering what I’ve said and repeats it. “Good man.”

That’s it. I feel her shutting down. I refuse to let that happen. “Up. Get dressed. You and me are gettin’ away for the day.”

“What about the bar?”

“Peaty’ll take the mornin’ shift. You’re more important.”

“But… I don’t have a car.”

“Good thing I have a truck, then.”

***

She stands at the mouth of the cave seeming to contemplate the darkness. Her back to me, hair flowing past her shoulders, a silhouette I’ve dreamed about just about every night for the past seven years. The cave is beautiful, but nothing in nature can compare to Elise Manning.

She turns to me. “The last time I came here was with Beau.” Her back faces me again. “Spring of senior year Logan and I had a huge fight. It was right before, well everything. I needed to get away and like always, Beau came to my rescue. We came here instead of Mammoth because all the tourists go to Mammoth.”

That’s all she says, reaching her hand back to me, I take it and we begin our descent into Carter caves. The deeper we travel the darker our world becomes. The colder our world becomes.

Elise, on her own, moves from holding my hand to pressing herself at my side where I’m able to slide my arm around her waist. She presses her face to my chest briefly before moving us along again. She moved on her own. She did.

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