Page 6 of Light and Shadow
“Are you from Scotland? I have some decent scotch.” Ashley picks up a bottle from behind her with scrolled writing on the label.
The man with the beard from outside slaps me on the back. “You’re in America now, try our bourbon. I promise you won’t regret it. I’ll even buy.”
I give Ashley a nod and turn to the man with the beard. “I’m Aaran Riordan.” I offer my hand.
“Greg Peterson.” His shake is firm. “Harper, Ashley, and I went to school together.”
The bourbon arrives in two fancy glasses. I inspect the crystal, wondering if I can drink from this without breaking it.
Laughing, Greg says, “We start with the good stuff and sip it. Next, we’ll move on to shots once our taste buds are numb.”
So, I sip, and it’s good. It’s very good, and I sip until we’re several shots in and I know everything about Greg and a woman named Liz who broke his heart.
I check on Harper every few minutes, and she smiles from time to time, but her sadness is so deep it never leaves her.
Two hours later, I’m singing old folk songs, and my eyes are blurry.
Watching from the bar, Harper shakes her head. She pays the bill and heads out the door. I stumble twice as I rush to follow her and curse myself for getting drunk when I have work to do. Still, I manage to make it to her house before she closes the door.
She goes down the hall and comes back with her arms full of linens. “You can sleep on the couch. The bathroom is in the hallway. Don’t throw up on my floor.”
I take the pile and start to make a bed out of the couch. “Thank you. You are very kind.”
Putting a large glass of water on the coffee table, she says, “I don’t believe your story, but it’s clear to me that you do. I don’t know who or what you are, but I saw what I saw today. I have to take care of my mother, so I’m not going anywhere with you. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”
My heart sinking, I sit. “I understand.” I drink the water and watch her disappear down the hallway.
I’ve failed.
I wish someone would tell me what to do. It would be better if I were heartless. Then I would have dragged her into the portal today and dealt with the consequences. The fact is, I need her help, and making her angry wouldn’t have been a good way to gain it. Still, at least she’d be in Domhan, and there would be a chance to save it.
Imust have fallen asleep because I’m much more sober when I hear her breathing close by. “Are you alright, Harper?”
“I don’t sleep much. You didn’t get sick?” She’s on the other side of the couch.
“No. I’m fine.” My eyes adjust, and I see moisture on her cheeks, shining in the moonlight. “You’re crying.” I sit up.
She wipes her cheeks. “I would help you if I could.”
“Thanks for that.” I’m not certain it’s true, but it’s still nice of her to say. “Why are you crying?”
“Do you drink coffee?” She gets up and goes to the kitchen.
I follow. “We don’t have whatever that is in my world.”
She fills a basket with brown crumbs and fits it in a machine, adds water to another part, and pushes a button. “No coffee? Sounds like hell. Tea?”
“Yes, I drink tea.” I’m an idiot for feeling any joy, but the fact that she’s treating me like a guest makes my pulse speed.
After filling a kettle, she heats water and takes an odd white bag from a yellow box before putting it in a white mug. The second mug is blue and saysMornings are for Coffee, not Talking.On one side it has a drawing of a stick figure with a padlock on his lips.
“I’m going to see my mom this morning.”
“May I come with you?” I hold my breath.
She stands over the stove and watches the kettle. Once it makes a horrible sound from the steam pushing through some kind of whistling device, she turns off the flame and fills the white mug. Placing it in front of me, she looks deep into my eyes.“If you want to see a dying human, I guess you can come with me. It’s a sad place to visit.”
Her other machine makes a beeping sound, and she pours the dark liquid called coffee, then sits silently drinking while the sun comes up. When she pours a second cup, she says, “If you want to shower, there are towels under the sink in the bathroom.”
