Troubled

FORTY FOUR

KYLE GARCIA

When people say patience is a virtue they really do mean it. I haven't had a reason to be patient in my life, everything was moving in a straight line, nothing had me waiting. If I waited for something it was two minutes, anything longer than that, I left it.

One time I wanted to get Kelly Parker, my role model for football's signature on my jersey. But the queue was overly long, even when I was pushed forward because I was somewhat a star in my own little field, Kelly was delaying. Even after I had waited for months for Kelly to visit our little town. I left almost immediately because I was impatient. I heard he signed everyone's jersey that day and I was the only one who missed. That was just how impatient I was.

So my patience with Cora has to be fueled by something. I don't know what it is yet. I not to think of it. But I was willing to wait for her to tell me what was going on.

Although I have my own theories, all of them boiling down to her abusive mother. One, she got so abusive towards her that she felt fear randomly even when her mother wasn't around her at all. Two, her mother kind of broke her, maybe she released a something inside of her that caused her brain to turn out the way it is, making her to act like she was.

I was waiting for her to come to me, open up. Only then can I help her seek professional help. She needed to tell me herself that her mother hurts her, and that's when I could get authorities involved, but she wasn't saying anything yet, and if I forcefully involved myself she was not going to talk to me in the coming three hundred light years, and as sad as that sounds that is what I do not want to become of us.

"Hey Cora?"

We haven't spoken since we had breakfast and got back on the road. We were both lost in our thoughts and that was okay. Maybe, hopefully, she was considering telling me what was going on.

"Hmm?" She answered.

"Do you consider us friends?"

I had to know that she did consider us friends, or that will make everything I have been patiently waiting for null and void.

"Why? If I'm your friend won't I have to pay for phone repairs?"

I laugh a little. She deflected questions thrown her professionally, like she had training in deflecting questions that would reveal her emotions. Was she scared that people would see her true emotions? If yes, why was it such a bad thing for her?

"It is true that you haven't talked about repairing my phone this days. But no, even if you turn out to be the best of friends, you will surely pay for the repairs, else I will be flinging your phone on the high way."

"Shame, I did want free repairs."

"The day you stop deflecting questions that you deem too deep for you.. is the day pigs fly."

I slow down the car as I approach the spot. Well the road to the spot.

"I don't deflect."

I snort as I park.

"I hope you can climb."

"You didn't tell me any climbing would be involved."

"Surprise!! There will be loads of climbing."

"The only climbing I'll be doing is climbing back into the car and you'll drive me home."

I laugh.

"Don't worry, if it gets too much. I'll carry you."

She doesn't say anything. I take out the few drinks I always stuff into my car just in case I needed some and I couldn't go get any.

"Shall we?" I ask.

She looked at me with her expressionless face, but her eyes told me she was excited. It did take me by surprise.

My special place I found when running away from the pressure. The best part about it was the fact that phones didn't get reception out here. It was a small hill, with rocks for seat, it was actually comfortable. And it overlooked the whole city. It wasn't a hard climb actually, it was not even a climb, she just had to be agile.

"How did you find this place?"

"I was going for a drive. Running away from everything and everyone. Until I ran out of gas. I came here and there was no reception, no one for miles, usually I would make a fuss about how it wasn't my day--watch your step. But that day, I saw it as an opportunity not to go back."

"I can see why." She whispered as she looked around. Her wide eyes soaking up everything that lay beneath her.

It was beautiful, from up here everything else seemed like pebbles, including your problems. The place made you feel like you were bigger and stronger than everyone else.

"It's beautiful." She tells me.

I set down everything beside what I used as my seat. And picked up the most comfortable rock so she could use as her own seat.

"And the best part about it? You get absolutely no reception at all."

She turned to me.

"How many times have you come here since that day?"

"More than twenty times. Pretty much any time I feel like clearing my head."

I search around for the mar I brought here once,

"I even have my stuff here." I show her when i find it. She helped me set it down.

"Have you brought anyone here before?" She asked as she laid down on the mat. She laid on her side, not because she wanted to look at me obviously, she was avoiding the sun. That has to be it.

I don't follow at first, I watch her, I needed to see her eyes, to tell me how she was feeling.

"Nope, you're the first one I have brought here. Ever."

She doesn't say anything for a while, but I know she is pleased. I was even more pleased with myself for bringing her here. I lay down next to her, keeping a small distance between us.

"When you threw yourself at me today.. why did you do it?"

We were facing each other now, with a small distance between us. We stare into each other's eyes. She was curious. I saw curiosity mixed with something I couldn't quite place my finger on.

"Because I wanted you to feel safe.."

"You wanted to save me, you wanted to play hero.."

I open my mouth to tell her she was wrong, I didn't want to play hero. I didn't know what to do, but I wanted her to know she wasn't alone. Being alone, I know how devastating it was. I used to wish someone would have held me back then, I wanted to give her the comfort I wanted for myself.

"There will be a time you absolutely can't. Some of these things.. they are dangerous.. so the next time you see me like that, don't throw yourself at me, you won't know which is the dangerous one, instead rum away. Run really far away. Don't look back."