kelby_lake
11-01-2008, 08:55 AM
'I don't love you.'
She stares at him incredulously. He is lying, he has to be lying.
'I don't believe you'
Carl sighs. He knows this will be hard for her, and that he should have told her earlier.
'We're supposed to get married tomorrow!' Emily still cannot believe him, and tries to judge him by his face but he will not turn to face her.'We have to get married tomorrow.'
'I won't be forced to do anything I don't want to do! A long time ago I did that, and I promised myself I would never do it again.'
'But you promised me!' How could he go back on the promise he'd made? In front of everyone?
Carl sees his fiancee's tears, and his jacket begins to feel awkward and heavy on him. He removes it with jerking limbs and takes a deep breath. Now he can speak a little better.
'Tell me the promise,' he asks calmly, his voice betraying none of the trembling that he feels inside him.
Now he has turned to her, Emily can read his face. It gave away nothing; the face of a suspect at the stand.
'You promised me you'd marry me if Jimmy...drowned at sea'
'Do you want to go further?'
Emily shakes her head, and averts her gaze. Now her eyes focus on the expansive ceiling above, and the chandelier that reminds her of dazzling reflections of the sun.
So Carl tells the story:
'We were thirteen, out on a school trip. Us guys were messing around with rocks when Jimmy spotted a group of small boats tied to the dock. He wanted to go rowing.
'We didn't think anything of it; Jimmy was always telling us how he went with his father, how he was a good sailor. You wouldn't've let him go of course- you were such a protective girlfriend. So we let him go, and decided not to tell you. You worried too much.
'An hour later he hadn't returned. It was getting us a bit worried. We decided not to tell though- perhaps he'd sailed somewhere.
'Then a few hours later, he still hadn't returned and we had to go home. The teachers were asking everyone where he was, and then we had to tell them. They all ran off to look on the beach.
'You kept screaming at us that Jimmy would have drowned and how you'd never have a husband- because back then you two had always planned to marry- and so I promised you: 'If Jimmy drowns at sea, I'll marry you and look after you for him. I'll be your husband.'
'Three days later, they found his body. It turned out that he was lying- he'd never even known his father. Three days after that, I forgot all about the promise
'Then three years later, you reminded me. I said we'd marry when we were a bit older. Two years after that, I proposed. And now, 8 years later- that's such a long time, isn't it?- we're here, about to marry'
Emily shivers in her summer dress. Even though she hadn't been near the water, whenever she hears Jimmy's name she can feel the water pressing on her.
'I don't like the sea. It was so windy that day, you shouldn't've let him go!'
And she crumpled, bursting into tears.
Carl cannot touch her; he doesn't even know her, not really.
'I didn't like the sea either. The woman said...she'd take me away from the sea, away from the coldness of that salty wind which hurt my eyes. She took me to her beach hut, where she rented the boats, and took me away from the sea, away from the land. I didn't want to go but I felt lost at sea. She released me back onto the beach, just a boy on a school trip. And now I wish I was back on that beach with Jimmy, away from the shack, away from the sea...'
She stares at him incredulously. He is lying, he has to be lying.
'I don't believe you'
Carl sighs. He knows this will be hard for her, and that he should have told her earlier.
'We're supposed to get married tomorrow!' Emily still cannot believe him, and tries to judge him by his face but he will not turn to face her.'We have to get married tomorrow.'
'I won't be forced to do anything I don't want to do! A long time ago I did that, and I promised myself I would never do it again.'
'But you promised me!' How could he go back on the promise he'd made? In front of everyone?
Carl sees his fiancee's tears, and his jacket begins to feel awkward and heavy on him. He removes it with jerking limbs and takes a deep breath. Now he can speak a little better.
'Tell me the promise,' he asks calmly, his voice betraying none of the trembling that he feels inside him.
Now he has turned to her, Emily can read his face. It gave away nothing; the face of a suspect at the stand.
'You promised me you'd marry me if Jimmy...drowned at sea'
'Do you want to go further?'
Emily shakes her head, and averts her gaze. Now her eyes focus on the expansive ceiling above, and the chandelier that reminds her of dazzling reflections of the sun.
So Carl tells the story:
'We were thirteen, out on a school trip. Us guys were messing around with rocks when Jimmy spotted a group of small boats tied to the dock. He wanted to go rowing.
'We didn't think anything of it; Jimmy was always telling us how he went with his father, how he was a good sailor. You wouldn't've let him go of course- you were such a protective girlfriend. So we let him go, and decided not to tell you. You worried too much.
'An hour later he hadn't returned. It was getting us a bit worried. We decided not to tell though- perhaps he'd sailed somewhere.
'Then a few hours later, he still hadn't returned and we had to go home. The teachers were asking everyone where he was, and then we had to tell them. They all ran off to look on the beach.
'You kept screaming at us that Jimmy would have drowned and how you'd never have a husband- because back then you two had always planned to marry- and so I promised you: 'If Jimmy drowns at sea, I'll marry you and look after you for him. I'll be your husband.'
'Three days later, they found his body. It turned out that he was lying- he'd never even known his father. Three days after that, I forgot all about the promise
'Then three years later, you reminded me. I said we'd marry when we were a bit older. Two years after that, I proposed. And now, 8 years later- that's such a long time, isn't it?- we're here, about to marry'
Emily shivers in her summer dress. Even though she hadn't been near the water, whenever she hears Jimmy's name she can feel the water pressing on her.
'I don't like the sea. It was so windy that day, you shouldn't've let him go!'
And she crumpled, bursting into tears.
Carl cannot touch her; he doesn't even know her, not really.
'I didn't like the sea either. The woman said...she'd take me away from the sea, away from the coldness of that salty wind which hurt my eyes. She took me to her beach hut, where she rented the boats, and took me away from the sea, away from the land. I didn't want to go but I felt lost at sea. She released me back onto the beach, just a boy on a school trip. And now I wish I was back on that beach with Jimmy, away from the shack, away from the sea...'