Lyn05
07-17-2009, 07:13 AM
“Get out of there already! The bath’s not just yours, you know!” Hester yelled into the bathroom door.
“I know… just…five more minutes, okay?” Jane groaned. They were twins, and yet Hester was so different-so impatient.
“What! Five minutes? That’s what you said an HOUR ago! Get out, now! We’re going to be late!” The door shook as Hester pounded her fist onto it.
“I get it I get it! I said five minutes, okay?” Jane rolled her eyes and got back to the mirror. The artificial eyelash just wouldn’t stick…
*
Five minutes. That was what he had said. Five hours standing there, alone in
the chilly air. That was how she waited. Lisa took a deep breath, in an attempt to contain her tears. He must be with that woman now, she thought.
No.
He’s just busy with work. He has always been busy…
“Oh, really?” said a voice in her mind. “So why didn’t he pick up your calls? He was the one who asked you out, to start over. That’s why he chose this street for the date. This was where you two met. He-“
No.
No, no, no. She tried to push the horrible thoughts out of her head.
Five minutes. Just five more minutes, and she’ll leave. But Lisa knew that she would wait for him for the whole night.
*
Soon, it’ll be all over. He’d get to see his mother again, and it wouldn’t even take five minutes. Well, that was what he had thought, at least.
He laughed. His life was truly flashing past him, just like in the movies. His miserable life: Being bullied at school, failing his subjects, abused by his father, and then doing drugs. It was pathetic. It was pitiful. He was useless, hopeless, just like his father had said.
Less than five minutes and all pain would disappear. He would die in this stinking alley, and no-one would know.
Five short minutes, he thought. It almost seemed too good to be true.
*
“Hellllloooo?” Jane waved her hand in front of the listless woman.
“Don’t be rude!” Hester pulled her away. “Excuse me, miss. Are you alright?
You look horrible!”
“Wha-?” The woman seemed to only just realise their existence.
“We asked, are you alright?” Jane bent forward and put her face right in front of the woman’s, so close that their noses touched.
“Ah…” The woman blinked in surprise and took a few steps back.
“Jane! I’m really sorry, miss. My sister’s drunk…We were wondering if you know where to get a cab? We kind of took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up here…” Hester looked at the woman with increasing concern. Was this woman drunk too? She looked so dazed, and she had been crying. What in the world was Hester going to do with two drunken women in tow, without a cab?
Jane began singing-screeching-it sounded to Hester- at the top of her lungs. Why did she let that crazy girl drink so much? Just then, a boy appeared from round the corner. In his left hand was a half-filled bottle of beer, and in his right, a small bottle of pills.
Hester was alarmed. “Hey, kid. What are you do-“
“Five minutes!” The boy sobbed, and his voice cracked.
Puberty, huh. Hester thought.
“Five friggin’ minutes was all it was supposed to take! And I can’t even muster the courage to swallow this!” He waved the bottle of pills in the air.
“Okaay… Just keep calm. Look. Look at me, alright? Just hand the pills over, okay? And the bottle too,” Hester tentatively stretched out her hands towards the teen. Perspiration rolled down her forehead. This was one of the worse nights ever: Two drunken women and a suicidal teen. Was she going to get out of this alive?
“Oh! Beer! How wonderful!” Jane said in a sing-song voice, as she came twirling over, taking the beer bottle from the boy. She downed a few more mouthfuls of its contents.
The boy was stunned. Then, he burst out laughing, so much that he bent over in tears. His laughter was contagious. Soon, Hester and the woman were doubling over as well, leaving Jane in a state of confusion. “What’s going on? What’s so funny?” she pouted.
Hester emptied the pill bottle into a drain. “Thanks.” The boy said.
“Whatever for?” Hester replied. “It’s my sister you should be thanking. What, have you confused us already?”
The boy laughed again. “Yeah, well…Anyway, I’m Jake.”
“Ummm…” The previously dazed woman approached Hester. “I don’t know if this sounds weird, considering I don’t know you at all, but I’d like to say that I’m really happy to have met you. I was just going through one of those tough times in life… By the way, I’m Lisa.”
“Ah…that…well I-”
"Well! Lisa, is that it? And you there, little boy,” Jane cut Hester off. “Let’s all go to that lovely twenty-four hour store across the road and get to know each other, shall we?”
Hester looked hesitant. It was extremely late, and they were, after all, strangers.
“Aww…come on, sis! Five minutes, okay? Just five minutes?” Jane whined.
Hester smiled. Five minutes-or rather an hour, by Jane’s definition- would be fine, she decided. Lisa and Jake seemed all for the idea as well.
And so the four people walked towards the light of the store. All their troubles seemed to disappear.
*
“I know… just…five more minutes, okay?” Jane groaned. They were twins, and yet Hester was so different-so impatient.
“What! Five minutes? That’s what you said an HOUR ago! Get out, now! We’re going to be late!” The door shook as Hester pounded her fist onto it.
“I get it I get it! I said five minutes, okay?” Jane rolled her eyes and got back to the mirror. The artificial eyelash just wouldn’t stick…
*
Five minutes. That was what he had said. Five hours standing there, alone in
the chilly air. That was how she waited. Lisa took a deep breath, in an attempt to contain her tears. He must be with that woman now, she thought.
No.
He’s just busy with work. He has always been busy…
“Oh, really?” said a voice in her mind. “So why didn’t he pick up your calls? He was the one who asked you out, to start over. That’s why he chose this street for the date. This was where you two met. He-“
No.
No, no, no. She tried to push the horrible thoughts out of her head.
Five minutes. Just five more minutes, and she’ll leave. But Lisa knew that she would wait for him for the whole night.
*
Soon, it’ll be all over. He’d get to see his mother again, and it wouldn’t even take five minutes. Well, that was what he had thought, at least.
He laughed. His life was truly flashing past him, just like in the movies. His miserable life: Being bullied at school, failing his subjects, abused by his father, and then doing drugs. It was pathetic. It was pitiful. He was useless, hopeless, just like his father had said.
Less than five minutes and all pain would disappear. He would die in this stinking alley, and no-one would know.
Five short minutes, he thought. It almost seemed too good to be true.
*
“Hellllloooo?” Jane waved her hand in front of the listless woman.
“Don’t be rude!” Hester pulled her away. “Excuse me, miss. Are you alright?
You look horrible!”
“Wha-?” The woman seemed to only just realise their existence.
“We asked, are you alright?” Jane bent forward and put her face right in front of the woman’s, so close that their noses touched.
“Ah…” The woman blinked in surprise and took a few steps back.
“Jane! I’m really sorry, miss. My sister’s drunk…We were wondering if you know where to get a cab? We kind of took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up here…” Hester looked at the woman with increasing concern. Was this woman drunk too? She looked so dazed, and she had been crying. What in the world was Hester going to do with two drunken women in tow, without a cab?
Jane began singing-screeching-it sounded to Hester- at the top of her lungs. Why did she let that crazy girl drink so much? Just then, a boy appeared from round the corner. In his left hand was a half-filled bottle of beer, and in his right, a small bottle of pills.
Hester was alarmed. “Hey, kid. What are you do-“
“Five minutes!” The boy sobbed, and his voice cracked.
Puberty, huh. Hester thought.
“Five friggin’ minutes was all it was supposed to take! And I can’t even muster the courage to swallow this!” He waved the bottle of pills in the air.
“Okaay… Just keep calm. Look. Look at me, alright? Just hand the pills over, okay? And the bottle too,” Hester tentatively stretched out her hands towards the teen. Perspiration rolled down her forehead. This was one of the worse nights ever: Two drunken women and a suicidal teen. Was she going to get out of this alive?
“Oh! Beer! How wonderful!” Jane said in a sing-song voice, as she came twirling over, taking the beer bottle from the boy. She downed a few more mouthfuls of its contents.
The boy was stunned. Then, he burst out laughing, so much that he bent over in tears. His laughter was contagious. Soon, Hester and the woman were doubling over as well, leaving Jane in a state of confusion. “What’s going on? What’s so funny?” she pouted.
Hester emptied the pill bottle into a drain. “Thanks.” The boy said.
“Whatever for?” Hester replied. “It’s my sister you should be thanking. What, have you confused us already?”
The boy laughed again. “Yeah, well…Anyway, I’m Jake.”
“Ummm…” The previously dazed woman approached Hester. “I don’t know if this sounds weird, considering I don’t know you at all, but I’d like to say that I’m really happy to have met you. I was just going through one of those tough times in life… By the way, I’m Lisa.”
“Ah…that…well I-”
"Well! Lisa, is that it? And you there, little boy,” Jane cut Hester off. “Let’s all go to that lovely twenty-four hour store across the road and get to know each other, shall we?”
Hester looked hesitant. It was extremely late, and they were, after all, strangers.
“Aww…come on, sis! Five minutes, okay? Just five minutes?” Jane whined.
Hester smiled. Five minutes-or rather an hour, by Jane’s definition- would be fine, she decided. Lisa and Jake seemed all for the idea as well.
And so the four people walked towards the light of the store. All their troubles seemed to disappear.
*