Monday had come at last, Stormy had barely slept at all. She spent much of the time staring at red numbers on her clock or the mass of limbs next to her that made up her sleeping babies. Amethyst the older and stronger one was spooning her little sister Aloe. Seeing them together, made Stormy's heart swell. Swell to the point of hurting. Or maybe that pain was the lingering guilt left over from the divorce that she still hadn't fully dealt with. It was hard to tell which. She had been feeling guilty a lot lately.
This is not the time to think about this stuff. Her inner voice was calm tonight, which was helpful in light of what Stormy was going to have to face today. Stormy reached down and ran her fingers along Amethyst's cheek. The girl moaned and shifted, but didn't wake up. Amethyst had always been a harder sleeper. Even when she was a baby, she would sleep right through Aloe's fussy cries. Once Dutch had suggested that they move Aloe into her own room, but that had been a mistake. The two were inseparable, which made Stormy happy. In the world they lived in, everyone should have somebody to watch over them at all times. Someone they could rely on, when times got rough.
Stormy had that once, but had let her slip away. Ruby would have done anything for her and she had let Steven come between them. It wasn't all Steven's fault though, the voice reminded her. The nauseous feeling came rushing back to her. It had been happening on and off for the past several days. At first she'd thought it was guilt ripping at her, but the last two days had been relatively stress free. It must be something else. The nagging urge to vomit was getting worse, to the point she was feeling dizzy.
Stormy deftly got up from the bed, not wanting to wake her sleeping cherubs. That was when the wave got stronger, pushing her to run into the bathroom. Her hand clench over her mouth. Barely getting the toilet seat up, before vomiting. Trying to be as quiet as she could. In the back of her mind she was praying, that her kids didn't hear her. Another wave come and gone with her throwing up. A bug or something must be going around. Maybe Steven tracked something in from school. Steven!
Stormy's eyes went wide as her body broke out in a cold sweat, sticking her pajamas to her fur. Her hand slipped down to grab her lower belly. She had not started her period yet, Steven didn't pull out the other day. In the excitement of spending time with her kids, she'd not even thought about either of those things. Stormy pushed herself up from the floor. Closing the door, before starting the water running. She rinsed the acid feel from her mouth. Splashing water on her face, trying to calm herself down. Trying to keep the building bile down.
There was no way she wanted her kids to see her in such a frantic state. There is a chance that this isn't morning sickness, she thought, while reaching under the sink. She pulled out a pregnancy test, popping the top open. With a shaky hand pulled a foil wrapped test out of the box. The instructions never seemed so hard to read in her life. Panic was pushing through her, making everything ten times harder than it had to be. Even when she thought she had followed the instructions properly, she was concerned she hadn't. Three minute! Might as well be three hours. The voice in her head was spitting fire. Causing an inferno in her chest. The six antacid were doing little to combat it.
Stormy fell to her knee on the bathroom rug and clutched her hands in front of her, resting her head against her hand. “God...” She whispered, her voice strained by tears. “...please don't let me be pregnant. I swear that if you help me. I will make this all better. I will fix this. I just need help this one little time. Please!” Her whispers came out shuttering, tears dripped from her eyes and ran along her fingers.
Stormy didn't know what else to do with the rest of the three minutes, so she held her position. Repeating her prayer over and over. Secretly hoping that God could see how sorry she was for letting this happen. As the seconds ticked away, Stormy had thrown up once again. Sworn off men for the rest of her life. Agreed to start going to church again and for every Sunday until she died. She would give to charity once a year. In a desperate plea, she had even promise to donate her organs to science when she left this world, so they may benefit someone else.
When the three minutes were up. She picked up the mocking pink stick, wet from her own urine. Blindly angling it just right and opened her eyes. Stormy hung her head and started sobbing, so hard her shoulders quaked her voice echoed in the bathroom.
There was a soft knock at the door, that startled her. Causing her to drop the pregnancy test into the sink. If she hesitated, then her kids would worry that something was terribly wrong. But if she opened the door, then she would have to confront them on what was going on. What am I going to do? There was no way she could play this off. People don't just stand in the bathroom at five in the morning sobbing. Just tell them the truth. Her calming voice finally chimed in. Stormy knew what she had to do.
Stormy opened the door and was greeted by two giant, green eyes, tucked safely behind a pair of glasses. “Mama are you alright?”
Aloe's voice was impossibly calming to hear against the loneliness. It felt like a cold rag against a hot fevered face. Soothing the tsunami that was running through her.
Stormy pulled her into a hug in the doorway of the bathroom. “Yeah baby, I'm just having a rough night.”
“Why?” Aloe asked, her eyes already scanning the room, stopping on the pregnancy test in the sink. “Mom...are you preggers?” Aloe tried so hard to add a teasing tone to her voice, wanting nothing more than to make her mom stop crying.
“No...I'm not. I was crying, because I asked God to make it so I wasn't pregnant and he did. Even after all the bad things that I've done, he still loves me.” Stormy knelt down on the floor, trying to get a hold of herself.
Aloe gazed at her mom, having to look down at her because she was on the floor now. “Even if God didn't love you. Even if he didn't help you this time. It doesn't mean your a bad person. Bad things happen to good people, but so do good things. Just try as hard as you can to not be a bad thing that happens to a good person.” She looked much older than she should, despite her Doctor Who pajamas.
Stormy's mouth hung open as if she wanted to say something, but it was just because she was astounded. Aloe had been more aware, more knowledgeable at the age of fifteen, than Stormy had been in her whole entire forty years. Aloe smiled sweetly and hugged her mom around the neck, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Come back to bed mom, I need you to help me fight Amethyst for some blankets.” Aloe took her mom's hand helping her to her feet.
Stormy laid back down in bed. Amethyst flopped along one side of her. Aloe on the other, sleeping with her head on Stormy's lap, an arm wrapped across her thighs. Sleep still wasn't going to come easy, but at least the guilt was gone. The worry was still there, today was the day Stormy was going to have to reclaim her life. For better, or worse, it's what needed to happen for her to find her happiness.
It had been a beautiful morning with her kids. They had eaten breakfast together in the dining room. Practiced singing on the front porch, while she played guitar for them. They had even made a game out of cleaning up the house. But it came to an end, as all good things do. She helped them gather up their things and load them into Dutch's Mercedes. When they had to say goodbye, Stormy did her best to keep from crying. It helped that Dutch had offered to bring them back the following weekend. That had gotten a few tears, but she had been able to stem most of them
Stormy stood on her porch waving at the girls as they left. Dutch purposefully driving away slowly so they could have their dramatic departure. When they rounded the corner and had gone from her sight. Stormy slipped down into her rocking chair. The tears were coming now whether or not she wanted them too. Instead of fighting them, she buried her face in her hands and let them go. Begrudgingly she knew that they would make her feel better, but she still didn't think she deserved to feel better, not yet anyway.
After a few moments she composed herself, got up from her chair and walked back into the house. First things first, she thought picking up her cell phone. She cycled through the numbers stopping at Ruby's name and hit the green talk button on the touch screen. With each ring, Stormy's heart started to ache more and more. Stormy couldn't tell what was worse. Wanting Ruby to just answer her phone so the pain growing inside of her would stop, or the fear that she would actually answer the call and Stormy would have to talk to her.
Then came the hollow click of Ruby answering her phone, it sounded as final as the cocking of a gun. “Hey sugar, how are you?” Ruby's beautiful voice called to her.
Of all the responses Stormy had expected to her, that wasn't one of them. She opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was incoherent sobbing. It had taken almost four minutes to recover from her emotional outburst. She half expected Ruby to have hung up, not wanting to hear this crap while she was just starting her work week. Instead she heard a distant sniffling on the other end of the line.
“Oh baby girl...baby girl.” Ruby's voice cracked. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I forgive you, I always will. I'm just glad you called me. I was starting to worry that your really hated me.”
“No Ruby, I could never hate you. You're my best friend in the whole world. I need you in my life. God, things have just been terrible lately. I've made a huge mistake with Steven.” Stormy wasn't even trying to keep herself composed anymore.
“I wish I could talk. Please don't hate me, but I'm at work right now. Mondays are always so busy. Can we get together sometime soon? You can tell me all about it.” Ruby's voice sounded ragged, almost as frantic as Stormy had sound at the beginning of the call.
Stormy nodded, even though she knew Ruby wouldn't be able to see it. “No it's alright. I understand Ruby. Can we meet tomorrow for lunch at the usual place?”
“Yes, absolutely. I'll be there at eleven thirty sharp. Remember baby girl, you don't have to stay with him. You're free to leave whenever you want. You don't owe him shit.” Ruby was trying to pump Stormy up without knowing the context, it was endearing.
“I know. God, I know. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you.” Stormy whispered, not wanting to get off the phone.
“Love you too honey, be strong. If something happens you call me.” With that, Stormy offered a firm promise that she would and then hung up the phone.
Stormy lingered on the farewell for a moment longer. Taking deep breaths to calm her weakened nerves. When she'd managed to compose herself once again. She starting paging through her contacts in her phone, dialing the number for Dr. Bullock office.
On the second ring, like always, the receptionist answered the phone with the same greeting she always used. “Good day, thank you for contacting the offices of Dr. Ruben Bullock and Dr, Ricardo Chavez, Psychiatric consultation. How may I help you?”
“Yeah, my name is Christa Whitaker, I'm a patient with Dr. Bullock. I was wondering if I could get an emergency session with him today.” Stormy had to clear her voice several times to keep from breaking down again.
There was a chipper sound, of someone humming, accompanied by the sounds of typing. “Yes, if you can get here in the next half-hour, Dr. Bullock will see you during his lunch break.”
“Thank you so much. I'll be there in a few minutes. I'm just right around the corner.” Without thinking about it, Stormy rudely hung up the phone without saying 'goodbye'.
Stormy clattered up the stairs, promising that she would apologize to the woman when she got to the office. Stormy pulled her robe off, and stripped out of her pajamas. At first she'd grabbed a pair of her sexy panties and push-up bra. I don't need these anymore, the voice inside her head told her. Stormy pushed them back into the door, coming out with her more conservative panties and a sports bra. They were more comfortable anyway. Stormy stepped down into a pair of her old loose fitting jeans, buttoning them up at the same instance she fought to put on her favorite sunflower shirt. The one that she often wore to the therapist office.
Stormy rushed out of the house and stopped suddenly when she saw a young skunk girl nervously walking up the walkway, she looked as if she were lost. “Can I help you?” Stormy's voice came out more confused than she had meant too.
“Yeah, my name is Amanda. I'm looking for Steven Green, he told me he lived here.” The shy look in her eyes, told volumes about the type of person she was.
Stormy knew that the girl had low self-esteem. Judging by her ill fitting clothes, she had chose them because of how other would see her, not because she liked them. Everyone wants to belong on the in crowd as some point. The way she wrung her hands, told Stormy that she was lost. Not just lost in the neighborhood, but was mentally or emotionally lost. All of the signs reminded Stormy of herself when she was young. And as she was now.
“Steven stays here sometimes, but he's not here now. He hasn't been here for a few days.” Stormy wanted to be as honest with this girl as she could.
Stormy already knew what Steven had done to this girl without even having to ask her. As sorry as Stormy felt for her, she also felt responsible. The skunk girl definitely looked like she needed someone to be honest with her now.
“Oh okay, are you his...mother?” The pause in her question told Stormy that she'd already suspected an answer that she didn't want to hear.
But Stormy had to be honest with her. “No, we are...were in a relationship. I've just not had the confidence to break it off with him yet.”
“God Dammit, I knew he was lying to me. I'm so sorry, pleas don't hate me. I wouldn't have hooked up with him if I knew he had a girlfriend.” The girl backed away, before turning to run away at a full sprint.
Stormy sighed and watched her go, before getting into her car and driving away. Stormy couldn't help but felt responsible for this girl's disposition. Not entirely, because obviously life hadn't been kind to her at all. But Stormy had been responsibly for feeding Steven's ego. Helping it grow out of proportion. The one thing that lingered in Stormy's mind was, why didn't it hurt more that Steven had cheated on her? In a way, she suspected that it was going to help when she ended things.
Stormy walked into Bullock's office, greeted by a muffled 'hello'. The doctor worked through his sandwich at a brisk pace. Apparently hoping that he could make it vanish before Stormy got there. She hoped that he didn't really mind missing his lunch break just to hear about her problems. She really needed his support right now.
Stormy sat down on the chaise lounge, keeping her eyes on the doctor. He neatly tucked the rest of his sandwich back into a plastic bag. Before storing it into one of his desk drawers.
“Sorry to interrupt your lunch break, doc. I just have something I really need to get off my chest. I know we're not friends, or colleagues. But you know a lot of personal shit about me. I mean stuff that no one else knows. I just need to know what you think.” Stormy rubbed her clammy hands against her worn jeans.
“I can try, but I'm not going to break my moral code. If it's anything of an illegal nature, I am obligated to report it to the police.” Bullock sat down on his chair, legal pad in hand.
“It's nothing like that.” Stormy sighed heavily, and then breathed back in.
“Well, my father use to tell me, 'If you have to work so hard at keeping something a secret that it affects your day to day life, then there is no way it can be good for you'. Do with that what you will.” A smile moved across his old gator face.
It had been the friendliest thing the doctor had ever said to her, since she started going to see him and best of all it fit her predicament perfectly. “You're right doc, here goes. I've been seeing someone for almost two months...” Stormy began filling the doctor in on everything that had happened between her and Steven.
A few times, she had been sure that the doctor was going to die of embarrassment with what she was talking about. Instead he stayed stoic as usual. When he did respond, it usually bounced between an 'uh-huh' and a head nod. Nothing much beyond that. Stormy had been so good about offering information, that he didn't even have to ask her to specify anything. It felt almost as if Stormy wanted him to know everything about what happened. Like she believed if she told everyone about it, it would be the only way to finish off the guilt that dwell inside of her. When Stormy had finished her story, the doctor didn't write anything down, he just sat there looking at her.
“Did you have any advice for me, doc.” Stormy asked, worried by his silence.
“I'm glad you were honest with me. Honesty is such an important tool that keeps this job functioning properly. In many ways that's how honesty effect all of our lives. If we keep our honesty in tact, cleaned, and polished, and don't let it get tarnished. Then we will always be able to keep our lives repaired and running smoothly. When we start breaking down our tools with lies. Then we can't care for our lives like we should. Eventually without the tools to repair our lives, then we will just break down. That's all I got for you Stormy.” It hadn't been the advice she'd been looking for, but at least she was leaving with something to think about.
On her way home, her mind was buzzing. If only the doctor had been able to give her a little more advice on what to so about Steven. Then she could feel better prepared to face him. At least he'd been kind enough to give her a boost to her confidence. The only thing is that it might not be enough to deal with Steven. Steven had a way of manipulating her that she couldn't defend herself with. Where else can I go to get the guidance I need?
Stormy walked through the front door of the church. There wasn't a soul in sight. All the prayer candles were out. The pews had been polish and prepped for a new service. Even the candles on the alter had been replaced. Where is everyone? She wondered. If they were closed, why would they have left the doors unlocked.
“Hello!” Her voice sounded loud in the large room.
The sound of some banging around and grunting came from one of the pews. It was the old priest from the confession booth. He sat up, looking at her. His eyes were wild and crazy from being startled.
“Oh sweet Jesus it's you...Stormy.” He rubbed his eyes.
“Oh thank God, father. I need some guidance.” Stormy walked over to him.
“Certainly, that's what I'm here for.” The priest adjusted his collar and straightened his jacket. “Did you want to go into the confession booth?”
Stormy shook her head. “I would just feel better talking about out in the open.”
“Suits me just fine.” A smiled traced over his old badger face, he scooted back on the pew and patted the seat next to him.
Stormy sat down and started telling the priest an abridged version of her relationship with Steven. She had been thorough, making sure to not leave anything important out, but masterfully avoiding much of the unpleasant or perverse parts. Which she was sure he didn't want to hear anything about. The priest sat motionless, listening. His face incredibly indifferent to what she said to him. His dark brown eyes never leaving her's. When she finished, it felt as if a weight had been lifted form her soul. Like she had been born again in a new eternal light.
The priest looked down at her hands, he must have seen them shaking hard. He reached out to her simply closing his hands around her's. They were the warmest, most welcoming hands, she had ever felt. When she looked down at them, she noticed that they were scarred, burned, and mangled. He was missing four of his eight fingers. How could she have not noticed sooner?
“My hands, they tell a story. Not a very good story, but a story all the same. Stormy, I'm eighty-eight years old. I've seen much in my life. I've done a lot of things. Some good, some bad, and some unmentionable things. If there is a heaven...then by all right and guidelines. I will never get there, because of those things that I've done. Good thing I don't believe in the guidelines, that men have put on paper. Selling God like he were a candy bar.” The priest's eyes never left hers, his voice was even despite it's gravelly tone.
“That's why I built this church. I wanted it to be a place where people could go to love God and his family, without judgment. Without worry of someone telling them, that if they didn't follow every rule to the letter, then hell was the only place they were going.” Stormy cocked her head to the side and smiled, she wasn't completely sure what he was taking about, but liked what he was saying.
“Do you know we cater to homosexuals? Yep, I married two men just the other day. I don't see why people shouldn't be allowed to be happy. That's why I'm glad you're here. Because I want you to be happy too.” The priest's smile widen. “That song you sang the other day, brought tears to my eyes. I never cry, but you managed to get me.”
“I know what you're thinking. 'Shut up you old fart, and help me with my problems'.” The priest chuckled, it sounded like someone dumping a bucket of gravel onto a pile of gravel.
“No, not at all...” Stormy started to say, but she was shushed by him raising a gnarled hand.
“It's alright, you're not the first person to think that way. So let's talk about your problem. What it boils down to is, do you love him?” The question couldn't have been simpler.
But Stormy couldn't answer it, that simply. “I don't know...”
“I think you do know, because if you really didn't know. You wouldn't be here asking me for advice.” The priest leaned back against the pew.
“I don't follow you, what do you mean?” Stormy licked her drying lips, her eyes searching his to see if there might be joke getting ready to come out.
The priest chuckled, placing one of his dilapidated hands on her shoulder. “Kids these days. If you were in love with him, you wouldn't be here asking me what you should do, you would be with him, living your life happily. If you didn't know how you felt about him, you wouldn't be here, because you would be with him, trying to figure out your feeling for him. If you didn't love him, then you would be here, because as long as you're here, you don't have to face him and tell him how you really feel.”
Stormy opened her mouth to say something and closed it again, her face washed in deep contemplation. “Oh my God, you're right! That was amazing.”
“I know, old farts work in mysterious ways. Didn't you ever wonder why they call the seats in a church pew. Because God is the oldest fart of them all and he works in the most mysterious of way.” The dead pan look in the priest face was hard for Stormy to read.
Stormy shook her head stunned and a little afraid to laugh. “Did you just make a fart joke in church?”
“Yeah! You honestly think God doesn't fart funny, or have a sense of humor?” The priest started chortling again.
“Fair enough, thank you. You're a wonderful, wonderful man.” Stormy gripped his hands, holding them for a long moment.
“Stop with that, I might start to believe you. Now get out of here. I wanna get back to sleep.” The priest shook her off, Stormy got up and hurried back down the aisle and out the door.
Stormy pulled up along the curb to her house. She got out of the car and breathed in the cold air. It was crisp and refreshing. Smelled better than anything she'd ever smelt before. Was this what it was like to not be depressed? It had been such a long time since she'd had this type of clarity. Now all she had to was confront Steven, tell him how she really felt. Then they could go their separate ways. It didn't seem like it was going to be difficult at all. Until she saw him, standing on her front porch with his hands pockets of his jeans.
When she stepped through the front fence onto the walkway, a sharp pain hit her in the stomach again, rendering her immobile for a second. The pain seemed to be spiking with every step she took. The autumn sun seemed to be dimming painting everything in a fiery orange light. The air was growing putrid, leaving a bad taste in the back of her throat. Stormy continued her pace, but it felt like her feet were sinking into the walkway as if it were wet cement. Steven walked down the stairs with an impossible spring in his step. He was on his way to meet her. The closer he got, the more confidence she had lost. The balance of power was shifting, why? How could this happen when I was in control? She wanted to scream aloud, but the words caught in her sticky throat.
What was she missing? I was never in control, she realized. This whole time she'd thought everything was as she wanted it. Stormy demanded that her happiness be in her hands, malleable. For her to bend and shape to her will. That was when things started changing. She had believed it was because she wanted them to be that way. Everything had turned sour, because she was forcing it to be that way. Instead of just letting it take it's own shape.
The revelation hit like ton of brick. For a moment she thought she was going to black out. That she was going die right there. Instead she took a deep breath and stood tall. Everything in her life has a choice and she always has a say in it. But just like a coin flip, the results may vary. Stormy was in control of her life, until she brought others into it. Then it stopped being about control, and started being more about choices. If she made choices only for herself, it was selfish and would hurt the others in her life. If she only made choices for everyone else. Then there would be nothing left for her own happiness. Give and take.
Steven held his hand out to her. Welcoming her into his life again, but she just smiled and shook her head. When he opened his mouth to speak, she held up her hand. He closed his mouth again. They stood their staring at each other for a long time. The sun was setting around them, the air was growing colder, but still they stood there. It wasn't a game of cat and mouse. It wasn't a test to see who would break first. It was a calming period. Stormy knew that she needed it to digest the things that had just come to her.
Stormy took a deep breath again, the cold air stinging her nostrils, then she spoke her words coming out as a silvery wisp from her dry lips. “I'm sorry Steven, I can't see you anymore.”
Steven lowered his muzzle closer to his chest, his eyebrows bending in anger. “Why, what did I do?” His glare burned holes into her flesh, like bullets.
It hurt, but she remained calm. “You didn't do anything, I did. For my part, I took advantage of you. You were a tool to fight my loneliness. You made it so I didn't have to reflect on who I really am. I thought I could bend you and shape you to fit my lifestyle, fill my needs, and erase my failures in life. But that was selfish of me and I ruined something that could have been beautiful.”
“Sounds like a load of shit to me!” Steven spat back, the angry voice rumbling through her like tidal wave, but still she stood tall.
“I don't expect you to fully understand what I'm talking about. Maybe I can explain it. I fell in love with Dutch and became part of his entire world. That was my choice, not one that I regret at all. But I was too young to understand the full weight of that choice. I collapsed under that weight. Didn't get the help I needed to make it right. Started drinking and doing drugs, because I didn't want to face the choice that I made. In the end, I blamed everyone else for the choice I made and instead of working it out. I made a choice to runaway. All of the choices I've made my entire life, had been bad, because I refused to face them as they came along.” Stormy coughed, the words were heavy leaving her mouth.
“I've heard all this before. Can't we just go inside? Kiss, make up and move on.” Steven said, his voice was sounding strained like something was getting through to him.
“No, you need to hear me. Because the next part is important. I made the choice to bring you into my life, wanting to make you a part of my world as Dutch had done with me. But instead of the happiness I craved, all I could feel was the guilt. The guilt that I was doing the same thing to you, that I allowed to happen to me. That's why we were never as good as I imagined us to be. It will never be as good as it's suppose to be, until I can deal with the choices that I made twenty some odd years ago.” Stormy found herself tearing up now, her hot tears felt like they were going to freeze to her cheeks.
“Shut up! I'm stronger and smarter than you were at your age. I'm more mature then you were when you married Dutch. You could see it, if you'd just hold me. Let me show you that everything will be alright.” Steven stepped closer to her now, they were an arms length away, but Stormy didn't move.
“You think so? When you thought I was falling for Dutch again the other day. Instead of thinking rationally, you lashed out violently, practically raped me, and when that wasn't enough, you wanted to hurt me by cheating on me with Amanda. Are those the deeds of a strong man, a more mature man, a smarter man? No. Those are the deeds of an angry, frustrated young man, who was just getting caught up in a choice that he had no say in.” Stormy's whole body was shaking, she couldn't tell if it was from the cold or her own emotional overload. “I'm sorry I did this to you. I know that doesn't mean anything and I know I can't take it back. But I can make it right. Not immediately, but over time you will feel better without me. We can't be together anymore. Go home, Steven.”
“I can be want you want me to be, please just...let's go inside. I want this to be a bad dream. I want this to go away.” Steven clenched his fists tightly as if he were going to hit her. She stood firm.
“Go home Steven!” Stormy said, this time more firmly, then she started walking passed him.
“Fuck you! I loved you, you heartless bitch. You were my first. What am I suppose to do without you?” Steven yelled at her, she could hear him shifting behind her, but she didn't turn around to see what he was doing.
“Go home Steven.” Stormy's words came out weaker than they had before, she was starting to lose her strength again.
“I hate you...You're a terrible person...” Steven called to her, his voice breaking, becoming incoherent underneath his sobs.
“Go home, Steven.” Stormy's voice broke now, the tears running down her face, but still she kept walking,
Stepping through the door. “I...loved you...” Was the last thing she heard, before the door closed behind her and the lock clicked home.
