“Ally? Another early finish?” Imogene asked as she looked up from her desk at Fielding Aged Care.
“Only today.” Ally insisted. “How is she?”
“Not good,” Imogene admitted opening Gigi’s file, “she had a bad night and is quite tired this morning. The nurse who looked after her this morning said she’s irascible. She didn’t know why she was in aged care and became very…”
“I can imagine.” Ally sighed. “What state is she in now?”
“She was given a shot to calm her down before she hurt herself. She’s in her chair in the lounge room but I think she’s pretty out of it.”
“I’ll still go in and see her.” Ally entered the lounge room. It had a different atmosphere to the week before, the grey clouds that were looming dulling the light. The air conditioning was working to try to counteract the humidity the city was being oppressed by. A storm of epic proportions was on its way.
Gigi was in her recliner, her eyes glazed over with strong medication that helped her remain calm until her mind could return to the present and know why she was there. Ally sat on the coffee table in front of her and took her hand.
“Hi Gigi,” she said gently, “I know you probably can’t hear my voice or even know I’m here…but I want you to know how grateful I am to you. When mum left dad and my home became so uncertain, I knew I could always go to you. I’d sit on your porch swing with you and not have to say anything. You’d just put your arm around me and let me know it would be alright.” Ally squeezed her hand. “Everything’s going to be alright, Gigi. I’ll always take care of you. I promise.” Gigi’s brown eyes drifted vaguely around the room, her blinking out of sync. Ally smiled and stood up, kissing Gigi’s forehead. “I hope you feel better really soon.”
Her throat closed over as she turned and left. At the doorway she looked back, frightened she would see Gigi’s eyes on her. But the usually all knowing grandmother figure Ally had adopted as her own was half asleep, lost in her addled mind.
Ally calmed herself and went to the desk.
“Is she still…”
“Zoned out.” Ally nodded. “While I’m here, I’d like to pay for her care.”
“Of course,” Imogene tapped on the keyboard and brought up Gigi’s file, “actually you’re a couple of months in front, what with Gigi’s medical rebate helping.”
“I’d still like to make a payment.”
“How much would you like to pay?”
“Two years once you take the medical rebate into account.”
Imogene’s jaw dropped open. “Two years? Are you sure?”
Ally nodded. “I got a bonus from work. Gigi looked after me when I was young, lost and confused. I want to look after her too.”
“Well…alright…” Imogene calculated the amount and Ally paid for it.
As she left Fielding Aged Care Ally took her phone out of her pocket.
“Drinks at Morgan’s? My treat.” She sent the message. Less than ten seconds later she got a reply.
“Race you there!”
Despite Hannah’s haste, Ally made it to Morgan’s first. She ordered Hannah’s favourite drink along with her own and sat down. About two minutes after she did so, Hannah strode across the bar floor, slinging her bag to the ground and flopping on the chair.
“Girl, if I wasn’t straight, I’d kiss you.” Hannah took the drink.
“If I wasn’t straight, I might be disappointed by that.” Ally replied with ease.
“Oh I so need this,” Hannah slurped from the glass and sighed happily then she opened her eyes and looked at Ally sharply. “Want to hear something amazing?”
“Sure.”
“There was a press conference today at Commando where Farrows announced the release date for Horizon Nemesis.” She leaned forward. “I happen to know that he wouldn’t do that unless a certain person finished the storyline.”
“I finished it last week and Karl put the storyboards together for a presentation earlier today.”
Hannah eyed her as she sipped her drink. “Is this the same last week when you didn’t seem all that happy or motivated to do anything more on the project?”
Ally shrugged. “I guess I just needed to push through.”
Hannah stared at her. “Do I want to know how it ends?”
“You know I can’t say. It’s confidential until the game’s release.”
“And now pretend you’re talking to your friend and not a reporter snooping for a scoop.”
Ally shook her head. “It ended the way they wanted it to end.”
Hannah reached out and put her fingers over Ally’s glass, stopping her from drinking any more. “What about what you wanted for Aloy?”
“She’s just a character…a means to an end.” Ally removed Hannah’s fingers.
“So…what now?” Hannah sat back, unsettled and uneasy. “Is Commando going to put you back into the focus group writing team where Kingsbury plucked you from in the first place?”
“My time at Commando has come to an end.”
“They fired you?”
“My contract clearly stated at the end of the three game story arc, Commando could renew it or let it expire.”
Hannah swallowed. “Ally, you’re taking this awfully well.”
“Maybe it’s just the relief that it’s all over.” Ally smiled without it reaching her eyes.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Well…then I guess…congratulations are in order.”
“Congratulations.”
“Ah, so you’ve told Ally?” They both looked up as Adam, Hannah’s partner, walked up behind them and sat on a pouffe.
“Told me what?” Ally asked as Hannah waved her hands at Adam, trying to signal him to shush. Unfortunately Adam was too giddy to recognise the frantic gesture.
“I proposed to Hannah,” Ally looked at Hannah, her eyes wide as Adam continued, “and she actually said yes.”
“You’re engaged?” Ally asked quietly.
“No one knows yet…” Hannah blurted.
“You’re getting married?” Ally closed her eyes and nodded. “Of course…meeting Adam’s parents…”
“Ally,” Hannah thrust her drink towards Adam and moved forward to sit on the edge of the seat, “I didn’t want to overshadow your news, I swear...”
“Uh…did I just get the moment wrong?” Adam asked warily.
“Don’t be stupid,” Ally said warmly, “you and Hannah…that’s wonderful news!” Her voice was soft but her joy was sincere. “Hannah, you didn’t have to hide that from me.”
“I just know how hard its been for you lately and didn’t want to crow about it.”
“What kind of friend would I be to begrudge you this happiness?” Ally demanded. “You and Adam…that’s really fantastic. You two belong together. I’m so pleased.”
“I knew she would be.” Adam looked at Hannah. “She’s your best friend.”
“Always has been.” Hannah swallowed and nodded.
“Always will be.” Ally took the glass off Adam and put it back into Hannah’s hands. “I’d like to propose a toast to the soon to be Mr and Mrs Adam and Hannah Hunter, my best friend has found the best man.”
“Here, here.” Adam clinked her glass and Hannah’s.
“When will the wedding be?”
“Oh…I’ve barely thought about that,” Hannah shook her head, “I mean, I put my name on the waitlist for that beautiful gazebo in the botanical gardens but if I hold out for that, we could be engaged for two years before it becomes available.”
“Plenty of time to save up for a full scale wedding…” Adam saw her look and chuckled. “Right, what was I thinking?”
“I’d rather have a lowkey wedding in a beautiful location…and the reception here…and spend the money on the bar tab.”
“That works too.” Ally nodded. “Make it a wedding you don’t regret.”
“That sounds like the best plan.”
Ally watched as Adam took Hannah’s hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed it. Hannah blushed at the attention. He’d kissed her in Ally’s presence before but this time there was something tender about it, the expectation of solidarity.
Suddenly Ally’s heart ached like it was a damp cloth being wrung out in the hands of a wrestler. She covered up the pain by drinking the last of her liquor and stood up.
“I’m going to head home.”
“What?” Adam exclaimed. “You’re not even half sloshed.”
“It’s been a really busy day…and the end of a really long slog at Commando,” Ally excused as she picked up her satchel, “I just want to go to sleep.”
Hannah stood as well. “Make sure your phone isn’t on silent.”
Ally nodded. “I promise you’ll hear from me tomorrow. Goodnight and congratulations again.” She headed for the stairs, leaving her empty glass on the counter. At the turn to go down the stairs she looked back at Hannah and Adam, forced herself to smile and waved at them. She took the stairs, pressing against a wall to let customers go past her on the way up and headed down then out into the street. She walked quietly towards her apartment building, thunder rolling overhead but half drowned out by cars and buses. Everyone was scurrying about like ants when a storm was about to break. Ally kept out of their frantic way, turning down the side street, the apartment building coming up on her right. Instead of heading for it she went into the bodega. There were fruit and vegetable stands, baked bread bins filled with loaves that were crusty on the outside and soft on the inside and a refrigeration section filled with everything from milk to butter, cream, yoghurt, cheese and ice cream. There was a tiny butcher window with the meats hanging in view and the prices written in chalk around it. And behind the counter where a single clerk managed all the transactions, was the wall of liquor bottles.
Ally stood in line behind the person in front, blindly moving along as the clerk quickly entered all the products and packed them in a paper bag. He looked at her expectantly though the previous customer was just picking up their bag.
“Reyka vodka, please,” Ally pointed, “yes that one.” The clerk took it down and scanned the price and Ally handed her card over.
“I hope you’re not drinking alone.”
She started and looked at the person standing beside her. Joshua held a bag in one arm and an umbrella in the other.
“Huh?”
“The vodka.” He nodded at the bottle.
“Oh,” Ally shook her head, “it’s my favourite, reserved for special occasions. Thank you.” She took her card from the clerk and put the bottle in her satchel. She noticed Joshua’s paper bag was quite full. “Dinner plans?”
“A rather nice creamy chicken, mushroom and baby spinach fettucine.” Joshua let her open the door for him, the world suddenly filled with the sound of pouring rain. The storm had broken while they were in the bodega.
“Fitness guru, plant expert and master chef?”
“I like my food to have flavour,” Joshua shook his umbrella out and it automatically popped up, “care to share?”
“That’s not necessary…”
“We are going the same way.”
Ally conceded and walked beside him. Joshua made sure the umbrella was over her as they left the shelter of the overhang and crossed the street, the roads quickly becoming slick and the lights blurring in the haze. On the other side they made for the apartment building’s double doors, crossing over the underground parking entrance that sloped beneath and getting out of the rain as quickly as possible. Joshua shook his umbrella outside then folded it up.
“Hardly seems worth it.” Ally remarked vaguely.
“Totally worth it.” Joshua smiled at her.
They entered the lift together and it rose smoothly on its well maintained rails until the doors opened and they stepped out.
“You know,” Joshua cleared his throat, “Reyka vodka would go really well with creamy chicken and fettucine…”
Ally’s cheeks blushed slightly. “Oh…”
“I always make too much and I thought, if you’re not busy…”
“Thank you,” Ally paused in front of her door, clutching at her satchel handle, “but I have dinner plans.”
“Of course.” Joshua nodded and walked to his door a mere twenty steps away. “Ally?”
“Yes?”
“Put your gem on the balcony. Rainwater is better than anything from the tap.”
“I will. Thank you.” Ally went into her apartment and shut the door. She opened her satchel and set the expensive bottle of vodka on the counter. Next to it she set her tablet. She turned it on and moved all the folders on the home screen to the second page so that the only thing left when it turned on was a document that was titled ‘final wishes’.
She took the bottle and her phone and sat on her bed, gazing at the rain pouring down outside her window. Slowly, one swig at a time, she began to consume the vodka. It was strong stuff and it wasn’t long before she was glassy eyed and swaying. Ally looked at her phone and checked her messages. She prepared a text then set it to be sent the next morning. She rested it on the charger and sighed.
“That’s that then.” She sniffed and took another swig of the vodka. Pictures of her mum and dad were on her bedside. She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the glass, smudging their images slightly before standing, bottle in hand and walked to the balcony doors. She had to unlock them so that they’d open, drawing them wide apart. The wind was blowing the rain sideways across the balcony which was barely the size of a double bed. Ally walked into the rain, bare foot and soaked in seconds. From her vantage point she could see over the tops of many buildings while others towered even higher. The whole world was a blur of streaked lights.
Perhaps this was how van Gogh saw the world?
The ground far below was dark and the air was filled with the roar of thunder and the howl of the storm. Ally gulped the vodka then set it down, grasping the railing. She stepped up to the first bar, her body trembling then she stopped and shook her head.
“Blast,” she stumbled back to the balcony and went inside to where her Zanzibar Gem was looking a little faded, “come on…” She picked it up and took it to the balcony and set it down so that it could drink the rain. “There…that’s everything.” She took hold of the balcony and stepped up again, the wind gusting in violent bursts and the rain pushing her relentlessly as though trying to throw her from its edge. “All I’d have to do is…let…go…”
Her hands released, she closed her eyes and waited for the next gust to topple her.
The force was so strong the air in Ally’s lungs was dragged out of her as she was pulled backwards, from the railing, off the balcony and into her apartment. She was dazed and confused when strong hands turned her around to face the alarmed expression of Joshua.
“Are you out of your mind! What were you thinking?”
Ally swayed, her legs threatening to collapse. Joshua pulled her close to his chest, his arms wrapping around her, stopping her from falling.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.”