Requiem: Nothing Else Matters. [Songs of the Storm, part 5]
For B and J.
Joshua leaned against the balcony railing, listening intently to his cellphone. He nodded as if the other person could see him. “Yeah… Yeah, I know… Just call when everything’s clear.” He paused and smiled. “Yeah, you too. Good night.”
He ended the call and stuffed it in his pocket. The hotel was quiet, almost eerie considering every room was full. The lights from the lobby lit the courtyard on one side and the pool glowed like a blue oasis. He looked up avoiding the cold fear that creeped up on him as his body remembered things his brain tried to forget.
Some of the curtains had been pulled back, revealing families intently staring at TV screens. He could hear bits of reporters from New Orleans describing what was going on and curiosity made him start to walk into the room.
“Don’t,” said a voice. “Bad idea.”
He looked down to see Cassie holding a candle. “Come down. I got a bottle of wine and hate drinking alone.”
“Liar.” He grinned.
She smiled. “Yeah. Just don’t turn on the TV and come keep me company by the pool. You won’t want to miss this.” She turned away, her candle casting it’s light around her as she made her way across the courtyard.
He wasted no time, hurrying through their generic room and down to the courtyard. The wet grass chilled his feet but he kept on toward the single flame.
Cassie was sitting in a lounge chair, an open bottle of wine, an unopened bottle of water and two glasses on the ground beside her. She stared at the candle in her hand for a moment then set it down. “Could you pour the wine?”
“Sure.” He sat crossed legged next to her chair. “What’s the water for?”
“You’ll see.” She accepted her glass.
“Landlady says we can’t go back yet.”
“Big shock,” Cassie said drily. She looked up and smiled. “Welcome!”
A young woman with a cello entered the pool area. “I’m sorry. I could leave…”
Cassie shook her head. “Nonsense. Would you play for us?”
Her face lit up. “I would be honored. What would you like to hear?”
“Anything you wish to share with us.”
The young woman nodded and pulled a chair from one of the tables and settled in. “My parents are watching the news. They keep showing the same pictures and saying the same things. It’s like the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. We’re stuck adrift.” She tied back her hair. “I couldn’t take it anymore so I grabbed my cello and left. No one noticed.”
Cassie nodded. “They did, sweetheart. Play however long you’d like.”
The young woman smiled and begin to play.
Soft, sad notes drifted across the quiet like drops of rain. Joshua felt a peace wash over him and leaned back against the chair. They enjoyed their wine in silence, letting the painful beauty of her melody wash away the pain and leave calm in it’s place.
He sat up, blinking. “…and nothing else matters… Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes.” Cassie’s eyes were closed. “Now hush.”
The song faded, slow thoughtful notes disappearing into silence. Cassie applauded. “Perfect!”
The young woman ducked her head and grinned. “Mozart or Bach?”
“Mozart, of course!”
“Okay, let me go get some water-“
Joshua stopped her and handed her the bottle that sat untouched.
She laughed. “You knew I was coming!”
“Lucky us.” He smiled.
She took a quick drink then settled into another song.
They sat back as “A Little Night Music” drifted over the courtyard.
“Hey.” Joshua finished his glass.
”Hey yourself.” Cassie held out her own for a refill.
“Can you tell me exactly what happened at the camp?”
“What are you talking about?” She sipped her wine.
He toasted their companion, who smiled at the salute. “The whole thing with Eris and Aphrodite. I didn’t get it.”
A goofy grin took over her face. “Can’t you just accept things as they are? Some things are best left to the imagination.”
“I don’t mean you getting laid by a goddess. The prank? What was it?”
“Well, Calliope had whispered in a few ears which caused the wardrobe malfunction. Eris was blamed and she pointed the finger at me. Since it had been arranged that Demeter was going to bang Aphrodite’s latest toy, the Goddess of Love was not quite feeling all warm and fuzzy. How fun must it have been to come in and find your lay had not only been laid already but couldn’t get it up again?” Cassie sipped her wine. “So, figuring I was to blame for her lack of a good time Aphrodite grabbed my behind and made sure I paid for my transgression while she got hers.” Her grin got wider. “Not that I’m complaining.”
Joshua blinked a few times. “Not sure I get it.”
“Toldja to let it be.”
“But why did she scream?
Cassie grinned. “Some girls like keeping their ace in the hole until last minute. She was saving flashing the girls for more dramatic lighting. Kinda stole her thunder.”
“Oh.”
They settled back into silence for awhile.
“It’ll never be the same, will it?” he asked.
“The city?” Cassie looked into her wine. “No. She can be rebuilt but it’ll never be the same. The city we loved is gone.”
“What do we do?”
She drank before answering. “We go back. We do what we can. It’ll be like pissing in the wind but it’s what we have to do.”
Joshua’s phone beeped. He drew it from his pocket and punched a few buttons. “Text from Halley.” He squinted at the screen. His face went slack. “Oh my god…. Marty was shot and killed by looters.”
Cassie set down her glass. “That’s wrong. He wasn’t supposed to die until Halley was pregnant. The Fates are fucking with the timeline.” Her face was hard. “I’ve got to find Athena.” Her expression softened. “Please send her my deepest sympathies. Marty was a good man.” She got quiet, stared at the pool.
The cello’s voice spoke for them all.
Joshua leaned against the balcony railing, listening intently to his cellphone. He nodded as if the other person could see him. “Yeah… Yeah, I know… Just call when everything’s clear.” He paused and smiled. “Yeah, you too. Good night.”
He ended the call and stuffed it in his pocket. The hotel was quiet, almost eerie considering every room was full. The lights from the lobby lit the courtyard on one side and the pool glowed like a blue oasis. He looked up avoiding the cold fear that creeped up on him as his body remembered things his brain tried to forget.
Some of the curtains had been pulled back, revealing families intently staring at TV screens. He could hear bits of reporters from New Orleans describing what was going on and curiosity made him start to walk into the room.
“Don’t,” said a voice. “Bad idea.”
He looked down to see Cassie holding a candle. “Come down. I got a bottle of wine and hate drinking alone.”
“Liar.” He grinned.
She smiled. “Yeah. Just don’t turn on the TV and come keep me company by the pool. You won’t want to miss this.” She turned away, her candle casting it’s light around her as she made her way across the courtyard.
He wasted no time, hurrying through their generic room and down to the courtyard. The wet grass chilled his feet but he kept on toward the single flame.
Cassie was sitting in a lounge chair, an open bottle of wine, an unopened bottle of water and two glasses on the ground beside her. She stared at the candle in her hand for a moment then set it down. “Could you pour the wine?”
“Sure.” He sat crossed legged next to her chair. “What’s the water for?”
“You’ll see.” She accepted her glass.
“Landlady says we can’t go back yet.”
“Big shock,” Cassie said drily. She looked up and smiled. “Welcome!”
A young woman with a cello entered the pool area. “I’m sorry. I could leave…”
Cassie shook her head. “Nonsense. Would you play for us?”
Her face lit up. “I would be honored. What would you like to hear?”
“Anything you wish to share with us.”
The young woman nodded and pulled a chair from one of the tables and settled in. “My parents are watching the news. They keep showing the same pictures and saying the same things. It’s like the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. We’re stuck adrift.” She tied back her hair. “I couldn’t take it anymore so I grabbed my cello and left. No one noticed.”
Cassie nodded. “They did, sweetheart. Play however long you’d like.”
The young woman smiled and begin to play.
Soft, sad notes drifted across the quiet like drops of rain. Joshua felt a peace wash over him and leaned back against the chair. They enjoyed their wine in silence, letting the painful beauty of her melody wash away the pain and leave calm in it’s place.
He sat up, blinking. “…and nothing else matters… Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes.” Cassie’s eyes were closed. “Now hush.”
The song faded, slow thoughtful notes disappearing into silence. Cassie applauded. “Perfect!”
The young woman ducked her head and grinned. “Mozart or Bach?”
“Mozart, of course!”
“Okay, let me go get some water-“
Joshua stopped her and handed her the bottle that sat untouched.
She laughed. “You knew I was coming!”
“Lucky us.” He smiled.
She took a quick drink then settled into another song.
They sat back as “A Little Night Music” drifted over the courtyard.
“Hey.” Joshua finished his glass.
”Hey yourself.” Cassie held out her own for a refill.
“Can you tell me exactly what happened at the camp?”
“What are you talking about?” She sipped her wine.
He toasted their companion, who smiled at the salute. “The whole thing with Eris and Aphrodite. I didn’t get it.”
A goofy grin took over her face. “Can’t you just accept things as they are? Some things are best left to the imagination.”
“I don’t mean you getting laid by a goddess. The prank? What was it?”
“Well, Calliope had whispered in a few ears which caused the wardrobe malfunction. Eris was blamed and she pointed the finger at me. Since it had been arranged that Demeter was going to bang Aphrodite’s latest toy, the Goddess of Love was not quite feeling all warm and fuzzy. How fun must it have been to come in and find your lay had not only been laid already but couldn’t get it up again?” Cassie sipped her wine. “So, figuring I was to blame for her lack of a good time Aphrodite grabbed my behind and made sure I paid for my transgression while she got hers.” Her grin got wider. “Not that I’m complaining.”
Joshua blinked a few times. “Not sure I get it.”
“Toldja to let it be.”
“But why did she scream?
Cassie grinned. “Some girls like keeping their ace in the hole until last minute. She was saving flashing the girls for more dramatic lighting. Kinda stole her thunder.”
“Oh.”
They settled back into silence for awhile.
“It’ll never be the same, will it?” he asked.
“The city?” Cassie looked into her wine. “No. She can be rebuilt but it’ll never be the same. The city we loved is gone.”
“What do we do?”
She drank before answering. “We go back. We do what we can. It’ll be like pissing in the wind but it’s what we have to do.”
Joshua’s phone beeped. He drew it from his pocket and punched a few buttons. “Text from Halley.” He squinted at the screen. His face went slack. “Oh my god…. Marty was shot and killed by looters.”
Cassie set down her glass. “That’s wrong. He wasn’t supposed to die until Halley was pregnant. The Fates are fucking with the timeline.” Her face was hard. “I’ve got to find Athena.” Her expression softened. “Please send her my deepest sympathies. Marty was a good man.” She got quiet, stared at the pool.
The cello’s voice spoke for them all.