Thursday, July 30, 2009

Chapter V



Chapter V

Rusty couldn’t get the nights events out of her mind as she packed. She couldn’t get back to sleep when she arrived home so she put her restlessness to use and began packing up her studio. Surprisingly she heard a knock at the door.
Opening the door not sure what to expect she was pleasantly surprised to find Sera on the other side.
“Sera I totally forgot you were coming over to help me pack” Rusty replied.
 
“Well how else was I going to see off the only friend that I had ever made since working at Boston General and get the scoop on last night’s events at once.
Rusty had a friend, a friend that she was leaving. Where would she start?
‘It was the night I always dreamed of. We didn’t talk much…’ She said giving a secret smile.
 
‘Oh really’ Sera said. ‘Well don’t stop there, I want to know everything’. She said sitting down on the couch.
We went to Dolce’s and I don’t remember what I ordered. I was so focused on him; it could have been tree bark. After dining we went to the Salsa club and danced the night away.’
‘I didn’t know that you can dance.’
‘Neither did I. Prior to last night I had only danced in my apartment in front of the TV. I just put all of the moves that I practice there to good use. It was the greatest night of my life.’
‘Oh really…the greatest night you say? How did it end?’ knowing that Rusty was leaving things out.
‘This morning with me sneaking out of his hotel room before he woke up and deflated my ego.’ She said as matter of fact plopping down on the couch beside Sera.’
‘Why Rusty that could be the man of your dreams, why give up the promise of a relationship?’
‘Because Russet has been packed away in one of those boxes’ She said pointing down to the few boxes that held everything precious to her in the middle of the floor.
‘And when I take her back out, it will be after my sentence in Angel Pass. At this point in my life I have nothing to give but Rusty and I can’t lose focus. I am almost where I need to be to start living my life for me.’
‘Is that what you’ve been doing all this time? Is that why you haven’t gotten close to anyone at the hospital, why you haven’t let anyone get close to you…because you feel everything in life is temporary until you finish your stent in Angel Pass? Oh Rusty, don’t you know by now that life will throw you a curve ball and your entire plan will go up into smoke. Life is about living in the moment not waiting to be lived. You better start living it now before it starts living you.’
‘I don’t quite understand what you’re saying but this has been my plan since I was a child and I have lived it well without any hiccups. I have lived a much disciplined life. I have left room for curve balls after Angel Pass and not before.’ She said getting up off of the couch. ‘Now what I need to do next is get these boxes taped up so that when the movers get here they can be loaded up immediately.’
‘Movers, why do you need movers, you have, ‘she paused to count the boxes, seven boxes, one duffle and three suitcases. Why are you wasting your money on movers? Drive!’
‘I don’t have a car let alone an SUV how am I supposed to do that with no vehicle.’
‘Rent one’ Sera said not giving an inch.
‘I don’t want to rent one then I would have to drive all the way to Montana by myself. Rusty knew Sera was building up to something she was hoping she didn’t suggest asking Max to drive with her because then she would have to tell her that she never got his number.
‘What do you think about a friend to go with you?’
‘Then I would lose my one hundred dollar deposit’ She said hoping she wouldn’t have to lie to her friend about not getting any form of contact from Max.
‘How much money are the movers charging for the total trip?’
Rusty didn’t want to answer because she knew what would be next but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to her new best friend.
‘Two thousand plus tolls and gas’ she said with her head down.
‘And how are you getting there?’
‘The bus’ she mumbled
‘the bus! Are you kidding me? We are so going to have a road trip… I haven’t taken a vacation in the five years I’ve worked at Boston general and I just happen to own an SUV so we are loading up your things and hitting the road.’ She said throwing her arms around Rusty. ‘Now you can thank me later for saving you so much money. Now go and call the moving company while I call the job and let them know that I am taking some time off.’
Rusty was stunned, she didn’t expect for Sera to suggest that she come along and it would give her more money in her account for after her sentence was complete plus allow her to do something she had never done before and that was bond with a friend.
‘Uh Sera, there is one more thing. I don’t drive that well. The only time I’ve ever driven was to pass the driving test.’ Rusty said embarrassed, hoping that Sera didn’t retract the offer.
 
‘Well then that means we will be killing two birds with one stone. Get ready to get behind the wheel.’ She said giving her a hug. I am going home to change and pack. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. I’ve always wanted to do something like this. Thanks for letting me come along.’ Sera gave Rusty a hug and ran out of the door. Josie felt like she was hit with a freight train. Sera was a little ball of energy, a beautiful red-head with a sandy brown year round tan not much taller than Rusty. The hospital crew didn’t usually include Sera in much of anything either, probably because although she was a talker and didn’t S sitting around listening to gossip. She always had a kind word to say about everybody, including the people who were mean to her. That was probably why Rusty liked her so much they didn’t really fit in well at the hospital together. Everyone knew that when they were at work the job was always done right. The crew that came behind them never had to prep before their shift began; unlike Rusty and Sera…When they came into work had to clean up from the nurses and P.A’s from the previous shift and stock up their own supplies. This would be an interesting trip to Montana. She couldn’t wait!

When Sera arrived back at Rusty’s apartment she was toting bags.
‘Uh Sera? You do know that we are leaving this apartment for good, right?
‘Yup!’ She said enthusiastically, ‘then why is it that you are bringing packages in when we are to be carrying packages out?’
‘Because’ Sera began with a mischievous look on her face. Russet gave me a few ideas, according to the navigational system in my truck we are going to be on the road for an entire day. I think that we are going take Russet back out of the boxes and resurrect Serafina, with a twist.’
‘Serafina? Is that your name, boy are we a pair. Russet and Serafina, why can’t we just be Rusty and Sera and bring forward our inner Russet and Serafina.
‘Which brings me to my bags.’ She said handing Rusty one of her shopping bags. ‘This is for you.’
Rusty opened the bag and took out the tiniest pair of shorts she ever seen along with smallest of shirts. At the bottom of the bag there was a pair of running sneakers in the brightest of colors, So out of the ordinary for Rusty’s normal white signature Nurse orthopedic shoes that were made for maximum comfort
‘Oh they gave you the wrong size for me, these are way too small’ Rusty said holding up their shorts…
‘No they’re not; you know what I noticed yesterday. You are absolutely beautiful. You wear your hair in that tight bun every day covering up your beautiful eyes with those thick rimmed glasses. You wear big bulky clothes, clothes obviously made for comfort and not style, not to mention those 1970 style nursing shoes. We both live our lives trying to get through the day and not actually living at all. We are going to discover the other side of comfort on this trip, shorts, t-shirts and sneakers. You look about my size about a two right?
‘Yes, but that doesn’t look like a two, it looks about a two for toddler.’ Her comment made Sera laugh.
‘Go and get changed and I am going to start loading up your things into my truck.’
‘So when are you going to get changed. This isn’t a one person show. If you aren’t going to change then neither am I’
‘Okay, I was going to wait until you changed being that you only have one bathroom. But you and I are the only two people in this tiny apartment so I guess me changing right here in the living room really wouldn’t be much different from me changing in the bathroom.’ Sara said as she started to take off her clothing.
By the time Rusty came out of the bathroom from changing Sara was already outside loading up her SUV with boxes. Rusty looked around the room at the life she lead for the last several years there was nothing of Rusty here. As she glanced at the corner she noticed her Antique mirror was still in the apartment with the blanket wrapped around it, she walked over to carry it to the truck and the blanket fell off. For the second time in two days Rusty was looking back at a woman she knew was herself but didn’t recognize. She looked like a teenager.
‘Rus, there is one thing missing,’ Sara said staring at Rusty look back at her reflection in the mirror. ‘The bun has got to go.’ She walked over to Rusty and pulled the bun out of her hair and watched her spiral curls spring to life as her hair tumbled down her back.
Rusty turned around and looked at Sera who now looked about nineteen in her shorts and sneakers and glanced up at her French roll. Sera, as if reading her mind reached into her hair and starting snatching hair pins out. After the last pin was out she shook out the curtain of red hair that looked like it would never hold a curl. She walked up to Rusty and put an arm over her shoulders and just stared back at the two of them in the mirror.
‘You know we favor one another, we could be sisters or cousins or something. Look at us’ Sera said excitedly
‘I think that your mother would have told you if you had a sibling.’ Rusty replied.
‘Well she actually did before she died. I have two sisters. Both younger, we were separated as children when my parents died.’ The mood suddenly changing as Sera’s voice became morose.
‘What happened?’ Sera asked silently.
 
‘My parents didn’t have any other living relatives. They died in a boating accident when I was five. My sisters and I were all sent to foster homes and then separated.’
‘Oh that sounds awful!’Rusty exclaimed. ‘Have you tried looking for your sisters?’
‘Yes, that’s what actually brought me to Boston. The last bit of news that I’ve heard is that my youngest sister’s foster parents relocated here.’
‘Where are you originally from?’
‘Tennessee.’ Russet froze where she was.
‘Rusty what’s wrong with you? Why are you looking like that?
‘I was adopted from a foster home in Tennessee, when my foster parents moved here? I know it is farfetched but what a coincidence is that that we are both from Tennessee and both adopted. We could almost be sisters’
‘Almost, Rusty how old are you?’
‘Twenty three’ Rusty watched as Sera’s mouth dropped. Sera I would love to have you for a sister but it is highly impossible that you and I are of the same two parents. You are Caucasian and I am not’
‘What gave you the impression that I’m Caucasian’ She said with a cheeky grin on her face.
‘Your complexion, not to mention your bone straight red hair.’ Rusty said her voice dripping with sarcasm.
‘Well do you see this tan?’ She said to Rusty. It didn’t come from the sun or from a bottle it is my skins complexion. To be honest I don’t know what I am but I do know that I am not one hundred percent Caucasian, maybe a mix, but not pure anything. And I don’t think you are either.’
‘Well what are your sister’s names, because I think you would have asked me a long time ago if you had a sister named Russet.’ Rusty said as a matter-of-fact.
Well, I’m the oldest, the older of my two sisters is Nuri-Ena and my youngest sister is McKenna.’ Sera said with pride.
‘Where in the world did your parents get those names from? McKenna was the only one with a normal name’. Rusty exclaimed. Rusty wasn’t about to tell her that her first name was hyphenated and McKenna was the second half. She was searching for her sisters and it would be cruel to give her false hope with so many odds.
‘All of our names mean fire. Sort of like yours, Russet.’ Sera made a mental note to contact her investigator and inquire about Rusty; too many coincidences didn’t sit well with her.
‘Fire huh, well let’s get take our smoking hot selves off to get the rest of these bags out of here and on the road. I don’t want to be late on my first day.’

2 comments:

  1. Good Job! As usual you leave me ready for more....

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  2. Hey Tanisha...I really enjoyed the story thus far...i am so excited for you and loved how you have taken your time to pull back the layers of rusty-Russet persona and libido.
    you have a pen dripping with both intensity and description and i so applaud you for that...you just made it above porn in the hotel suite, i thought by the end i would have torepent but you stopped...well to be honest i kept going and had to rpent anyway...smh. LOL!
    The one criticism that i have at this time is to please work on sentence structure and punctuation. Without proper punctuation it makes the read a stop and start because readers have to infer what you mean because the have no grammatics to guide them. But other than that so proud and look forward to reading more!!!!!!!

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