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Gary Leonard Oldman
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#Post#: 3167--------------------------------------------------
Long Road Home
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: April 16, 2016, 2:28 am
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HTML https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1651/26456090355_f737961709_z.jpg
AN: face claim banner is still in the works for this one. ;)
Summary: Together. Apart. Together and then apart once more.
Neither knows what they truly want but for some reason they're
drawn back together. Old hurts and happy memories resurface as a
'seperated' couple end up having to come back to the tiny town
they called home once upon a time ago back when they decided
that they could take on the world together. They say time heals
all wounds but will they finally be able to smooth things over
and work toward rebuilding what they had or will it crumble once
more?
Playlist:
HTML https://open.spotify.com/user/highlandfling22/playlist/16wN6jEffXFokUhKcyvfvV
#Post#: 3168--------------------------------------------------
Re: Long Road Home
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: April 17, 2016, 11:10 am
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I do love the summary for this one and I'm all the more excited
because the faces haven't been chosen yet ; that makes it more
fun to think about what might be likely to happen within this
story. I also really like the setting banner——that's a beautiful
photograph. And your playlist! I like that a lot. I have not
heard half the songs on there so I'm now following and will
probably bump some of them over to itunes :D
#Post#: 3174--------------------------------------------------
Re: Long Road Home
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: May 15, 2016, 11:00 pm
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Aww thank you so much hun! I still haven't narrowed down face
claims for this one yet maybe it's just not meant to be for this
one? I've gone bananas over it but meh. I think I found the
setting banner photo on a computer background website ages ago
and just sort of fell in love with it. I'm so so happy you like
the playlist! I hope you enjoy this one hun!
The weather was odd for this time of year. True, the calendar
certainly read out ‘first day of spring’ but it surely felt more
like winter. The first ‘spring’ rain drizzled down over the
streets of Chicago, it seemed that even with the piles of snow
gone a chill had settled itself over the city. Monday had dawned
bleak, grey, and cold and Eleanor Newland found that it suited
her mood quite nicely. Not long ago days like these would have
just made her want to stay curled up in bed safely wrapped up
under the double wedding ring quilt her Gran had lovingly
stitched together as a gift. ‘He’d still be there.’ she mused to
herself as she pressed the cross walk button and waited as the
walk sign flickered to life.
‘That’s the point, he’d still be there and everything would be
okay. Oh shut up Eleanor! He’s not and he never will be.’
Scuttling across the crosswalk she dodged a puddle and fished
her keys out of her purse. It was only half eight and the
streets surrounding the Sultzer Regional building were all but
deserted, true they opened officially at nine but the hustle and
bustle of the city was the usual view on any given day,
especially Mondays. ‘Oh well, early bird catches the worm and
all that.’ Swiftly unlocking the double doors she ducked into
the overnight book deposit room toward the left and checked both
bins and found one or two tomes of Shakespeare’s plays returned
right on time. She couldn’t help but smile every time she
spotted a copy of As You Like It. It seemed that today the
cosmos was going to be giving her little reminders of Him for
some reason.
‘What the hell did I do deserve this?’
Eleanor thought as she clocked in and shrugged off her coat
before heading down into the depths of records and back files.
Curating old tomes and rare editions happened to be her
specialty, along with pining for things that could never be
again. Down here it was all rational, numbers and letters and no
feelings to be had what so ever. Just her and the works of
authors long since gone. All dust and bindings and cotton
gloves. Just as she went about logging a new set of Wiltshire’s
from an estate sale her mind wandered back for a moment - it
hadn’t meant to but it did none the less. For a split second she
was back home with him and the world was okay. She down in the
basement level of the old Twin Rivers Library all over again
elbow deep in some old copy of Dickinson’s Oliver Twist; the
serial published version and it was autumn. Why it always seemed
to be autumn in her memories of him she would never know.
“I’ll never know why or how you can spend so much time with
these books, Ellie. Especially with those allergies of yours.”
“Some day your work could be down in a place like this just
remember that, I enjoy the quiet. As for the allergies that’s
what Benadryl’s for, Charlie.”
He had come down when his creative writing class let out for the
evening and she still wasn’t home yet. She had teased him a bit
but couldn’t help but be touched that he had actually worried
for her safety, especially in a town as small as Twin Rivers
where it was so much like Mayberry that they often joked about
running into Barney Fife and Opie.
“I wasn’t worried..I..”
“You were worried, I can tell by how your ears are turning pink.
You thought I was whisked away by some stranger or something.
Trust me, I’ve been down here all day trying to clean up some of
the bindings on these books. Go ask Alice.”
The look on Charlie’s face had been priceless that she just had
to laugh.
“The other librarian, good lord where has your mind been these
past two weeks? Poor thing always catches flack for having a
mother that loves Lewis Carrol’s works and yes, she does have a
white rabbit as a pet.”
“I was just thinking that her mother was a Jefferson Airplane
fan but…she seriously has a white rabbit? I know I married you
but forgive me if I hit on Alice.”
A playful swat was exchanged and the memory faded out like an
old movie. He was the only person to ever call her Ellie, even
her mother called her by her first name. It had taken some
getting used to but she welcomed the change. He had found her
one night at the tiny campus bar at a table with her friends
chatting over drinks, well she had been the designated driver so
it was strictly ginger ale for her but she had liked his smile.
He just seemed to give off a glow like the sun and the range of
topics that interested him amazed her. Here stood a man that
could pick apart Shakespeare’s works with scholarly finesse and
then two seconds later gush over the latest record that he
fancied. His taste in music was just as varied and his talents
in the musical world baffled her. They dated for three years and
married quietly one Saturday during spring break of their final
year at Walton College. He had been living off campus after
dropping out, saying something about his father not being able
to afford the tuition for his final year. She had offered to
help him no matter what but he had declined. Said he had things
all worked out with a buddy of his. He had asked her only the
morning before and surprised her with an opal ring he’d bought
second hand along with matching wedding bands for a whole
whopping four hundred dollars. When she had asked him how he
just shook his head and refused tell her. It was only four
months later as they were moving into their first tiny apartment
off the campus that she found the pawn stub in a box of odds and
ends he used for paperwork. A plan had hatched as she pocketed
the stub and then ventured into the seedy part of downtown
Chicago after her shift at the campus library and bought back
his prized Taylor with the Indian Rosewood body. When she had
pulled the case out of the hall closet complete with it’s cherry
red bow he looked at her with such happiness that she thought he
looked like a little boy on christmas morning. She still had the
photos she had snapped of his face. Complete happiness shining
through his features and into his eyes. She was brought back to
reality by a hand on her shoulder and she startled. The book she
had been restoring fell from the table with a solid thud as she
screamed.
“Hey, hey it’s just me. I came down to tell you that you’ve got
a phone call on line two.”
Eleanor’s brows knit together as she tried to think who might
actually call her this early on in the day. She glanced at her
watched and she was surprised to see that it was well after one.
‘Man, time really does fly when you’re lost in your thoughts.’
“Uh..thanks, Louise. I’ll pick it up.”
She said with a slight smile, the other librarian gave her a
small nod and turned back towards the doorway and made her way
back upstairs leaving Eleanor on her own. Sure enough when she
turned the ancient chorded desk phone was flashing red on line
two. Picking up she pressed the connection button.
“Hello?”
The line crackled a bit and she heard the shuffle of papers atop
a wooden desk before a voice came onto the line.
“Ellie are you there? It’s me, I know I know…not who you wanted
calling you at work but I tried your apartment and all I got was
the machine. Please don’t hang up..”
Heart hammering in her chest she sighed as she swiveled around
in the old rickety metal stool and rolled her eyes. Talk about a
speak of the devil moment. The cosmos certainly had her number
it seemed. He still calls me Ellie. She thought to herself as
her world started to spin slightly off kilter.
“Wasn’t planning on it, Charlie. It must be big if you called me
here…how did you get the number?”
Another shuffle of papers and then a creaking sounded as he
chuckled. He was probably sitting at his writing desk in that
old beat up leather executive chair with the steel wheels and
base. That damn thing was so noisy she would always remember the
sound of it, that and Charlie’s proclivity to brewing a pot of
coffee for himself as he pulled an all nighter so the smell of
coffee and his cologne had permeated the worn leather.
‘Oh get a grip, Eleanor.’
Her mind sounded as she shook her head.
“You there, Ellie?
“Y-yeah. Sorry. How did you find the number again?”
“Oh, Google. Contrary to popular belief I can actually use the
computer you know…for something besides buying stuff and
writing. Anyway, I called to ask you if you’ve heard anything
from Jerry and Kim Knudson? I tried depositing their check today
and I was told that they closed out their account. I called the
house and all the phone does is ring.”
When had she last heard from them? Jerry and Kim were always on
top of things, especially when it came down to the rent. They
were always very punctual people and never ever let loose ends
hang without letting Ellie and Charlie know.
“Oh jeez, no. I think the last I heard anything from them was
around February. Kim called me to say that they were going to
visit Jerry’s parents over in Kalamazoo for a few days. I didn’t
think anything of it because I knew his grandmother was sick. I
think they said she’d come down with pneumonia or something.”
She heard Charlie shift in his chair with a squeak and listened
as he sighed. She could almost see the vast expanse of his
shoulders heave as he racked a large calloused hand across his
face.
“I called Jack and had him go over there earlier today and he
said the place was bolted up tight, the locks had been changed
and from what he could see all their stuff was packed up and
they were gone. Said that the place looked like they’d just let
it go. Something’s up, Ellie. I was thinking of heading out
there tomorrow or Friday just to see for myself and take stock…”
Eleanor knew where this was going and she couldn’t blame him,
that house had been their home, where they thought they would
grow old together until things went south and they ended up
renting it out. Jerry and Kim had been so nice, a little young
but nice enough. They had reminded Charlie and Ellie of
themselves when they had first married.
“But I can’t set foot on the property unless you’re with me,
it’s in the agreement from the housing authority.”
Ellie let out her own sigh and did a mental calculation. She did
have some vacation time saved up from the last two years working
for the library. Maybe it would do her good to get away from the
city for a while?
“Alright, how’s Friday work for you? I can take some time off
and meet you down there?”
A surprised ‘uh’ sounded from the other end and clearly Charlie
was taken aback a bit.
“Are you sure your car’s going to make it? I mean it’s almost
twenty years old, Ellie, the last thing you need is to be stuck
along side the road.”
“I had to sell the corolla, the apartment complex didn’t have
any available spots but I’m sure I could rent a car or
something..”
“Or…I could pick you up. Save the cost of renting a run down
hunk of junk. Besides, I remember how you get after two hours
behind the wheel, you’ll need a nap and..”
“Alright, alright. I’ll call you on Friday, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
She could almost hear the smile in his voice and it made her
heart hammer in her chest long after she hung up the phone. She
could see him sitting there in his writing room or wherever he
had his desk set up just smiling to himself like some sort of
giddy schoolboy. Admit the feelings of worry over the house that
was seemingly abandoned by their former tenants she felt
something else, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on
but for some reason she welcomed it because it made her smile.
The respective week passed slowly for both Eleanor and Charlie.
Eleanor of course had those first editions and estate copies to
keep her busy, Charlie on the other had currently sat in front
of his beat up MacBook staring at an infinitely white page that
seemed to glower at him. He’d spent the better part of the last
four days trying to convert the jumbled mess of ideas that
swirled around in his head into something coherent that his
publisher as well as his fanbase would enjoy. The creative being
he referred to as his Muse was a fickle creature and it was
undoubtedly giving him the finger at the moment. Why couldn’t he
have just been a mechanic like his father wanted? Or a
carpenter? He enjoyed working with his hands, moments like this
made him want to shelf the writing/ creative side and just pick
up a hammer or something. He sat back in his ancient desk chair
and winced as it screeched in protest. He knew he’d forgotten to
oil it a few weeks ago. Sure enough a little note about chair up
keep was written at the top of his note pad titled “To Do List”.
‘One of these days that chair’s going to just give up and you’ll
end up on your ass in a heap of metal and leather.’
The tiny voice in the back of his mind sighed. He couldn’t help
but crack a smirk because that particular voice sounded a hell
of a lot like Ellie. Just as his muse resembled her. All dark
bouncy hair and sparkling eyes that changed depending on her
mood. Shining honeyed jade when she was happy, forest green when
pensive, deep hunter’s green when deeply upset. That last memory
of seeing her with deep green eyes made his stomach flop and
quiver. He’d only seen her that way a handful of times, when
she’d been turned down for a teaching position at University of
Aberdeen during their Seattle years, when her mother finally
came clean about Ellie’s father, and the day they had come to an
agreement for the separation. Each time it broke his heart. He
often found his thoughts drifting to Ellie on days when the
writing had stalled, it was becoming more and more prevalent as
the days went by and he had no clue as to why.
‘She’s probably moved on you know. You were just a steppin’
stone my boy.’
That dark little voice that crept up on him from time to time.
The rational side of his mind told said voice to take a flying
leap. Rolling his tired brown eyes he ran a hand over his face
and yawned. To be honest the days just melded together it
seemed. That’s what living alone did to you. Sure, he had money
but the apartment just didn’t feel like home; never would
without her there. He turned in the chair one last time and got
up from his desk. The shoebox he was renting screamed ‘man child
left alone!’ what with the half unpacked boxes and iffy looking
containers of old take out left on the coffee table. Ambling
over to the kitchenette he switched on the coffee maker and
warmed over yesterday’s brew. Was it actually from yesterday or
Sunday? He wasn’t even sure but he’d soon find out when he
poured himself a cup. Giving himself a cursory sniff he almost
gagged. Strike that, he did gag. How long had it been since he’d
actually taken a proper shower? His days were melding together
it seemed.
‘Ok, shower. You can’t keep putting it off man. Then pack a
bag.’
His rational side was on top of things it seemed today. Which
was good because by five o’clock his irrational side would be
chomping at the bit and he’d end up a nervous wreck. But small
steps, shower first freak out later;preferably when Ellie wasn’t
in the truck with him.
His feet carried him through his meager bedroom with it’s washed
out white walls and crumpled blackish grey comforter atop the
lumpy bargain basement priced mattress. Somehow he continued to
trudge through and into the muted grey tiled bathroom and turned
on the taps. Giving himself a cursory glance in mirror he almost
did a double take. All those late nights of staring at those
half finished projects and weeks of bad eating had gotten to
him. His skin had taken a pasty tone off setting the dark
circles under his eyes and the month’s worth of growth on his
face. He looked haggard from the weeks of lost sleep. Some part
of him didn’t want to admit that it was from the fact that he no
longer shared a bed with her. That he missed her more than he
could even describe and put into proper words. It’s not that he
wouldn’t admit it to himself, he just simply couldn’t. Not now,
maybe not ever. This particular school of thought also tried to
shrug off how much he actually drank these days. It had started
quietly enough, just a drink at the end of an evening with his
agent or friends, then steadily and silently climbed to the
point that he needed it to sleep. At the moment his liquor
cabinet, much like his other cabinets; was empty. It wasn’t that
he was broke, far from it in fact, but the mere idea of going
out into public alone just didn’t seem possible to him. He
couldn’t count the time he’d said a silent thank you to whatever
genius that thought up the idea of delivery for take out and
groceries. He knew it wasn’t healthy but how else was he
supposed to cope without her there? She had sounded a little
down when he’d spoken to her over the phone concerning the place
they used to call home. Maybe she’s in the same boat I am. He
thought to himself as he stripped down and haphazardly threw his
clothes in the direction of the clothes hamper, missing it
completely and not caring an ounce. He could almost hear Ellie’s
exasperated sigh. He had actually lost count as to how many
times she would come in after him and put them in just so she
wouldn’t have to do it later because it irked her so back when
they shared that place called home.
‘Get the hell over yourself, Newland and get your sorry ass into
that shower. Just because you’re down and out sure as doesn’t
mean that Ellie is.’
The voice in his head, that sounded so much like his father
barked at him. That was a new one. His old man was popping up in
his head quite a bit these days, ultimately giving him the kick
in the ass he so badly needed when Ellie’s voice just wasn’t
firm enough with him.
“Thank God for small wonders.”
Charlie muttered to himself as he scrubbed himself clean beneath
the hot steaming water. His troubles momentarily swirled around
the drain. Next on his list was a shave and a cup of coffee. His
revery was cut short as he turned the taps off a high pitched
ringing brought him back to earth.
“****! Phone!”
Lumbered out of the shower and nearly knocking himself ass over
tea kettle he wrapped a towel around himself and made a wild run
into the living room and grabbed the phone out of the cradle.
“He…llo?”
“Charlie? You sound out of breath everything okay?”
His eyebrows nearly met his hairline and he very nearly laughed.
She still worried about him and if he was being honest with
himself it scared and delighted him. What a hellish mixture that
turned out to be.
“Yeah..fine..just caught me coming out of the shower is all.
Damn near broke my neck; that’ll teach me to rent a place with
wood floors. You’re out of work early?”
From further down the line he heard a bit of traffic but thought
that perhaps just perhaps she had a window open from her
apartment.
“Oh, yeah, but only by an hour or so. It really wasn’t that busy
so I put my notice in and told them I’d be using my vacation
time to settle somethings. Did you want me to come over your
place instead? I’ve got everything packed…it might save you a
trip.”
A quick glance around his apartment made his stomach drop.
“Uh. No, it’s no trouble for me to stop by your place, really
El.”
“You’ve got some major cleaning to do don’t you, Charlie?”
Damn it, how did she always know? It was like the woman just
honed in on his weaknesses; something that he didn’t normally
mind but in this instance it was downright unsettling.
“Yeah, I do but it’s not like I get regular visitors, y’know?
Let me just grab my bag and I’ll swing by and pick you up.”
“Alright, sounds like a plan. I’m in 2B, and don’t you dare make
a joke.”
“Me? Joke about you living in an apartment that tailor made for
Shakespearean jokes? Why, Eleanor I’m hurt and offended. I’ve
grown up a bit but it’s still my duty to bust your chops every
now and then.”
A pause sounded and he could hear Ellie steel herself for what
she just knew what coming from him. He let out a snort and
muttered;
“Ha, see not even a joke about me saying duty. See, I’ve
changed…oh nope. I said it again so it counts. See you twenty.”
As he pressed the ‘end’ button on the cordless he gave a
slightly contented sigh, why he wasn’t exactly sure. But he
pushed the thoughts whirling around in his head away for the
moment. He had some packing to do and he said a silent prayer to
anything that was up there that he was actually able to scrounge
up some clean clothes. She’d already busted him on cleaning and
he wasn’t sure if he fragile ego could hold up to a patented
Ellie Chase-Newland ribbing about stained up clothes.
Oh who the hell was he kidding? If the woman had asked him to
run across hot coals and swim laps in a shark infested pool he’d
sure as hell do it, just because she’d asked him to.
'Something never change, do they boy?’ the voice that mimicked
his old man asked and Charlie could have sworn he’d heard the
smile in it’s inflection.
“Yeah, guess they don’t.”
He muttered while sorting though half of his dresser; throwing
in a few pairs of pants and shirts in. For some reason his heart
felt lighter for a moment and he felt the clouds that had
blocked out his creativity lift ever so slightly. He’d be sure
to send Ellie a thank you card after they had come back home
from Twin Rivers.
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