Sitting alone in the darkest corner tucked away in a small cafe he always seemed to be drawn to on only one day out of the year. The anniversary of sorts, of the worst day of his life without competition, and here, like everyday after, he sat alone. He was waiting for someone he has known for years as an understanding friend, and she'd been there for him on this day before. But after weeks of no communication he wasn't sure she would be there for him anymore.
The cafe was empty and still, all except the one lone waitress that looked at him ever so often. Giving a sigh he put the money down and picked up his jacket and started towards the door. The waitress looked at him one finale time and smiled, he gave her a smirk, a staggering accomplishment considering his mood.
Walking out of the small establishment he bumped into a running body which caused the person to fall on to the sidewalk, while he remained unmoved.
"Hey what's the big idea popping outta there?" she said mostly out of surprise
He said nothing and held out a hand to help her up. Looking out him then back to his hand she sighed and took it, with ease she was brought to a stand. Brushing herself off, she caught site of a brown leather wallet, finally looking up she didn't even see him leave until he was around the corner.
"Hey mister!" she called, not getting a response she scooped up the wallet and ran after him. He hadn't gotten far only half a block.
"Yes?"He replied coldly, not wanting to hang around in the well known "hell spot" of the city, when she caught up, she held out her hand with his wallet in it.
"Just figured you wanted this back before someone steals it."
"Thanks kid." He started to walk away again keeping up a steady pace, hearing the girl's footfalls right behind him keeping up the same tempo. To confirm his suspicions he suddenly stopped, and proving him right, she slammed into his back.
He jerked his head around, "Is there something else you want?" he snapped, she stared up at him lightly rubbing her jaw
"This might kinda sound silly, in fact it probably is and your probably going to say no, but I'd be eternally grateful if you didn't say no but uh.. a guess yes..."
"Your point." he said getting a little annoyed.
"Can I possibly just walk with you till I get out of this neighborhood?" she smiled weakly "Please?" Rolling his eyes, he put a gloved hand over his face and nodded.
"Oh thanks mister...what is your last anyway?" she said when they had started to walk again. Hands stuffed in his pockets he didn't reply. To lost in his own thoughts to even make sense of her question. "Okayyyyy..."
"Hmmm? Did you say something?" he said after realizing there had been spoken words.
"Yeah about five minutes ago, I asked 'What's your name', and you just stare off in space."
"Summers."
"Excuse me?"
"My last name." And for lack of anything else to keep him occupied he keep talking, "What's yours?"
" Hope but everyone calls me Trisha" she said, then started to pop her gum once more. "Why you look so down in the dumps anyhow? Not that it's any of my business of course, just trying to make polite conversation, but the last time I saw anyone with that look, there grandmother had died and they were like really close so I guess I could see why..."
"It's the would be anniversary to my wife's death." Nathan would have said anything at that point to get Trisha to shut up
"Oh, sorry. What a minute, what do you mean 'would be'?"
"It's private." He commented looking straight in front of them.
" Oh, I get ya. Do you miss her?"
"Of course I do." he snapped begging to be annoyed by her questioning
"Sorr-ee!" she threw her hands up making her point "It's just that some husbands don't." then pausing for a second she said even lower "My dad doesn't miss my mom." This time it was her turn to look away from his questioning gaze.
"Why do you say that?" he said meaning to sound sympathetic, but coming out in a cold voice instead.
"He didn't like her from the get go. They were forced to get married back in Arkansas, because mom was pregnant with me, and when they moved up here it just made things worse. He hated her and me, and he'd already had someone lined up to marry, while mom lied in some hospital on her deathbed. Only chance a got to see her after she went there was when dad went there for her to sign the divorce papers. That night she...passed away." Keeping her voice barley above a whisper, and her eyes fixated on the ground she walked on. Feeling the tears start to come she quickly brushed them away as they fell
"I'm sorry to hear that." he said just as quietly knowing how it felt to lose a mother
"That's why I'm in this place, Dad buried mom in the cheapest place they had in town, meaning here. So he could take 'Vickie' to Las Vegas for their honeymoon. I asked him to let me visit her--grave and he just flat out said no. So I decided to walk myself down here. It's not the first time." The tears renewed themselves this time she didn't wipe them away. "So what about your wife? How did she --um-"
"She died, that's all that matters now, I'm here and she's not. Our one son Tyler died as well so I'm here alone. I'll never see either of them again, after what I did here, for the better of course. "
"Do you listen to country?"
"Country?" Cable asked
"Yeah you know, Garth, Reba, Trent, and all those people" He raised an eyebrow out of question "Well your probably wondering where I jumped from passed on people to music, so I guess I should explain." Trisha said looking up at him seeking approval to continue
"I'd like you to."
"Right, well there's this guy who's name is...uh something Wariner, well anyway dad use to get mad at me for listening to it but he has this one song called 'Holes in the floor of Heaven' the singer not my dad, and It's about this guy that has the most lousiest luck, even though I think I got him beat in that department. Anyhow, this guy's grandma dies, then later his wife, and you know he's hoping' for his wife to be there when their daughter gets married, and it turns out that the mother was there all the time." He tried his best to understand how someone dead could go to a wedding. Looking down at the talkative girl, she was starring off in the opposite direction with out any intentions of continuing
"So? Is that all you had to tell me? That the man in the song had two people die?"
"Oh, no. I just stopped because it didn't look like you were paying attention; the graveyard is only a few blocks away now. But back to the song, it's chorus makes me think of mom all the time, I don't think dad even minds the site of me crying, but the chorus lets me like the rain. And you should too."
He was going to let it drop there, but even as small as his curiosity may have been it still got the best of him. "So what's this chorus you keep skipping around?"
"Don't laugh but the only way I remember is to sing them, is that okay?" he nodded " Here goes, 'Cause there's holes in the Heaven, and her tears are pouring down. That's how you know she's watching, wishing she could be here now and sometimes if you're lonely, just remember she can see. There's holes in the floor of Heaven, and she's watchin' over you and me And that's it " her voice started to break, "Oh, look! The graveyard," she pointed towards two rusty gates that barely hung in the original place and both were chained and locked.
"I guess this were I can stop being your escort?"
"Yes sir, thanks Mr. Summers. Oh, and here" she reached in the back pack she was wearing and pulled out what seemed to be a well used tape and handed to him "Take it, please? It's a copy of that song. Won't need it after today. And thanks"
Cable took the object then watched her dart across the road and to the entrance of the graveyard. She slipped through a place were a bar was broken and disappeared. He started to walk again, coming to the gates were she had gone in he stopped and looked in. The ground was flat all the way across allowing him to see even the back wall, but no trace of the girl. Letting his curiosity get to him again, he crossed the street, and took the same way in to the field of stones.
"Trisha?" He called out, and there came no answer. Waling to the center where a deteriorating angel tombstone stood holding an open book showing it's pages to the world, for some reason that grave drew him to it. Using his fingers to remove the plants that overtook the inscription in the book he could carefully start reading the words it held.
"'Here lies Hope ' Trisha ' Chard, died of a broken heart for her mother October 16, 1989. Now may they be forever together in the site of God.' Trisha? It couldn't be." He knelt down and cleared her picture, showing the same black hair, brown eyed girl that had talked to him only moments before. He felt a chill go through him when he looked behind the angel and found her backpack still warm from wear. Slipping back through the gate, he looked at the tape, and then to the sky and shook his head as a smile crossed his lips
"Holes in the floor of Heaven? Rain? Hum." he put the tape in his pocket and through the back pack over his shoulder as he started to walk again. Cable was taken by surprise when the perfect cloudless sky let out with a cold, lonesome rain. He stared up at the sky and smiled at it through his tears.
"I love you too." And as he spoke the sun was breaking through the clouds, landing on him and Hope's grave. "I love you, too" he whispered.
Holes In The Floor Of Heaven, belongs to Steve Wariner
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