Love Immortal
by
Jessica Acker
by
Jessica Acker
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It’s a quiet silence tonight. Cool air sweeping across my face, but dampness on my cheeks
means nothing. I love to notice the little things; I finally have all the time in the world to pay
attention. Three weeks ago, he lay in my bed, and I in his arms. As usual, not for long, he
had to go home to his wife. Why did I ever start this love affair? And now I have eternity to
ponder him. Had he left her sooner, I wouldn’t have been alone and vulnerable when fate
came knocking on my door. And here I sit; alone, perched like a bird on the apartment
building roof. It’s only 11:00pm and cars drive through the lot, people sit on their balconies,
and not a soul notices me. Are vampires invisible like ghosts too?
Alex is calling again, for the umpteenth time in three weeks, but I am answering the cell, and
hear myself saying “Hello?” He is crying and frantic and wondering why he hasn’t heard
from me. As per status quo, Janelle has her mouth wide open in his ear, but he doesn’t care
at this point because “..his baby is alright”. He can hear the wind in the phone and asks
where I am, but I say nothing.
There’s a long pause, then I ask, “Where are the kids tonight?”
“At her Mother’s”, comes the infamous reply.
“Wonderful!” I exclaim, and close the cell, tuck it away, look deep into the sky and inhale.
The northern autumn air is so refreshing, I could sit here and just breathe all night, but I have
business to attend to.
I pull out my compact; apply some Vino red lipstick, to offset chocolate brown waves of hair
surrounding my face. I look frighteningly seductive, as Alex once put it, with the clear ocean
blue eyes staring up at him asking if I can love him with my mouth.
No one is looking, so I jump off the side of the building. The highway is less than fifty feet
and just my luck, a big rig is rumbling by. I jump to the back, grabbing the side bar, then
swing up to the top. Let’s see, an all black outfit, with mid-thigh length canvas coat, and
dark hair? Yeah, no body saw that. Alex’s place is only three minutes driving time from
here, and just my luck the light is red and no one is about. So I slide down and sneak along
the shadows of the avenue, to his back yard.
Striding up the sloping grass, I think about last week, I parked at the pharmacy down the
road. Boldly, I peered to the window of the den, where he sleeps. At 2:00am, I saw that old,
toothless, white cat wandering about, but I think she’s deaf and never knew I was there. He
was asleep, but not resting. I slid the window open a little farther and whispered my own
name to see if he would stir. I could’ve slit the screen open and reached to touch his face,
stroke his hair. Instead I let the tears fall free and quickly ran away. My supper was the
drug dealer next door so I didn’t have to be bothered with that mess and noise any longer.
But now I stand again at his home, at the kitchen door. I ring his cell, and to my surprise
Janelle is screaming in my ear.
“Yeah, if you want his so bad, why don’t you just take him! If he really wanted you he
would’ve left by now. He can walk out of here, but he’ll never see his kids again. I won’t let
him! He’ll never leave me because I know how he works!”
But I’m tired of all that chatter, and she’s still rambling, and though the door is locked and
bolted, I push it open like a broken screen door on a deserted farmhouse. They’re both in the
dining room, just past the kitchen, and with ethereal speed I walk to her side, pressing my
phone to her ear, so she can scream at herself. Then reality crash lands, the room stops
spinning and he gasps while she’s frozen.
”I’m tired of hearing your fears disguised as wishes. Tired of manipulation and degradation.
So, are you quite finished?” I casually close the cell and slide it back into my pocket. I never
could keep a tan, buy Alex knows something is just “wrong” with me. But I wink and nod at
him casually. She has no clue that death stands before her so she opens that shrieking hole in
her face again, but before she can get a word out, I grasp her jaw in one hand and force her
body against the wall, rattling pictures as we slam against it.
“I’ve decided I must be cruel, because you are. Look at me and realize what I am. There’s a
shine to my eyes you’ll never see in human eyes, and transparent skin stretched over my
skull. Go ahead and cry, I know my stone hard, icy grip doesn’t feel nice on your pampered
skin. Should you choose to fight, you will lose. You cannot speak when you are dead, but I
can.”
Alex is at my side and I release her. She falls into the safety of his arms, but they don’t lift to
catch her.
”Alex, do you love me?” I implore. And he leans to steal a kiss, but draws away in terror
before our lips touch. He knows what he sees, and is devastated. He walks to the den, and
the squawk box begins to follow, forgetting the warning received moments ago.
Instead I push her to her knees as if to beg for mercy, but she’s too stupid to understand. As
I drain her energy, fiery heat, angry love, disabled heart, forgotten happiness, I whisper
through her thoughts, that using love and emotions has cost her all of it. Let God love her
now, Alex never will again. I leave the house, but sneak to the window, and speak to him,
“Good bye, beloved. You will always be protected, and I shall visit again. Do not seek me out
or pay a price. Love is always and immortal. I am your love. “
Word Count (1,052)
means nothing. I love to notice the little things; I finally have all the time in the world to pay
attention. Three weeks ago, he lay in my bed, and I in his arms. As usual, not for long, he
had to go home to his wife. Why did I ever start this love affair? And now I have eternity to
ponder him. Had he left her sooner, I wouldn’t have been alone and vulnerable when fate
came knocking on my door. And here I sit; alone, perched like a bird on the apartment
building roof. It’s only 11:00pm and cars drive through the lot, people sit on their balconies,
and not a soul notices me. Are vampires invisible like ghosts too?
Alex is calling again, for the umpteenth time in three weeks, but I am answering the cell, and
hear myself saying “Hello?” He is crying and frantic and wondering why he hasn’t heard
from me. As per status quo, Janelle has her mouth wide open in his ear, but he doesn’t care
at this point because “..his baby is alright”. He can hear the wind in the phone and asks
where I am, but I say nothing.
There’s a long pause, then I ask, “Where are the kids tonight?”
“At her Mother’s”, comes the infamous reply.
“Wonderful!” I exclaim, and close the cell, tuck it away, look deep into the sky and inhale.
The northern autumn air is so refreshing, I could sit here and just breathe all night, but I have
business to attend to.
I pull out my compact; apply some Vino red lipstick, to offset chocolate brown waves of hair
surrounding my face. I look frighteningly seductive, as Alex once put it, with the clear ocean
blue eyes staring up at him asking if I can love him with my mouth.
No one is looking, so I jump off the side of the building. The highway is less than fifty feet
and just my luck, a big rig is rumbling by. I jump to the back, grabbing the side bar, then
swing up to the top. Let’s see, an all black outfit, with mid-thigh length canvas coat, and
dark hair? Yeah, no body saw that. Alex’s place is only three minutes driving time from
here, and just my luck the light is red and no one is about. So I slide down and sneak along
the shadows of the avenue, to his back yard.
Striding up the sloping grass, I think about last week, I parked at the pharmacy down the
road. Boldly, I peered to the window of the den, where he sleeps. At 2:00am, I saw that old,
toothless, white cat wandering about, but I think she’s deaf and never knew I was there. He
was asleep, but not resting. I slid the window open a little farther and whispered my own
name to see if he would stir. I could’ve slit the screen open and reached to touch his face,
stroke his hair. Instead I let the tears fall free and quickly ran away. My supper was the
drug dealer next door so I didn’t have to be bothered with that mess and noise any longer.
But now I stand again at his home, at the kitchen door. I ring his cell, and to my surprise
Janelle is screaming in my ear.
“Yeah, if you want his so bad, why don’t you just take him! If he really wanted you he
would’ve left by now. He can walk out of here, but he’ll never see his kids again. I won’t let
him! He’ll never leave me because I know how he works!”
But I’m tired of all that chatter, and she’s still rambling, and though the door is locked and
bolted, I push it open like a broken screen door on a deserted farmhouse. They’re both in the
dining room, just past the kitchen, and with ethereal speed I walk to her side, pressing my
phone to her ear, so she can scream at herself. Then reality crash lands, the room stops
spinning and he gasps while she’s frozen.
”I’m tired of hearing your fears disguised as wishes. Tired of manipulation and degradation.
So, are you quite finished?” I casually close the cell and slide it back into my pocket. I never
could keep a tan, buy Alex knows something is just “wrong” with me. But I wink and nod at
him casually. She has no clue that death stands before her so she opens that shrieking hole in
her face again, but before she can get a word out, I grasp her jaw in one hand and force her
body against the wall, rattling pictures as we slam against it.
“I’ve decided I must be cruel, because you are. Look at me and realize what I am. There’s a
shine to my eyes you’ll never see in human eyes, and transparent skin stretched over my
skull. Go ahead and cry, I know my stone hard, icy grip doesn’t feel nice on your pampered
skin. Should you choose to fight, you will lose. You cannot speak when you are dead, but I
can.”
Alex is at my side and I release her. She falls into the safety of his arms, but they don’t lift to
catch her.
”Alex, do you love me?” I implore. And he leans to steal a kiss, but draws away in terror
before our lips touch. He knows what he sees, and is devastated. He walks to the den, and
the squawk box begins to follow, forgetting the warning received moments ago.
Instead I push her to her knees as if to beg for mercy, but she’s too stupid to understand. As
I drain her energy, fiery heat, angry love, disabled heart, forgotten happiness, I whisper
through her thoughts, that using love and emotions has cost her all of it. Let God love her
now, Alex never will again. I leave the house, but sneak to the window, and speak to him,
“Good bye, beloved. You will always be protected, and I shall visit again. Do not seek me out
or pay a price. Love is always and immortal. I am your love. “
Word Count (1,052)