The Cemetery

By

Heath Russell
 The doctor said the rain might cause a severe throb in her fractured fibula, but

Kristin had just given him a cock-eyed grin and asked “Since when does it ever rain in

Los Angeles in May, Doc?”

Genie stood in the doorway of the apartment shaking her umbrella dry into the

hallway with one hand while attempting to remove her coat with the other.

“I don’t care if you get the carpet wet. Just bring me those damned pills!”

Kristin lay on the sofa her leg propped up, a tray table set beside her with

crossword puzzles, a novel, a glass of water and the remains of a sandwich. The pain in

her injured leg was almost intolerable and each of the toes sticking out from the plaster

cast was cursing silently at her. She mentally relayed those curses to Genie who was

taking forever to bring her prescription of darvacet.

“Do you know what I had to go through to get these?” Genie fumbled the

childproof cap off and tapped two orange ovals into her palm, “A little water falls from

the sky and everyone in the city forgets how to drive.”

Kristin took a stab for her water, her other hand held out expectantly and soon she

swallowed what she hoped would be instant relief.

Genie plopped into the over-stuffed chair beside her friend and lifted her dripping

shoes to rest her feet on the coffee table.

“It’s gonna take at least a half hour you know.” Genie scanned the room for the

TV remote. Found none.

“Huh?” Kristin almost never watched TV. The set was only for company and

usually she hid the remote to promote chatting.

 Genie stood again and began making her way to the kitchen straightening objects

as she walked. The sofa pillows stacked on a chair, jacket in the closet, some dishes in

the sink. She grabbed a sponge and with the aid of hot tap water began cleaning what she

had just added to.

“The painkillers” She intended to stay until they kicked in, which would probably

put Kristin to sleep and then she’d have just enough time to get home and change before

work. She heard Kristin grunt and saw her grab her novel and throw the blanket from her

uninjured left leg onto the floor. The place was a little warm with spring pushing toward

summer. “Have you heard from Brian?”

The paperback slapped down on the couch. Kristin pulled herself up into more of

an incline being careful not to move her bad leg too much.

“No.”

Genie pushed the soapy sponge into a glass. She didn’t press. Kristin and Brian

had a pretty nasty break up about two weeks prior to the accident. When you’re with

someone for three years, though, thought Genie, you at least call to she if she’s all right

after a car crash. She’d always thought Brian was a prick anyway.

“What about your mysterious cemetery dweller?”

Kristin’s apartment had a wonderful view of a quaint little cemetery and if you

looked out her glass sliding door off the balcony you got to see it in its full glory.

Supposedly many famous people were interred there and it was not unusual for tourists to

be wandering about at all hours.

“He was there yesterday.” Genie watched her friend lower back onto the couch,

the book being raised again, but not opened. “It’s pretty sad. But, he’s so damned cute.”
 “You should call to him. Invite him up for a drink or something.”

“I’m sure that’s just what he wants while he grieves, some broken-legged,

medicated, pissed off girl to talk to. I’ll say, ‘yeah, I know what you’re going through, I

just split with my boyfriend’ and he’ll say, ‘how can you compare that, my wife is

DEAD’. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t kick my cast on his way out.”

Kristin gazed out the back window through the morning rain toward the

gravestone where Kyle came to sit almost every day since she had been made immobile

and forced to stay home. She was still upset about Brian and trying on a minute by

minute basis not to obsess over him, but at the moment she was more disappointed that

Kyle wasn’t there sitting cross-legged before his grave, flowers laid out before him,

hands clasped around his knees. It was during these moments when she was able to put

her own troubles aside. She looked forward to these hours, normally between two and

four pm every day.

Kristen had dubbed him Kyle because he reminded her of what she envisioned the

hero of her favorite novel that she was even now in the midst or rereading for the ninth

time, to look like. Kyle loses Emily at the end of “The Longing Heart” and each time

she reads those last few pages she would break down and cry right along with Kyle.

When she reached chapter 42 this time it promised to be an explosion she wouldn’t soon

forget. She was almost looking forward to it.

“Ehh, it’s not his wife in the grave,” Genie emerged from the kitchen, pushing the

chairs in and spritzing some Windex on the dining room table. LA is so damned dusty.

“If he’s as cute as you say, he’s probably gay. So maybe it’s his gay lover.”

Kristin wasn’t really paying attention. Genie had hypothesized almost every
possible explanation to be the object of Kyle’s attention; from a pet to buried loot.

Kristin would have none of it. It’s his true love. Gotta be. Why else would he come

every day with new flowers and stay so long, talking to her, reading to her, looking at her

with such a hopeless, forlorn, gut-wrenching expression? His wife or perhaps his

girlfriend.

Genie was back on the over-stuffed chair.

“How’s the book going?”

“Kyle and Emily are in Rome.”

“Ah”, Genie sighed. She too had read and loved the story, “The happy part. And

of course the happier it gets…”

“…The more tragic when things go bad”, Kristin finished, thinking of the final

outcome, her eyes tearing up with the memory, “I love this book so much.”

Genie grabbed the tissue box and went to toss it over, paused, took one for

herself, and flung. The girls shared a moment of literary compassion.

Eventually, the drugs kicked in and the throb became an ache and the ache a

minor pressure. Kristin’s eyes began to droop and Genie, after making sure her friend

was safe and secure, donned her rain gear and made for the door.

“Poor Kristin”, she thought. “It’s just all coming down on her at once. Well, just

as the depth of happiness can define the sad it works in the reverse as well.”

Kristin awoke some time in the early afternoon. It was still drizzling and

probably would continue until the end of the week. Her leg throbbed, but in a bearable
manner. She gazed lethargically at her prescription bottle, then across to the clock on her

DVD player beside the TV. 3:03.

Her neck jolted to the side to glance out the back window.

There he was. Kyle sat cross-legged in the rain, staring fixedly at Emily’s marker.

Kristin referred to the grave as her favorite heroines, unbeknownst to Genie. One time

she had asked her friend to go down, find the stone, and tell her what was written on it.

Genie had balked saying something about how it was bad enough to watch this poor guy,

but that sort of transgression was a little more intrusive then she was willing to be. It was

really the only time Genie had ever shown her any feelings of sympathy for the young

widower. Kristin didn’t see what the big deal was and had determined to go down herself

as soon as she felt up to it. The doctor said she’d be in a considerable amount of pain and

should stay completely off her leg for the first month. That left her another two weeks of

wondering.

For the present, the secret remained to Kyle who even now appeared to be reading

the inscription. Kristin’s heart immediately flew to him. He was soaked through and

shivering, though it was a warm rain. The fresh flowers were laid, but he didn’t bring

any of the other accoutrements that he sometimes carried. He just sat and shivered.

Kristin watched almost spellbound.

Suddenly Kyle’s body wracked with a spasm. His head tilted down and the shiver

became a perceptible bounce as if he were listening to music, his hand went to cover his

face. Then, almost with apparent effort, the hand lowered. Instead, he crossed his arms,

holding himself tightly. He forced his face at first skyward, then straight ahead to the

grave. The bounce became a rock and Kyle rocked away the next twenty minutes or so.
 To Kristin this crying fit was silent in the pitter-patter of the rain. Her eyes welled

up at the spectacle. It was the first time she had seen his grief overtake him so. His tears

were lost in the drizzle and her distance from him, but it didn’t take much for her to

imagine his red eyes, the water leaking in thick droplets down his cheeks. She could feel

his hot breath emitted in small choking gasps with the occasional quivering sucking in of

air. The mouth set in a thin line, slightly open, bottom lip in motion as if whispering his

anguish to the emptiness surrounding him.

When the bout let up, Kyle stood tall over her marker. First staring down at it and

then tipping his face straight up into the downpour. Was he smiling or grimacing?

Kristin couldn’t tell for sure, but she watched him breath deeply and exhale, run his hand

along the stone, turn and depart.

The rain lasted another four days. Each day the pain in her bone increased and

she was forced to take a pill and a half at a time or consume her prescribed dosage more

often. Kyle showed up each of those dreary days. He was becoming more and more

emotional, crying every day now and sometimes throwing small fits, beating at the

ground and clenching his fists so tight that Kristin could feel the nails biting into her own

palms.

The last day of the showers, Kyle arrived early. He placed fresh flowers before

the stone, spoke aloud to his love, and sat down as he had so many times before. The

tears came almost immediately.

Kristin watched entranced. The spectacle was so moving that for the first time

tears escaped her own eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

He left after a particularly long visit and not twenty minutes later the sun came
out.

It was the last time Kristen saw Kyle in the cemetery.

Genie had the day off of work Monday and spent the afternoon with Kristen. She

stopped at Jerry’s Deli on the way and brought lunch for the two of them. The end of the

rain brought a reduction in Kristen’s pain and they shared a pleasant day together

chatting.

“Of course the one day I’m here would be the one day that he doesn’t show”,

laughed Genie around her corned beef sandwich. “Have you been making this whole

thing up?”

Kristen was hobbling out of the bathroom on her crutches. She preferred to hop

short distances, but Genie was adamant about her getting used to the crutches. She laid

them against the table and sat beside her friend.

“Yeah, I’ve been so delirious with pain that I’m seeing things.”

“Well, the next time he comes”, Genie unwrapped a ball of tinfoil exposing a

bunch of pickles, “Make sure to take a picture.”

But he never came back.

Eventually, Kristen’s leg healed. The cast came off three months after the

accident that warranted it. She still needed to use crutches and would for a while yet.

The pins that held her bones together were working well and her doctor said in time she

wouldn’t even limp in the slightest.

For now, though, as the dead of summer transformed Los Angeles into an oven,
Kristen was thankful the cast was off and even enjoyed her therapy, as painful as it was to

perform.

Kristen’s job allowed her to work in relative comfort from home. She got back

into it just after the week of rain and was so behind that she had very little free time. In

fact, she was so busy she neither had time to obsess over Brian, nor even finish the last

few chapters of her novel. By early October she was caught up and realized, not without

some amazement that she actually missed Kyle more then she missed her former lover.

Genie had laughed at this.

“You never even met the guy. You built up this fantasy of him from what you

decided was his love for his lost wife and gave him the personality of your favorite

romantic hero from that book of yours. I mean, I never liked Brian, but at least he was

real. The feelings you had for each other and the times you shared actually happened.

I’m glad you’re getting over Brian without difficulty, but don’t pine over someone who

might be an even bigger jerk. Forget about him. Guess what? I was at the movies last

night with Paul and you’re not going to believe what I saw a preview of.”

Kristen didn’t really care. Movies were not of major importance to her at present

as work consumed her every waking moment these days. Even in more normal times she

wasn’t film obsessed as most others in Hollywood. She loved to go to the theatre or

catch a fun flick elsewhere, but that was as far as it went.

Genie was almost out of breath with excitement, though.

“Guess, just guess!”

Kristen shrugged, “Lord of the Rings?”

Genie gaped at her friend. “You know they’ve already made that a movie, right?”
 “Really?”

Ok, clearly Kristen was joking, but she spoke with such a straight face and

innocent naiveté that for a moment Genie wasn’t sure. She sighed, semi-deflated and sat

down.

“The Longing Heart.”

“Well you don’t say.”

“Well, I don’t say?” Genie glared in slack jaw amazement, “They’ve converted

your favorite novel of all time into a movie and that’s all you have to say?”

“They’ll probably ruin it.” Kristen was stuck on a work assignment and only half

listening over her powerbook. She asked with a sneer, “Who did they get to play Kyle

and Emily; Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes?”

“I didn’t recognize either of them”, which was saying something because Genie

was a movie aficionado. She knew her titles and actors well enough to win major movie

trivia competitions. “But they both looked just as I’d always pictured them.”

“Hmm, that’s good at least. When does it come out?

“Two weeks.”

“Going with Paul?”

“Only if you turn me down.”

Genie was such a great pal.

Kristen sat waiting for her clothes to tumble dry. There had been a minor fire in

her apartment; no injuries and things were contained pretty quickly and not allowed to

spread from where they began in the laundry room. The landlord thought it was a
problem with the old wiring in the water heater which was also housed in that spot. The

one day it took without water as the unit was replaced wasn’t too much of a problem; the

fact that the washers and dryers weren’t to be replaced and functioning for two months

was a nuisance more than any real bother. However, it seemed the elevator mechanism

was also in that part of the building and would thus not be serviceable for the same

amount of time. That was far worse. Even the doctor agreed that her leg was progressing

well, but climbing those stairs and more especially tramping up and down them with a

full laundry basket was proving to be a royal pain in the butt, or more specifically in the

fibula.

This was her third foray to WasherWorld and she liked it less each time. Today

she was attempting to manage for the first time without her crutches and so far so good,

but it just made her a little more aggravated with the situation. The only consolation was

that it gave her time to finally finish reading her book while she waited. There was one

more wash day scheduled before she and Genie planned to see the film on opening night.

The book would be as fresh in her mind as the clothes would be on her body as she

suffered through what she was sure to be the worst adaptation of the greatest work of

literature ever written.

The buzz that signaled her garments were dry was timed perfectly. Kristen was

finishing up the last paragraph of chapter 41. She had to remember to bring the tissues

when she read the end next week. She slapped the novel on the folding table and hobbled

to the dryer with her basket as she noticed some small commotion at the front door. The

pain in her leg forced her to concentrate on the task at hand. She loaded up and shuffled

back to the table. Her leg tired easily and she realized she should have brought her
crutches. Oh well.

She stood there sorting her garments. She preferred to fold them shirts, pants,

undergarments, and socks in that order. As she began the first blouse the front door

opened and a scruffy guy practically leapt in. He glanced about the room, took in

Kristen’s presence as the only patron at WasherWorld and peered out the glass door down

the sidewalk.

Kristen tried to ignore him, but she was too curious. Was someone chasing him?

Was he a criminal or something? She tried to be inconspicuous as she chugged through

her folding.

After a bit he was satisfied because he abruptly turned and asked Kristen if he

could sit for a while in one of the chairs near her as if it were her establishment. She

shrugged as if to say, ‘You’re kidding, right.’

He sat apparently catching his breath, pulled out his cell and removed his shades.

OH MY GOD! It was Kyle from the cemetery. His hair was a bit longer, his face

scruffy with a week of non-shaving, but it was definitely him. He chose just that moment

to glance in her direction and she jerked her gaze away. When she found the courage to

peer back she saw him bent over his phone with his free hand at his temple obscuring his

eyes and face from her.

She tried desperately without success not to overhear his conversation. The party

to whom he dialed wasn’t in and he left this message, “Hey, it’s Joe. You’re not gonna

believe it, but it happened again. I slipped into some Laundromat. I’m gonna wait a few

and then I’ll be on my way.”

Joe snapped the cell shut, slid it into his front pocket, and stood. He craned his
neck toward the door sensing that the coast was clear, nodded at Kristen and walked off.

Damn! She can’t let him go just like that. Kristen was not one to allow

opportunities to pass her by. She groped quickly for something to say, anything, she

prayed the right thing.

“Everything ok now?”

Joe whipped his head toward the words. He took in Kristen again with something

like surprise or maybe even fear. Then he relaxed and grinned almost in embarrassment

as if the two were sharing an inside joke that he was the butt of.

“Yeah, I guess. You know how it can be.” He was still glancing out the door

making sure the way was safe. Then he added quickly, “I mean you can imagine.”

She had no idea what he was talking about but she nodded knowingly wondering

if she could keep him here talking and then somehow get him onto the subject that she

craved to hear: His trips to the cemetery.

“Well, goodbye,” he nodded and turned again.

“Wait.”

He looked again, the fear returning, maybe even deepening to dread. She

wondered what was going on with him that he would regard her as such. Was she acting

like some crazed Hollywood weirdo? She didn’t think so, but felt the longer she paused

the more possibility it might appear so.

“Um…” Her eyes rolled to the side in thought and words just came out, “Can I

ask a favor?”

The dread abated as he gazed at the floor obviously searching for an excuse to

extricate himself from the situation. Still, he stood expectantly as if his mother wouldn’t
let him go play football with his friends until he kissed Auntie Bertha on her mustachioed

mouth.

“Sure”, he held his hand out toward her.

“Um”, she wasn’t sure if she should go over and shake it or what. He sure was

acting strange, but then again she figured she must be a nut to him. She plunged on

quickly.

“I wouldn’t normally ask a stranger-“

“It’s alright.”

“See, I broke my leg and I just got the cast off-“

“I understand.”

“And I didn’t take my painkiller this morning-“

“Really, I don’t mind.”

“So could you carry my laundry to the car for me?”

He looked like someone slapped him.

“What?” it came out almost angrily and Kristen flinched.

“No don’t worry, I can handle it. I see you’re in a hurry.”

Kristen gripped the handles of the basket and slipped it off the table thinking she

had terribly misjudged the situation. Trying to avoid eye contact and weighted down by

clean clothes she limped around Joe toward the front door, but no sooner had she taken

two steps he was beside her and removing the load from her hands.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I’ll help you.”

He glanced into the basket and noticed the dog eared novel lying on top.

“Ah ha. You’re reading The Longing Heart, huh?”

 “For about the hundredth time. It’s my favorite book. Have you ever read it?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Um, no.”

Kristen thought that was a strange question and this was turning out to be a

strange encounter. She had previously envisioned meeting Kyle as she lie on her couch at

home, leg elevated and wrapped in plaster. Certainly none of those daydreams had gone

anything like this. The Kyle of her dreams was sweet and friendly. He didn’t swivel his

eyes about shiftily as if he expected the cops to bust him at any second. He was charming

and soft spoken, not alternately terse and snapping. Her Kyle smiled in a way that made

her weak in the knees. This Joe fellow had yet to smile at all. In fact, he struck her as a

Hollywood Player; the worst type of man available in the dating market of Los Angeles.

Still he was capable of the sort of love so intense he could mourn for his lost loved one in

the manner he had previously.

Kristen held the door open for Joe and pointed him toward her Honda which was

pretty close. If she wanted to learn more about the story of Kyle, er Joe and Emily she’d

better think quickly.

She unlocked the passenger side door and opened it wide for Joe to put his bundle

inside. She smiled apprehensively and waited.

Joe was regarding her inquisitively; perhaps sizing her up. He looked her up and

down as if really seeing her for the first time. Suddenly, he smiled warmly at her,

playfully in a way that gave her the tingle she’d dreamed of for months. God damn, he

was cute. She couldn’t really see his face in detail from her apartment window but there

was something about the expressiveness of his eyes. They were almost a chestnut shade
while inside the Laundromat, but outside as they walked to the car they were more hazel.

Now as he placed the laundry basket in the car and turned to face her so the sun caught

him full, his eyes sparkled a bursting bright green. Only upon further inspection did she

notice the bands of golden yellow on the outside of his irises.

She came out of her reverie realizing she had been staring at him. He wasn’t

uncomfortable about it and that shook her a bit.

It was do or die time and she had to act immediately or this encounter would

either be over or could become horribly embarrassing. She took a deep breath.

“Would you like to get a cup of coffee?”

That shook him. He opened his mouth to say something, but slowly closed it into

that bemused tingle inducing smile. She held her breath as he took his time weighing his

decision. His head cocked to the side as he peered at her. His eyes narrowed.

For her part Kristen, though certainly no prude, had never been quite so forward

with a man she’d never met. She was almost as shocked by her offer as he was. Well,

what the hell was wrong with wanting to get to know someone who interested you,

Kristen wondered. Wait a minute, she thought, is he checking out my body?

“Sure, we can get some coffee”, said Joe.

Kristen and Joe sat in the back corner of the coffee shop. The place was within

walking distance of WasherWorld and the two chatted haltingly on the way over; mostly

about the beautiful weather and how close to the Laundromat they both lived.

Now with her heated cup of chai tea warming her hand she began conceiving a

way to steer the conversation to the cemetery without blurting out how she had been

watching him. For his part, Joe said very little. He didn’t get anything to drink for himself
and indeed wouldn’t even go near the counter while she made her order. He seemed very

off-put by the things she asked him as if he anticipated so much more then small talk.

Kristen wondered exactly what he was expecting. She probed him gently discovering he

was from the Midwest, which coincidentally was where she grew up. He was close to his

family and had two sisters. He was way into music, played guitar, and had briefly been in

a band in Ohio. She wondered if he was a wannabe musician. She’d dated a few and

found them all emotionally crippled with the biggest egos she’d ever encountered.

Joe answered her questions with geniality, but without much substance and never

asked any of his own. Kristen hoped this didn’t mean he was self absorbed. He didn’t

appear to be.

She finally asked if he was married and got a little chuckle.

“I was wondering if you’d ask something like that.”

Joe elaborated on this subject with greater range then previous ones. It made

Kristen self-conscious. Did he think she was trying to pick him up like some little

airheaded groupie? Well, wasn’t she? Sort of: Only not the groupie part. No, of course

not, she countered. She just wanted to hear about his version of Emily and get what

promised to be a wonderfully emotional and poignant love story.

She watched his mouth as he spoke, his lips stretching over various words yet

always pulling into wry smirks that were gorgeous. He had full red lips that practically

begged to be kissed.

Ooops, she had gotten off track and glanced down at her drink that was now

mostly empty.

Joe had finished speaking and sat silently waiting for another question, but was
now looking about the shop as if ready to leave. And he confirmed her worst suspicions

when he said, “So. You wanna come to my place?”

He must have seen the terror in her face for the confident smile he’d kept

throughout had fallen and he sat up straight thinking of something to say to put her more

at ease.

Perhaps this was the end of their acquaintance. Kristen took a deep breath and Joe

sat reluctantly waiting her out.

“You know, we haven’t even been properly introduced. I’m Kristen.”

The grin began reemerging; at least half way.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Kristen.”

He stared at her. The amusement was still there as was the expectation. Still he

said nothing more as they gazed at each other. Finally her brows rose as she queried with

her eyes as forcefully as she could.

It took him another moment, then, “Oh, I’m Joe”, as if she should have known

already.

That was it. Kristen didn’t know what else to say besides launching into an ‘I’m

not that sort of girl’ speech she had memorized. On the one hand she was interested in

him and there was definite attraction to boot, but she wasn’t now and had never been the

type to go to a stranger’s home despite her prior knowledge of him.

He was staring intensely at her again, completely absorbed in some thought.

When he completed the process it was as if he had become a completely different person.

His attitude changed abruptly. He relaxed and she felt his presence far more then she had

since she first spied him in the Laundromat. He was really there.
 “I didn’t mean to presume…”

He let that hang for a moment, a precursor to his motives.

“You know they made a movie of “The Longing Heart”, right.” He waited for her

nod of consent, “Have you seen the preview?”

“No.” Now it was her turn to size him up. She wasn’t sure where he was going

but he was way more accessible now so she determined to continue. “I never watch TV.”

“Never? Not even the news or something.”

“I read the paper or get my news online.”

He was thinking again.

“I kinda have to go now,” he glanced at his watch and Kristen wasn’t sure if she

was getting blown off or not, “Can I get your number so I can call you. Tonight maybe, or

tomorrow. I’d really like to talk to you some more.”

It ended so abruptly. Joe practically dashed out the door. Kristen noticed a few

girls staring at him and giggling behind their hands to each other as he left. Well, he IS

extremely cute, Kristen thought, he’ll never call…

Genie was incredulous on the phone later that night.

“You practically threw yourself at him. He just wants to get in your panties.”

“I’m telling you, it wasn’t like that at all.” Kristen was snuggling down to sleep,

but she had to tell Genie all about her chance encounter with Joe. “He was sweet and so

cute.”

“The cute ones always have girls falling all over them. The way you described it,

it seemed like that was what he was expecting from you.”

 “Well, you can see why he might have and it was kinda awkward the way I asked

him to coffee.”

That was when the call waiting clicked in. Kristen peered at the caller ID box on

the night stand beside the phone. She didn’t recognize the number and felt creeping

annoyance at being bothered so late by a stranger.

But it was Joe. It took her a moment to register who he was, but when she did she

was veritably choking down her excitement. When she told him she had to get rid of a

friend on the other line he apologized and offered to call back at a more opportune time,

but Kristen refused to let him go.

After some awkwardness, an elongated second batch of hello’s, and Joe

explaining that he had only called to chat the two settled into easy conversation very

different to their earlier meeting. It was as if he had reached some sort of conclusion

about her. Whatever it was, Kristen liked it.

Despite his tight lips that afternoon it was clear Joe liked to talk. And talk he did

on a score of subjects, all the while deftly keeping Kristen involved by asking her

opinions on everything and gently prodding her to choose topics to discuss.

She learned quite a lot about who Joe was and all of it was marvelous. Kristen

wasn’t exactly sure where it happened, but after a while she found she was doing most of

the talking as he displayed excellent listening abilities.

Laughter was abundant when stories of friends and family were told and there

were a few intense moments as politics and religion came into the exchange, but things

never got strained nor were there any uncomfortable pauses. It was as if two friends who

had known each other for a lifetime were catching up after an absence.
 The next thing they knew it was pushing two in the morning and both noticed this

fact at the same exact moment.

“Whoa, did you see the time?” said Joe at the precise moment Kristen said, “Jeez,

it’s two o’clock!”

They decided to call it quits for the night, promising to talk more soon. Kristen

hung up and lay back down on the pillow that might as well have been a cloud supporting

her head. She smiled broadly and regardless of the time and her physical exhaustion had

a difficult time getting back to sleep thinking only of speaking with Joe again.

And speak again they would. Joe called right about the same time every night for the

next seven days straight. Kristen found herself waiting for his calls each evening;

salivating like Pavlov’s dogs. If by chance the voice on the other end of the receiver

turned out to be her mother, Genie, or Phil, her gay friend from across the street her

disappointment would be palpable. She would rush to clear the line so it would be free

for Joe. And if she was bothered by call-waiting during her chats with him, she would

comment that, ‘if it was really important whoever it was would call back tomorrow’ and

would usually ad, ‘people know not to phone me this late anyway” as they waited for

whomever it was to hang up.

Despite all these hours of conversation, Kristen was still never able to get around to

asking him about the time he spent in the cemetery, nor confess she had watched him

there. What they mostly spoke about was what happened to each of them during their

respective day. Joe, it turned out was an unemployed actor; very very common in Los
Angeles. Though ‘between jobs’ as he put it, he wasn’t as poorly off as some of Kristen’s

other friends and acquaintances who were in the same profession. Invariably they would

chat for a while on what had been eaten for lunch and dinner, or even breakfast if it were

a particularly fine one. Both of them enjoyed cooking and more especially eating and a

score of times each offered to prepare a favored dish for the other.

Tonight’s conversation began a bit differently, though. Joe was a little strained and

stumbling. It didn’t take long for Kristen to find out why.

“I’ll bet you’ve already made plans to see “The Longing Heart” with that friend of

yours, Jennie?”

“Genie”, she corrected, “Yeah, we’re set for opening night this Friday. Hey would

you like to come with us? I’ve told Genie all about you and she’s dying to meet you.”

“Well, I…”

Kristen could imagine that last thing Joe might want was to see a chick flick with two

crazy girls who would be sobbing all the way through it.

“Actually, I kinda scored tickets to the premiere on Wednesday and thought maybe

you’d like to go. “ He was clearly disappointed, “But if you already have plans…”

“The premiere! Wednesday? You mean like tomorrow?” Kristen had been praying

for Joe to get around to asking her out for the better part of the week they’d been

chatting. She’d dropped a few subtle hints with no success. But could she really stand

up her best friend who’s been dying to see this movie since she found out it had been

made months ago. “Hell, yeah, I’ll go to the premiere with you!”

The rest of the nights chitchat was more typical. They laughed until two in the

morning again the conversation ranging all over, but always returning to discuss their
‘date’ set for Wednesday night.

Kristen considered all sorts of inventive lies to tell Genie, but decided to just not

mention anything and go on Friday to see the movie as though for the first time.

However, when her friend phoned the next afternoon she confessed in a gush before

Genie even had a chance to say hello.

“Are ya mad?” Kristen sat on her bed beside a dozen different outfits she had been

deciding between, twirling the phone cord around her finger nervously.

“No, not really. I know how much you like the guy. Hell, you haven’t shut up about

him since you met him a week ago.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be”, said Genie, “It’s good to hear you so happy again. I hope things work

out.”

“Thanks.” She’d thought it before and knew it was true; Genie was such a good

friend.

“But there is one thing,” Uh-oh, that was a catch phase Genie used which always led

to sorrow for Kristen. Genie was good at getting favors from people in circumstances

just like this. There had been times when Kristen had been forced into some pretty

crappy double dates, an all night drive to Vegas, and a few essays she’d written on the fly

during their college days because of these situations, but today she felt that no matter

what was asked of her it would be worth it. “I do want to go again with you on Friday

whether you like the movie or not…”

“Absolutely, definitely…” Kristen kicked out quickly hoping this was all there was.

“And… You can’t ruin it for me at all.”

 “I promise.” Kristen was cheerful again and put her attention back on your clothes.

“That’s not the ‘One Thing’”, continued Genie, “It’s that I’ll be cool with you seeing

the movie before me as long as you promise to tell Joe about seeing him in the cemetery

before we see the movie on Friday.”

Whoa. Harsh. But, it only took a moment to realize that Genie was again only being

a good friend and truth be told Kristen really had wanted to tell him already anyway.

“Deal.”

“Good. Then enjoy the show and if ya get lucky tonight, you have to tell me every

last detail!”

Kristen stayed off her legs the entire day so they would be strong enough to carry

her the entire evening without crutches. She dressed simply, but elegantly beginning her

routine well earlier then she normally would so Joe wouldn’t have to wait on her. A dab

of perfume. Classic black dress. Pearl earrings. She was ready for a Hollywood

escapade.

Joe arrived promptly at seven with a bouquet of multicolored daisies and

seemingly couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He made repeated complements almost to the

point of making Kristen blush with happiness. She returned them as Joe looked

spectacular in his evening clothes.

He opened all the apartment doors for her as well as the car door, bowling her

over with chivalry as they left to see the show. Once seated and off, Kristen couldn’t

control herself.
 “Is this act just for the first date or are you always this sweet?” she asked with a

wink.

“I guess you’ll just have to spend some time with me and find out.”

They arrived at the theatre and Joe surprised her by leading her to a back door.

He knocked discreetly and waited, flicking Kristen a nervous grin. Momentarily, the

door opened and a uniformed usher who couldn’t have been older then nineteen opened it

and motioned the couple inside.

“Right this way.” The usher smirked and led them through a back alley that ran

the length of all the theatre houses. He opened a door and suddenly they were standing

beside the screen before row upon row of stadium seating.

“Thank you sir”, Joe quickly handed the usher a bill of a denomination Kristen

wasn’t able to catch. The door closed and Kristen and Joe were alone in the huge room.

“I thought you said you had tickets to this.” She said wryly.

“I do.” Joe shrugged.

“Then why are we sneaking in like we’re performing a bank heist?”

He looked bashful, “Cause, it’s more exciting this way?” he grabbed her hand and

they made off down the aisle. “Come on. The doors are gonna open any second.”

And indeed no sooner had they reached their seats then the guests poured inside.

It was a very large theatre, perhaps the biggest Kristen had ever been to, but in no time

every seat was taken. Joe had brought her to a back corner and sat her against the wall.

He sat next to her, turned his back to the crowd and flashed that shudder-inducing smile.

“Well?”

Well? Kristen had to admit this was pretty cool. Though she wasn’t into the
whole Hollywood glitz thing she had already noticed a few celebrities over Joes’ shoulder

and it was all she could do not to point them out to him in amazement and keep her jaw

attached to the rest of her skull.

“This is really awesome, thank you.”

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. It came as a surprise to both of them,

but Joe looked as he might burst from bliss. His grin became wider still and his dimples

practically engulfed his cheeks.

“But I need to confess something to you.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Joe was now glancing about himself, checking out who

was in attendance in the audience.

“You remember when I met you at the Laundromat?” Kristen stumbled about,

just wanting to tell him, find out about the dead girl in the cemetery, and forget the

subject. She really liked Joe and had concluded that his past didn’t mean as much to her

as she had thought.

“Of course, what about it?”

“Well, that wasn’t the first time I’d seen you…”

Joe’s face fell completely slack. It turned from the crowd back toward her and

she realized that maybe she had made a huge mistake by divulging this info.

“Oh yeah?” was all he could manage. Finally he composed himself and that same

distrustful smirk he had worn at the Laundromat returned for the first time since then.

“I’ve wanted to tell you so many times while we spoke on the phone, but it just

never seemed like the time was right.” Kristen pressed on. She wasn’t sure why he was

so upset and figured it would only get far worse when she told him the circumstances of
how she had previously seen him. She couldn’t stop now, so she related the whole story

as best she could; covering the cast on her leg, the painkillers, watching him each day out

her window, and how it made her feel; how she’d yearned to run down and be with him.

Finally she told him of her shocked excitement at meeting him abroad and her sincere

desire to hear his story.

For his part Joe listened with amazement as slowly the mistrust left him to be

replaced with childlike wonder and even amusement. By the end his smile was sincere

again and the sparkle in his eye genuine.

“That’s how you’d seen me before?” He was shaking his head in disbelief.

“Yes,” Kristen lowered her gaze in shame and pushed on through pauses and

difficulty, “I’m really sorry I waited this long to tell you, but… I still would like to know

about who she was… If it’s not too private…”

Joe took her chin in his hand and raised her eyes to his. She detected no anger

whatsoever. In fact, there was something quite the opposite that she wasn’t able to

distinguish clearly. He peered into her eyes for a long moment as the crowd about them,

which had been quite loud, quieted and the lights dimmed.

“I’ll tell you all about it after the show.”

He released her chin and snuggled down into his seat. Kristen did the same while

casting furtive glances sideways toward him. If she thought the film was going to be bad

before she couldn’t imagine even paying attention to it now as all her thoughts were on

Joe and what he might be thinking about her.

A spot light hit the floor before the screen and the director of the picture they were

about to see stood in it receiving applause from the crowd. He gave a short speech of
introduction and then took his seat. The spot light died and the curtains before the screen

parted. The distinct hum of a projector began and the movie started. There were no

previews, not before a premiere.

As the cast went by without Kristen even noticing, she felt Joes hand creeping

down her forearm. It reached her hand and held it tenderly. Her heart leapt and she

peeked over finding his attention fully on the screen. She relaxed and shifted hers to it

also.

That was when, to her complete astonishment she noticed that it was none other

then Joe up there on the screen in the film. It didn’t take but a moment to find out that he

was playing none other then Kyle’s part in the story. Her gaze whipped from the image

to the real Joe beside her. He was staring at her playfully. Then he turned back, squeezed

her hand and said, “Enjoy the show.”

And she did.

It captured all the emotion and intensity of the book in a way Kristen never

thought possible. Scenes she had read numerous times and had created in her head

played out almost exactly as she had imagined. The actors were perfectly cast, the story

wasn’t changed a smidgen, and the scenery was gorgeous. She and Joe laughed at jokes

she’d read a hundred times with freshness and misted at all the poignant parts with her

head on his shoulder as if she didn’t see them coming. Finally, when Emily died she was

glad she’d had the forethought to bring tissues as Kyle’s grave scene played out.

It was only then that she made the connection. The scene was cut between a few

different angles and one of them was a high crane shot from in front of Kyle as he faced

Emily’s stone. It wasn’t exactly the same position as Kristen was in when she would
watch Joe in the cemetery behind her apartment, but it was fairly close.

HE HAD BEEN REHEARSING.

Kyle moved about, read from a poetry book, fell to his knees, and cried just as Joe

had all those times this past summer. Kristen was enrapt with the performance. When it

ended she felt physically and emotionally exhausted and yet thoroughly exhilarated.

Joe quickly snuck them out before the throng of paparazzi could attack them and

they ended up at a diner with burgers and shakes laid out before them.

“You were awesome and that movie was perfect in every way”, Kristen gushed

“You’re sweet”, Joe slurped his chocolate shake as he dabbed a fry in some

ketchup. “I hate watching myself on screen. I only see things I wished I’d have done

differently.”

“I’m glad you didn’t do anything different. Everything was perfect.”

“I can’t believe you were watching me practice this summer. It’s like…”

“Fate?” Kristen smiled. She liked Joe a lot and had begun wondering if he was

feeling the same way.

“Maybe. You’ve no idea what’s it’s been like the last few months with all these

people hanging all over me because of this film. When I first met you I figured you were

some crazy groupie.”

She chuckled, fully understanding how he would perceive her actions that way.

“But to meet someone that I’ve come to like so much who seemed to be interested

in me for me and not because of the Hollywood thing… The whole wondering about my

rehearsals excluded… It’s made me pretty happy.”

She couldn’t help but catch onto the words that meant the most to her and repeat
them back, “Someone you’ve come to like so much?”

“Well, yeah”, he said bashfully and then added, “And also you’re so god damned

hot.”

She shook her head in mock disapproval, “You are just adorable.”

They gazed at each other a moment and then as one leaned in and kissed

passionately for the first of what would be many many times in their long joyful lives

together.

THE END