Peregrine
I turned the other cheek, but the turn was a 360
When she walked into the room, the silence was almost deafening. To hear that near audible roar, like a wave crashing into the shore just… stop, as all eyes turned in her direction was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time.
Who are they to judge? What makes them think they wouldn't have done the exact same thing if they were me? Or maybe they wouldn't have, either way, they weren't there and they don't know. She thought to herself.
She gave them all an appeasing grimace of a smile and walked down the large staircase toward the front door, pulling her gloves up tighter toward her elbows. The wide ornate door opened when she was still several paces away. The silence broken only once or twice by murmured words between companions.
She turned around right at the threshold and took one last look at all of their faces. The final appraisals. The final irritations. The final judgements. This would likely be the last time she saw a single one of them. seeing a few of them look away in shame or sadness for their part in things, her brow arched slightly as she thought, Poor, imitating, empty-headed fools.
Her eyes turned hard at their lingering gazes. "My my, look how the mighty are shaken," her voice betrayed her ever so slightly with a small tremolo. She smiled brightly enough though, the motion becoming easier, knowing she'd done the right thing for herself, no matter the difficulty. She pulled the flaps of her coat together and tied the waist closed as she stepped out the door into the misty night.
The door made an unceremonious thud as she dropped her foot down the top step. The pressure of it was the final signal for her to run, so she did. All the way to the opened car door of the cab that had been called for her. "Where too?" Came the tired voice behind the glass as she pulled herself across the seat and shut the door.
She laughed out loud, tears coming to her eyes unbidden as she slumped down in the seat for a few moments, her body going completely lax. The cabbie put his arm across the back of the front seat and turned a bit looking over his shoulder at her. "Look lady, you okay?"
She looked up at him and another laugh escaped her and she put a hand to her mouth trying to stop it, but couldn't and sat there laughing uncontrollably for several lingering moments. Each time she thought she would stop, the cabbie would give her a look and she would have another fit.
When the look of tired bemusement on his face started to turn to genuine concern, or horror at what he had picked up, finally she was able to compose herself a little and she leaned forward off of the seat, and put a hand out on his arm. "I am sorry. The Fillmore train station if you would." Then she flopped back against the seat and let out another, more sedated laugh that died more quickly than she wanted and left her feeling slightly hollow as he pulled out of the long drive and a heavy rain started to beat its staccato rhythm on the roof.
She watched through blurring windows as the lights of the house faded into the distance, a few faces, obscured in the darkness and rain, were peering out of the curtained windows at her.
She let out one final bitter laugh and put her fingertips to her pursed lips. They curled into a fist and pressed heavily against her mouth as she started to sob now. She pulled in a hiccuping, gasping breath as the initial silent sob racked her and she shook in the back seat for a while. She pulled her arms tight around her torso and let it just wash over her. She doubled over slightly, again pressing the knuckles of one hand to her mouth to keep from crying out.
When she looked up, she saw the old eyes of the cabbie watching her in the rear view mirror and she sat up a bit straighter, smoothing out the folds and lines of her silky gown. Tugging on her coat a little. She wiped her cheeks and eyes with her gloved fingers and looked out the window, pursing her lips again.
"What'd they do to you back at that house? You sure you want to go to the train station?" He asked as he continued to glance between the mirror and the road as he drove.
She patted her cheeks a little more, drying the moisture that had fallen there and sniffed once or twice as she looked out the window. "I'm fine. Really. Yes, still the train station." She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye. She was certain she wasn't the first person to act the fool in a cab. Probably not the first to act a fool for this cabbie.
She was at least able to be well composed up until now. She listened to the rain sloshing under the car as they splashed through some puddled up on the road, the sound of its pattering on the car, the swish of the wipers on the windshield. She wiped her face again, fruitlessly trying to stop the flow that her eyes insisted on spilling out.
"Would you mind turning on the radio?" She heard the click and static for a moment while he fiddled with tuning until something came in clear. "Rain must be blocking out some of the signals.." he muttered until a station came in blasting for a moment. He cursed and turned it down then apologized again for swearing.
She moved her thumb to one of her fingers, turning the ring under her glove there absentmindedly as they drove. He kept looking at her again and again via the mirror. She wouldn't look at him though.
Finally they pulled up to the entrance to the station. She scooted forward on her seat, pushing her hand into her pocket. He waved a hand at her, "No charge." She shook her head pulling out a few bills and putting it in his waving hand, "That would be kind, but severely unnecessary. Keep the tip."
The cabbie glanced down at the bills and his eyes went wide. He probably would have stuffed them back in her hand if not for her swiftness, or the rain, or the car honking behind him.
She heard him shouting "Hey lady!" at her before the door shut. She hadn't given him time to refuse her though as she had jumped out into the rain, flipping her collar up and running for the open doors and a very familiar tall lone silhouette, a beaming smile that flashed in the dim overhead lights, with his arms open wide to catch her.
Who are they to judge? What makes them think they wouldn't have done the exact same thing if they were me? Or maybe they wouldn't have, either way, they weren't there and they don't know. She thought to herself.
She gave them all an appeasing grimace of a smile and walked down the large staircase toward the front door, pulling her gloves up tighter toward her elbows. The wide ornate door opened when she was still several paces away. The silence broken only once or twice by murmured words between companions.
She turned around right at the threshold and took one last look at all of their faces. The final appraisals. The final irritations. The final judgements. This would likely be the last time she saw a single one of them. seeing a few of them look away in shame or sadness for their part in things, her brow arched slightly as she thought, Poor, imitating, empty-headed fools.
Her eyes turned hard at their lingering gazes. "My my, look how the mighty are shaken," her voice betrayed her ever so slightly with a small tremolo. She smiled brightly enough though, the motion becoming easier, knowing she'd done the right thing for herself, no matter the difficulty. She pulled the flaps of her coat together and tied the waist closed as she stepped out the door into the misty night.
The door made an unceremonious thud as she dropped her foot down the top step. The pressure of it was the final signal for her to run, so she did. All the way to the opened car door of the cab that had been called for her. "Where too?" Came the tired voice behind the glass as she pulled herself across the seat and shut the door.
She laughed out loud, tears coming to her eyes unbidden as she slumped down in the seat for a few moments, her body going completely lax. The cabbie put his arm across the back of the front seat and turned a bit looking over his shoulder at her. "Look lady, you okay?"
She looked up at him and another laugh escaped her and she put a hand to her mouth trying to stop it, but couldn't and sat there laughing uncontrollably for several lingering moments. Each time she thought she would stop, the cabbie would give her a look and she would have another fit.
When the look of tired bemusement on his face started to turn to genuine concern, or horror at what he had picked up, finally she was able to compose herself a little and she leaned forward off of the seat, and put a hand out on his arm. "I am sorry. The Fillmore train station if you would." Then she flopped back against the seat and let out another, more sedated laugh that died more quickly than she wanted and left her feeling slightly hollow as he pulled out of the long drive and a heavy rain started to beat its staccato rhythm on the roof.
She watched through blurring windows as the lights of the house faded into the distance, a few faces, obscured in the darkness and rain, were peering out of the curtained windows at her.
She let out one final bitter laugh and put her fingertips to her pursed lips. They curled into a fist and pressed heavily against her mouth as she started to sob now. She pulled in a hiccuping, gasping breath as the initial silent sob racked her and she shook in the back seat for a while. She pulled her arms tight around her torso and let it just wash over her. She doubled over slightly, again pressing the knuckles of one hand to her mouth to keep from crying out.
When she looked up, she saw the old eyes of the cabbie watching her in the rear view mirror and she sat up a bit straighter, smoothing out the folds and lines of her silky gown. Tugging on her coat a little. She wiped her cheeks and eyes with her gloved fingers and looked out the window, pursing her lips again.
"What'd they do to you back at that house? You sure you want to go to the train station?" He asked as he continued to glance between the mirror and the road as he drove.
She patted her cheeks a little more, drying the moisture that had fallen there and sniffed once or twice as she looked out the window. "I'm fine. Really. Yes, still the train station." She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye. She was certain she wasn't the first person to act the fool in a cab. Probably not the first to act a fool for this cabbie.
She was at least able to be well composed up until now. She listened to the rain sloshing under the car as they splashed through some puddled up on the road, the sound of its pattering on the car, the swish of the wipers on the windshield. She wiped her face again, fruitlessly trying to stop the flow that her eyes insisted on spilling out.
"Would you mind turning on the radio?" She heard the click and static for a moment while he fiddled with tuning until something came in clear. "Rain must be blocking out some of the signals.." he muttered until a station came in blasting for a moment. He cursed and turned it down then apologized again for swearing.
She moved her thumb to one of her fingers, turning the ring under her glove there absentmindedly as they drove. He kept looking at her again and again via the mirror. She wouldn't look at him though.
Finally they pulled up to the entrance to the station. She scooted forward on her seat, pushing her hand into her pocket. He waved a hand at her, "No charge." She shook her head pulling out a few bills and putting it in his waving hand, "That would be kind, but severely unnecessary. Keep the tip."
The cabbie glanced down at the bills and his eyes went wide. He probably would have stuffed them back in her hand if not for her swiftness, or the rain, or the car honking behind him.
She heard him shouting "Hey lady!" at her before the door shut. She hadn't given him time to refuse her though as she had jumped out into the rain, flipping her collar up and running for the open doors and a very familiar tall lone silhouette, a beaming smile that flashed in the dim overhead lights, with his arms open wide to catch her.