Leaves of Autumn

[16] Leaves of Autumn

            “You.”

            I sighed.  “I’ll be fine.”

            “How exactly will you get out of here?  No car can make it to the city.  Besides the town next to us, there is nothing but wide open spaces.  No one has a car that can take enough fuel to get them there.  Well except my parents, but you know what they’re like.”

            “Rick has a car,” I whispered.

            “But Rick still hasn’t been caught― You know what?  Forget it.  I’m staying.  We’ll find some other way to leave together.”

            I shook my head.  “You go on that truck.  No way are you staying here.”

            “But Cece, I’m not leaving you!  There is no other way you can get out.”

            “I’ll get out if it’s the last thing I do.”

            “I’m not leaving you.”

            “Why not?”

            “Because I love you!”

            I sighed.  “Oliver, this is the exact reason we didn’t want to get tied down, remember?  It would be hard to leave.”

            “If only you could get on that army truck!  But they only take males.”

            “Then how did your ex get on?”

            “I’m guessing she dressed as a male...”

            “Maybe I could too?”

            He smirked.  “She had quite a flatter chest than you, Cece.”

            “Oh...”

            “Yeah... you wouldn’t be able to disguise yourself.”

            I sighed.  “Well... then you just have to go.”

            “I can’t do it.”

            “Oliver, you’ve got to risk anything to get your dreams.”

            “Even risk love?”

            “Sometimes you have to.”

            “But say you’re part of my dreams.”

            “Oliver... I’ll meet you there.  One way or another... New York, every day at Central Park.”

            “How will I find you?”

            “I’ll wear bright colours.”

            He rolled his eyes.

            “We’ll find each other... we always will.”

            “As long as you’re sure...”

            “I’m sure about you.”

            “Then I’m sure too.”

            And so the end of autumn came.  The leaves gave their final goodbyes to the trees they were on and dropped to the ground as the cold air slowly started to come in.

            The army truck came into town, Oliver had his suitcase with him.

            “New York, Central Park,” he whispered.