Like Gold // Nate Maloley

[ eleven ]

"He disrespects a culture and is a loud prick while doing so? I can only imagine how much more of a dick he was to that waitress."

"He calmed down. And we gave her a nice tip."

I twirled the flower between my fingers. "Where are the guys now?"

"Back at the hotel. You know, I wasn't sure if you were gonna come back."

I laughed. "Where else would I go?"

"I don't know," he chuckled. "I thought you were gonna go get your bags and head to the airport."

"That's a bit dramatic. I just needed to be alone for a bit. Enjoying the sunset."

"I do that sometimes." He leaned back next to me. "Not as often as I should."

"It's good for the soul. A nice reminder that you're not alone in this universe no matter how small you feel. You're always surrounded by light even when the sun sets. All those stars. Of course we'd probably see more stars in a place with less light pollution."

"Shit, pollution in general. Can I tell you somethin'?"

"Go ahead."

"I'm scared."

For some reason, hearing him say that sent chills through me. Sometimes I forget that he's a human being with a sense of emotion.

"Why is that?" I looked at him while he looked at the sky still. Taking mental notes of how many times he gulps or how many times his jaw clenches.

"Last time I was here," he shook his head. "It was bad. Really bad."

"I-I know, I kinda researched you before I got the job."

"It's cool. But yeah...I don't want it to happen again even though this is gonna be a different venue."

"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?" I nudged his arm with my elbow and looked back at the faded skies. There I was, about to open up to him again.

"Do you remember when I told you that I used to play the cello?"

"Yeah. You never told me why you stopped."

"Ah," I took a deep breath. "I was so good at it. I was in the symphony at school and I wanted to continue it in college. But right before Christmas, my father lost his job. It was a hard time for all three of us, you know? My mom was pulling double shifts just to afford the rent. They felt terrible they couldn't afford presents for me and I kept telling them that it was okay."

I began to tear up, trying my hardest not to let it show.

"So," I continued. "One night, I overheard them arguing about barely being able to pay the bills and how we might have to move. I ended up...I ended up selling my cello in its pristine condition and I gave the money to my parents. My mom cried when I told her but...not as much as I cried every night for a week. Playing music used to be my life."

"Used to?"

"Weeks without playing turned into months, then years. It just fades. Sometimes tiny parts of me continues to miss it, though. So anyway, I took up a part time job...as a waitress. And every shift, I had to deal with assholes like Dillon. By the time I graduated, my dad got a new job. I'm just glad they're okay now."

I let a couple tears roll down and I immediately caught them, wiping my hand on my jeans. My eyes were kept to the sky and I felt his hand hold mine. I didn't even question it because I knew it wasn't going to get any further than that. So we continued to hold hands until the sky went pitch black.