Take Me Away Read online

  "She's outside. She likes to lie in the sun on nice days. When she was a puppy in England she didn't get much sun. It rains all the bloody time over there." He hands me my mug. I managed to get the vomit mug again. Score. I blow on my tea to cool it and Levi does the same.

  "Sorry," He says, "I don't have any biscuits or anything."

  "That's okay. It's not like I let you know I was coming or anything." I shrug and go back to my tea; Earl Gray - the best on the market. "So what's the deal with your family? You're English right?"

  Levi nods, "My family is from northern England. I moved here when I was eighteen."

  "Why?" I ask, hoping he doesn't think I'm being too obtrusive. He seems distant today, but not bitter, which is I think a positive sign. And the teacup. I can't forget the second teacup he'd had set out.

  "I was sixteen when it happened and for two years I learned how to... cope with it. I got Midget and I learned braille but my family and my friends, they treated me like I was fragile and breakable. They didn't know what to do with me. I used to be very different. Anyway, they had me on a short leash and I didn't like it so I moved here. I have a cousin and he comes over a few times a week. Helps me with stuff. Shopping and all that." Levi faced me, his face was blank and his eternal glasses still in place. I think they are worse than his eyes. "People still treat me like I'm... I'm... crippled. At least I can't see them looking at me like I'm a freak, right?" His joke falls short between us.

  "So what do you study?" He asks finally into the silence.

  "I do a double degree - Arts and Commerce."

  "Do you like it?"

  "Yeah, it's alright. I mean the Arts units are more fun, obviously, but a hundred percent more useless. I do a few units - Modern Literature, French and Ancient History."

  "That sounds interesting." He sounds wistful as he says it.

  "Yeah, I guess it is. Can you study? Don't they offer courses in braille?" I don't know why but he seems to just shut down. Any expression on his face just leaves and his shoulders tense up.

  "I wouldn't know."

  "Oh, right. Well, umm..." What do I say now? What can I say?

  "You should go now. I'm sure you have better things to do." He says and his voice whips me with its iciness.

  I've only been here for half an hour tops but I don't want to upset him. What I really want to do is massage the tension out of his shoulders, but I realise that might be inappropriate at the moment.

  "Yes. Okay." I pause and wonder how to phrase the next idea I have in mind, "I should... I should get your number, Levi. You know, just in case I want to drop by again, then I can call first..." Wow. That sounded stupid. I rush onwards, "Or if you need a hand with something, you can call me and I'll come round and, umm, help... you out." I finish awkwardly, fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

  He stays still for so long I consider running out of the house screaming. His silence scares me a little. I'm afraid he'll not want me to come back. I'm afraid he'll tell me not to.

  "I'll put your number in my phone first." He finally says, "Then I'll prank you." Levi pulls his mobile from his pocket and fiddles around for a few moments. When he turns his face to me expectantly I rattle off my number without even thinking about it. A few moments later my phone starts ringing and then cuts off halfway through the third one. "It shouldn't be on private, but you should check now."

  I nod at him, forgetting for a moment that he can't see me, and scrabble around in my handbag, eventually pulling out my phone which is flashing and carrying on like it's a hardship to receive a call. I press a couple of buttons and save his number. "Okay, done." I pause and give him the opportunity to retract his order for me to leave. It wasn't forthcoming. "I'll go now, then." I say eventually. Levi walks me to the door and I'm halfway down the path when he calls out,

  "Casey. Thanks for coming."

  "No worries, Levi. You know, I'm not coming out of pity. Not this time, at least, and not in the future either." I don't know why I say that but I do. He flinches away from my words and then nods tightly before turning heel and going back inside, out of the sun. That went well, I think.

  I go over the road and see Lena now. Her date with Idiot was last night and I want to say 'I told you so...' Probably she won't care.

  "What's up?" I say when she opens the door. Looks like she's just gotten out of the shower. It's one in the afternoon.

  "Umm, Casey! I didn't know you were coming over." The slightly hysterical edge to her voice had me worried.

  "I was in the area; thought I'd see how your date went." She shuffles around and pulls her robe tighter around herself. She shifts so I can't see into the house.

  "Oh. Great, it was really good. Hague is such a nice guy."

  "Yeah, sometimes." I am about leave, clearly I am not welcome at the moment, when a man's voice echoes out from the depths of the house. I know that voice. "Hague?" I ask incredulously. "You bought him home with you?"

  Lena winces, "Come on, Casey, it's not like that. You know how it is - we're just having a bit of fun."

  "Whatever. I warned you Lena and you ignored me." I turn to leave, "I don't get it, Lena. I really don't." What a fantastic day I'm having. It's different when it's other people, for both of them. I don't particularly care that Lena screws other guys with alarming regularity. I don't even care that more often than not I am the one at the doctor's with her for the morning after pill. I don't care that Hague, with his charm and golden looks, goes through women like Hugh Heffner. I do care that they are now screwing each other. I should never have introduced them.

  I call Pene and tell her, expecting some sympathy and perhaps outrage but I get nothing. 'It's nothing to do with you, Casey,' is what I get instead. Thanks, Penelope. I can't believe she's on their side. She knows how I feel about this. She tells me that Lena will be Lena and that Hague is male. All men are into Lena. It's written in their DNA. I get irritated. Not all men are like that - without willing it my mind calls Levi forward from where I'd tucked him at the back, away from my thoughts. He wouldn't do that, I think. Then I realise I'm being an idiot - Levi is not as gorgeous as Hague but he's sure not a slouch. If he had his eyesight and a little less bitterness I bet, he would be exactly like Hague. Penelope's right, all men are assholes.

  By the time I'm cooking my dinner in the evening I've worked myself into a fine rage. I slam dishes and cut vegetables with such veracity the kitchen ends up looking like a small tornado has ripped through. I know it's going to piss me off even more later when I have to clean it. I'm furious with everyone; Lena for being a bit of a slut, Penelope for not sticking up for me, Hague and all men in general. I swear at everything in sight. My face is red from anger and my hands shake as cook my chicken. I'm overreacting, I know, but I can't help it. I'm tired of being the sensible, nice one. I've almost finished destroying my sauce when my mobile rings. I swear at that, as well, because I'm making a white sauce and you're not supposed to stop stirring them.

  I run and grab my phone before bolting back to the stove.

  "Yes?" I answer the phone. I sound mad.

  "Oh, wow. Is this a bad time?" I spill some sauce when I recognize the voice.

  "What do you want?" I snap. I should hang up now before I say something I regret. My brain seems to have no control over my mouth.

  "I wanted to see if you were doing anything tonight... but obviously you've got something going on..."

  "Shit. No. I'm just mad." And insane.

  "No kidding."

  "Sorry."

  "So I called because... Well, I was wondering... How do you feel about... Ugh! Do you want to go out with me to dinner tomorrow night?"

  I almost fall over. "Tomorrow? Oh, Levi, I'm sorry, I can't..."

  "Right." His voice closes off. Retreats. "I get it. Sorry. I thought... never mind. Bye."

  "Levi wait! It's not like that. It's just I have to work tomorrow night. But I'm free on Wednesday, if you are." We're going on a date. My heart goes berserk.

  "Okay.
Great. I can't, well, can you..." He sounds embarrassed.

  I save him. "Sure. I'll pick you up at seven. Do you like Vietnamese food?"

  "Yeah, I do... I think. I'll see you then... bye."

  "Seeya." I hang up and clutch the phone to my chest. Oh my god. The smoke detector goes off - my sauce is burning. Dammit.

  ::CaseSpace, LENAway and penELOPE have joined the conversation::

  LENAway says: You're overreacting, Casey.

  CaseSpace says: I'm angry at you. I told you about Hague and you ignored me.

  LENAway says: Sorry. You know I have a massive crush on him. He's gorgeous and it meant nothing. I don't understand why you're so worked up over it.

  penELOPE says: I have to agree, Casey. It's not a big deal. Let it go.

  CaseSpace says: I know I'm being an idiot, but it's upsetting.

  LENAway says: Do you want me to stop seeing him? Because if it means that much to you...

  CaseSpace says: You would do that?

  LENAway says: I don't want to but if it means that much to you. I am your friend no matter how much of bitch I am.

  penELOPE says: Stop the press!

  LENAway says: Shut up.

  CaseSpace says: That's okay. Just be warned. Hague uses girls and drops them. He's a lovely person and a great friend but anything more and you're in trouble...

  LENAway says: Consider me warned.

  penELOPE says: Okay. Now that we've got that over with... Casey, tell me about this bloke you've been hiding from us.

  LENAway says: Bloke? What bloke? What haven't you been telling me?!

  CaseSpace says: There's no guy.

  penELOPE says: Liar. Out with it!

  CaseSpace says: You suck. There's not much happening anyhow so there's no need to gossip... We're going out to dinner on Wednesday.

  LENAway says: OMiGod! What are you going to wear?

  CaseSpace says: I don't think I'll have much of a problem deciding that.

  penELOPE says: Yeah, you never really have much trouble with clothes. It's a gift I wish I had. So what's his name?

  LENAway says: What does he look like?!

  CaseSpace says: Levi. And he's tall and has brownish-bronze hair. Good looking. I dunno... that's it really...

  LENAway says: Casey you dog! You know how to pick them! What restaurant are you going to?

  CaseSpace says: I'm not telling. You'll spy.

  penELOPE says: We would never!

  ::CaseSpace has left the conversation at 10:01pm::

  LENAway says: Gosh darn it! I was so going to spy.

  penELOPE says: Me too. Hmff.

  LENAway says: She's a mysterious one. I never know what to do with her. I thought she was going to blow a gasket over me and Hague because she liked him, but apparently not. I always thought she fancied him and now she's got this other fellow.

  penELOPE says: I think that she believes she was just looking out for you. I can't wait to meet her guy! He must be good looking and she must really like him... normally she's only so private about guys if she likes them something chronic.

  LENAway says: She'll give in if we harass her enough. I can be very persuasive...

  penELOPE says: Indeed.

  ::penELOPE has left the conversation at 10:05pm::

  ::LENAway has left the conversation at 10:05pm::

  Yikes. I haven't shaved my legs in like a fortnight. It looks like I'm wearing a yeti as a fashion accessory. I shrug and yank on my pants. No matter, unless someone has x-ray vision they'll never know and let's face it, if someone had x-ray vision they sure as hell aren't going to be looking at my hairy legs with it...

  "Gees Louise. You look like you just got run over by a truck." Anthony tells me when I drag myself through the door for my shift.

  "I feel like I haven't slept in three months and seventeen days." I groan and flop on a bar stool.

  "Exactly?" One raised eyebrow.

  "Exactly."

  Anthony sniggers at me and lobs me a polishing cloth. "We got a lotta people and not many glasses. Polish your heart out princess."

  "Troll." Is my parting reply as he goes off to set up some tables outside, pulling a finger sign at me over his shoulder. Well, he shouldn't be so nasty - polishing glasses is my most hated task behind the bar, closely followed by working anywhere near Pervy Pete.

  The evening drags. So does the next day. Wednesday cannot come soon enough.

  On Wednesday I am hyped. I bounce off walls I'm so excited. Can't do anything for more than a few minutes because my brain seems to be scattered from here to freaking Norway. I waste an hour surfing the internet looking at web comics and blogs like they're lifeblood. After a while I end up on my friend Alexi's blog which bemoans, well, everything. I met Alexi in my first year of uni when we were both taking a creative writing unit. She stuck with it, I didn't. I am mildly entertained for a while reading of her exploits;

  help! mathematician wanted! will trade sex for algorithms!

  i need a convincing algorithm for time travel (obviously if it works i will allow you to patent it), but otherwise i need it to put in a fabulous work of fiction. I’ve tried myself but it just looks like I’m mashing all the keys on my graphics calculator (ah the days of high school when math was compulsory) and writing that down. assistance would be appreciated.

  love you all, alexixxoxoxoxox

  I wear my lovely red dress again; I haven't worn it since that night. I feel a bit silly, since he can't see it and all, but I want to look pretty for him. I want to feel pretty and when I wear clothes like that I do. I hardly bother with make-up; minimal is best, I go the natural look. The evening is a little chill. I wear stockings and coat - one of those frock ones I always see on the movies with the big belt and buttons. Cute.

  I drive and pick Levi up. He looks ridiculous in unfashionable jeans and a loud, patterned shirt, but I don't say anything because somehow it seems appropriate. He's quiet in the car and so am I. It seems to be a theme with us, this silence. It doesn't feel so uncomfortable now though. I'm getting used to it. We walk in there and people stare. The waitress seating us stares and so do other diners. I have my arm woven thought Levi's and I'm leading him. He has his stick hanging off his other arm and I can tell he feels self-conscious; he knows that people are staring even if he can't see them. I think that maybe he's embarrassed for me. I feel it too; I blush, which is nothing new, and I avoid people’s eyes at the beginning. About halfway through the meal I start to get irritated with everyone. I glare at a few people and they look away guiltily. So they should.

  "What are you wearing?" Is his opening line once we've gotten rid of the waitress. He says it innocently, but I gape at him anyway. I've never been asked that before. My silence seems to cue him in to what he's said. "Oh god. I didn't mean it like that! I just, sometimes I forget what things look like..."

  The blush rising on his cheeks. Holy crap, it doesn't get any cuter. "No, my bad, I wasn't thinking. I'm wearing a dress, it's red and um..." What do I say? If this were Lena she would know exactly what to say, how to describe it. "To be honest, I chose it because it's one of those gorgeous 1950s style with the waist belt and the puffy skirt. I remember seeing pictures of my grandmother on my dad's side who used to be, like, the height of fashion. She was so beautiful and when I saw that dress... well, yeah..." I need to stop talking.

  "You loved your grandmother?" I think he's filling the silence.

  "Yeah. She was great. I didn't know her very well, when I was a kid and she was still alive she was old and mental and ran off to Europe with a guy twenty years her junior."

  "Wow. That's... kind of cool. Where'd she goes?"

  "Kind of crazy, you mean, and she went to Prague."

  He frowns slightly, "Prague, as in Czech Republic?"

  I grin, "That one indeed. She went crazy at seventy-nine, snagged a guy from her senior’s club and moved there to 'escape her oppressive family'. Those were her words. My dad was upset for a bit but then we were told she died mid-orgasm an
d who could begrudge someone that?"

  "Umm."

  "You don't need to say anything. I know my family is a bit mental."

  He grins and I return it, "They sound a bit odd..." He allows. I chuckle and let it go.

  Chapter 4

  "Tell me about your boy."

  "No, Penelope, I won't."

  "Will you tell me then?"

  "No, Lena, I won't."

  "I think that you're being totally irrational in this secrecy. We know he's cute. And we know he's called Levi, but that's it! It's not safe to keep it all bottled up inside, you know."

  "Indeed Lena, you are very persuasive. I am savvy to your methods, however. Don't try reverse psychology either - it won't work and I'll get upset."

  "Fine. Don't tell us. See if I care." She sulks and crosses her arms over her chest.

  Rolling my eyes, "What did I just tell you?"

  "Have you screwed yet?"

  I gape at Pene, "No!"

  "Do you want to?"

  "Uhhh... None of your business!"

  "I beg to differ! You might need our opinions on something - or advice! We give good advice. You really shouldn't bottle it all up, you know." Lena goes all holier than thou and I start to feel a tad irritated.

  "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." I say, leaning back over my computer and propping a tattered library book up to my left, effectively blocking the two of them. Group study session my ass. I've done less study in the last hour than if someone were reading it to me while I was comatose. And underwater.

  "She's right, we should do some work." Pene says, sighing.

  Later I'm walking up to the bus stop which will take me into the city bus port when someone falls into step beside me.

  "Hey, Case."

  "I didn't know you actually physically came to uni, Zeke." I comment mildly, with feigned surprise.

  He grins and shrugs, "I thought I'd be a rebel, just this one time."

  "Yes, well, don't let too many people see you - they'll start to think you have a nasty little habit going on."

  "I've been careful. Lurking at the back of lecture theaters - avoiding all contact with alien life forms and completely ignoring anyone who has an unhealthy interest in my whereabouts."