Evan
and Sheena move toward the exit like a car going through an automated wash, brushing
against the swaying torsos lining the entryway. Only when they finally escape
do they relax. Sheena’s ankle stops trying to keep balance on her stilettos and
she slides into Evan with a giggle. He recovers unevenly and they weave to the
parking lot. She knows he is fumbling with his keys, but it doesn’t bother her.
He’s okay. He’d say something if he wasn’t.
Evan
gives her what help he can and she drops into the passenger seat. She’s waiting
for him when he finally rounds the car and makes his way to the driver’s side.
She kisses him deeply and makes lurid promises that she’ll probably be too
sleepy to keep by the time they get back home. He does not need his advance to
know this. Experience has taught him.
He
wrestles with his pocket for the car keys. She asks if she can help and they
giggle again. He gets them out and the giggling stops. Each of them has the
same vision. The car staggers drunkenly from its parking spot, then regains its
composure. It rolls casually onto the street, confident that it can hold its liquored
passengers for the short drive to the house. It is steady around the turns. It
brakes evenly at the lights. It cruises the suburban pathways at legal speed.
It’s cool. Everything is normal.
The
normalcy falls apart when another car with a flat hasn’t fully pulled onto the
shoulder. Evan jerks the wheel a little too hard to the inside of the turn. The
car flips. Evan and Sheena have forgotten to put on their seatbelts. The rescue
crew opens the car to find their arms entwined in a final embrace and other
pieces of them smeared all over the interior.
Sheena
gasps. Evan pulls his hand back from the ignition as if burned. He pulls out
his mobile and swipes for a ride.
They
awake the next morning hung over and hollowed out. They stay in bed until their
livers have processed so much alcohol that their bladders are uncomfortable.
Then they shuffle about the house as their minds grow uncomfortable trying to
process the rest. Evan breaks the silence.
