"Remind me of that when I can't figure out why my stomach's still quivering like an unset jello mold later." She turned and straightened in the seat, then, leaning between her legs, unhitched the latch and slid back with the seat.
"Can't thank you enough, Connie, you've helped me out some. I think I'll be a nervous driver for a good while, but having such a rock-solid unfazable teacher is a tremendous benefit." She reached out and squeezed her friend's hand.
"If you don't mind, could you drive me home? This way you'll know the way for when we have parties, and all that. And maybe we could start street driving next time?" Rachyl was hopeful.
Lessons (Attn: Rachyl)
Connie looked on as Rachyl, sitting, leaning sideways out the car door, heaved and coughed.
The redhead had driven about two miles, in the hour they'd spent in the parking garage, and only thrown up four times.
"This being the fourth," Connie counted.
She handed an unopened bottle of ginger ale to the outstretched hand. Snap, fizz, and she heard Rachyl sipping gently from it.
------
The last hour hadn't been so bad. They headed to the western side of the garage - the setting sun still reflected off the nearby buildings and sometimes a beam or three would cut through the fluourescently lit darkness - and Connie had switched places with Rachyl.
"Do what feels natural," Connie had said.
"Does jumping out and running across the ground screaming count as natural?" Rachyl retorted.
"Fear is natural, Rachyl."
Rachyl had turned to her, an undiscernable look on her face. "Do you want to know why I'm afraid?"
"Only if you need to tell me, to help get you buckled and your hands at ten and two," replied Connie.
Rachyl then went on to tell Connie how her father had abandoned her and her mother. She even included the moment at the Art Museum where she'd seen the painting.
Connie held the smaller woman close for a moment after that. Rachyl hadn't wept. When they'd disengaged, Rachyl buckled her seatbelt, put her hands at ten-and-two, and looked back at Connie.
"You need to start the car, dear," Connie told her.
"If I take my hands off the wheel, I'll lose my nerve," Rachyl replied, voice quavering.
"Bullshit. Take your right hand off the wheel and start the fucking car. And don't give me that 'lose my nerve' bee-ess, you know that's not possible just as much as I do."
Rachyl's head swung around and her sparkling gold-flecked green eyes bored into her own. "Oh, like you don't lose your nerve when trying to tell Nyra. I'd bet dollars to donuts you've planned on doing it since before Christmas, but either chicken out or something else comes up - or goes down - that prevents it. So don't give me that bee-ess response, Connie."
"Touche." Connie was silent for a few moments. Somehow this human seemed to be wise beyond her years every now and again, and she still continued to surprise the quarter-millenium aged vampire.
Rachyl turned back to face out the windshield. Connie thought for a moment she saw a smirk pull at the corner of her friend's lips, but shook it off as her imagination as Rachyl started playing with the seat's alignment. "Too short for the seat, hang on."
Connie chuckled to herself. "You know I haven't had to adjust that seat since I bought the car?"
"When was that, nineteen ten?"
"Could we just teach you how to drive please and cut out the ancient jokes? Technically you're older than me." Connie was glad, though, that Rachyl didn't pry about Connie's truth-of-existence.
"You only say that because you've seen my driver's license. If you didn't know that one little number, you'd think I was fourteen."
"You forget, I have more experience guessing peoples' ages than most of the three hundred thousand in this city." Connie was able, through practice, to keep the tone of superiority out of her voice. It didn't creep up often.
Rachyl was a natural at driving, Connie discovered over the next fifty five minutes. That fact didn't keep the human's knuckles from being bone-white for almost the entirety of back and forth driving Connie prescribed. Turn here, turn there, back up, check your mirrors...
In between Rachyl's three needed stops to evacuate her fear and nervousness, they had talked a little bit more about Rachyl's fear of driving. She had also mentioned something about her mother nearly driving off a mountain road, and also when she had been in driving class in high school, a kid running out in front of the car when it was her turn for practice.
There was only a single moment that almost caused Connie to snap out to steady herself, when a pack of kids jumped out from behind one of the support pillars. Rachyl leaned on the horn, but was otherwise calm and unshaken.
Thankfully, Connie noted silently, Rachyl would not be an angry driver.
------
"You did great, Rachyl," Connie said, gently rubbing the shorter woman's back.
Rachyl
18 years ago
Connie
18 years ago
"Sorry, Rachyl," she said, squeezing the smaller hand back. "I'd rather you continue on driving in the parking lot for a couple more hours, til we get the basics down, before we take you out into traffic, even if it is slow, suburban traffic. Not to mention, the Mall lot is quiet this time of night," she said, hitting the button on the radio to change the station display from 'static' to the time.
She stepped out of the car and walked around to the driver's side. "And you know this is the best time to get me, unless you feel like being up at four in the morning after I have breakfast."
She stepped out of the car and walked around to the driver's side. "And you know this is the best time to get me, unless you feel like being up at four in the morning after I have breakfast."
Rachyl
18 years ago
"No, thanks," Rachyl said with a smirk as she climbed out of the car. She launched herself into the taller woman's arms and gave her a soft kiss on her nose. "I'll have my fill of four in the morning awakenings - and any time between ten and ten - in a year or so," she commented offhandedly.
"Now put me down, Muscles, and let's get me home so you can go to wor... You know what, skip taking me home, you'll be late. I should take a cab, I have some shopping to do anyway."
"Now put me down, Muscles, and let's get me home so you can go to wor... You know what, skip taking me home, you'll be late. I should take a cab, I have some shopping to do anyway."
Connie
18 years ago
"You sure? I don't mind being late, I'll just stay a few minutes late..." Rachyl nodded her head at Connie, so the vampire set her down. Patting the elevationally challenged one on the bottom, she barked, "All aboard!"
She climbed into her car and fiddled with the seat. It didn't feel right. "You know it's going to take me a year to get this to feel right again," she admonished Rachyl, staring up at her with feigned sadness and forced regret in her eyes.
She climbed into her car and fiddled with the seat. It didn't feel right. "You know it's going to take me a year to get this to feel right again," she admonished Rachyl, staring up at her with feigned sadness and forced regret in her eyes.
Rachyl
18 years ago
"eep!"ing as Connie patted her bottom, she spun around to retaliate, but the dark haired woman was already in the car. "Bah, you move too fast," she pouted.
"And if you don't tell Nyra before that year starts, I'm going to come hunt you down with my ship-in-a-bottle and wallop you upside the head, mmmkay?" She feigned fierceness and even went so far as to mime swinging a huge bottle at the level of Connie's head.
"Before you go, there's one more thing I'd like to mention, but it's not a favor or request."
The driver's eyebrow arched and her gaze tilted as Rachyl leaned on the car door. She didn't need to kneel to put her gaze at the same level as Connie's.
"Meegan needs a friend that's not her lover. You have similar high-society underpinnings to those she lives with and tries to impart to me. If she happens to call... consider spending some time with her, please? You both need to spend time away from your lovers."
She wondered if her analogy would make sense... "And spending time with me wouldn't work. Because I think I'm too much like Nyra for you to get the away-from-Nyra socialization. And don't tell me you socialize outside of your apartment, because I know you don't. Work doesn't count."
"And if you don't tell Nyra before that year starts, I'm going to come hunt you down with my ship-in-a-bottle and wallop you upside the head, mmmkay?" She feigned fierceness and even went so far as to mime swinging a huge bottle at the level of Connie's head.
"Before you go, there's one more thing I'd like to mention, but it's not a favor or request."
The driver's eyebrow arched and her gaze tilted as Rachyl leaned on the car door. She didn't need to kneel to put her gaze at the same level as Connie's.
"Meegan needs a friend that's not her lover. You have similar high-society underpinnings to those she lives with and tries to impart to me. If she happens to call... consider spending some time with her, please? You both need to spend time away from your lovers."
She wondered if her analogy would make sense... "And spending time with me wouldn't work. Because I think I'm too much like Nyra for you to get the away-from-Nyra socialization. And don't tell me you socialize outside of your apartment, because I know you don't. Work doesn't count."
Connie
18 years ago
Snickering quietly, but keeping her face deadpan, at Rachyl's veiled goofy threat, she just nodded and replied with a muted, "mmmhmm."
Connie stared, almost agape, though, when Rachyl told her she needed to socialize outside of her relationship with Nyra... but then a certain "that makes sense" feeling welled up in her. "Where do you find this wisdom? You're scary sometimes, you know that? And I know that, from that simple non-request that you care very much for all of us. I shall do my best to fill the void you didn't request me to fill."
Had that made sense? Connie hoped so.
Connie stared, almost agape, though, when Rachyl told her she needed to socialize outside of her relationship with Nyra... but then a certain "that makes sense" feeling welled up in her. "Where do you find this wisdom? You're scary sometimes, you know that? And I know that, from that simple non-request that you care very much for all of us. I shall do my best to fill the void you didn't request me to fill."
Had that made sense? Connie hoped so.
Rachyl
18 years ago
"Deal. As long as I still get to take Nyra out whenever, because I owe her some ballroom dancing!" Rachyl's head popped through the open window and she gave Connie a kiss on the cheek. "Go on to work, don't be late on my account."
She patted the roof in a goodbye gesture, and swung around, skipping to the entrance of the mall.
(( Rachyl out ))
She patted the roof in a goodbye gesture, and swung around, skipping to the entrance of the mall.
(( Rachyl out ))
Connie
18 years ago
Still shaking her head, Connie put her car into drive and exited the Mall's underground parking garage.
She realized, as she rode the elevator in Duibne Industries, that Rachyl was probably very correct, and spot-on about what the four of them needed.
Though, her train of thought continued, they didn't just need opposing one-on-one socializing, they needed Girls' Nights Out. Or In. Or whatever.
Ponderosity filled Connie's brain (ponderosity being the act of pondering possibilities) as she sat down to her pile of ledgers and emails.
(( Connie out ))
She realized, as she rode the elevator in Duibne Industries, that Rachyl was probably very correct, and spot-on about what the four of them needed.
Though, her train of thought continued, they didn't just need opposing one-on-one socializing, they needed Girls' Nights Out. Or In. Or whatever.
Ponderosity filled Connie's brain (ponderosity being the act of pondering possibilities) as she sat down to her pile of ledgers and emails.
(( Connie out ))