Page 46 of A Different Form of Oxygen
I nod, waving him off one more time before he slips out the door. I sigh before taking a look around Gavin’s empty house. It feels bigger with him gone and it’s way quieter than I would like. The silence doesn’t last long when my phone vibrates against the table. It’s one of the managers telling me to come by and clear out my locker. I’ll contact an Uber to take me to my car since Gavin never took me to pick it up from the shop. I’ll just go there and come right back; besides I needed something to do to keep me busy while my Papi is at work. I browse on the internet, shopping for things I don’t need, and before I know it the Uber driver is honking outside and letting me know he’s here.
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Fidgeting in my seat, I tap my fingers on the bar as I wait for Stanley to get off shift. I offered to give him a ride home since his car is in the shop. He stopped me from leaving after clearing out my locker. Stanley disappears off stage and my back straightens as I jingle my keys in my hand, knowing he will be coming out soon. It never took us long to change and I normally threw casual clothes over my stage outfits when I was in a hurry to leave or overly exhausted. Stanley appears from the back room with his bag over his shoulder, smiling my way. He stops halfway as someone jumps in front of him. I assume it’s a random customer or maybe someone who knows Stanley, until I get a better look at the guy’s brown leather shoes and posture.
I shift uncomfortably against the bar after taking in his navy-blue suit, and his hands dusting off the lapels of his jacket the way David used to, and then running his hands through his identical black hair peppered with grey. He is staring down at something on the ground. My body shudders, backing up against the bar. No, that can’t be David.
It usually wasn’t, but something in my gut stirs when my eyes move down to the ring on his finger that looks similar to the platinum ring with a green stone, I gave David on his birthday over a year ago. His hand presses against Stanley’s shoulder, whispering something in his ear. Stanley’s eyes land on mine, as his finger lifts to point in my direction. I quickly turn away, running through the club’s glass doors, scraping the pavement with my sneakers. I start my car unable to grip the steering wheel with my shaky hands. My chest expands with each deep breath I take, and I pull out of the parking lot the moment my hands become sturdy at the memory of Gavin’s words. “Just breathe, baby. Relax and settle.”
Twisting the knob easily, I push through Gavin’s door and lock it before moving quickly toward the couch. Collapsing onto the cushions of the soft suede with my head buried between my knees, I squeeze my eyes shut. The corners of my knees dig into my skull, as my legs shake against the sofa.He was pointing to me. Stanley was pointing to me.That man moved like David, dressed like David, and has a ring like David becausehe was David.
My eyes fly open at the creaking of a door opening. Gavin slowly approaches me until his eyes land on my hunched over body shaking against the couch. Rushed footsteps fall heavy on the wooden floor. The wafting scent of mint and springtime settles in the air, making Gavin’s presence more apparent.
“Is something wrong, Angel? “
I don’t say anything as tears stream down my face. It gets harder each day to hold back my feelings from Gavin.
“What happened, Ben? Tell me what’s wrong.” The space beside me sinks in, a fist of cool air hitting my skin as Gavin collapses beside me. Heavy warm arms wrap around my body, my face nuzzling into the curve of his arm, seeking comfort. “I saw him. At least I’m pretty sure it was him.”
His eyes gaze down at me, his fingers sweeping loose strands of my hair from my face. “David? Are you sure it was him? Where? How did your car get here?”
Shaking my head, I tightly grip the material of his jacket. “At my old job. I called an Uber to take me to my car and went there to clear my locker out. Stanley asked me to give him a ride home and I saw this man in a blue suit…”
“Whoa, whoa, not so fast. Just breathe and settle, baby.” He takes my hand in his, rubbing circles into my skin. “Now try again, but this time remember to breathe.”
I swallow hard and start over. “There was a man wearing clothes similar to David, had the same ring I gave him as a gift, and I just know it’s him. I can feel it in every fiber of my being.”
Gavin’s eyes go wide. “What’s this ring look like?”
“Platinum with a green stone; why?”
Gavin’s hands drop mine and his face pales as if he’s seen a ghost. “Because I saw a guy with a ring just like that at the restaurant we went to the other day; he was the guy I ran into. The one who gave me an uneasy feeling, and now I know why.”
Turns out Gavin did see a ghost, an old ghost from my past who’s come back to haunt me in person instead of just in my dreams. David was here, and he wasn’t going to walk away easily. He never did.
