Page 52 of The Second Chance Cinema
“I know I said that, but … I want—no, need—for you to know everything about me. The whole story. We should see this thing through.”
Eventually, Ellie nodded and threw the car in reverse. “Well, if you really want to,” she agreed, with a bite, “I guess we better get driving.” Just like that, they were back on the road, back on schedule. Drake was going to show her the truth. This would fix everything. “But, Drake,” Ellie said, and he could already feel a part of her closing off to him again.
“What?”
“I think it’s best to bring the rules back.”
Drake was oddly comforted by this suggestion. He needed the rules more than she did. The rules would keep them from fighting until they reached the end of the screenings. “Okay,” he said. “Back to the rules it is.”
Ellie and Drake had cut their timing close with every visit to the cinema. This night was no exception. At 11:55, they landed at the window for their usual exchange with the ticket boy. Inside the lobby, Natalie wanted to know if something was wrong. “Maybe a problem with the picture?” She had noticed they left halfway through last time and missed a week, too.
“Yes,” Ellie said. “There was definitely something wrong—”
“The picture was fine,” Drake assured her. Natalie didn’t necessarily know the content of the movies. He saw no reason to involve her.
“Okay.” Natalie nodded. “Well, let me know if you want me to screen something else tonight. I’ve got a few movies in rotation that I love. Like,Jaws 2.Ever seenJaws 2? It’s so much more suspenseful than the original.”
“I think we’re good,” Drake said. He guided Ellie back toward the stairs leading to the balcony section where they liked to sit. “But thank you. Thanks.” Once Natalie was out of earshot, he let out a chuckle. “That’s a pretty unpopular opinion,” he said. “Jaws 2? I mean, it’s fine, but the first one is a classic. It’s probably a top five movie for me.”
Drake reached to pull the door open for Ellie when they reached the balcony level, and she stepped inside the auditorium. He continued to ramble as they found their seats. He was waiting to be called out. Where was the explosion? Where was the confrontation about why he’d concealed something so important from her? How little Ellie was talking put him even more on edge. As always, the lights went down, the hot dog cartoon played, and a new title appeared.
TICKET SIX:HAPPINESS
Ellie had told Drake about the city apartment where she lived after college. They were seeing that apartment now, which meant Ben had probably died around two years earlier. Her place was on the second level, sandwiched between a loud walker and a fledgling tenor, as she’d described. But the call from the doorman to announce a guest gave something away that Ellie hadn’t brought up: her parents must have paid her rent. The building was more luxurious than her odd jobs would’ve afforded.
The visitor was Sandra. When Ellie opened the door, they stood in silence for a moment, each searching for the right thing to sayand coming up empty. Then, Ellie did something surprising. She wrapped her mom in a hug. Sandra stiffened at the warmth of the gesture but eventually gave in. The goodwill melted away when her mom noticed Ellie’s crop top and a belly button piercing, which may have been news to her. “Is all of this the right look, Ellie?” she asked. “For a birthday?”
Ellie rolled her eyes and grabbed a jacket on the way out. “I don’t think he’s going to mind much,” she said and closed the door too hard behind them.
The Marshalls were going to the cemetery. William blurted out the destination as soon as their seat belts clicked. His declaration was forced; he seemed set on tearing a bandage off, even though everyone knew what was underneath it. Ellie and Sandra ignored him, perhaps hoping they could enjoy the illusion of driving anywhere else for a little longer.
The cemetery upheld this pretense. What followed beyond the curved red-brick entrance could have been mistaken for a college campus or a park. Sun streamed through the windows as the car glided along a freshly paved road. The dying grass outside was flecked by trees clinging to their last foliage.
“Where did you put the flowers?” Sandra asked as they slid into a parking space.
“What flowers?” William killed the engine.
“Ben’s flowers.” She set down her lipstick and snapped her mirror closed. “I left you a message.”
“Didn’t get a message.” William shrugged.
Sandra shook her head in annoyance. “So, there aren’t any flowers, then.”
“I guess not.”
“And how do you think that will look?”
“It’s going to look like someone forgot flowers.”
“It will look like we forgothim, Will.”
Ellie glanced up from her phone in the backseat. She was thinner than the last memory—too thin. Despite the tough exterior she’d worked hard on, Ellie flinched easily, and her body tightened in reaction to the tension unfolding in front of her. “What’s going on up there?” she asked. Sandra crossed her arms over her chest.
“I say we tell her,” William said. He leaned his seat back to get comfortable for whatever reveal was about to happen.
“You know this isn’t the right moment,” Sandra insisted.
“Tell me what?” Ellie asked.
