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RE: Motel 6+6 - Howl - 05-20-2013
It was difficult to know what to expect from the grieving consor when they arrived at the motel. A person in his state could be capable of anything. It was probably wise that Serafine thought to keep a close eye on him.
The first night, Jake didn't sleep. He and Sid kept silent company, neither making any attempt to engage the other while the night's long hours drifted by. It was debatable whether Jake even registered the passing time, or the discomfort of his body in its curled position against the wall. He hadn't wanted to take a spot on the bed, or anywhere that may have brought him in proximity of a warm body. Instead he'd taken up residence on the floor near the window, close enough to the A/C unit that when it hummed to life he could close his eyes and tune out all the other sounds. (White noise.)
The next morning he took a shower. When he came out, he crawled into the bed that Jim had occupied the night before and went to sleep.
He didn't get up again until about 7:00pm, at which point he finally seemed to remember that he was alive and needed to eat. Through all this, he barely spoke to the others, but there was a sense that something about the young man had changed. The desperate tension had lifted itself from his frame, leaving him tired and grieving - but calm.
The next day he started talking again. Not much. Mostly he watched and listened while the others found ways to pass the time. But once or twice he allowed himself to be engaged. It started while Dan and Serafine were taking song requests. Near the end, when the pair were winding down, Jake shifted on his chair and said, "Can I play one?"
When Dan handed over the guitar, the consor settled the instrument in his lap. He played a couple of chords to warm up, then after a beat of silence began to play Jeff Buckley's Opened Once.
In the half light, where we both stand
in the half light you saw me as I am
I am the railroad track abandoned
with the sunset forgetting I ever happened
The consor wasn't a professional musician like Dan and Serafine, but he played well and he had a good voice. If anyone asked him why he'd wanted to play that song, he'd say it was because it was one of Shelby's favorites.
After that, Jake spent a lot of time watching the children out the window. At one point, a couple of kids rode past on skateboards, and Jake grinned and said that one of them had a good kickflip. At some point, they'd find out that this was what Jake did for a living - that he was a professional skateboarder, and that he'd met Shelby when she'd come by to take some pictures at the skate park.
Shelby was a photographer. And a singer.
So time passed. And eventually the day came when the group simply couldn't take being in the same room together any longer. As they were getting ready to go, Sid approached Jake and offered him the vial of ashes.
Jake looked at it for a long moment. The truth was, none of them had any way of knowing whose ashes were inside of it - or if any of it was even human. But it was all that remained of Shelby, and real or symbolic, the offer meant something. Jake nodded and took the vial, tucking it gently into the pocket of his jacket. "Thank you."
Eventually they all piled into the van (all but Mara, who took her own car,) and drove away. Drove home.
And when they dropped Jake off at his apartment, there was a sense that, despite everything, he was probably going to pull through.