FicWad

sleep was possibly the only way to keep away from the world and its harsh realities. those few seconds after one awakes are a process: we go from reminiscing of our dreams to realizing what happened the day before.
i wish i could sleep forever.
frankie laid with his pale legs and naked body spread across the sheets, his left hand on my stomach. my eyes wondered around in a blur. my face felt heavy, as if i had just gotten beat up. my sinuses were painfully empty. i grabbed frrankie's hand and placed it on the mattress as i sat up and stretched. i looked down at the tiled floor and the mess of clothes here and there covering it. frankie's black, glossy phone was sitting not too far from the bed. i picked it up and opened it. seven ten. i yawned, left the phone on the bed. i grabbed my pants from the cold ground and put them on. the sun hit my face creating a yellow glow that curved over my waves of hair. i ordered room service (cold cereal) from a shiny blue phone that sat at the corner of the room on a small table. after the call, i covered frankie's bare body with the sheets and waited.

we looked at each other from across the table with blank stares and a hint of annoyance. the streets were crowded, the small shops filled with people. celebrities walked by occasionally, followed by rivers of paparazzi. men and women rushed though the sidewalk on cellphones.
the cool breeze hit my face and woke me up out of my daydreams.
"are you ready?", frankie asked in a defeated tone.
i hesitated and bit my upper lip. i looked to the inside of the cafe. frankie grabbed my hand and shook it slightly.
"we have to go one way or another", he said.
i sighed loudly and violently grabbed my bag off the floor. i took a last and quick sip of coffee and got up.
"okay,let's go".

inside the building it was cold, which was, then again, expected from a morgue. we sat in the front room, awaiting taryn's mom's arrival. the one thing i was trying to get out of my head was that she was gone. i was somewhat in denial of her death, but every time i thought i could call her and everything would be fine, reality came back and hit me hard in the face. the guilt, too. that was one feeling i couldn't get rid off, but that was understandable. these things had happened only hours ago, i couldn't expect for it to go away. one thing i won't deny is that it was all killing me and haunting my nightmares.
i also still had a lot of skeletons in my closet that i hadn't talked about to anyone, not ever taryn. i wished i had. frankie was also someone i had to let in, because we were getting closer and closer... how was i to explain my defects and doubts? i got scared just thinking about it. thinking is why i hate quiet places.
a very thin woman came in from the back and sat behind a desk that sat ahead. she had glowing blonde hair and wore glasses and a gray, boring suit. her bones were visible through her skin, on her face, her hands, her knees. i ignored my assumptions as she lit up a short cigarette and looked up at us.
"i'm tryna quit", she said, pointing at how small the smoke was. i smiled at the irony.
frankie sighed and placed his head on my shoulder. i patted his soft face. i wondered what was taking taryn's mom so long.
the phone rang. i got a bit flustered at the sudden loudness. the woman took a long, last drag before putting the cigarette out, and she picked up the tube.
"los angeles city morgue", she said blankly.
i bit my nails. frankie was moving his legs around nervously.
"i have to pee", he whispered. i scoffed.
"go to the bathroom, dumbass", i said.
the woman looked at us angrily and put a finger to her lips. i elbowed frankie.
"aha... yeah...", the woman said repeatedly.
she then got up after slamming the phone down. she grabbed both ends of her skirt and slightly pulled it down, then straightened out the front of it before walking away and through the glass door leading to the back.
frankie and i followed her with our eyes.
minutes passed. long, dragged out minutes of pure monotony and of frankie was grabbing his crotch and making crying noises.
"i have to go so bad!", he kept on saying. "that damned coffee."
i shushed him time and time again.
a man came through the back doors. he rubbed his forehead from sweat. not long after he was standing in front of me holding out his hand.
i got up and shook it.
"hi penny", he said in a friendly tone.
"hi doctor"
"well, to start out, we have some bad news", i looked down, awaiting the sure-to-come disappointment. "taryn's mother passed away last night"
i opened my eyes widely. i wasn't shocked, i mean, she did have incurable cancer. my thoughts at that moment revolved around me. although i was sad because taryn's mother was like my own, the thought of me having to deal with taryn's death alone... the fact that taryn's mom would never get the chance to say goodbye to me... or most importantly, taryn. not only did i have to deal with taryn, but also her mother. they had few family to help them out, and the ones they did have hated my guts.
i began to shake.
"i'm sorry", the doctor said. after seeing that i wouldn't respond, he continued. "she was our main source of information as to what taryn was doing last night, and how her body ended up in an l.a. suburb. unfortunately, we haven't found any traces of foreign DNA on taryn. that would have helped a whole lot in identifying who killed her. i can't go into details of how she died seeing that you're not necessarily a family member, but the doctors at the hospital already made a mistake in telling you a portion of what happened. i guess you'll have to stick to that. there is no need for identification since you have already affirmed it was her. we are taking your word because we don't have any other credible source, none since her mother died. the state will take care of the funerary services, but that won't be for about three weeks. there's still a lot of
information to take from the body. you have to understand that this was a serious crime, and an unusual one as well. whoever did this is not going to get sentenced lightly, and i hope that makes you feel a bit better". he smiled. so did i.
"as for any other information, you are welcome to come by any time and give us any hints possible... but that's all we need from you. don't feel guilty because you didn't do anything wrong, i know it. i'm only saying that because a lot of people who have been around murder feel like it was their fault, but it really isn't. well, come by anytime, like i said, if you have any information"
he shook my hand again. i took frankie's forearm and greeted the doctor as i opened the door to the outside.