@empathicdesign // the boys are back in town. mp3
Karen tapped her fingers along the steering wheel as she drove down a winding road. She wasn’t surprised Will lived in isolation after all these years but she was surprised that he could manage the sticky heat. The swamps had a special charm, though, nature grew without man’s intervention--man couldn’t conquer the swamp. There’s the fleeting thought of how many bodies these swamps have hidden at the bottom, but it’s gone as soon as the gps alerts an upcoming turn.
The change in scenery was...Necessary. Swapping looming buildings for trees was a welcomed shift. It reminded her a little of Vermont, but the colors and culture were brighter. There was more passion, more heart--Louisiana had a taste for life. Karen pushed her sunglasses up and onto her face. She should be coming up on his place, soon. Ten minutes.
Visiting Will was impromptu and planned all at once. She had called him the night of Evan’s memorial, a few drinks in and remembering the past. She thought of calling her father, but she recalled his easy dismissal of her; he hadn’t reached out since that brush with death. ( Karen had nearly died a few more times since then ) So, calling Paxton was out of the question. She contemplated deleting his number.
Instead she looked up an old friend. His number had changed since they last spoke, but it didn’t take long to find it. His voice was a little gruff, but it was Will. The man who cared so much it hurt him. Karen could never understand how he could manage that until the last few years; she knew too well. Ultimately, he offered her a place to stay while she took a break.
Matt and Foggy insisted for her to go when she told them. Leaving with little notice felt wrong ( even though they hardly had clients ) , so they scheduled her vacation to start later that month. Karen had two weeks with Will. Two weeks in the southern sun to bounce back. To get better---to reconnect. Her associates thought it was a great idea and she hadn’t heard from Frank since the hospital so...
There was no reason to say no. She rented an old car from a shady, but legal, business in New York and started driving. It’s a long trip, but she took naps at a few rest stops and stayed caffeinated. Besides, isolation in the car for two days sure beat an apartment. At home she was alone yet surrounded. Out here, it was just her and the car. It settled something in her bones.
By the time she pulled into the beaten driveway in front of his residence, Karen had less of an edge to her movements. She fidgeted less. Exiting the car, she could hear the familiar sound of dogs barking, some with more excitement than alert. A small smile crept onto her lips as she tugged her suitcase from the backseat. She loved dogs.
Her knuckles rapped against the screen door three times ( As if Will couldn’t hear his own dogs and didn’t get her text from thirty minutes ago )
“Door unlocked?” She called out.
