Last Anniversary (Part III Final Part)

A Story by Colton Warr

"I've been waiting all of my life to see you again..."A late 1930s twisting tale of a love that was never meant to be...

A Story by Colton Warr

He saw the two cars parked across the street but didn’t see anybody around them. He couldn’t see anyone in their car either. He sprinted for the car. He was panicking. He had to see Marie’s face. He had to make sure she was okay. He arrived at the car and threw the passenger side door open, "Oh my God..."

He was never so happy to see another human being before in his life. Marie threw her arms around him as he knelt down to her.

She started to cry even harder now that she knew he was okay. “I’m so glad you’re okay, I was so worried,” he said to her.

“You were worried?!” she said back to him in tears.

“Look we can’t stay here, we have to go. Watch your feet,” he said as he closed the passenger door. He entered the car and again pressed his foot to the floor and the engine of the black Rolls-Royce revved and roared louder than ever as they sped off.

“Why are you bleeding?” Marie asked “Did you get shot? What did they do to you?” she continued.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Just a few scratches is all,” he answered.

“Listen to me,” she said to him, “Don’t ever leave me again.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I should’ve made you come up there I-“

She interrupted him. “No, Robert, don’t ever leave me again.” She repeated, but this time he knew what she meant. He slammed on the breaks and stopped in the middle of a dark street leading out of the city, only illuminated by the occasional street lamp. He turned and looked at her, deep into her green eyes, grabbed her and pulled her in for the first kiss they had shared in years, but it felt like they had never stopped kissing each other. The kiss was enchanting, as if completing a spell put upon both of them.

As they stopped kissing each other, Robert said “How about that date?” she smiled and responded, “I’d love to.” And the black Rolls-Royce sped onward, into the night.

Emerging from the front door of the building was the old man, cigar still burning. He had gone in after the gunfire stopped to see what had happened. He and Robert just missed each other. As he strutted to the side of the road, a car pulled up and the back door flew open. It was the third car that stayed behind to deal with the two men in suits. He entered the car, tossed his cigar, and shut the door behind him. Everyone in the car assumed the worst had happened and were correct. None of them spoke about it.

“Where to boss?” asked the driver.

“I have no idea.” he replied. “Well, which direction did they go?” It was Walter Frank who asked.

“I saw them head north, looked like they were heading outside of town. They could be anywhere by now,” the old man replied.

“He still has that doll with him?” Walter asked.

“Yes.” The old man replied curiously. “Look, I think I know where they might be heading. An old spot that only a few of us knew about. We used to take the Jane’s out there and…well you know-“

The old man interrupted abruptly “God d****t Walter, I don’t need your whole high school story, this guy just iced half our outfit. Now tell me what direction we should go in and then don’t say another word the whole drive there.”

Walter was scared for his life. He hadn’t been working for the old man long, but in the short time he had, he had never seen him so angry. He had every intention of killing Robert. And Walter did too. Revenge.

“Head north on this road going outside of town, follow it for about 20 miles, and then there’s a turn off, an old dirt road that leads to a private spot on the beach. That’s where they’re going. I’ll bet you 100 dollars cash that’s where they’re going,” he explained.

“How about your life instead?” The old man asked. “Let’s go!” he screamed at the driver. And the car took off along a long windy road leading directly into the night, away from the lights of the city.

The black Rolls-Royce continued to wind through the night. As it reached an old dirt road, Robert turned off the black pavement and onto the brown dirt, sending a whirlwind of dust up behind them.

“Just where are you taking me, Robbie?” she asked him with a grin.

“Look familiar?” he asked in return. The dirt road turned into sand as they arrived at a beach, the beach. Robert stopped the car about 20 yards from the shoreline.

“Well, we only have a few hours until the sun comes up, come on.” Robert said to her. He took out his bag that he had previously packed, and pulled out that bottle of wine, two glasses, and a couple of candles. He unfolded the blanket and placed it in front of the car, the headlights remained on to provide light. They both took their positions on the blanket, lying side by side with only the candles separating them. Robert poured their glasses.

“I’ve had this for a couple of years, special import from Italy actually.” he said with a spunk of confidence.

“Really?” she asked him as she went to clink her glass to his. “What should we drink to?” she asked him.

He responded with one word, “You.”

She stopped and looked at him, deep into his eyes. Then she broke out in a burst of laughter. “Did you come up with that yourself, Shakespeare?”

He laughed in return. “Actually it was more improv than anything.” She stared at him.

He spoke. “I’m sorry tonight didn’t really pan out how it was supposed to. I promise you, my initial night did not involve almost dying twice.”

She smile and replied. “It’s alright. I don’t know if this makes me crazy but, I had fun.” They both laughed. “Honestly, but only because I was with you,” she continued.

“Well I’m glad to hear that, not too many girls would stick around after a night like that.” He responded with a grin. They both took a drink. “I have an idea,” he said.

He got up, and walked toward the car. He opened the driver side door and reached in and turned on the radio. He turned it to a certain station that played slow music at night, and turned the volume as high as it would go.

He walked back over to Marie, reached out his hand and said “May I have this dance?” with a smile.

She looked up at him, her green eyes shining brighter than the headlights that reflected off of them. “I’d love to.”

She smiled and reached out her hand and took his. He pulled her up, and pulled her in close. They began to dance in the spotlight of the moon. They smiled at each other as they looked deep into each other’s eyes. She put her head on his chest as they continued to slowly dance the night away.

“I’ve missed you,” she said as she kept her head in his chest.

“I’ve missed you too,” he replied as he held her in his arms.

The lone car pulled off of the black pavement and onto the brown dirt and stopped halfway down the road. They could hear the faint sound of music.

“Walter, get out and see if they are down there anywhere,” the old man ordered.

Walter got out, and headed to an elevated position to get a bird’s eye view of the beach. When he arrived, he could see Robert and Marie dancing and talking. “Now, he’s trapped.” Walter said under his breath. He turned and walked back to the car.

“They’re here,” he said to the old man.

“Alright, here’s what we do. We wait about a few hours until the sun comes up, and then we take him. That way it’s not dark, and we can see everything and anything that we need to see. No screw ups this time. He’s not leaving this beach alive,” the old man ordered. “Get some rest,” he finished.

Back down at the beach, Robert and Marie had just finished dancing, and were now lying on the blanket. Marie was lying with her head on Roberts’s chest.

“So how many other girls were there?” Marie asked playfully.

“What kind of question is that?” he replied back.

“Come on, how many. Four, five?” she continued.

“I’m not sure if we should be discussing this at all,” he said.

“Robert, I told you, you could tell me anything,” she said.

“There were eight, maybe nine,” he said, finally.

“Eight!” she yelled back as her head shot up from his chest. “What does or nine mean? You aren’t sure you want her on the list or what?” she quickly asked him.

“Well, I mean I was single and-“she cut him off. “That doesn’t mean you have to go sleeping with every girl in the city.”

He responded, “I didn’t sleep with every girl in the city!”

“Listen to me, Marie,” he said as he pulled her in close and looked deep into her eyes. “Yeah sure, there may have been some girls, and yeah maybe some of them were fun, but they all had one thing in common.”

She replied, “What’s that?”

He paused and then said, “None of them were you, Doll.”

She tried to hold in a smile, but she just couldn’t. He was melting her heart, again.

“I’ve been waiting all my life to see you again, Marie; I’ve never stopped loving you. Not since the day I left. You’re the one, you always have been, and always will be. I love you Marie.”

Immediately after finishing she quickly responded with “I love you too.” She kissed him.

“You’re my shining star, Marie, you guide me, and honestly I am lost without you,” he said.

“Well if I’m your star, then you are mine,” she responded.

“Do you remember what I told you all those years ago?” he paused and looked up at the stars. He then looked back down into her green eyes. “As long as there are stars in the night sky, I will love you. Nothing’s changed that. Nothing ever will.”

She kissed him again. It was just like old times, years ago when they came down to this very spot and spent their nights all wrapped up in a blanket together. This night would be no different.

Back in the lone car parked in the middle of the dirt path, everyone was asleep, everyone besides the old man. He lay awake, something kept him awake. A gnawing and biting uneasy feeling he had, a bother, Robert. The old man was sent here for a reason, to kill him. And now as he sat and watched the sun rise over the ocean, he sat empty handed. The job was not done. He couldn’t risk another failure. He quietly reached for the door handle, opened it and exited the vehicle. He didn’t bother closing the door and waking the others, he couldn’t risk their interruption. He started down the path toward the beach.

“I have something to show you.” Robert said as he reached into his bag.

“What is it? You know I don’t like surprises,” she said back to him.

He pulled out the old picture of them, their first ever taken together, and gave it to her. She was in shock with disbelief that he still had this picture.

“Oh Robbie, you kept it all these years?” she reached toward her heart shaped necklace and took it off. She opened it, revealing a picture of them. She had kept one as well. He was in even more disbelief than she was. They both just looked at each other and smiled with a little laugh.

“I can’t believe this, all of these years, you question if there really is someone out there for you. A perfect match. The one. You spend all this time searching but-but I had already had the one that I was made to love. I let you go once, I am never letting go again,” Robert said as he pulled her into his arms. He squeezed her, never wanting to let go.

“Robbie, can I ask you one thing?” she asked.

“Anything,” he replied.

“Why did you leave? Why were there men trying to kill you tonight? Just tell me and we can put all of that behind us.”

He shook his head as if to agree to what she said. He reached into the bag, and pulled out the letter he had found. “Here, read this. I was going to give it to you before I left. It explains everything better than I can.”

She took the letter. “Perhaps maybe you don’t want to read it in front of me. I’m not sure what your reaction will be,” he said to her.

She looked at him. “I agree. How about I go get some seashells while I read this and we can go back to my place and make one of those old bracelets that we both used to wear?”

He shook his head, “That sounds splendid, I’ll start packing up that way we can leave right away.”

She turned and began walking towards the shoreline. She stopped dead in her tracks, turned back to him, and walked up and kissed him on the cheek. She then continued back to the beach.

Robert began packing up everything. He folded up the blanket, and put the wine back in the bag. He glanced up and saw a sight that made his heart jump. It was the simple vision of her, walking along the beach with her hair lightly being tossed by the wind. She was perfect. She was his, again. He smiled.

“My dearest Marie,” Marie was reading the letter. She was being hit with so many different emotions. All of her questions were being answered. “I didn’t want that life, not for me, and not for you. Not for us. But I couldn’t escape it unless I ran…so I ran,” It all made sense now. "He was going to kill me Marie, he was going to kill me and then he was going to kill you. He hated you, and he grew to hate me because of my love for you." As she arrived at the last paragraph of the letter she stopped in her tracks. "I was faced with a choice..." She couldn’t believe what she had just read. Robert was watching her and had a feeling of where she was in the letter.

“You always liked the past a lot more than you did the present, Robert.” Robert had heard that voice before. He swallowed hard, and turned to see the old man standing behind him, with his Colt.45 revolver drawn. A similar model to the one he owned.

“Look, I can get you the money. Just give me more time.” Robert begged.

The old man laughed. “No, no, no, see Robert, you’ve changed the game. You took out half of my men. You have had me chasing you all over the city. And it isn’t just money you owe me.”

Robert again swallowed hard. His breathing had picked up. Marie had just finished the letter, her back facing the car.

“You know, for someone who enjoyed living in the past so much, you misunderstood its most important lesson. You can’t outrun your past. Your past just doesn’t float away and never come back,” the old man continued.

Robert wasn’t listening. All he could think about was Marie. He couldn’t lose her again, not like this. As Marie finished the letter she reached down and picked up the last seashell she needed, and turned back to the car. Only to be greeted by a sight that froze her.

“Your father was right about you, Robert,” the old man said as he pulled back the hammer on his revolver.

Robert couldn’t believe it. He thought it was fate, he thought they were fate. He thought they were perfect. How could this be? How did this happen. He said aloud “Marie” and he turned to her as she stood watching the scene from a distance.

“I guess it was never meant to be,” the old man said as he took aim at Robert’s back.

Robert could feel the gun pointing at him. All Marie could do was watch, helplessly again. She said aloud “Robbie.” As she stared at him, he stared at her. He could picture those green eyes of hers even though they were far from his sight.

“Marie!” he yelled. Just as he finished, the old man pulled the trigger, sending a bullet ripping into his spine. Marie let out a scream as she dropped all of the seashells.

“No!” Robert fell to his knees. His vision began to blur, but he could still see Marie. The old man pulled back the hammer once more, and fired, sending another bullet into the back of his enemy. This one sent Robert fully to the ground.

Marie was in shock. She wanted to say something, anything, but couldn’t. Tears flowed down her face like a river, the same river of blood that was now leaving Robert’s body, and soaking into the sand.

The old man looked good and hard at his work. He then looked out to the horizon, as the sun was still rising, and then to Marie. He then turned and began to walk back up the dirt path, back to the car.

After he was out of sight, Marie took off running towards Roberts’s body. As she reached it, she knelt down beside him and spoke “Robbie?” faintly. No response. “Robbie, Baby come on.” She said again. Nothing. She broke down in every way imaginable. Robert had passed.

As the old man reached the top of the dirt road, Walter Frank came running at him. “We heard gunshots, is everything alright?”

The old man kept walking and responded “It’s done.”

Walter knew what that meant immediately. His old best friend was now no more. He turned to look at the old man who had walked past him, only to see the end of his revolver barrel.

“Wait.” Walter said, but it didn’t stop him from pulling the trigger and launching a bullet right into the head of Walter Frank. His body dropped to the ground instantly. The old man upon reaching the car, turned to look at the sunrise. He reached into his inner jacket pocket, pulling out another Cuban cigar. He lit it, and took a long inhale, followed by an exhale of a white cloud of smoke. The job was done, and the past had caught another in its ever elusive web. He entered the car, and it sped off, disappearing from the scene.

As for Marie, some say she grieved for months, some say for years. Some say that she is married now and happily living in the city, while others say she lives alone on the outskirts of town. Some say that she even took her own life, just to be with Robert on the other side. Nobody knows for sure. When the police arrived on the scene, she was long gone, and hasn’t been actually seen since. Just the rumors existed. The only thing people knew, thanks to some interviews with some of Robert and Marie's friends, is that they were crazy about each other. Even when they were apart they would talk about one another. It would seem that they never stopped loving one another. All anybody knows is that the day of the shooting was their anniversary.

That night, there would be two new stars twinkling, glowing…shining in the night sky together.

© 2015 Colton Warr

Author's Note

The final part the the three part short story "Last Anniversary" hope you guys enjoy! Remember that this is a short story, the idea is to have your head asking questions that will never be answered.

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Reviews

Irenic

very well written piece. Your story makes the shadow of sadness. love it. the last line:

That night, there would be two new stars twinkling, glowing…shining in the night sky together.

it is dropping into the soul one. :)

like it. Thanks for sharing.

Posted 9 Years Ago

9 Years Ago

Thank you so very much, my friend! I'm happy you enjoyed this last part of the story! I appreciate t.. read more

9 Years Ago

welcome..............:)

William Richards

Awesome piece of work. You do so much right.

My only recommendation is regarding conversation when there are more than two people. That section was a little unclear for me (the bit when the old man gets into the car initially), possibly only because I would have expected the old man to ask which direction they went to and then Walter Frank to reply that they went north (I probably had this expectation because the old man had been inside and so would not have seen where they would have driven to, where as Walter Frank was already outside. I haven't read the previous two chapters, so I could be missing something here). Such a small thing, but it can affect the flow.

The suspense is well handled throughout the piece. There is a great bit of foreshadowing when the narrator says: 'she stopped dead in her tracks'- when Marie ran back to kiss Robert before he gets ended by a Colt 45.

Well done Colton. You have a good story telling voice and I enjoyed reading this chapter.

Posted 9 Years Ago

9 Years Ago

Thank you so much, William! I do see what you are talking about as far as that conversation goes. I .. read more

Nila M.

Great chapter! I was tuned in the entire time, which says a lot. Fiction is no easy thing to do. Good work and thank you!

Posted 9 Years Ago

9 Years Ago

Thank you very much, Nila! I appreciate you stopping by and giving this a read! I'm glad you enjoyed.. read more

9 Years Ago

The noire feel and the time period have definitely added to the over all feeling of the piece and I .. read more

Valentine

You are developing a gift of writing. Length needed to be added as you continue writing, also depth in your reasoning and endings. Valentine Personally, I would have liked to see that old cigar smoking jerk get his!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!