A Story Told in Song: 03

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Here's the final 750-word piece instal of Phillip and Annabelle's story. Like the previous instalments its based on a song. Looking for songs that inspired me has proved to me that there truly is a song for every occasion!

Chapter One was based on 'Woman Have You Got Cheating On Your Mind?' By Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.

Chapter Two used for its inspiration 'I'm Not The Only One' by Sam Smith.

This chapter, Chapter Three, looks to 'Hello' by Adele to inform the telling of Phillip and Annabelle's epilogue.

I've enjoyed the challenge of limiting myself to 750-words per instal. I hope you have as well.

Vandy, my love, thank you sending me a kind and generous email back in 2017. In a few short days we will celebrate four years together and I wouldn't change a single minute of those years. I love you more each day.

Oh, and thanks for the proofread!

Happy Reading.

###

Hello, it's meI was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meetTo go over everythingThey say that time's supposed to heal yaBut I ain't done much healing

Annabelle gripped the edge of the basin, doubling over. Her head hit the mirror.

She closed her eyes, allowing her forehead to rest against the coolness of the mirror. She couldn't face her tortured reflection. No matter how many times she heard this song she reacted the same way; like she'd been punched in the gut.

Hello, can you hear me?I'm in California dreaming about who we used to beWhen we were younger and freeI've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet

There's such a difference between usAnd a million miles

She wanted to switch off the radio, end the song, but compulsion dictated she emotionally self-flagellate to the song.

Hello from the other sideI must've called a thousand timesTo tell you I'm sorry for everything that I've doneBut when I call, you never seem to be home

How many times had she phoned Phillip to explain? To apologise. To beg. And, yes, to tell him she forgave him for the revenge he wreaked on her and Rick. She'd lost count.

And Phillip's revenge had been terrible. She'd been forced to move across the country to start over because he'd destroyed her life so thoroughly. Publicly shamed. Loss of friends. She'd had to resign from her job because Melissa worked there too.

She didn't blame Phillip -- from great pain came great anger. And she'd hurt him greatly.

Hello from the outsideAt least I can say that I've triedTo tell you I'm sorry for breaking your heartBut it don't matter, it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore

No truer words. Phillip didn't care anymore. He'd moved on. Not surprising; it had been five years. Her mother had sent her the newspaper clipping of the wedding.

Hello, how are you?It's so typical of me to talk about myself, I'm sorryI hope that you're wellDid you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happened?

It's no secret that the both of us are running out of time

Well, for her it was. She was thirty-six now, her biological clock ticking. It might as well be a bomb. No new love. No new man. No one compared to Phillip. Even the annoying things she now remembered with fondness.

So hello from the other side (Other side)I must've called a thousand times (Thousand times)To tell you I'm sorry for everything that I've doneBut when I call, you never seem to be home

The song mirrored her life. How many times had she called? How many messages had she left? How many times had she laid her heart bare? Thousands.

Hello from the outside (Outside)At least I can say that I've tried (I've tried)To tell you I'm sorry for breaking your heartBut it don't matter, it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore

Had Phillip found closure? She hoped so. He deserved it. She hoped Phillip's total destruction of Rick -- financial, emotional, physical -- hadn't permanently scarred his soul.

Annabelle shuddered at the memory of Rick. Compared to him, Phillip had shown her mercy.

Gone was the confident flirt. Replaced by a mere husk of a man. A shadow. His nose no longer as straight as it once was. Rumour had it the same could be said of his dick.

Raped in the divorce. All he had left was a job; a lonely bedfellow.

Ooh-ooh, anymoreOoh-ooh-ooh, anymoreOoh-ooh, anymoreAnymore

Hello from the other side (Other side)I must've called a thousand times (Thousand times)To tell you I'm sorry for everything that I've doneBut when I call, you never seem to be home

The rasp in Adele's voice matched the rasp on Annabelle's emotions the lyrics evoked. Torture. Punishment.

Hello from the outside (Outside)At least I can say that I've tried (I've tried)To tell you I'm sorry for breaking your heartBut it don't matter, it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore

The final notes faded. Annabelle lifted her gaze and faced her reflection. Her face was a ruin. Her mascara had run, looking like ink stains on her cheeks.

She reached for the make-up remover. She'd have to wash and start again.

A bit like her life. The parallel wasn't lost on Annabelle.

THE END

HERE'S A JOKE TO EASE YOU BACK TO REALITY!

Last Sunday morning CreativityTakesCourage was making a breakfast of fried eggs for Vandemonium1.

Suddenly, Van1 burst into the kitchen.

"Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"

CTC stared at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?"

Van1 calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving."