Infinite Moon by J. R. Rain

Author:J. R. Rain [Rain, J. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rain Press
Published: 2020-06-09T22:00:00+00:00

***

I’m standing inside the doors of The Monarch.

I stare down at my sneakers. Was I really this much of a bitch at eighteen, or is this reality making me worse? Okay, sure, I always did have a problem with dependency. Not on drugs, though. On people. Mary Lou mostly. Then Danny. It took me until like thirty before I really felt like I’d become a fully functioning adult, not a child needing the support of a real grown up. Finally working at HUD, pulling in a respectable salary, doing good for the community, yeah I’d fulfilled my goal. I had Danny, but I didn’t end up dependent on a man to survive.

There’s something here eluding me. Attacking it head-on isn’t working.

Let me try sweet.

I wait for 18-Sam behind the counter. She walks out of the kitchen and stops short, staring at me.

“Hi, Sam,” I begin, and rush an explanation of me being her from the future and attempt to sweet-talk her into helping Gwendolyn out.

“Sucks to be her, but why is it my problem?” Her vibes are like way dark.”

“Because talking to her will save two lives today. Hers and yours.”

18-Sam rolls her eyes. “Well, if it’s so important, why don’t you talk to her?”

I blink. Could it be that simple? Except only 18-Sam reacted to me being here. Gwendolyn probably can’t see me. Then again, she had her hair over her face when she walked in. She’s fifteen minutes away from shooting herself in the mouth; she totally wasn’t looking at anything around her. Holy shit. I remember that night we sat there and talked. I had no idea she had a damn gun with her. The way she spoke about suicide, she made it sound like a distant thought she kinda-sorta considered but wasn’t really sure about.

“Guess it can’t hurt to try. It’s only our life hanging in the balance.”

She gives me this ‘you really need help’ stare, shaking her head slightly, and walks off to check on tables. Mack goes by to meet the egg delivery. I step out from behind the counter and stand around watching the room, not bothering to pester my teen self for the fifteen or so minutes it takes before Gwendolyn Pickett walks in. Head down, she heads right to the empty booth, chucks her giant purse on the table, and flops in the seat.

I walk over and slide into the facing bench like I always used to do. “Hey, Gwen. You okay?”

“Oh, hey, Samantha. What’s up?” She sniffles, swipes her hair off her face, and looks up.

Wow. I missed it as a teenager, but this woman totally looks ready to end it all. There’s no life in her eyes.

“What’d the idiot do this time?” I ask while grabbing her purse and pulling it away from her, setting it on the bench to my left.

She stares at it. “Umm, what are you doing?”

“Giving you time to think and talk. I know what’s in there.”

Gwendolyn looks away like a child caught doing something bad.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.