Leap by Z Egloff

Author:Z Egloff [Egloff, Z]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bywater Books

The headlights of Catherine’s car snake across Rowan’s front lawn and up onto the porch. In the dark, under the glare of the automobile, the Marks house looks deserted—like no one has lived there in years.

Catherine shuts off the car. At the end of the pavement ahead of them, off to the right, Rowan can see a low glow emanating from Ben’s garage apartment. Her brother must be indulging in his latest hobby: Carlos Castaneda and psychedelic mushrooms. A potent combination, according to him.

“When you said the movie made you think about ‘things,’ what did you mean by that?” Rowan has been struggling to ask this question ever since they got free of Jane and Hank, but it isn’t till now, under the protective cover of Catherine’s car with the beacon of Ben beyond, that she has the nerve to give it voice.

“I don’t remember.”

Rowan knows, in an instant, that this is not true. She also understands, in the same instant, that Catherine will not tell her what is. She closes her mouth, waits.

“What happened with Danny?” Catherine’s index finger traces the rim of the steering wheel, bumpy with notches for where the fingers go.

“What do you mean?”

Catherine grasps the wheel, her fingers closing and unclosing around the bottom of the curve. “Why don’t you see him anymore?”

Rowan remains silent, replaying the fight with Danny in her head. If only she could transmit this picture by sheer force of will—from her mind to Catherine’s, an immediate transfer.

“Rowan?” Catherine squints.

“We had a fight. It was about you, actually. About me spending so much time with you. He said I was stuck up and I think I’m better than him and he told me to get lost, basically. So I did.” Rowan catches her breath. It feels so big, out in the open. Especially the part that didn’t get said.

“Why does he care so much about you spending time with me? I mean, what’s wrong with that?”

Perhaps Catherine is saying this because she already knows the answer. Perhaps not. Either way, Rowan figures—what’s the harm in saying? It’s Danny’s opinion, after all. Not hers.

“He thinks there’s something going on between us,” she says. “That there’s something beyond friendship here. Like that.”

“Is there?”

Rowan blinks. The large sculpture they have danced around for weeks, the one so long in a blur, rises between them and Rowan sees for the first time that, yes indeed, this woman is naked. As naked as they come. Of course. Of course there’s something between us. But how can she say that? She is silent for as long as she can be, for as long as anyone could be, until there is nothing left to do.

“Yeah,” she says.

The sound reverberates off the dashboard, causing the naked lady to dip, sway.

“Hmmm.” Catherine’s hand lifts from the steering wheel and slides into Rowan’s. “I thought there might be, but then I thought maybe it was just me.”

“Just you.” Rowan’s fingers explore the simple flesh of Catherine’s hand—this small, confident, unexplained hand. Is she imagining this as well? Her fingers squeeze harder, testing for illusion.

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