Godsend

The Friend I Never Met

June 6th, 2015

"Christ on a cracker," Perry fanned himself furiously, "getting sent back in time won't be so bad if I get to be in the fucking air conditioning." The air in his house was dank with humidity, causing Perry's clothes to stick to his body like flypaper.

"You won't enjoy it for long if you get shot in the face right away." Calico retorted; she was joking, but there was worry embedded in her words.

The couple sat on the couch in Perry's house, passing the days by listening to the radio and complaining to each other about how shitty things were, but mutually enjoying each other's company nonetheless. Earlier in the day, the radio had stopped working, leaving the two of them in silence. Perry didn't mind the silence, though he didn't mind much of anything so long as Calico was with him. Calico, on the other hand, was racked with worry, primarily about what was going to happen to Perry when/if they got sent back in time. It was still a strange concept to grasp; time travel, but Calico had made her peace with it.

"Do you ever think the other me ever wonders what happened to her version of you? Do you think she remembers it at all?" Calico asked Perry as he paced the room in an attempt to air out his clothes. 

"You know, I'm not sure. Did you ever ask her about it, about what happened before she got here?" He stopped in his tracks, the subject suddenly grabbing him.

"Once or twice, but nothing really came of it; she just thought that she was me, same point in time and everything." Calico shrugged, feeling more perplexed.

"That's a crying shame, who could forget this face? I'd remember you, I know I would." Perry smiled his sly smile.

"Oh that's a load of bull, if she can't remember, then you wouldn't either!" Calico matched his grin.

"Oh come off it, I'll show you, just as soon as we get zapped back." Perry walked down the hall into the closet of his bedroom to find a change of clothes.

"I'm changing out of these shambles, do you want something else to wear?" Perry called to Calico from down the hall.

"Yeah, just something light, please." Calico responded.

"Only if I get to watch you put it on!" Perry's voice echoed down the hall.

"Friggin pervert." Calico snickered.

Perry laughed to himself.

Grabbing the few remaining clean articles of clothing in the closet, Perry returned to Calico, her change of clothing in hand. The two of them quickly de-robed and re-robed. Calico looked over the outfit, her eyes widening instantly.

"This is it." Her words coming out with a tremor.

"What's what?" Perry examined the outfit, seeing nothing wrong with it upon first glance.

"This is what the other me was wearing when she came here." Calico could feel goosebumps writhing across her skin.

"Oh, shit." Perry looked at himself, he didn't know why he hadn't seen it before; he was donning the very same outfit that his double was wearing when they encountered each other. 

Calico began sobbing, she knew what Perry didn't want to accept.

"What does this mean?" Perry asked, legitimate concern rising in his voice.

"It means it's almost over. This is almost over." Her words were muddled in her crying. She knew the day was coming, she just didn't think it would be so soon, so sudden.

"No, no, no, no, no. We can change this, right? I'll just put on something else, we'll change it. I'll just go naked and he'll think I'm the terminator or something. We have to try something, Abby, there has to b--" Calico glared at Perry, the perturbation emanating from her eyes.

"Wearing a different shirt isn't going to stop it. This is the way things are supposed to be. I would rather the other version of you still meet me and fall in love the way we have, then never meet me at all. I want our time together to mean something." Calico stood up from the couch, looking Perry directly in the eye, "Even if I don't remember it, it still happened, and that is the most important thing." She grabbed Perry's hands.

He was shaking.

"It's funny, I was so ready to kill myself, just throw away my life like a complete moron. But now, I'm not sure I'm ready to die." Perry inhaled deeply, steeling himself.

"It'll be okay, you won't remember anything." Calico reassured him. Perry inhaled, his breath shallow.

"That's the scariest fucking part." 

Perry and Calico sat on the couch, holding each other, each wrapped tightly in the other's arms. Perry did his best to keep from crying, though a few rogue tears escaped his eyes. Calico held onto him violently, as if the mere power of her grip would keep him there.

Night fell, but the two of them didn't move, they didn't want to miss the moment, they couldn't afford to. Perry glanced over to Calico, his eyes glinting with sadness.

"Some part of you will remember me." He smiled his silly smile, even through his worry, Calico could see his cheeky humor.

"Who could forget such a weird guy?" She uttered with a light grin, her voice croaking as she let the words out.

Perry fiddled with her hair until the lights turned off, leaving them both in onyx. Perry held her one last time before being pulled away into the darkness. He wasn't sure what was happening or what it all meant, but Perry knew one thing for certain.

He had found his true Godsend.