Timing

Endgame

   Carol unlocked the door to her room and walked in. She sat her purse down and it was at this time she realized, she didn't bring any clothes with her. She put her head in her hands, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

   She missed Rindy. Funny how all of this happened and all she can think about was Rindy right now. She called the house with the phone in the room. "Hargess Aird" he answered. She was silent. "Hello?" He asked. "If you're going to call, at least say something" he said.

   "It's me" Carol said. "I want to talk to Rindy" she said softly. "You've got some kind of nerve calling here and asking to talk to our daughter after all you pulled-" she cut him off. "Put her on the phone Harge" she ordered.

   "Okay but after, we are talking about this. Where are you anyways?" He asked. "I'm safe" She said. He wasn't asking about her safety though. He was asking where she was. Funny how her safety wasn't the first thing to dawn on him, it was her whereabouts. She made a mental note of this. Too tired to argue further.

   "Are you with Abby?" He asked. She was silent. "I called mother and she said you weren't there" he said. "So you must be with Abby" he said. He was always jealous of Abby. Of anyone else in Carol's life really. He always knew he was a second class passenger in her life, truth be told. No matter what he told himself, his friends or Carol for that matter.

   "I'm not with her. I'm in the city" she said. "The city??" He asked, as if it was the most preposterous thing he's ever heard. As if someone had told him that the sky was brown or the grass was orange. "Yes Harge. Now put Rindy on" she said.

   "What are you doing in the city?" He asked, ignoring her desires as always. "That's none of your concern" Carol said. "What do you mean that's none of my concern??? You're my wife, goddamnit!!!" He yelled. Carol held the phone away from her face, rolling her eyes.

   "Are you going to put Rindy on or not Hargess?!?" She asked, getting frustrated. "Are we over?!?" He asked. "Stop being so melodramatic and put our daughter on the phone Harge!" She ordered. "No! Why should I?? You don't want to be a part of this family! Why should I expose her to a woman who has clearly lost her mind??" He protested.

   "How much have you had to drink tonight Harge?" She could tell by his tone and the slurring of words that he's had plenty. "NONE OF YOUR GOD DAMN BUSINESS! If you don't come home-" she interrupted him. "What? It's over?" She laughed. He was silent.

   "You'll never see Rindy again" he said, hanging up the phone. She was stunned. She just sat there, frozen. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there but it must've been for a while because there was a knock at her door.

   "It's Abby!" The voice behind the door said. She snapped out of it, got up and opened the door. Abby looked at Carol, whose hands were shaking. "Oh Carol" Abby said, softly. Abby came in and closed the door behind her.

   She hugged Carol and that's when Carol began to lose it. She sobbed in Abby's arms and fell apart right there in that hotel room. Carol eventually gained strength and told Abby what happened. "He can't do that to you" Abby said.

   Carol just shrugged. "Based off what? Mothers usually get custody of their children, favored over fathers" she said matter of fact. Carol just looked at her. "Dated a lawyer for a bit" Abby winked. Carol just laughed. She couldn't help it.

   "Red head too, serious Rita Hayworth thing going on" she said, getting off track. "Turns out, I didn't have what it took to handle a red head" Abby widened her eyes at Carol. Carol lost it, throwing her head back laughing. "There's my girl" Abby said, lovingly. Carol just smiled, giving her the same look back.

   "Look, I know it'll be hard but all I'm saying is that if you leave him... Rindy is as good as yours. You just need to have a steady job and a place to live" she said. "About that... I told him I was going in with you" she said. "At the furniture shop" she clarified.

   "You are?!? Abby asked, excitedly. "I am" Carol smiled at her. "That's great babe!!! That's half the battle!" Abby said. Carol smiled and looked down at her lap. "You can do this" Abby said. "We can do this. Together" she said.

   "You're right" Carol said. "You're absolutely right" She added. " I know I am!" Abby reassured, holding Carol's hand. "Thank you Abby. For everything" Carol said. "Don't mention it, you nitwit" Abby teased, playfully elbowing Carol. "I would walk through heaven and hell for you. A thousand cities, across foreign lands..." she went on.

   "Okay okay, you're going to make me vomit" Carol teased. "Point is. If anyone is my soulmate in life, it's you" Abby said. "You're it kid" Abby smiled. There was always a pure kind of love between them. Platonic for a while but always pure. Love that has roots, deep enough to reach the earth's core.

   It was a kind of love that was immovable, no matter what came it's way or how much time passed. It was rooted and there was no digging them up now.

   "I feel the same way" Carol said. "Funny, when I left, I got out in a hurry. I didn't know where I was going... or at least I didn't think I did. Then I realized that in a sense... my heart knew exactly where I was going before my brain did" Carol laughed.

   "I was headed to you" Carol said. There was a pause. "I suppose in a way, I always was" she said. "Even at my most lost, the road I'm driving on is the road heading to you" She said. Abby smiled. "As a child... all the hardships I went through... I wasn't headed towards new parents or... a new life, I was headed to you" she said.

   "And tonight..." Carol said. "The road I was taking was heading to you" she said. "I suppose it's true. You are my soulmate too" Carol said. "You're my endgame, Gerhard" Carol said, smiling at Abby.