HUMAN

Chapter 33 - Skipping Stones

It's been too long since Valentine had driven Frank's car. Every time the gears would grind, or she made a mis-shift, Frank would wince internally. Although he was understanding of the situation, yet failed to make it obvious enough and left Valentine guilty for abusing his prized possession.

But then again, the car wasn't meant to be driven like a rally car on the unforgiving roads of the mountainside. Rather, it's more familiar with the bitumen that the car spent much of its life on.

This time however, was an exception. Even Frank wouldn't let Vincent drive on these sorts of roads, but the route that they used to take to the lakeside had been fenced off throughout the years.

The strange noises that the car was making was normal to Valentine, but to Frank, it was glass and concrete scrubbing against one another in his ears.

Too many times Valentine almost swerved off the cliffs and would have been history for them. But she managed. . .and Frank did too. . .sort of.

Valentine hadn't noticed her grip tightening on the steering wheel. The heavy air inside was unbearable, and the silence was louder than the ruckus outside that it was suffocating.

"I never imagined she was so pretty." Valentine was the first to break the silence half an hour after they left the house. She glamoured on the beauty of the Anthro featured in the Polaroid placed on the speedometer.

Frank's troubled thoughts of the car were cut off. He turned to Valentine, remembering that he'd placed that there. It was the only photo he was able to keep of his beloved wife, and he couldn't risk losing it.

"The only photo I have left of Eve. I couldn't afford to lose it." Frank responded. "Huh, it's nice seeing her for the first time." Her voice trailed off quietly as she was tranced at the woman who she'd known through Frank.

Frank nodded, unsure how to continue the conversation. Valentine glanced, her attempt at breaking the awkwardness failed then accepted the defeat with a sigh.

He's always keen on talking about Eve whenever Valentine asked about her. He'd enjoy talking about her for hours and how things would be so much more different if Eve was alive, and she'd take care of Valentine like she was the daughter that they'd wish.

It was his own way of relaxing, his mind finding itself at peace whenever the topic is brought upon his wife. Valentine didn't mind it, but she struggled to personally connect with this special woman in Frank's life.

Her identity of Eve kept changing throughout the years and has never felt like she was making a deeper connection with her through Frank, despite how he'd describe her looks and personality so vividly.

After Frank disappeared, throughout the years Eve would slip into her mind. Trying to imagine what her second mother would actually look like, which would end up in troubled nights. Suddenly seeing her face after all these years brought a sense of warmth and calmness. She smiled, a veil was lifted from the mystery that plagued her for years.

She looked up from the Polaroid. They'd made it to the bottom of the hill where a small gravel parking lot with wooden posts marked the end of the road and the start of a short stroll towards the edge of the lake after passing the tree-line.

The car came to a halt, kicking up dust and the low rumble of the engine shutting down. Placing the keys in her pocket, Valentine and Frank got out of the car, making a silence exchange to start heading down the lake.

It was silent. Nature was at a standstill. The sporadic gusts of wind would stir up the branches and snapping off twigs.

The two Anthros sat on the edge of the lake. No words were exchanged as they allow their thoughts to stir. A painful game of who would cut off the silence between them first commenced. . .