Blankish Slates | Moonfall Vol. II

The Dates II

Buster and Suki took their lunches to go and found a cozy spot on the Redshore Strip, a pavilion dotted with tables under umbrellas to stave off the heat. It gave them a nice view of the hectic activity at the heart of Redshore, but also afforded them enough privacy for their lunch date.

One of the things Suki learned that afternoon was that Buster's mouth could run a marathon if left unchecked. She sipped her lemonade as he rattled through over a dozen subjects, only taking short breaks to bite into one of his eucalyptus wraps. At some point the conversation turned to Jimmy Crystal, his progress with therapy, and his newfound partnership with Gunter.

"...And I'm glad to see him make a genuine connection with Gunter. That's not just an olive branch. It's proof of his progress, and that we can make peace after war. I mean, he hasn't called me a loser once since he started therapy!"

Buster waited for a laugh that never came. He tugged at his bow tie when he saw the sour look on Suki's face, and he was certain it wasn't because of the lemonade.

"Is this guilt?" she suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You helping Crystal out."

"It's responsibility," Buster said. "I feel like he deserves a second chance."

"You don't have to be part of his rehabilitation. You know that, right?"

"I know, but I want Porsha to get the best version of her dad, and I'm willing to help Crystal when he stumbles."

Suki's frustration only grew. "Crystal was a ticking time bomb. If it wasn't you it would've been someone else dangling off his balcony. You realize that, don't you?"

"All the more reason to help clean up his act," Buster retorted, flashing a smile to no avail. Whatever charms he usually had up his sleeve weren't landing at all today.

Suki gathered her purse and abandoned her lemonade. "I'm sorry. This was a mistake."

"Wait, wait!" Buster pleaded. "I won't bring up Crystal anymore. I hadn't considered your feelings. You spent years dealing with his worst behavior, and here I am gushing about his turnaround..."

"You're the most optimistic person I know. I still love that about you. But all it's going to take is one meltdown from Crystal and..." Suki let out a long sigh. "I think you're playing with fire. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Even as she stood there, her eyes shimmering with pity and doubt behind those glasses, warm breeze stroking her hair like fingers, Buster thought she looked beautiful. She was beautiful, and she was walking away from him.

"But you're still leaving?"

"It's not you, I'm the problem," Suki said. Her eyes darted about, as if looking for a quick exit. "We're on different trajectories. I knew it was a mistake trying to start this with you. I tried to be optimistic but I was just lying to myself. This never works."

Buster chased after her, reached up to grab her hand. "We've barely given this a try."

"Maybe that's for the best," Suki said, pulling away. She glanced between the koala and her own hand with a tinge of regret. "We should end this before anybody gets hurt."

As she vanished from his sight among the crowds on the strip, Buster whispered, "Too late..."

Buster started a miserable waltz back to the table. He took his seat and, with his appetite thoroughly ruined, pushed the food container away.

Buster had come to accept himself as something of a screw-up. Most of his greatest pratfalls were at least partially of his own doing. The silver lining there was that once you realized you were the problem, you could take steps to correct your behavior. But this was something else. It felt like an omnipotent force snatched Suki away from him. How could he convince her to take a chance when he wasn't sure what exactly the problem was? What was repelling her?