Vocalization

Swell Start-Over

Cherish what time you have left; I had thought to myself this Wednesday I was walking down the street. The wind was blowing through my hair and my heart was as light as a feather. If it wasn't located within my chest, the breeze would've whisked it away. Finally, I saw a garage in the distance and smiled. I walked over to the workshop premises and looked around a little. Had I been wearing heels, one would have been able to hear me from miles away. But I wasn't and so I could sneak in perfectly. I ducked under the halfway open garage door and smiled. "Hey, Geoff!", I greeted him cheerfully, even though I couldn't see him. I could only guess where he was. There were cars all around me, all of them looking as if they'd come straight from a museum. Old cars from the 20th century wherever you looked. It was a really lovely workshop too. Two men turned around when I called and looked at me confusedly. They were probably wondering what a young woman in a suspender skirt was doing in a workshop like this. A wooden mechanic's creeper slid back from underneath a car hull and I heard a familiar voice call back. "Hey, Eve!" Tools pinged and a metallic crackle sounded as Geoff threw his wrench into the toolbox. Meanwhile, I made my way over to him. "Don't fall", he warned me while presumably twisting a screw on the car hull shut by hand. Swiftly, I stepped over the tool box and stood next to him. He looked a little confused, but happy. "What are you doing here?" "I thought I'd pick you up", I said happily. "You don't even have a car", Geoff chuckled, shaking his head. Suddenly, a man called from behind me. "Geoff, you have a girlfriend?", he asked teasingly while Geoff got up from the ground. "No, a roommate", he stated, walking over to the sink to wash his hands. I followed right after him. "Oh, so that's the girl you've been talking about", the other man added. "She really does look dainty." "Why thank you", I smiled while doing my best Alice impression possibly and curtseying. Geoff chuckled. "She's a little girl." "Absolutely." I just rolled my eyes. He laughed and went over to the gate, where his jacket hung. "Alright, guys, I'm out. Take care of that C1 for me." He nodded at the car he had been working on and ducked underneath the gate, pulling me right after him.

"So, do you like it?", he asked me as we were walking back to our house. "Like what?", I asked back. "The workshop. It's not as clean as it would be if you worked there, but still..." "I think it's great!", I smiled. "Was that a corvette you were working on?" "A C1, yes. If you come a little earlier next time, I can take you for a ride. Wouldn't that be swell?" "That would be great!" I smiled at his vintage word choice and my step bounced a little, without me even noticing it.

When we got home, the others were already expecting us. The afternoon sun shone in through the window and we sat down at the table together. "Eve, I got the mail while you were gone", Eli told me, while opening a cupboard to get himself a coffee. "So?", I asked confusedly. "I found this." He pulled a letter from the side of the cupboard and handed it to me swiftly. Then, he sat down at the table and looked at me. Earl, Layne and J's eyes were also pinned on me, eagerly expecting me to open the envelope. I inspected it with keen interest, then my eyes got caught on a sparkly detail. In the upper right corner, next to the stamp, a shiny logo sparkled in the sunrays. Cirque du Soleil. With my now shaking hands, I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter, a piece of thicker paper falling out as I did. It landed on the surface of the table, still readable. I only read two words. Las Vegas. I read the letter silently, keeping the boys dangling by their tension unintentionally. When I had finished, I looked at them, not believing what I had just read. Their looks pierced me until I finally got it out. "I get to perform for an audition at the Mirage." All at once, they broke out into jubilee. "Eve, that's amazing!", J congratulated me. "And you're going to Vegas?" My eyes were still pinned on the certificate I had received, even as I gave it to Eli to let him look at it. I was completely confused. I hadn't signed up for anything. "Apparently I am", I spoke, completely out of my mindset. My voice had no real excitement, nor sadness, nor any feeling aside from confusion. And a bit of fear. I remembered my last dream. "Aren't you excited?", Eli asked. "Eve, it's the biggest circus in the entire world! Isn't that what you always wanted?" I kept silent and grabbed the plane ticket from the table. Without a word, I put it back into the envelope. Then, lacking another warning, I tore the entire stack of paper apart, letting it fall out of my hands once I was done. In an instant, all five of them were completely quiet, their souls seemingly having exited their bodies out of shock.