Hair-Brained Schemes

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This story stands alone but you might recognise it from here.

Kelly was lost in her daydreams again. She’d been quiet for about an hour and Marcus was quite happy with that, the less she spoke the less he had to listen to her wild plans. He’d loved her dreaminess once; it was a perfect counter balance to his down to earth pragmatism. But these days her head being constantly in the clouds was getting right on his nerves. He wouldn’t mind if her actions spoke louder than her words but her actions were largely mute. How many hair-brained schemes had she dreamt up in the short time he’d known her? She was probably dreaming now of flying with the birds that were weaving intricate patterns in the sky above them. The sun was setting and the sky was streaked with red, Marcus was tired but there was still 100 miles or so to go till home; another 90 minutes of silence. He sighed, he didn’t mind not having to listen to her latest flight of fantasy, but the silence was making him feel claustrophobic and sleepy. 

‘I need a wee,’ Marcus said, his first words for nearly an hour.  He pulled into the services, and got out of the car. He’d have a wee and get a coffee.

‘You coming?’ he said. She shook her head. ‘You want anything?’ he said, another shake. 

He knew he should get back to the car, but he was enjoying taking his time over the coffee. Even the air-conditioned atmosphere of the service station was better than the stale air in the car, no, not in the car, in the relationship. How did it all go wrong?

Marcus took a mouthful of latte and stared up at the hills in the distance. The sun had just about set behind them and soon the birds, that were still going through their routines, would be perching on the branches of the trees. The day was dying, much like his relationship with Kelly.

He wondered what would happen if he didn’t go back to the car. If he just walked, headed for the hills and kept walking. He found himself smiling as he daydreamed a hair-brained scheme. That would be the kind of thing Kelly would do, not him. But would it be so bad? After all it was her car, and he wasn’t far from his mum and dad’s place, he could walk there in an hour, maybe two.  But no, that was daft, his iPad was in the car and he couldn’t go anywhere without that. He drank the last few dregs of his coffee, scooped some foam into his mouth, picked up his wallet and phone and headed back to the car.