I aM tHe WaLrUs

[KERFUFFLE]

Yay! =D

I promise I'll post in Happy Hour eventually. I'm just too lazy right now xD

Sarah put down the phone and went to go and tell her husband, Bill, about Lucy's kind offer. It was an exciting prospect, going outside of Montana-- they had never had big dreams like their son, they were just small town folk--, it was just so bittersweet, as the reason bringing them to New York was so devastating. They packed a few things for the trip down, and some things they wanted to bury with Asher, as well.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Don't worry, I am too xD

I just have no care level for ANYTHING lately.

Lucy sped down down the road, her heart racing, her nerves completely shot. She had to get there as soon as she could, she had to find her way. She wanted to see them, to let them know she understood. She had a purpose; to help Asher's family, something she felt he would have wanted. Even if he didn't, she knew it was the right thing to do. She willed herself to turn on the radio, and the Beatles were playing. "Let it be," she whispered to herself. "Let it be... let it be... let it be..." Her voice grew a little bit, and soon she was singing along, tears stinging her eyes again. She gripped the steering wheel, and sang as loud as she could, not caring if it was terrible or not.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

It's just 'cause there's three of them. If I had tabs or copy and paste it'd be alright, but I have neither so I have to do it all at once.

Asher's family were still busy preparing things. Being the typical Mom she was-- although, really, she no longer had any children left asAsher's sister, Sam, had died a few years ago, at a demonstration, which he had told Lucy after nearly the same thing had happened to her--, she was worrying about everything. Shouts to Bill of, "Will we need this?" followed by, "Okay, how about that, then?" Most of the time, the answer was no. She made some food for Lucy. "Oh no, Bill! What if she's a vegetarian?!" Another meal on the go, just in case.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Same. And sometimes I'm just like, "Oh lord... I don't know what my character would do in this situation!"

In the dead of night, Lucy stopped at a motel, to fill up her tank and to call her mother. "Hey mom... yeah, I'm fine. I'll probably get there around noon tomorrow. Yeah, I know that's twelve hours! I'm filling up the car right now, mommy. Yes... I'm talking again. Uh huh. Love you too. Bye!" She hung up, then put another coin in the telephone, calling Asher's family. She explained how far away she was at that point, and then reassured them that, while she was radical, she was not a vegetarian. She did mention that she was allergic to zucchini, although nobody she knew really cooked with it very much. After talking with them, her voice sounding brisk, she hung up the phone and filled up the gas tank. "Come on, come on," she whispered, feeling uncomfortable in the dark and the rain. She kept Asher's jacket in the car, because she didn't want to ruin it. Finally, the tank was full, and she went inside and paid for the gas, buying a candy bar and a soda while she was there. Then, she was on the road again.

The next day, Lucy arrived in Montana, definitely looking worse for wear. There were dark circles under her eyes, her skin was paler than usual, and hair hair was tangled, carelessly pulled into a ponytail. "I'm almost there, Asher," she whispered, her eyes full of unshed tears. Crying openly had worn her out, so now she was too tired to do it.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Yup, know that feeling, too. Right. I've got my keyboard back, and I'll banish the laziness xD

Asher's parents barely slept that night. They talked until late, and then after that found themselves reflecting on everything an awful lot. They wished they'd done a lot of things now, but most of al wished they'd supported their son's dreams a lot more than they had. They often stared at the painting of the mountainous landscape surrounding their small town that hung in their front room and realised what a talent he had. And now he was gone. Just short of nineteen years of age, such a waste. Still, guaranteed they slept more than poor Lucy.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

It's okay, you don't have to xD

Lucy drove through the towns, stopping at the occasional gas station, asking people for directions from time to time. Then, she would start driving again, wishing that she could just fly, right out her window, into the sky, and land right where she wanted to be. But she couldn't-- at least, not outside her dreams. She had the radio on, listening to whatever happened to be on. Hell, she even enjoyed the commercials, which made her think of happier, more innocent days. She finally made it to the house and stepped, or rather stumbled, out of the car, with a sigh of relief. Slowly, Asher's jacket draped on her shoulders, she made her way to the front door, then rang the doorbell. Please let them like me...

I'll be back in a bit, I have to go home from work xD

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Meh, I did anyway xD

And, okiedokie

Asher's father answered the door, being the more calm of the two-- first impressions counted, of course. Bill had a friendly face, round and welcoming. His hair had clearly once been a jet black the same as Asher's, only now it greyed, particulary at the temples. He smiled and said to the girl, "You must be Lucy"-- she fit Asher's descriptions perfectly, this was how he was certain-- "Come on in."

 

[Bunny_grl07]

I'm back now! =)

Lucy stepped inside gratefully, smiling weakly at Bill. "Thank you, sir," she said softly, looking around the house carefully, since it was so different from the eclectic apartment that she and Asher had shared. "I'm sorry I don't look very... presentable. I had a hard time getting here." She'd been wearing the same clothes for almost three days, her hair was unkempt, she had barely slept a wink. She sat down tiredly, offering another smile. "You must be Asher's father. I'm glad to be meeting you, just... not under these circumstances." She coughed into the crook of her elbow, looking more like a pasty wallflower than the beautiful girl that Asher knew. But it could be seen, under the fatigue of travel, that she was, indeed, a lovely girl.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Sorry. I was actually watching TV for once. It actually sucks.

"That's me. I'm William. But, please, call me Bill. And my wife, yes, you spoke to her on the phone. She's Sarah." Bill said to her, offering her a warm smile, "Oh, don't you worry about that now. We know you've had a long trip. Come and have a seat. He showed her through to the living room, motioning to one of the couches. Sarah appeared soon afterwards, coming in from the kitchen.

"Hey there, Lucy. It's wonderful to finally meet you," she said.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

xD Yay...?

What were you watching, though?

Lucy sat down in the living room, then noticed the painting that hung in there. The way it looked, it could have easily been a picture. But she peered closely at it, and realized it was paint. "Asher," she whispered to herself, her chest tightening as she thought of how he would draw in the letters he wrote to her. Back in the apartment, there was a box with every letter he had written to her. She knew that she would have to go through them, and maybe even show Bill and Sarah some of them. Lucy looked up at Sarah and smiled weakly. Seeing both of his parents, she now knew where he got his good looks. If only she could have met them with him by her side.

"Hello," she said softly, her voice cracking slightly. "It's nice to meet you too." She folded her hands on her lap, and twiddled her thumbs absently.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Miranda-- I don't expect you have it, it's very British. It was the only sort of watchable thing on at all. It's pretty funny, but the rest of TV is just terrible.

So Lucy had noticed that Asher's parents had aged well, and, in their younger days, had been attractive. However, noone ever knew where Asher had gotten his eyes from. His father's were green, and his mother's a hazel colour. Even his twin sister's eyes had been the same as her mother's. Sarah said to Lucy, "Can I get you anything to eat or drink? Anything else?" It was difficult to know what else to say. It seemed as though noone would want to talk about the reason they were all here, quite understandably.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Well, at least Big Time Rush doesn't chase you into the bowels of hell.

It came on today, and I was like, "NOOOOO!"

Lucy shook her head and said, "I ate at one of the diners before I came here. I really don't need anything right now, but thank you." She smiled sadly, then stared at the painting again, her eyes getting slightly teared up. "He is... was so talented, wasn't he? I always told him how much I wished I could draw or paint like that. He tried to teach me, and I ended up getting paint all over myself. I was so embarrassed, and I apologized for making a mess. He just laughed and told me I was the best work of art he'd ever seen..." Her smile widened slightly as she recalled the happy times they had shared together.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Ahh, true. Thank goodness they're only on Nick, and I don't have that.

Bill nodded as he looked at the painting in front of them, biting his bottom lip. "He was. And, I'm sure he probably told you, how we never saw that talent, how unsupportive we could be. And, I won't lie to you, he was absolutely right. We regret it so much now, but it's too little, far too late. Thank goodness you were there for him," he said.

Sarah looked at her then, after hearing her tell them what Asher would say to her her, and told her, "He always went on about how beautiful you were. Every time we called, he only ever talked about you. And I can tell you're tired, but, even then, I think we both see what he means."

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Nick's newer shows really stink.

I like Fairly Oddparents and Avatar.... but that's it.

Lucy listened silently to what Sarah said, and the pain in her chest intensified. "He always said that he thought I was beautiful, and I always seemed to laugh it off. I remember when I first told him about... about my past, how my parents were forcing me to live a life I never wanted, how I lost my first love in the war... he didn't push me away, or act scared. He just accepted me, for who I was, and loved me unconditionally. He could never be unkind to anyone, he was a good man. He was the only person I ever... he was my twice upon a time." She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I miss the Disney Channel D:

"Well, you know that he'd never had a real friend in his entire life. He was so shy, most people were afraid of him.. But you accepted him, just like he accepted you. We're all grateful for that," Bill said. When Lucy started crying, both Bill and Sarah looked at each other, then wrapped their arms around the girl, hugging her. They had only known each other for a very short time, but they may as well have been family; they were going through the same things. And, they all knew, if Asher had lived through it all, they would certainly have become family anyway. "Now, now," Bill said to her, "He wouldn't want to see you cry like this over him. He would have wanted you to be happy that you'd had time together. And.. You don't know.. If you loved him after you lost your first love.. You could just find someone else. He'd want that, too." He didn't suggest for a minute that Lucy forget all about his son-- she would know that--, he just knew Asher wouldn't want her to be sad.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

I miss the good shows, like Recess and Hey Arnold! And Doug!!!

Lucy shook her head and said, "I'm never going to fall in love again. I don't want to. Even though I know Asher would want me to move on... I can't. He was the dearest, most wonderful person I have ever met, and I would feel disloyal if I moved on. I don't care if I fall in love again, anyway. It always ends terribly." She got to her feet, wiping her eyes gently. Clearing her throat, she said, "Let me take your things to the car. You two can go ahead and get in, and once I'm finished putting the luggage in the trunk, we can drive up to New York. It'll be a long drive, but... this land is so beautiful, it's worth seeing."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I used to love Lizzie McGuire xD

Bill and Sarah looked concerned at the idea of heading out straight away. Sarah asked her, "Don't you want to take a nap or anything first? His.. He's.. The burial won't be for another few days, so we have time. You just drove for twelve hours, after all."

"Either that, or let one of us drive for a little while, so you can get some rest," Bill suggested.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Me too! I even loved the Lizzie McGuire movie! it came on recently, and I freaked xD

Lucy smiled and shook her head. "The driving gives me something to do, something to think about. lately, I haven't been able to stay still for very long, or I get too upset to do anything. That's part of why I went home. I knew there would be work for me at the farm, or at the store, or even at the fields. I just needed to preoccupy myself. I swear, I'll be fine." She didn't mention that when she slept, she dreamed of him, and waking up hurt too much. She led them to the car, then went and grabbed their bags, then put them in the trunk.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

O: Same here! I was like, "OHMYGOSH, I haven't seen this in YEARS!" Love it, love it, love it <3

Bill helped Lucy with putting their bags in the car. He said to her, "You know, we really appreciate you coming out here like this. I mean, you never knew us, but you're driving all this way." He knew, though, that she was doing it for Asher, more than anyone. He and Sarah got into the car after having locked up the house and Sarah had retrieved the boxes of food she had insisted on bringing.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Me too!

Eventually, after what seemed like years of driving, the trio arrived in the Big Apple. The city was alive, the sun making the weather seem pleasant. Lucy, however, barely noticed this positive aspect of the city. All she wanted to do was get back to the apartment. After zooming down the streets like the New York driver she had become, they reached the apartment. She parked in the lot down the street, then grabbed the bags and walked Asher's parents to the apartment.

Eric jumped off of the couch and ran over, throwing his arms around Lucy. "I was so worried about you!" He said, holding her close. "Sis, you can't just run off like you... did..." He noticed Asher's parents. "Oh. You must be Asher's folks. I'm Eric."