A Knock at the Door

There was a knock at the door. With a sigh and a heave off his chair, Jim Greenson decided to check to see who it is, to which he could not believe.

With his main arm he opened the door to see the same figure, but could still barely believe it.

Her brilliant dark red hair, storm green eyes, and fair, soft skin. It was her.

“Anna.” Jim simply said to her.

“Jimmy.”

He opened the door wider, giving her a chance to walk in, put her bag down, and sit on the armchair across from where Jim would sit only a few seconds later.

“So,” Jim began, continuing to eye Anna suspiciously, “What brings you back?”

“I've been visiting the entire city actually. All of my old friends, the park, the schools – figured it would only make sense to see you again as well.”

“The park? Did you see the swing set that broke your arm that one time to give it a few punches?”

Anna gave a slight smile to the comment, but it was simply a mask. Her smile was just as cold and stoic as the delivery of Jim's witty comment.

“No, the swings are no longer there. I would've if they were there, though.”

Jim gave her a smile of the same intensity as the one she gave him.

There was a moment of silence, before Anna picked up a nearby picture of Jim smiling a real smile and standing next to a brown haired girl in a softball outfit.

“What's her name?”

“Savannah.”

“Does she have a mother?”

Jim shook his head. “I adopted her from the Saints Orphanage.”

Anna gave an 'Oh' that was inaudible but could be read easily on her lips.

“And what school does she go to?”

“Concave High-school.”

She nodded with mixed approval. “I remember what happened to those kids who went there awhile ago. That was awful.”

“Yeah, but it was when she didn't go there. This is her first year.”

“I guess she's at school now, I take it?”

Jim shook his head again. “Nope, she's with her friends at the mall.”

Anna gave a smile, which was genuine but not directed towards Jim. Instead, she was reminiscing. “I remember when we all used to hang out at Sunrow Ridge when we were in high school. Us girls would all hang out on one side of the mall while the men were on the other side, and we would always pretend we wouldn't notice each other even though we always did.”

There was another lapse of silence, until Anna spoke up yet again. “Well, you certainly have a nice house. I guess you really made it with your writing career after all.”

Jim nodded, but it didn't stop him from going on the offensive. “I guess it was a bit better than – what are you doing now, waiting tables?”

Anna sighed, finally seeing now that what she was trying so desperately to avoid was the inevitable.

“Listen, I did what I had to do, you know that.”

Anna expected Jim to lash out at her, but instead he stayed calm and said the following:

“I don't care what you had to do, but I don't hate you. I'm not even mad at you. I couldn't be if I tried, even after all these years. It's just that – it's just that occasionally, still hurts.”

The two stayed silent, yet now felt a lot more soothed in Jim's company. Finally he got up, and made his way to the fridge.

“I want something to drink. Do you want anything?”

Anna shook her head. “No thank you, I think I might head out in a little anyway.”

Once again, there was nothing but the sound of the fridge opening, and a refreshment being poured in. Anna felt like this was finally the point in which she could be forgiven. To move on from this point in her life.

But she was wrong.

The pain came only after the realization that there was pain to be felt. She heard the noise, and felt the soft dripping of liquid, to which she look down to see the blood run from her chest.

In that moment, there was nothing. No anger, no sadness. No inane rant from Jim on which why he did it. Anna just looked up with her shocked eyes to him and his revolver, and mouthed only a single word.

“Why?”

And that was the last thing she would say, because the second shot was lethal.

Jim sat down in his armchair. He didn't bother thinking of what was going to happen to him in the next few hours. He just sat and thought about the moment. About how he had just finished what he needed to. How he could move on from this point in his life.

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