Post by Skye on Nov 27, 2011 14:17:14 GMT -5
“Ride safe Sweetie.” Skye needlessly adjusted the collar of Toby’s jacket and kissed him one last time before he strapped on his helmet. She stepped back out of the way as he started up his motorcycle, putting one hand in her back pocket and shading her eyes from the sun with the other. Toby smiled at her reassuringly, then revved the engine and headed down the driveway.
Skye kept watch as he turned onto the road, and until he was out of sight around the curve. Sighing, she turned and walked back into the ranch house. She knew they needed the time apart, they’d practically been in each other’s pockets for weeks now. But still, she found it hard not to worry about him, with everything he’d been going through lately.
She’d had to stop herself checking on him too often, knowing he wouldn’t appreciate it. She knew that Toby was well aware of her attention to his well-being. That she sat and watched TV with him to make sure he didn’t brood alone too long, as much as to spend time with him. That she would check on him if he were in the shower longer than 20 minutes, not to chide him for using all the hot water before she got to it like she teased, but to make sure he hadn’t passed out or something. Yes, he knew that she was keeping watch over him, and he knew that she knew that he knew… and so on. But Skye tried not to be AS watchful as she wanted to be. She’d lost count of the times she’d stopped herself halfway across the hall to the living room to sit with him, and instead went to the den to work on a photo project or check her email. Or, she deliberately left him alone to tinker with his bike or train until he hollered for her to come and spot him. It was hard to do… she kept reminding herself it was necessary.
.....
“Thanks for letting me print these photos, Sonny,” Skye smiled at her old friend as she walked from the back rooms to the front of the studio. She tucked the fat envelope of photos into her shoulder bag, “I really appreciate it, and yes, I’ll take that wedding shoot you asked me to. It’s the least I can do in return.”
Sonny looked up from the appointment book and smiled, “Glad I could help, Sweets. I’ve been expecting you to come in and copy those for ages.” Waving his hand at her in dismissal, he continued, “Don’t sweat the shoot, I know you’ve had waaaayyyy too much on your plate lately. I called in a favor from Stuart and he’s going to do the wedding. Concentrate on getting Toby back on his feet.”
Skye’s shoulders visibly relaxed, “I won’t pretend I am not relieved not to have to go to that shoot, but I still owe you one. Toby’s doing much better.” Her eyes brightened at the thought of him, “I think he’ll be just about ready for Prestige.” She remembered that Sonny had never really been interested in wrestling per se, just one of the wrestlers, who had since disappeared from the sport scene, “That’s the next show.” She reminded him.
He laughed, “I remember. Now shoo! I have work to do, and you have a long drive and much to do if you want to get that,” he pointed to her purse, indicating the envelope inside, “finished in time.”
“Okay, okay,” Skye leaned over and they gave each other a tight hug before she stepped out of the photo studio into a beautiful Bay Area autumn day. Lifting her face to the sun, she smiled, feeling better about the world than she had in a long while.
As she turned on her heel towards her bike, the cell phone in her purse started ringing. Skye recognized the ring tone even as she reached into the pocket to pull it out, “Hi Annette.” <listens> “Yeah, I’ll meet you…<pauses to think a moment>… how about a Starbucks in Daly City? You know the one near Marchbank Park? <listens and smiles>“Well, I’m at Sonny’s picking up some prints, so I figured it was pretty close for both of us.” <listens>“Okay, I’ll see you when you get there.” [ends call]
Annette approached the table where Skye was sitting poring over a stack of photos, a small smile on her face. She took a seat opposite her as she greeted the younger woman, “Hi Skye.”
Looking up, Skye seemed caught by surprise, “That was fast,” She smiled, “How many red lights did you run?”
“None,” Annette chuckled, “So… you wondering why I called you?”
Skye set the stack of photos on the table, picked up her cup of coffee, and raised an eyebrow, “You probably want to ask where Toby is, same as Cole has been doing three times a week since Scars and Stripes.”
The older woman shook her head, “No. I know better. If the situation were reversed, I would be as stubborn as you are about revealing Cole’s whereabouts.” She paused, turning her head to look out the window. When she turned back to Skye, her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Skye, I know Toby is not my natural born son, but he’s come to mean as much to me as if he were. I’m not happy about this situation.” She paused again to look into her coffee cup, as if to find some answer there, “Is he okay? I just want to know if he’s okay.”
“He’s okay.” Skye reached over and put a hand over Annette’s in a comforting gesture. “He’s been resting, and training for Prestige, and he’s okay.”
“I’m glad to hear he’s back to his old self.” Annette said. Skye didn’t bother to correct her. Annette looked at the stack of photos in front of Skye, “Can I see the pictures? When did you take them?”
Skye handed over the stack, “I didn’t take them. These are copies of photos I found at Toby’s parents house and the ranch. I scanned them, cleaned them up some, and am making a scrapbook of sorts for him.” She shrugged, “I’m making one for his scum-bag brother too. Don’t ask me why… because I’m really not sure.”
“Because that’s the kind of person you are, Skye.” Annette smiled, and shuffled through the photos, “Ohh, are these of his family? She’s gorgeous.” It was obvious the ‘she’ Annette was referring to was Toby’s wife.
Skye nodded, “Yes, I found those too, so… everything goes in. It’s his life, his career. I hope he likes it, and I hope it helps bring him some peace with his past. He seems to be ready for it. I wouldn’t put them in otherwise.” Annette nodded in agreement. Skye continued to explain her ideas and she and Annette talked for another thirty minutes before they left the coffee shop together, to part ways on the sidewalk. “I hope this will end well, I miss having coffee with you on a regular basis, Annette.” Skye leaned in to give her older friend a hug.
“Me too. Men can be so frustrating.” Both women laughed, then Annette turned and walked up the street, leaving Skye watching after her. Skye waited five minutes, then walked back to Sonny’s studio.
The bell over the door jingled as she walked in, prompting Sonny to call out from the darkroom, “Be out in a minute.”
“It’s just me, Sonny.” Skye called.
He opened the door and looked around the frame, “Coffee klatch over already? I figured you two would be playing catch up for at least another hour.”
“We probably could have, but I have things I need to do, and I want to be back before Toby is.”
Sonny looked out the front window, “Do you think she’s hanging still around?”
Skye followed his gaze and shook her head, “No, I saw her drive off, the other way. I picked that place for a good reason. The location’s got a good view for watching traffic.” She smiled and winked at Sonny, “I think I’m ok for heading back now. Moving my bike to the back of your studio helped too.” She walked past him towards the back door.
Sonny nodded, “Okay Sweets, take care and drive safely. Call me when you get home, okay?” Skye nodded as she stepped out the door into the alley behind the photo studio.
Pulling up the driveway, Skye was partly sorry that Toby wasn’t back yet, even though he had told her he’d be home late. Chuckling to herself as she unlocked the door, she banished the ‘mother hen’ thoughts from her head. Toby knew what he was doing, she kept THAT thought firmly in her mind instead.
She stepped into the empty hall, and shrugged out of her jacket. Going to the coat closet, she hung the jacket up, and took a box marked ‘ornaments’ off the upper shelf.
The dining room had the best light at this time of day, so Skye decided to work on her project there. She pulled the photo envelope from her purse, and took that, along with the ‘ornaments’ box, and set them on the table. Pulling out a chair, she sat down and took the top off the box, and pulled out two photo albums that she had started for the Hunter brothers several months ago. Many of the photos in the books were duplicates, chronicling their parallel lives as brothers, up to a point. Beyond that, she’d culled and copied photos and news articles of their wrestling careers, and for Toby’s she’d managed to find photos of his family. She hoped to have both books done by Prestige. And to give Toby’s to him afterwards, win or lose.
Jaden’s, well – she’d probably have it delivered later. She wasn’t sure if he’d want it, and she didn’t want to see the look on his face if he didn’t like it. If he chose to destroy it, or deride it; he could do it without her around.
As usual for a PPV, the arena was packed. Toby was in his locker room, doing his final preps for the match with his brother. Skye wandered the backstage area, somewhat at a loss. She didn’t want to take a walk in the main part of the arena, not really wanting to deal with any fans, Toby’s or otherwise. But Toby needed some time to himself, so she wasn’t precisely ‘welcome’ in his room at the moment. They’d meet up again before it was time to drive down the ramp to ringside. Meanwhile, she poked about backstage, talking to a few stagehands, taking some photos. She took some photos of the audience from different back stage vantage points, went up to the control room for some overhead shots. Skye found some of the pre-show pictures interesting, before the lighting was really going.
As she panned around looking for good shots, she noticed familiar faces in the crowd. There were a LOT of Devils’ Due club members here. And they were not sitting together in the audience. They were spread out, in twos and threes… Skye’s stomach flipped. This did not look good for Toby. She used her camera as a telescope and scanned over the entire arena. She gasped, ‘Oh my God!’ It appeared as if the entire club was here in force! She thanked the tech crew, and headed back towards Toby's locker room. Back stage was considerably more crowded now.
“Just in time, Babe. Put your camera down, we’ve gotta go.” Toby said as she walked in.
Pulling the strap over her head, Skye put the camera in her tote bag and in the locker, leaving the camera bag empty on the floor. “Toby, it looks like most of the club’s here! Bobby and…”
Looking unconcerned, he brushed her words aside and threw an arm around her shoulders, “Damn you look good tonight, I like that top.” Ushering her through the doorway to his waiting cycle, Skye had no chance to continue with her warning. It was time.
Skye kept watch as he turned onto the road, and until he was out of sight around the curve. Sighing, she turned and walked back into the ranch house. She knew they needed the time apart, they’d practically been in each other’s pockets for weeks now. But still, she found it hard not to worry about him, with everything he’d been going through lately.
She’d had to stop herself checking on him too often, knowing he wouldn’t appreciate it. She knew that Toby was well aware of her attention to his well-being. That she sat and watched TV with him to make sure he didn’t brood alone too long, as much as to spend time with him. That she would check on him if he were in the shower longer than 20 minutes, not to chide him for using all the hot water before she got to it like she teased, but to make sure he hadn’t passed out or something. Yes, he knew that she was keeping watch over him, and he knew that she knew that he knew… and so on. But Skye tried not to be AS watchful as she wanted to be. She’d lost count of the times she’d stopped herself halfway across the hall to the living room to sit with him, and instead went to the den to work on a photo project or check her email. Or, she deliberately left him alone to tinker with his bike or train until he hollered for her to come and spot him. It was hard to do… she kept reminding herself it was necessary.
.....
“Thanks for letting me print these photos, Sonny,” Skye smiled at her old friend as she walked from the back rooms to the front of the studio. She tucked the fat envelope of photos into her shoulder bag, “I really appreciate it, and yes, I’ll take that wedding shoot you asked me to. It’s the least I can do in return.”
Sonny looked up from the appointment book and smiled, “Glad I could help, Sweets. I’ve been expecting you to come in and copy those for ages.” Waving his hand at her in dismissal, he continued, “Don’t sweat the shoot, I know you’ve had waaaayyyy too much on your plate lately. I called in a favor from Stuart and he’s going to do the wedding. Concentrate on getting Toby back on his feet.”
Skye’s shoulders visibly relaxed, “I won’t pretend I am not relieved not to have to go to that shoot, but I still owe you one. Toby’s doing much better.” Her eyes brightened at the thought of him, “I think he’ll be just about ready for Prestige.” She remembered that Sonny had never really been interested in wrestling per se, just one of the wrestlers, who had since disappeared from the sport scene, “That’s the next show.” She reminded him.
He laughed, “I remember. Now shoo! I have work to do, and you have a long drive and much to do if you want to get that,” he pointed to her purse, indicating the envelope inside, “finished in time.”
“Okay, okay,” Skye leaned over and they gave each other a tight hug before she stepped out of the photo studio into a beautiful Bay Area autumn day. Lifting her face to the sun, she smiled, feeling better about the world than she had in a long while.
As she turned on her heel towards her bike, the cell phone in her purse started ringing. Skye recognized the ring tone even as she reached into the pocket to pull it out, “Hi Annette.” <listens> “Yeah, I’ll meet you…<pauses to think a moment>… how about a Starbucks in Daly City? You know the one near Marchbank Park? <listens and smiles>“Well, I’m at Sonny’s picking up some prints, so I figured it was pretty close for both of us.” <listens>“Okay, I’ll see you when you get there.” [ends call]
.....
Annette approached the table where Skye was sitting poring over a stack of photos, a small smile on her face. She took a seat opposite her as she greeted the younger woman, “Hi Skye.”
Looking up, Skye seemed caught by surprise, “That was fast,” She smiled, “How many red lights did you run?”
“None,” Annette chuckled, “So… you wondering why I called you?”
Skye set the stack of photos on the table, picked up her cup of coffee, and raised an eyebrow, “You probably want to ask where Toby is, same as Cole has been doing three times a week since Scars and Stripes.”
The older woman shook her head, “No. I know better. If the situation were reversed, I would be as stubborn as you are about revealing Cole’s whereabouts.” She paused, turning her head to look out the window. When she turned back to Skye, her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Skye, I know Toby is not my natural born son, but he’s come to mean as much to me as if he were. I’m not happy about this situation.” She paused again to look into her coffee cup, as if to find some answer there, “Is he okay? I just want to know if he’s okay.”
“He’s okay.” Skye reached over and put a hand over Annette’s in a comforting gesture. “He’s been resting, and training for Prestige, and he’s okay.”
“I’m glad to hear he’s back to his old self.” Annette said. Skye didn’t bother to correct her. Annette looked at the stack of photos in front of Skye, “Can I see the pictures? When did you take them?”
Skye handed over the stack, “I didn’t take them. These are copies of photos I found at Toby’s parents house and the ranch. I scanned them, cleaned them up some, and am making a scrapbook of sorts for him.” She shrugged, “I’m making one for his scum-bag brother too. Don’t ask me why… because I’m really not sure.”
“Because that’s the kind of person you are, Skye.” Annette smiled, and shuffled through the photos, “Ohh, are these of his family? She’s gorgeous.” It was obvious the ‘she’ Annette was referring to was Toby’s wife.
Skye nodded, “Yes, I found those too, so… everything goes in. It’s his life, his career. I hope he likes it, and I hope it helps bring him some peace with his past. He seems to be ready for it. I wouldn’t put them in otherwise.” Annette nodded in agreement. Skye continued to explain her ideas and she and Annette talked for another thirty minutes before they left the coffee shop together, to part ways on the sidewalk. “I hope this will end well, I miss having coffee with you on a regular basis, Annette.” Skye leaned in to give her older friend a hug.
“Me too. Men can be so frustrating.” Both women laughed, then Annette turned and walked up the street, leaving Skye watching after her. Skye waited five minutes, then walked back to Sonny’s studio.
The bell over the door jingled as she walked in, prompting Sonny to call out from the darkroom, “Be out in a minute.”
“It’s just me, Sonny.” Skye called.
He opened the door and looked around the frame, “Coffee klatch over already? I figured you two would be playing catch up for at least another hour.”
“We probably could have, but I have things I need to do, and I want to be back before Toby is.”
Sonny looked out the front window, “Do you think she’s hanging still around?”
Skye followed his gaze and shook her head, “No, I saw her drive off, the other way. I picked that place for a good reason. The location’s got a good view for watching traffic.” She smiled and winked at Sonny, “I think I’m ok for heading back now. Moving my bike to the back of your studio helped too.” She walked past him towards the back door.
Sonny nodded, “Okay Sweets, take care and drive safely. Call me when you get home, okay?” Skye nodded as she stepped out the door into the alley behind the photo studio.
.....
Pulling up the driveway, Skye was partly sorry that Toby wasn’t back yet, even though he had told her he’d be home late. Chuckling to herself as she unlocked the door, she banished the ‘mother hen’ thoughts from her head. Toby knew what he was doing, she kept THAT thought firmly in her mind instead.
She stepped into the empty hall, and shrugged out of her jacket. Going to the coat closet, she hung the jacket up, and took a box marked ‘ornaments’ off the upper shelf.
The dining room had the best light at this time of day, so Skye decided to work on her project there. She pulled the photo envelope from her purse, and took that, along with the ‘ornaments’ box, and set them on the table. Pulling out a chair, she sat down and took the top off the box, and pulled out two photo albums that she had started for the Hunter brothers several months ago. Many of the photos in the books were duplicates, chronicling their parallel lives as brothers, up to a point. Beyond that, she’d culled and copied photos and news articles of their wrestling careers, and for Toby’s she’d managed to find photos of his family. She hoped to have both books done by Prestige. And to give Toby’s to him afterwards, win or lose.
Jaden’s, well – she’d probably have it delivered later. She wasn’t sure if he’d want it, and she didn’t want to see the look on his face if he didn’t like it. If he chose to destroy it, or deride it; he could do it without her around.
●
As usual for a PPV, the arena was packed. Toby was in his locker room, doing his final preps for the match with his brother. Skye wandered the backstage area, somewhat at a loss. She didn’t want to take a walk in the main part of the arena, not really wanting to deal with any fans, Toby’s or otherwise. But Toby needed some time to himself, so she wasn’t precisely ‘welcome’ in his room at the moment. They’d meet up again before it was time to drive down the ramp to ringside. Meanwhile, she poked about backstage, talking to a few stagehands, taking some photos. She took some photos of the audience from different back stage vantage points, went up to the control room for some overhead shots. Skye found some of the pre-show pictures interesting, before the lighting was really going.
As she panned around looking for good shots, she noticed familiar faces in the crowd. There were a LOT of Devils’ Due club members here. And they were not sitting together in the audience. They were spread out, in twos and threes… Skye’s stomach flipped. This did not look good for Toby. She used her camera as a telescope and scanned over the entire arena. She gasped, ‘Oh my God!’ It appeared as if the entire club was here in force! She thanked the tech crew, and headed back towards Toby's locker room. Back stage was considerably more crowded now.
“Just in time, Babe. Put your camera down, we’ve gotta go.” Toby said as she walked in.
Pulling the strap over her head, Skye put the camera in her tote bag and in the locker, leaving the camera bag empty on the floor. “Toby, it looks like most of the club’s here! Bobby and…”
Looking unconcerned, he brushed her words aside and threw an arm around her shoulders, “Damn you look good tonight, I like that top.” Ushering her through the doorway to his waiting cycle, Skye had no chance to continue with her warning. It was time.
