Stay Here
Before
eastcoleman:
If you could live anywhere, where would you choose?
mockingbird:
It’s three in the morning and that’s what you’re asking me?
eastcoleman:
Three in the morning for you, six for me. Why are you awake already? Or still?
mockingbird:
I got a message, and I forgot to turn off the sound, so . . .
eastcoleman:
I’d say I was sorry for waking you up, but I’d be lying.
mockingbird:
Are you drunk, Easton?
eastcoleman:
Maybe a little. But answer the question. Where would you want to live?
mockingbird:
In a little house on the ocean. I don’t care where. But it’s got to be right on the beach. Maybe LA would be nice, at least it’s always warm here. I want huge windows and lots of empty walls I can write all over. And a balcony off the bedroom, so I can always watch the sunsets.
eastcoleman:
What is it with you and the ocean?
mockingbird:
I grew up by the ocean.
eastcoleman:
Come on, Birdy, that’s not the whole truth, is it?
mockingbird:
No, of course not. But if you noticed that, then you can’t be very drunk.
eastcoleman:
Was that a test?
mockingbird:
Just a little one.
eastcoleman:
You’re avoiding my question again, right?
mockingbird:
Maybe.
eastcoleman:
Come on, tell me your ocean secret.
mockingbird:
It’s not as spectacular as it sounds. It’s probably how a lot of people feel about the ocean.
eastcoleman:
I don’t mind. Tell me what’s up with you and the ocean.
mockingbird:
When I’m by the ocean, everything is quieter. I feel like I can breathe properly and that everything will be okay. Because the ocean is endless and I’m so small in comparison. Then my problems feel a little smaller, and a little less bad. Pretty cliché, huh?
eastcoleman:
No, not really. Just honest.
mockingbird:
Shall I tell you the truth?
eastcoleman:
Always.
mockingbird:
I want to see the stars. It’s always dark enough to see them at the beach, no matter where you are.
As long as it’s not cloudy, at least. My parents gave me a star for my sixteenth birthday, and whenever I’m at the beach I can see it.
Okay, I admit it’s hard to tell exactly which star is mine, and it’s probably just my imagination, but I like to pretend I can see that star from anywhere.
Then it always feels a little bit like Dad is with me, even when he’s away.
eastcoleman:
You have your own star?
mockingbird:
Crazy, right?
eastcoleman:
Just a little. You’ll have to show me sometime.
mockingbird:
Yeah, maybe someday I will.