Hailee
I’m walking against the current of people to reach my Uber. Traffic is at a standstill on the east side of the park, so I have to hoof it west to get a car. My hands are at the sides of my chest as I hold on to the straps of my backpack.
With the moody melody of an acoustic guitar echoing behind me, I begin to get existential. I nearly start crying.
I’m excited but sad to be leaving Sophia and Alana. And yes, Alex.
It’s just me again. The way it’s always been. The way it might always be. There’s no guarantee I’ll have a great love. The kind that makes the sayings make sense.
Head over heels.
Swept off my feet.
Yeah, maybe I had that. Maybe I was a fool for thinking it didn’t have a tradeoff. A fool for thinking it wasn’t something I’d have to fight for tooth and nail.
There’s this rock in my stomach. A cannonball. It’s that feeling you get when you’ve done something wrong.
Said something awful to someone you love, and instead of righting your wrong or apologizing, you double down.
I reach my Uber and toss my backpack on the far seat. I shut the door.
“?”
“Yep.”
“JFK, yes?” asks my driver.
“Yeah,” I say and lean my head back.
I’m about to close my eyes when I see something from the corner of my eye. It’s a screen that’s been set up to display the stage to spectators who are farther away. I can’t believe my eyes.
“Wait. Wait, stop the car.” My hands have already flown to the door handle.
“You forget something?”
I open the door and start to stand. “No, just wait a minute.”
“Lady, I’m not on meter here.”
I shout back in the car. “I’ll tip for it!” I slam the door before running up a small hill to see the stage with my own eyes.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. It doesn’t compute. The cannonball that was in my guts is rolling away. “Alex?” I whisper aloud.
It’s him. He’s in a dark-gray suit and matching overcoat, and his hair is as messy as I’ve ever seen it.
A security guard has appeared in the wings next to the stage manager.
“Good evening. You know when I made my million-dollar donation this morning, Greenpeace asked me if I’d like to speak.” He says this while staring at the stage manager, not the crowd.
“I said why not. I’ll keep it brief.” He takes a deep breath. “My name is Alex Blackwell. Founder and CEO of the Blackwell Mining Corporation.”
There are a few half-hearted boos.
“I know. I know… Fuck you, too.”
The crowd erupts into laughter, and Alex frowns. He wasn’t kidding.
I grin ear-to-ear.
He takes a moment to compose himself. “I haven’t always made the best decisions in my life. My convictions, for the longest time, revolved around the advancement of myself. Not the world. Not others.”
His voice is strong. His pauses perfect. But there’s a darkness in his voice. I squint while I watch him. My heart begins to kick to a sputtering start.
He’s not up here for business, is he? Of course he’s not.
“It’s admirable to fight for something that doesn’t get you paid. It’s easy to work for our own wealth. Our own power. Even our own planet. But to fight for people we love…” Alex looks at his feet. He shakes his head ever so slightly, and the crowd starts to look at one another, confused.
“My heart tells me there is something bigger than the endless pursuit of myself. That there are more important things in this world. And I’m not talking about a damn forest.” He tilts his head up and stares out at the crowd. He’s looking towards me, but among the thousands of sets of eyes, his can’t find mine
“I don’t know what I’m doing up here, but I do know what I want to say. Barnes… I love you.”
Some people begin to lightly cheer and whistle.
“I’ve loved you since you rolled your ankle and I had to carry you inside in my arms. Since you trusted me enough to jump off a mountain on my back. I’ve loved you since you first fell into my lap.”
He holds the microphone down for a moment. Conflict narrows his gaze. “And I’m not asking you to stay…” Alex raises his voice to be heard through cheers. “Meet me, tonight. Meet me where I first called you rabbit. Where I first realized how much you meant to me.”
The crowd roars and claps.
“I don’t know if there’s anything I can say for you to change your mind about me, other than this…” Security starts to close in from either side of the stage. “I love you.”
He holds the microphone up at his side before handing it off to a man in a suit and disappearing slowly backstage.
I’m frozen, feeling something like invisible fire sear my skin. My soul. I’m in a state of emotional shock.
It’s a full minute before I’m able to turn and walk back to my Uber, and the entire time, my mouth is agape.
He wants me to meet him where he first called me rabbit. I remember where that is.
Of course I do. How could I ever forget? But there’s not a chance I can make my flight and this meeting.
I get back in the Uber, and my driver pulls out quickly from the curb. We’re still headed to JFK, and I’m still in too much shock to say anything to the contrary.