The Watchmaker's Doctor ✔️

XVIII

2002, Sixteen Years Backwards

Fairfest was not quite Coachella, but the town was fiercely proud of its own annual music festival. Strictly for local talent, the event ranged from well-established musicians to newbies. The turnout impressed, with over two thousand people in the seats, and nearly a thousand more on the lawn.

A couple of the groups from JBU were part of the line-up too, and they'd been rehearsing for most of the year. They needed to hold down a fifteen-minute set of well-known covers by a band of their choosing, and name themselves accordingly, too. Being sure that she'd know some of the tunes made Anaya feel better. At least I won't look like a lost tourist.

And she didn't, recognizing and making small talk with quite a few people they bumped into. Matt himself gave off a familiar and comfortable aura. By the time they'd settled down on the blanket he'd brought with him, Anaya was relaxed enough to give him a chance.

The line-up kicked off with a band called Smarties doing Eminem songs, Yes Sure with some killer No Doubt tracks, and May Hateigne doing a repertoire of Avril Lavigne that included 'Sk8er Boy' and 'Complicated.'

When Copperfront came on, Anaya sang along to every line of her favorite band's 'How You Remind Me,' 'Far Away' and 'Photograph.' Matt watched her and laughed the whole time.

"What? Sure, they've got a lot of haters, but Nickelback's my favorite." She could feel the last of the walls she'd built up around herself rattle and give way.

Anaya specialized in plunging into things, majoring in falling big and fast. If she hadn't obsessed over this day for the entire two weeks that led up to it, she might not have exhausted all her arguments for being alone. So, when the concert ended, and he asked if she'd like to take a walk, she had no reason left to say no.

They strolled in the opposite direction of the lawn, away from the crowds and towards the pier. It was a while until they were by themselves, quiet and able to find silence after the loud music that had pulsated throughout the day.

"Your truck's fancy for a Ford." Anaya tried to keep the conversation light.

"I think it's the trim that does it. There's something about the taped stripes on the raven black, against the alloy wheels, that just draws you in. The red interior was my dad's idea, though. It was his baby."

The 'was' made Anaya look up at him reflexively.

She could see the pain still there when he said, "He died last year."

"I'm so sorry, Matt... I didn't know..." I've been an ass since the day we met, wanting to see or hear nothing about you. Of course, it wasn't the eyes. Just my fear of commitment, manifesting through metaphors, again.

"I thought your dad might have told you. Working for him allows me to help my mom with the bills and still stay in school."

"Sounds like him all right. He'd never broadcast a story that wasn't his to relate." Anaya knew that the idea of a wife and child left to fend for themselves must have hit her dad hard. It wasn't too long ago that he'd been in danger of leaving his own family in that position while being still alive and well.

"To be honest, I think that's why he initially gave me the job," Matt continued. "He's so pleasantly surprised each time I actually do what he needs me to."

"Don't worry about him not valuing you. He warned me to be on my best behavior, so I wouldn't scare off his only employee."

"Well, since you haven't steamed off in the opposite direction, I'll report that your behavior has been exemplary!"

He'd been open with her, without being under any obligation. Even less so after the way she'd treated him the last few months. She felt compelled to redeem herself and her older self seemed to know how—the truth was nothing to hide. "You're right. I'm very sorry about the way I've acted. The thing is, Matt, I have bipolar II. I've been on medication and therapy for almost two years now, and it's improved a lot. But before that, I didn't always make the best choices. So, I just wanted to prioritize my degree and my family, and try not to make any more mistakes that I'd regret."

It seemed to be his turn to feel like an ass now. "I'm so sorry, Anaya. I would never have joked about it if I knew."

"I think you know enough about me now to call me Ana." She smiled, then sighed. "Well, we've made a mess of this date, haven't we? We wanted to try to keep it light, but ended up telling each other the hardest things we're going through, in the space of two sentences. How do you go back from that?"

"You don't. And I don't want to. Do you?"

They were standing by the river now. As still and clear as glass, the water seemed to exist solely to mirror the sunset. The wind changed course in the sky, causing wave-like ripples up there. The whole world seemed covered in gold, slate, and cloud, very distinct and separate in places, obscure and entangled in others.

"Doesn't it seem sad to you that pain can bring two people together and forge a bond that wasn't there?" She hadn't addressed his question directly, but her own seemed sufficient answer for him.

"On the contrary, Ana. I consider it a testament that pain can be overcome if it's shared."

Hi all!
Thank you for reading!
What did you think of this chapter? Anything you would like to see more of?
Please do let me know what you think in a short comment below. I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks so much,
G.