Softly as I Leave You

It’s 2003, Micheal Buble’s sweet voice plays over the speakers of Franklin Hosse’s 1979 Cadillac Coupe Deville. He just replaced the stereo a week ago, from a simple cassette player to a bluetooth setup that lets him connect his own music. His best friend, Nathan Crough sits in the passenger seat, talking on the phone with his soon to be wife, arguing about which parts of the wedding will need the most attention budget-wise.

“I told you!” Nathan says, “I’d rather spend the money on the vacation after, you don’t need a fancy dress, Hope.” He takes his phone down from his ear ignoring his clearly upset fiancé, and rolls his eyes, then places the phone back up to his ear.

Franklin chuckles, and lights a cigarette humming along to the words of the song.

Long before your arms can beg me to stay, one more hour or one more day. After all the years, I can’t beg the tears to fall.

“Okay!” Nathan yells, “Give me a break woman! Go find somebody else to bother, I’m done with you right now.” He pounds the end call button, and tucks his phone back into his pocket, “Got another one of those?” He asks Franklin.

Franklin nods and holds out the pack of Marlboro cigs, and a lighter.

Nathan takes it, “thanks” he says, pulling one from the packaging and placing it on his tongue. He cups the butt on the cigarette while he flicks the lighter until he has a steady, slow burn. He inhales deeply and blows smoke out of his nose, “Hope is crazy, Frank.”

“Isn’t she?” Frank replies, smiling but continuing to look out at the road.

The landscape is red, and the Cadillac is kicking up the desert sand as she rips down the road.

“Where are we Frank?” Nathan asks, taking another puff from his cigarette.

“Utah, I thought you’d like to get away from Hope for a little while before the wedding.” Franklin answers, sticking his arm out of the window and flicking ash off of his cigarette.

“You got that right. She can be a real bitch sometimes.” Franklin answers, “I swear if she wasn’t rich like me, I’d never follow through with it.”

Franklin clenches his jaw, and scoffs in disapproval.

“What? You know her, she’s not even worth the money she’s got.” Nathan says, “Besides, why do you care? you remember what she did to you.”

Franklin smirks, and takes a puff of his cigarette, “She is a real charmer though.” He replies looking over at Nathan who is inspecting the golden wedding band on his finger.

“Pshh.” Nathan rolls his eyes, “She doesn’t even want to sleep with me, she’s makin me wait for after the wedding, sayin some shit about being a virgin like God intended or something.”

Franklin doesn’t answer, shaking his head as he looks at the vast stretch of red desert ahead. Nathan would never know love, he would never treat a woman right. He remembers a week ago when he was sitting in the parlor of Nathan’s mansion, waiting for him to arrive downstairs, when he heard a crash from upstairs, and Hope’s scream before Nathan came running down the stairs disheveled, red eyed and half naked.

“God I’d rather die than marry that bitch.” he had said as he stormed past Franklin and popped the stopper off of a bottle of scotch and took a squig right from the container.

“Hello?” Nathan’s voice brought him back to reality.

“What?” Franklin growled back.

“Your cigarette is gonna burn your fingers if you don’t toss it now.” Nathan said, laughing.

Frank threw his cigarette out of the window, and notices his hold on the steering wheel is so tight that his fingers are purple.

“You peeved or something?” Nathan chuckles, throwing his cigarette out of the window as well.

“No. I think I’m lost.” Franklin lies, the sun is setting slowly on the horizon.

“That’s the ugliest sunset I’ve ever seen.” Nathan says, “Why did you choose the desert?”

“The stars are so beautiful in the desert, you’ll see.” Frank says, as he pulls off to the side of the road, “I think there is a camping spot a little ways down this trail. we can set up our tents there if you like.”

“We’re camping?” Nathan groans, “Ugh it’s like you don’t know me at all.”

“You’re the one who asked me to take you somewhere. I’ve had this planned for weeks.” Franklin puts his black cowboy hat on his head, and opens the door, “You’ve never been camping before, I thought you’d like to sleep under the stars.”

Nathan groans and lights up another cigarette, “You sound like Hope. She’s so obsessed with the stars. It’s truly the worst, most annoying thing about her, always talkin’ about how she wishes she could see one up close, and how romantic they are.”

“Well, Nathan, she’s a woman, and women love those kinds of things.” Franklin walks around to the trunk and pulls out a tent, and some gasoline.

“Oh good, you brought gas, I was scared we were gonna have to start the fire with just our lighter.” Nathan grins, and puts the pack of Marlboro’s in his back pocket, along with the lighter.

The sun set is casting a yellow glow on the red horizon as the stars begin to appear one by one.

“Let’s get on our way then.” Frank says, slamming the trunk, and beginning his march down the trail.

Nathan grumbles and follows along, carrying a sleeping bag under his left arm.

Half an hour later, the sun is completely gone, and the stars litter the sky, barely illuminating the landscape.

“How much longer?” Nathan asks, looking at his phone, “It’s nearly midnight, and I don’t have any service out here! Hope’s gonna kill me.

“Nah, she won't.” Franklin says, looking at his own phone. The green light from his background illuminates his sharp features, his nose and high cheekbones cast long shadows on his face.

“She’s crazy, you don’t know what she’s capable of.” Nathan jokes, “look man, she-”

“Enough!” Franklin interrupts, pulling his pistol from his hip and aiming it at Nathan.

Nathan shrieks and drops the sleeping bag to the ground, “What the hell Frank!” He screams, “Put that down!”

“You don’t love her, Nathan! You never did! You never will!” Franklin holds the gun steady.

“Don’t shoot me.” Nathan begs, “Please Franklin, I’m your best friend.”

Franklin scoffs, “Best friend? Is that what you call paying my ex’s family so they would take her from me and give her to you?” He walks forward slowly.

“How did you-” Nathan is cut off again.

“You don’t think I see the bruises on your knuckles that line up perfectly with the bruises on her body?” Franklin grins, “Don’t worry Nathan.” he says, “I’m not gonna shoot you.” He laughs and puts the gun back in his holster.

Nathan laughs uncomfortably and takes a step back.

“No.” Frank snatches the handle of the gasoline, “I’m gonna burn ya.”

Nathan backs up quickly, “You’re insane Franklin.” He pulls his phone from his pocket, and Frank knocks it from his grip.

“I ain’t insane” Frank says, “You’re the one who would rather die than marry my sweet Hope. Wouldn’t it be a tragedy if you already did?”

“Don’t take my words seriously Franklin,” Nathan pleads, “It’s a phrase, not a request.”

“Do you think I care? Regardless of if I kill you now or you die in twenty years, you’re condemned to hell for sure, so why not start your burning right now?” Franklin’s eye twitches, and his lips are pursed into a thin line.

Nathan backs up and falls, tripping over a dead shrub. He tries to get to his feet, dragging his nails through the cool red sand. Frank kicks him down, and holds him there.

“I don’t wanna see anybody treat a woman the way I see you treatin’ them.” He growls, unscrewing the lid of the gasoline, “I don’t want to watch you burn. Good thing there’s a cliff about five feet to our left I can throw you off of, goes straight into a canyon, where you can rot forever.”

Nathan screams, but his face is pressed into the ground.

“What’s that you’re sayin?” Franklin asks as he empties the container, and pulls a cigarette from Nathan's back pocket. He lights the cigarette, takes a deep inhale, and then drops it.

Nathan’s screams echo through the empty desert, as boils form on his skin and he inhales the fumes of the burning gasoline.

“No one here for you to take it out on now.” Franklin says, “I didn’t want to do it... you shouldn’t have taken advantage of my woman.” He kicks Nathan’s burning body to the edge of the cliff, “You’ll never lay hands on her again, and that brings me comfort.” He pushes him off, and turns away, tucking his lighter into his pocket. As he walks he begins to sing quietly to himself, the end of a beautiful song.

After all the years, I can’t bear the tears to fall. Softly as I leave you there. As I leave you there.