Meeting Cora: Part I

It’s 1996, I’m sitting on the floral couch of my oldest friend Daniel’s house in Raglan, a beach town off the west coast of New Zealand. We’ve only been friends for maybe, a few years but I say he’s my oldest friend because he’s the only friend who hasn’t used me for drugs. I would say he’s my closest, but you don’t have that privilege when substances control your life. His house has paper thin walls and is never warm enough inside especially in the lounge room which faces the front of the house and is probably the smallest room. Decorated with a floral lounge that someone dumped on their front curb, a rectangle glass coffee table with timber short legs and a black box tv that only works if you whack it from a certain angle.

He says to me “We should go”.

Knowing exactly what he’s talking about I ask, “Go where?”

He looks at me with a slanted half smile “The party, Lennon!”

Rolling my eyes, I say “We don’t even like him”

Still smiling he says in agreeance “Yes but it could be fun, your brother is there, and you know I’ll light up the place”.

I did in fact know he would light up the place because he has no filter, and he is the craziest fucker I’ve ever met. Reminding me of the times we’ve escaped from the police purely on luck and Daniels quick wit. Finally, I give in “Okay fine, let’s go but I’m not going without a hit up and some beers”.

Looking at me with his Cheshire grin, he leaps off the couch and grabs my arm to pull me up “Of course, let’s go before you change your mind.”

We stop out the front of the house and music is coming from the inside which makes my heart thump a little harder in my chest. I haven’t told Daniel or anyone this, but I always experience a thumping in my chest, like one of my demons has a death grip on my heart and is shaking it to make it stop beating. Daniel has already jumped out of the car before I’ve even turned the keys out of the ignition and he’s opening the back door. Taking a deep breath, I look to the back seat, Daniel catches my eye while lifting out the case of beers almost whining, he says, “Come on Lennon, it’ll be fun”.

Daniel does whine a lot but its tolerable, grinning from one side of my mouth now, “Alright, alright, I’m coming”.

I hear my brother, Noah, yelling from a distance as I get out of the car, “Daniel! Lennon! I didn’t think you’d come”.

Noah is standing with his arm around Melissa, a beer in one hand and a cigarette in his mouth. He’s wearing a black, Pink Floyd T-shirt from their A Momentary Lapse of Reason concert in 1988 we went to together. I’m envious because I lost mine. Also wearing his favorite flannelette black and blue woolen jacket, dark blue Levi’s hanging off his waist and black boots on his feet. Spinning around with Melissa in tow and looking back at us he shouts, “We’re heading back inside, it’s getting boring in there and I know you’ll both make it fun.”

I think; correction, you know Daniel will make it fun.

I’ve gotten out of the car at this point but I’m still standing in front of it and Daniel is standing on the gravel driveway when he nods his head towards the house for me to go in. Dragging my feet, we all make our way through the front doorway and Daniel is already chatting to our friend Peter. My eyes are scanning the room filled with people standing and sitting wherever they can find a spot. Then finally meeting with the woman walking out of the doorway to the next room and she’s focused on carrying what looks like a bowl of chips. Wearing a green dress, flowing from the waist down with a low bust and thin straps. A cream woven cardigan hanging off her shoulders down to her knees. She lifts her head and our eyes meet, when I realise I’m staring now. She smiles at me from across the crowded room. I smile back and hastily look away making sure it was directed at me and not another bystander. She seemed like the type to smile at strangers. She continues to walk towards the table in the middle of the room and places the bowl down on the white lace tablecloth that reminds me of my childhood. I stand awkwardly trying not to stare while the smiling woman walks towards me, so I look around the room as if to find an escape because the thumping my heart does has come back feeling like it could detonate from my chest this time. She stops in front of me and now I’m noticing the hazel in her eyes and the curls in her dark strands. She looks at me “Hi, are you here for Russell?”

I stare back for a moment pondering my answer “Ahhh, yes I am”.

Curiously she asks, “I don’t think we’ve met, my name is Cora”

Again, I just stare back, my heart still thumping while her eyes get deeper. Tilting her head at me with dimples forming on her cheeks “This is when you tell me your name”.

My eyes widen and I scoff at myself “Yes, my name is Lennon.”