An Interview: Annabell

 

“Good evening, Annabell. How are you doing?”

“Very well, thank you,” she said, plopping down in the chair and tucking her legs under her. “What about yourself?”

“I’m doing just fine. You’re a hard woman to schedule with.”

“I always try to keep myself busy, but things are especially chaotic now.”

“Let’s get started; I don’t want to take up all your time.”

“That’s sweet of you, darlin’,” she said with a smile. “I’m more than happy to be here.”

“How do you take your coffee?”

“I like chicory coffee. It’s not always available when you travel all over the world, so I adapt. I’ll take whatever is on hand and drink it black, but peppermint can be a fun way to spice it up.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had or heard of chicory coffee.”

“Then you’re missing out,” she said with a wink.

“Where is your favorite place?”

“The mountains,” she said without hesitation. Looking out from a summit is a feeling like no other, but the journey is spectacular too. Doesn’t have to be the highest peaks of the highest mountains. I like ‘em better when they aren’t anyway. Being able to take your time and really experience it all.”

“That sounds amazing. How did you get started climbing mountains?”

“It was a job, actually,” she said, tipping her head to the side. “There was a remote cabin I had to get to, and the trip up there was so beautiful, I started climbing on my own time.”

“What’s your favorite book?”

“I like biographies. Anything that gives you a peak into someone else’s life,” she said, running her fingers through her hair, absentmindedly twirling the ends around her fingers when she got there. It was the only fidgeting she’d done since she sat down.

“Is there one you like more than others?”

“They are all too different to pick. They each have their own merits and interesting points. It’d be way too much to weigh them against each other like that.”

She shifted sideways in the chair, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them.

“This is a fantastic chair. I think I need one of these.”

“I’m sure I could have someone let you know where we got it.”

“That would be fantastic,” she said with a smile. “I was just thinkin’ how I could curl up like this with a book. All that’s missing is some soft background music.”

“What kind of music would you put on?”

“Depends,” she said thoughtfully. “A lot of it is mood-based, but it doesn’t matter much since it’s just to keep the silence away.”

“We’ll have to dive into that another time. What’s your favorite movie?”

“Is it too predictable that I’d say The Notebook?” she asked, scrunching up her nose. “I know it has all kinds of problems, and if you sat down and dove into all the details, it’s not great… but after all they went through over the years, and the crazy and the bad and all that… they end up together. They find their way, and as sad as the ending can be, it’s also heartwarming that he loves her so much.”

“Could that be something you’ve been looking for?”

“Not exactly,” she said, picking at her jeans. “It’s not a roadmap or anything, but the overall idea of having someone in your life that even when you’re old, and your mind isn’t all there, they still love you so completely.”

“It does sound lovely.”

She nodded, still picking at her jeans.

“What’s a hobby you have?”

“Weapons,” she said with a grin. “Learning them, practicing them, becoming one of the best with them.”

“That’s not really a hobby for you, though. It’s part of your job.”

“It can be both. I had to be proficient with some of them, but I didn’t have to search out all the weapons I could find and hone them into precision. That’s something I do on my own.”

“What skill do you have that might be surprising?”

“I don’t know that any skill should be surprising,” she said, tipping her head to the side. “Anyone can learn anything they find interesting with enough interest and determination.”

“That’s a fair assessment. However, it does happen anyway. We peg the kinds of things a person should do or would do based on how they look or do other tasks.”

“I try my damnedest not to do that. I’m a short, petite, southern blonde with a sweet smile. I can still kill you in 100 different ways with what’s in this room. No one takes me seriously at first. Sticking people in boxes can be insulting, but it can also cause you to under, or over, estimate someone.”

“Well, you’ve pretty much already answered this next question, but what does the perfect vacation look like to you?”

“The mountains,” she said with a grin. “Having enough time to really enjoy climbing and then camping out before coming back down.”

“What about a perfect date?”

“All dates are different because of the company you have with you. I would want someone with a sense of adventure, but that doesn’t mean they are ready to jump into something I want to try. It can be an exciting experience to take someone on a journey you’ve been on, and they haven’t, but it can also be exciting to jump into something new together.”

“So you don’t have a particular place or activity, just something adventurous?”

“Pretty much!”

“Well, thank you for your time, Annabell. It was nice to catch up with you.”

“You are very welcome, darlin’! It was fun,” she said as she stood up and stretched before ambling to the door. “Oh, and don’t forget to let me know about that chair.” With that, she stepped through the door.