Leaning back against the kitchen counter, he checked the weather app on his phone. The sun wasn’t due to rise for an hour, and the forecast called for cloudy skies and a high near eighty.
It was Monday. He checked his work email for the schedule Dottie distributed each week and wasn’t surprised to discover there was absolutely nothing of any importance.
Business was in a state of lull thanks to the life changes sweeping through management. Pregnant newlyweds King and Dawn were adjusting to married life, a sprawling house, and new schools for the kids.
The scene wasn’t any less fluid for Jon. On a natural groom-in-waiting high spent most of his time traipsing around the city with Lorelai indulging his bride with one insane shopping spree after another.
NIGHTWIND idled as everyone waited for the next wedding scheduled for the end of October.
To amuse himself, Arnie spent time in Flushing at Ali’s house. His colleague and her brothers took a house she bought down to the studs and rebuilt it. With the major renovation over, the focus moved inside—one room at a time.
Ali invited him over, walked him through the renovation progress, and asked what he thought. When he suggested corner built-ins on either side of the dining room archway, she whipped out a Pinterest board, showed him a few designs. She’d just been asking his opinion, but he went the extra mile and offered to build the units.
He supposed, in some way, he was like his dad and granddad. They found their Zen by digging in the dirt to grow things. Working with his hands was satisfying for a lot of reasons. When Stan expressed an interest in flipping houses, Arnie’s enthusiasm for his brother’s possible career choice had a lot to do with this newfound hobby.
Pouring coffee into a mug large enough to qualify as a bucket, he briefly debated the sugar issue, threw a “fuck it,” and started spooning. He had a feeling the day was going to be long and difficult, so a little extra oomph couldn’t hurt.
An assortment of Pop-Tarts caught his eye. He kept them in a handy basket next to the coffee maker. Shuffling through the packs until the frosted brown sugar stuck to his hand, he settled at the kitchen table to drink hot coffee, munch on meaningless calories, and wait for the sunrise.
The breakfast pastry might have tasted a lot better if he bothered to pop it in the toaster as the name suggested, but he managed to choke it down dry thanks to the coffee.
He glanced at the window. The inky darkness lightened as sunrise approached. Gently, and hushed, his inner voice spoke. You will remember this day until forever.
Arnie didn’t question why or how, but he already knew. Something important waited. Whether he understood or not, today was going to change everything.
Strange thoughts darted in and out of his mind. A psychic nudge reminded him about the hidden folder on his phone where he kept two precious images of Summer from their time together. Two images etched on his brain and in his heart.
Driven by an impulse he had no hope of ignoring, Arnie stomped to the kitchen island and ripped his phone off the charger.
Pussy, his internal antagonist chided.
Oh, yeah? If pining for Summer made him a pussy then, meow, motherfucker.
Moving to the kitchen table, he chug-a-lugged the coffee, slammed the mug on the table, and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. Leaning on his forearms, he tapped and scrolled until the hidden file came up.
Happiness, pure, joyful happiness slammed into him when the first picture filled the screen. It was his sunshine girl laughing along with a guy scooping ice cream in a shop. Her face and body language looked animated. Summer had a bubbly, high-spirited physical presence. She lived her life fully. Just looking at her filled his jaded soul with optimism. Summer gave him hope.
The other picture was hard to see. He took it while she slept in his bed. She was on her back, with her hair everywhere. Taken from his side of the bed, it showed her glowing face in peaceful slumber.
He’d put the glow there. Claiming her might have been selfish, but he wasn’t sorry. She belonged to him and always would regardless of what the future held.
In the shadowy recesses of his mind, he heard her voice. The sound of Summer’s girlish giggle gave him goose bumps. And then the laughter faded.