1929 by M.L. Gardner

why, but he found the idea utterly
demeaning.
    “We’ll buy something today, but from now on,
we’re going to want to bring lunch. It’ll save money. Aryl’s
waiting outside so we better get going,” he said, smiled politely
to Ava and turned, leaving them to their goodbyes.
    “Don’t go out alone today,” Jonathan said,
walking over to Ava. “Make sure you girls stick together when you
go shopping. And don’t wander too far. If you need to go more than
a block or two away, I’ll take you after I get home,” he said,
pulling money out of his wallet. “This should cover whatever you
need to pick up today,” he said and laid a ten-dollar bill on the
table.
    “That will more than cover it,” she said. She
straightened his collar and smoothed down the shoulders of the
thick shirt. “Try to have a good day,” she added sympathetically.
She could see the toll the week had taken on him. The normal
brilliance of his blue eyes was dulled, his face sullen, his brow
furrowed, dark circles shadowed his eyes and his rounded shoulders
sagged; the picture of an entirely defeated soul. He nodded, unable
to promise an effort aloud and simply pulled her close.
    “If it wasn’t for you, Ava,” he whispered in
her ear. She didn’t want him to finish the sentence, already having
a vague idea of what he meant. She pulled her head back and
smiled.
    “I’ll make a nice dinner tonight, all right?
What would you like?”
    “Hmm.” He looked up at the ceiling while he
thought, his hands still laced together on the small of her back.
“Steak and lobster.” She laughed, shaking her head at his
ridiculous request.
    “I’ll see what I can do,” she said, rising up
on her toes. A kiss goodbye quickly turned fervent. It was the
first decent kiss they had shared in a week, and he savored every
second of it. Lifting her at the waist, he took two steps forward,
pinning her against the wall and continued to kiss her with growing
intensity.
    Caleb knocked on the open door twice,
clearing his throat while respectfully looking down at the floor.
Jonathan pulled away reluctantly and sighed.
    “I’ll see you tonight,” he said quietly and
squeezed her one last time. She smiled, her eyes following him
until the door closed. Still leaning against the wall, she took a
deep breath and folded her arms, looking around the drab apartment.
It seemed larger and colder now that she was alone. The hollow day
loomed before her, and the last thing she needed was more time to
think. There was busy work she could occupy herself with, but even
if she took painstaking detail with each task, she would never fill
the day. She tuned the radio and began her mundane chores.
     
    ∞∞∞
     
    The walk to the shipping dock was brisk. They
passed the gate where the day workers gathered and heard the
supervisor announce how many men were needed for the day. The
workers clamored and yelled over each other in hopes of being
chosen. Caleb swatted Jonathan in the chest with the back of his
hand as they walked past.
    “We’re lucky,” he said, gesturing to the
frenzy of desperate day workers. Jonathan was hardly in a frame of
mind to consider himself lucky. They walked around the corner,
dodging delivery trucks, vendors haggling deals and men selling
apples from crates. They passed a man standing beside his new
automobile with a defeated look on his face. There was a cardboard
sign set on the windshield; shaky handwriting offered the Packard
for $100 cash. A newspaper boy shouted the day’s headlines that the
worst was over and recovery had begun both here and abroad. The
friends paid no attention to this, especially Jonathan. He shut his
eyes tightly as he walked by. He knew in his soul nothing would
ever be normal again.
     
    Aryl led them through the side entrance of a
brick building and made his way back to Roman’s office.
    “Aryl, good to see you. These the friends you
were talkin’ about?”
    Aryl nodded. “Roman, this is Jonathan Garrett
and