those assholes makes my day beam with sunshine.”
She waves her hands toward the sky.
I get out of the car and grab my bag and
new phone. I go straight to my car to convince Trish I’m not
staying. She drives off down the road. I put my backpack on the hood
and pull out my keys.
My living room is an absolute disaster;
it’s so surreal seeing it like this. I want to just drop to my
knees and cry. This was my home; it represented my peace of mind, my
security, my only hope of spending a moment alone. This can’t
be happening.
There’s blood smeared on the wall,
and hand prints leave a trail that leads from the living room to the
door. There are stains on the grout of the tile between the ash and
soot. I instinctively know they are blood, but mine or Aiden’s?
In the back bedroom it seems there is
only water and smoke damage. Nothing is burnt. The bed is overturned
and the things on my dresser have been disturbed. The jewelry box is
on the floor next to the bathroom door.
All the rings Aiden has given me are
strewn across the floor. I carefully pick them up, looking at them
one by one, revisiting every magical night that Aiden slid each one
on my finger. I put them all back in the box and close the lid. The
other side of the jewelry box is empty. My stomach bottoms out; I
have to find it. Looking around, I search the floor with what little
light I have. Shuffling through some papers and clothes on the floor
near the door. The glow from my phone causes something to glint; I
hurry and move closer.
A relieved sigh rides out as I pick up
the ring. There’s something missing though. I shuffle through
the trash on the floor, lift the mattress and further ransack the
whole room looking for the other ring that was tied to this one.
I sit back against the dresser defeated,
holding up the ring I found and dust it off. Trying to polish the ash
away from the diamond, I give it a blow. Looking at it a little
closer with my light shining directly on it, the beauty and
simplicity is breathtaking. There’s more than just a sparkle to
it; there’s always been something special about this one. The
simple one-carat diamond flanked by sapphires that only wish they
were as beautiful blue as his eyes.
When I lift the lid on the right side of
my jewelry box to put the ring away, I stop to look at it again. This
one’s coming with me .
I’m not sure why, but I want it to be near me.
Checking the closet for clothes that
might not smell of smoke, mold or mildew I come up empty. That’s
great; it looks like there’s a trip to Goodwill in my future. I
can’t very well go around wearing the same two outfits.
Shit! I forgot to ask Trish about
Raphael, and whether or not I still have a job. Oh well, that’s
something I’ll have to deal with in the morning.
The last light of day fades into the
horizon. The sky is a brilliant orange and pink collage dancing to
indicate that it’s time to go, but where? I walk outside the
front door and look around down the street. My car is sitting in the
driveway, calling to me. I’ve missed my car. It feels like it’s
been years since I’ve driven. The thought occurs to me to just
get in and see where it takes me. I ended up in Virginia Beach last
time I did that. Problem is, I have no idea if I have any money in my
bank account and I’m sure the car’s on empty.
I look at my studio, the detached garage
Aiden and I converted. Hey, that’s as good a place as any. The
windows are all blacked out so no one would be able to see any lights
on. It wasn’t damaged by the fire so the electric and water
still work in there. It’ll do for tonight. I unlock the door.
Spinning the dimmer switch the lights
come up slowly and illuminate the room. There’s no artwork in
here at all. It’s all gone. This is the first time I’ve
been in here since Gary and Alice were killed. A chill rakes through
my body; I try to push it aside. I’ve worked too freakin’
hard to let myself be afraid in my own studio.
She waves her hands toward the sky.
I get out of the car and grab my bag and
new phone. I go straight to my car to convince Trish I’m not
staying. She drives off down the road. I put my backpack on the hood
and pull out my keys.
My living room is an absolute disaster;
it’s so surreal seeing it like this. I want to just drop to my
knees and cry. This was my home; it represented my peace of mind, my
security, my only hope of spending a moment alone. This can’t
be happening.
There’s blood smeared on the wall,
and hand prints leave a trail that leads from the living room to the
door. There are stains on the grout of the tile between the ash and
soot. I instinctively know they are blood, but mine or Aiden’s?
In the back bedroom it seems there is
only water and smoke damage. Nothing is burnt. The bed is overturned
and the things on my dresser have been disturbed. The jewelry box is
on the floor next to the bathroom door.
All the rings Aiden has given me are
strewn across the floor. I carefully pick them up, looking at them
one by one, revisiting every magical night that Aiden slid each one
on my finger. I put them all back in the box and close the lid. The
other side of the jewelry box is empty. My stomach bottoms out; I
have to find it. Looking around, I search the floor with what little
light I have. Shuffling through some papers and clothes on the floor
near the door. The glow from my phone causes something to glint; I
hurry and move closer.
A relieved sigh rides out as I pick up
the ring. There’s something missing though. I shuffle through
the trash on the floor, lift the mattress and further ransack the
whole room looking for the other ring that was tied to this one.
I sit back against the dresser defeated,
holding up the ring I found and dust it off. Trying to polish the ash
away from the diamond, I give it a blow. Looking at it a little
closer with my light shining directly on it, the beauty and
simplicity is breathtaking. There’s more than just a sparkle to
it; there’s always been something special about this one. The
simple one-carat diamond flanked by sapphires that only wish they
were as beautiful blue as his eyes.
When I lift the lid on the right side of
my jewelry box to put the ring away, I stop to look at it again. This
one’s coming with me .
I’m not sure why, but I want it to be near me.
Checking the closet for clothes that
might not smell of smoke, mold or mildew I come up empty. That’s
great; it looks like there’s a trip to Goodwill in my future. I
can’t very well go around wearing the same two outfits.
Shit! I forgot to ask Trish about
Raphael, and whether or not I still have a job. Oh well, that’s
something I’ll have to deal with in the morning.
The last light of day fades into the
horizon. The sky is a brilliant orange and pink collage dancing to
indicate that it’s time to go, but where? I walk outside the
front door and look around down the street. My car is sitting in the
driveway, calling to me. I’ve missed my car. It feels like it’s
been years since I’ve driven. The thought occurs to me to just
get in and see where it takes me. I ended up in Virginia Beach last
time I did that. Problem is, I have no idea if I have any money in my
bank account and I’m sure the car’s on empty.
I look at my studio, the detached garage
Aiden and I converted. Hey, that’s as good a place as any. The
windows are all blacked out so no one would be able to see any lights
on. It wasn’t damaged by the fire so the electric and water
still work in there. It’ll do for tonight. I unlock the door.
Spinning the dimmer switch the lights
come up slowly and illuminate the room. There’s no artwork in
here at all. It’s all gone. This is the first time I’ve
been in here since Gary and Alice were killed. A chill rakes through
my body; I try to push it aside. I’ve worked too freakin’
hard to let myself be afraid in my own studio.
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