(Marie, the day was the same here too. Hope yours got better. Back to 'The Neighbor'....)After the Storm
(August 1986)
Ennis finally joined Tom in the diner. “Hey, what took ya so long? I was afraid you were washed away by that rain.” Tom said, glancing at Ennis walking to the table. Ennis didn’t answer. He looked Tom and sat down, picking up the stained menu on the table.
“That sure was somethin’, that rain was worse that cats and dogs, it was rainin’ elephants.” Tom said, and laughed to himself. Ennis smiled, and kept his eyes on Tom.
“Whatya havin’?” the waitress asked as she come over, an older women with bleached hair and kind brown eyes. Tom ordered for both of them, Ennis still didn’t say a word. The waitress came back in what seemed like a minute with their coffee and their eggs. “Sure is a beautiful day” she said, winking at Ennis. But he didn’t notice her, he was staring at Tom.
“So, are we goin’ on?” Tom asked “or are we just goin' back? Hell, I don’t even remember what day today is, seems like we’ve been drivin' for months."
“It’s Monday” Ennis said quietly, now staring into his coffee. But he didn’t answer Tom’s question. They soon finished the breakfast and went outside. It was no longer raining, but it was still dark and dreary out. Ennis got into the driver’s seat of the truck, Tom sat down next to him.
“So what is it goin’ to be? We gotta decide. Hey, you haven’t said a word. What’s goin' on?”
Ennis didn’t reply. He just took Tom’s hand in his, squeezed it tight, then brought it to his lips. He tenderly kissed Tom’s hand, and then held it in both of his own hands. He still didn’t answer. He just sat there, staring at Tom.