Afterglow
(August 1986)
Ennis drove the truck slowly, past branches scattered all over, and cars left when the water got too high. There were parts of houses and buildings, and a big sign saying ‘Fresh Lemonade’ right in the middle of the road. The rain had stopped, the floods were receding, only the dark clouds loomed overhead. But the air was now fresh and clean. Ennis kept looking over at Tom, sitting as calmly as if nothing had happened at all.
Finally they reached a town, and Ennis drove down Main Street, where people were in the street cleaning up the mess. At the end of the road was a small diner, in an old trailer with a gas tank on the side. Ennis pulled over and Tom got out, but Ennis just sat there in the driver’s seat.
“Aren’t ya comin’?” Tom asked, looking puzzled.
“In a minute” Ennis replied.
“Suit yourself” Tom said, and went inside the diner.
Ennis rubbed his eyes and reached for the duffel bag. He took out the shirts, unwrapped them, and held them tight. He looked up to the sky, still covered with the clouds. Then he looked at the shirts in his hands.
“Ya know, I,,,,,I need him, I do. I can’t lose him. I got so damn scared, I just can’t, I can’t lose him.”
Ennis wiped the tears from his eyes and looked back up at the heavens. “I guess….I guess I ….I love him too.”
Suddenly, from the midst of the foreboding clouds, a small space appeared. Through the space, a faint ray of light came down towards the restless ground. Then just as suddenly, the space was filled in. All that was left was a barely perceptible glow.
Ennis smiled through his tears, and kissed the blue shirt. He wrapped up the shirts, put them the duffel bag and quickly got out of the truck. The last lingering doubts were washed away with the storm. Ennis knew he needed to be with Tom. He hurried inside the diner.